Manda was tough at first, but soon started wailing.
"Spare me, hero! Spare me!"
Because they were in Ryūchi Cave, Manda lost the protection mechanism of the Summoning Jutsu.
Usually, when Manda is summoned as a Summoned Beast, it would be automatically sent back to the summoning realm if it took severe damage.
In Ryūchi Cave, no matter how much Ryou electrocuted it, it just had to take it!
Ask for help?
Sorry, the law of Ryūchi Cave is survival of the fittest. The Three Great Snake Princesses and the White Snake Sage, who were secretly watching Manda get electrocuted, had no intention of intervening.
The Three Great Snake Princesses were even a bit gloating, because Manda was an insubordinate existence in Ryūchi Cave and had frequently defied them in the past.
The Three Great Snake Princesses couldn't wait for Ryou to kill Manda!
That way, there would be one less mouth to feed when eating humans.
No matter how much Manda screamed, Ryou didn't stop.
Satori added fuel to the fire from the side: "Snakes are afraid of strong irritating odors, fire, and bright light!"
Upon hearing this, Ryou used them all.
For irritating odors, he used Deep Forest Emergence—not the full technique, of course, but using Wood Release to grow three to five large trees.
He let them bloom and release pollen with an irritating odor.
As soon as Manda smelled it, it rolled around frantically. Snakes fear irritating odors because their sense of smell is highly developed.
Snakes are highly nearsighted; they rely on their sensitive sense of smell to hunt prey in the dark.
For them, smells aren't just "smelled"; they are closely linked to their nervous system.
Once smelled, it would "burn through" their organs, causing intense pain, panic, and loss of judgment.
That's why in rural areas, Realgar is sprinkled around houses to prevent snakes; they won't dare approach once they smell it.
As for fire, Candy performed it. It had Ryou's spores in its body, completing all its chakra natures.
Candy stood nearby, using its claws to release Fire Release to roast Manda.
The Seven-Tails also crawled out of Ryou's body, throwing flashes at Manda's eyes.
This is hell!
Manda had been tyrannical all its life and had seen all sorts of people. The Three Great Snake Princesses could only tolerate it, and Orochimaru had to desperately cater to it.
Yet Ryou directly treated it like a beast.
"Master, save me—"
With the despair of death, Manda let out a hoarse hiss.
Ryou stood up straight, warily watching for any movement around him.
There was no wind or grass in Ryūchi Cave, but Ryou always felt a very subtle gaze watching him.
With his White Zetsu cells' sensing, it was difficult to counter-detect this Sage-level perception.
However, just by guessing, he knew it was the perception of the high-level members of Ryūchi Cave.
Ryou remained alert for a while and found that nothing happened. Neither did Manda's subordinates come to save it, nor did the Three Great Snake Princesses or the White Snake Sage come out to plead for it.
He was so angry he laughed, electrocuting Manda with Chidori: "Is this your Ryūchi Cave's corporate culture?"
Manda pleaded: "Lord Ryou, let me go! I'll be your dog from now on. If you tell me to go east, I'll never dare go west."
Ryou lectured it for a while. Seeing that Manda was truly pleading for mercy, he stopped torturing it.
After all, he came to Ryūchi Cave to seek Senjutsu; he should maintain a somewhat humble and studious attitude.
Ryou retracted all the messy restraints on Manda, and Shukaku and the Seven-Tails returned to his body.
Then Ryou jumped onto Manda's head with Candy and patted its head: "Let's go. Take me to see the White Snake Sage."
Manda had just been tortured by Ryou until it didn't even look like a snake anymore and really needed a good rest, but this little ancestor was ordering it around right now.
Manda dragged its weak body and led Ryou into the depths of Ryūchi Cave.
It explained to Ryou: "Grandpa Ryou, because you are not a successor of Ryūchi Cave, you cannot meet the Master directly. You must pass the trials of the Three Great Snake Princesses to see the Master."
Ryou nodded and didn't make things difficult for Manda.
These were the rules of Ryūchi Cave. Since Ryou wasn't as strong as the White Snake Sage, he would follow the rules set by the White Snake Sage.
"I understand. Take me to the trial stages. Watch me pass the three trials in one day and become a Sage in one step."
Manda sneered inwardly. You are strong, that's true, but don't underestimate the trials of the Three Great Snake Princesses.
Even if you pass their tests, so what?
The final stage is the hardest. The Master will directly inject natural energy into your body. For a thousand years, not a single person has survived the erosion of the Master's Sage chakra.
Not even the most talented Orochimaru?
Ryou, you brat, just you wait! When you turn into a monster, I'll personally come out and swallow you to avenge this.
Satori suddenly pointed at Manda and said to Ryou: "Master, this guy is being dishonest. He's thinking about how to get revenge on you!"
"How bold—"
"Chidori Current!"
Ryou shouted and then released a powerful Chidori Current to electrocute Manda.
Manda wailed.
Satori watched maliciously from the side.
Because Satori has the ability to read the minds of those with negative emotions, a snake as evil as Manda was like a transparent mirror in its eyes.
What it was thinking in its heart couldn't escape Satori's mind-reading ability at all.
The more it was tortured, the more negative emotions accumulated in its heart, which to Satori was like a slow-cooked gourmet meal.
The more miserably Manda was tortured, the more delicious the negative energy it consumed became.
Kekeke...
Candy looked at Satori, who had turned into a cackling monster, and then at Ryou, who was torturing a snake beside it, and really felt that this bunch wasn't human.
Candy sat down a bit further away on Manda's head and began to synchronize information from outside Ryūchi Cave.
Because Ryūchi Cave is located in a different dimension, there is a delay in synchronizing information with the outside world.
Ryou and Candy didn't know what the outside world had become.
Candy's chakra began to connect with Sasori's regeneration core outside, learning about the situation.
First, the Shinobi Allied Forces has begun attacking the Land of Rain. The clone Ryou left in the Hidden Rain Village has already led the Shinobi Cats army to face the Shinobi Allied Forces.
Of course, it wasn't a real fight. Except for the Five Heroes of the Clouds and Matatabi, the other Shinobi Cats were just small fry.
They couldn't even beat a Genin, so how could they deal with the elite of the Shinobi World?
Ryou's clone took them along purely to have them beat drums and blow trumpets to crush the Shinobi Allied Forces's arrogance.
When everyone heard there was Catnip to be had, they all followed.
Candy reminded Ryou: "Stop electrocuting it. The Shinobi Allied Forces has started attacking the Land of Rain."
"Hmm?!"
Ryou let Satori mess with Manda, then walked to Candy's side, placed his hand on its head, and began to synchronize the outside news.
The Shinobi Allied Forces has already attacked the Land of Rain, but they haven't launched a general offensive yet. The units Ryou's clone encountered were Shinobi forces led by Konoha and Kumogakure.
As for Sunagakure, according to the information sent from the spores on Chiyo, Pakura, and others, Sunagakure and Kirigakure have formed the Third Division.
Iwagakure is the Second Division.
The three major divisions are attacking the Land of Rain from three directions. Once the three divisions are synchronized, the alliance will launch Plan B.