"So this is where you've been waiting for me!" Orochimaru smirked slightly, his tongue curling around his lips one and a half times.
From the look in Orochimaru's eyes, Saitama knew he had already seen through his intentions.
Scratching his head, Saitama didn't seem to care at all.
"Fine then." Orochimaru nodded after watching Saitama for a moment. A summoning scroll wasn't anything rare, and considering how close he and Saitama had become, he didn't mind giving it away.
"Uh..." Just as Saitama was about to say some polite words of thanks, he made an odd noise, almost like he'd seen something disturbing.
Under Saitama's gaze, Orochimaru tilted his head back, opened his mouth wide, and after some throat movement, one end of a scroll much larger than his mouth appeared. Then, grabbing that end with his hand, he pulled the entire scroll straight out.
"You actually..." Unable to find the words to describe what he just witnessed, Saitama could only stand there stunned. He'd seen such scenes countless times on TV back in his old life, but this was truly his first time witnessing it in person.
Even someone like Saitama, who'd seen his fair share of shocking things, found himself feeling nauseated. It wasn't the kind of nausea from seeing corpses, but more like when he once saw a certain streamer yelling "Oh my god!" before grabbing some mysterious object beneath him and stuffing it into his mouth—utterly unsettling!
Glancing sideways, Saitama noticed Kimimaro standing behind Orochimaru. Unlike himself, Kimimaro showed no disgust; instead, his eyes gleamed strangely—an almost worshipful expression.
"Pffft… Guess beauty really is in the eye of the beholder, huh?"
Saitama quietly thought to himself before shrugging it off.
"Here. I don't suppose I need to teach you how to use it!"
Holding the scroll, Orochimaru prepared to hand it over, mumbling slightly as he spoke.
"Oh, and if you're planning to summon Manda, be ready. Her temper isn't exactly great!"
Seeing Saitama's discomfort, Orochimaru channeled his chakra, sending a burst of wind to sweep away the slimy residue coating the scroll.
"I'm not like you, spoiling your own pets."
Saitama shrugged, emphasizing the word 'pets' before accepting the now-cleaned scroll.
"Whatever."
Orochimaru turned around, resting his hand on Kimimaro's shoulder, and started walking away.
Since Saitama had shown no interest in his perfected Cursed Seal, there was no reason to stay any longer.
He was busy—he had plenty to do.
Watching Kimimaro follow Orochimaru, Saitama kept observing and noticed more and more similarities between them.
The way they walked, their calm manner while speaking—it was like they even dressed alike...
In his previous life, Kimimaro had died far too early from an illness tied to his bloodline inheritance. That always left Saitama feeling regretful.
After all, Kimimaro's talent and Kekkei Genkai were extraordinary. If not for the curse tied to his bloodline inheritance, the heights he could've reached might've been nearly unmatched by others.
"Orochimaru..." Thinking this, Saitama wanted to give Orochimaru a warning.
If he reminded Orochimaru earlier, maybe he could detect the hidden illness within Kimimaro's bloodline inheritance early enough to cure it!
"What's wrong?" Orochimaru paused, puzzled. As he turned his head back, his golden snake-like pupils flickered under the dim yellow light.
"I heard many Kekkei Genkai have certain recessive traits in their bloodlines—some beneficial, some harmful. You might want to look into this area more."
Saitama didn't say it outright, but by glancing at Kimimaro as he spoke about Kekkei Genkai, the meaning was quite clear.
Orochimaru blinked, his eyes momentarily shifting before nodding.
"I understand. Go ahead and take care of your business!"
"There's a training room over there—it should be enough for learning the Summoning Jutsu!"
Then Orochimaru pointed toward the other side of the tunnel with his finger, pulling Kimimaro along as he headed in the opposite direction.
He understood what Saitama had meant from just those words, so he decided to bring Kimimaro back for a check-up.
He wasn't unfamiliar with bloodline-related conditions like Kekkei Byo (Genetic Disorders of Bloodline Limits), but because of Shikotsumyaku, the information he possessed was still limited, requiring further investigation.
Still, what Saitama said carried weight. Although much of what came out of his mouth was difficult to accept at first, the final results were always convincing enough.
"Got it!" Saitama tossed the scroll upward, caught it again, and made his way toward where Orochimaru had indicated.
Perhaps due to the wide open space ahead, the wind grew stronger the closer he walked toward it.
Cool gusts swept across Saitama's face, making his bangs flutter and lifting the hem of his trench coat slightly behind him without him even noticing.
...
Soon, Saitama arrived at the training chamber.
It was massive—like the circular arena from the Konoha Chunin Exams—but this one had a ceiling overhead.
Walking straight to the center, Saitama laid the scroll on the floor.
As he unfurled it, he saw the contents written inside.
The scroll wasn't particularly large—it seemed smaller than those used for Summoning Scrolls at Mount Myoboku.
Written on it were the names of those who had signed Summoning Contracts with Ryuchi Cave. The first few names were already faded beyond recognition.
And the last name—was Orochimaru!
Smiling slightly, Saitama recalled the ritual for signing a Summoning Contract and got to work.
He bit the tip of his right thumb until it bled, squeezing out some drops of blood. Then, he smeared it across the fingertips of his right hand.
Slap! Once the blood was evenly spread, he slammed his palm onto the paper, leaving his handprint.
After completing all that, he used the remaining blood to write down his own name: Saitama Uchiha!
Looking at his bold, sweeping handwriting and then comparing it with Orochimaru's neat yet childlike script above, Saitama found himself oddly satisfied.
Orochimaru was still a kid when he signed that contract with Ryuchi Cave, so it made sense that his handwriting looked so young.
"Is that all it takes to complete the contract?"
Intuitively, Saitama could sense something strange. Because he mastered the [Flying Thunder God Technique], he was especially familiar with spatial coordinates, so as soon as the connection appeared, he became aware of it.
"Now comes the actual summoning!"
"Could I just reverse-summon right away?"
Since Saitama had mastered the Summoning Jutsu hand seals, he could activate them whenever he wanted.
"No need to rush. Now that I've learned Summoning Jutsu, I should get familiar with my Boss Summon first! Otherwise, if it disobeys me in battle, things could get messy!"
With that thought, Saitama began forming hand seals with both hands. His speed didn't seem fast at first glance, but faint afterimages flickered around him.
His hand seal speed had nearly reached a ninja's limit, and many basic jutsu no longer required seals.
Chakra flowed continuously within his body, a slightly warm, gas-like substance circulating through his meridians. Saitama kept his lips sealed at first, then suddenly shouted out:
[Summoning Jutsu]
It had been ages since he last called out a jutsu's name, but this time, he felt Summoning Jutsu deserved a proper announcement.
In his past life, watching Naruto Uzumaki and other heirs of the Three Sacred Lands use Summoning Jutsu always looked incredibly awesome. Today was finally his chance to do it himself.
Boom! A portion of his chakra vanished, but for Saitama—who had more than enough to spare—it was practically nothing.
From beneath Saitama's palm, white smoke billowed upward, and a powerful surge of energy burst forth!
Roar! A giant figure emerged, twisted its body several times, and let out a fierce roar.
"Orochimaru, what do you want summoning me for? If you want me to fight for you, you must prepare at least one hundred human sacrifices!"
The huge figure was Manda. As soon as he appeared, he spoke directly.
In his memory, only Orochimaru could summon him! And each summon meant—feast time! A grand meal laid before his eyes!
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