Chapter 188: The Sannin Battle, Part 2
Manda surveyed his surroundings, his voice a fierce hiss. "Hey! Orochimaru, stop summoning me for such troublesome things. I might just eat you!"
Orochimaru said nothing. Seeing that his master was ignoring him, Manda became even more enraged.
"Lord Manda, please calm down," Kabuto Yakushi quickly explained. "We will prepare generous gifts to honor you later."
"I'm not talking to you, you little brat! Who gave you permission to speak to me?" After snapping at Kabuto, Manda raised his head and glared at Orochimaru. "Hey! Don't play dumb! When this is over, remember to prepare one hundred living sacrifices for me, or I'll make you pay!"
Orochimaru nodded, tacitly agreeing to Manda's demand. Kabuto's face was grim, a knot of unease tightening in his stomach. Summoning Manda was a gamble. Although Orochimaru was Manda's master, if the great snake knew that Orochimaru was currently unable to use ninjutsu, he would surely rebel immediately.
The three shinobi and their three giant summons stood in a silent standoff, no one making the first move. The laid-back Gamabunta calmly smoked his pipe.
"You bastard!" Manda had always despised the smell of smoke. Since they were young, he and Gamabunta had always been at odds. "Bunta, are you looking for death? Do you want me to turn you into toad-paste?"
"Hmph," Gamabunta grunted, unconvinced, his right hand gripping the hilt of his tanto. "I could use a new snakeskin wallet, you damn Manda!"
"Orochimaru," Jiraiya said, his voice now serious, "you have become too evil. You are no longer our comrade! I'm not going to try and bring you back!"
"Comrade?" Orochimaru sneered. "After all these years, have you made any progress at all? Don't say such naive things. It's truly pathetic."
"Today is the first time the three of us will fight each other," Tsunade declared. "From this day on, we will no longer be known as the Sannin!"
"Your tongue is as sharp and acidic as ever!" Katsuyu took the lead, spitting a large amount of corrosive slime toward Manda. The great snake quickly dodged, burrowing into the ground. A moment later, he erupted from beneath Katsuyu, his flexible body wrapping tightly around the giant slug's soft form.
"Let me use you as an appetizer first!" Manda opened his bloody maw, ready to devour Katsuyu whole.
"Don't forget that I'm your opponent!" Gamabunta leaped into the air, falling rapidly as he swung his massive dagger at Manda's head. Manda twisted his neck, continuing to exert pressure with his body. Katsuyu, unable to withstand the squeeze, quickly split into thousands of smaller slugs, breaking free from Manda's coils.
Jiraiya quickly formed a series of hand seals. "Bunta, use the oil!"
"Understood!"
"Fire Style: Toad Oil Flame Bullet!" With the help of the oil, the power of the fire jutsu increased severalfold. Soon, the sea of flames had burned Manda's skin to a crisp, leaving only a broken, smoldering shell.
"How is it? Is he dead?"
"Wait… that's not right! It's just his shed skin!"
Just as Gamabunta was searching for Manda's true form, a voice he despised came from behind him. "I'm over here, you idiot!"
Gamabunta hurriedly turned, but it was too late. Manda's enormous mouth was already closing in, about to swallow him whole.
"Watch out!" At that moment, Tsunade grabbed Gamabunta's discarded tanto and threw it at Manda. The snake was unable to dodge, and the massive blade stabbed a large hole straight through his open mouth.
"Damn you, Tsunade!"