Inside Orochimaru's tent, the air was heavy with silence.
"Did he agree?" a low voice emerged from the shadows.
"He came back alive… what do you think?" Orochimaru replied without even lifting his head, his eyes fixed on a freshly delivered intelligence report spread across his hands.
A soft chuckle followed from the darkness. "Then he had no choice but to agree." The young man hidden within the shadows paused briefly before asking, "What did he ask for in return?"
"The Flying Thunder God Technique."
"You gave him that?!" The voice sharpened with alarm. "If his strength continues to grow, won't Lord Danzo Shimura find it impossible to control him?"
Orochimaru's lips curved faintly. "First of all, he cannot learn it. That technique… neither Jiraiya nor the Third Hokage could master it. Even after years of studying forbidden techniques, I have yet to grasp its essence."
"The mysteries of space are not something an ordinary shinobi can comprehend."
"…Then why would he want such a thing?"
"Ignorance breeds fearlessness," Orochimaru said lightly. "Young shinobi often mistake small achievements for boundless potential."
Then, as if in passing, he added, "Besides, even if his strength does not increase further, Danzō will already find it difficult to control him."
"What do you mean? He still refused to join Root?!"
A trace of undisguised mockery flickered across Orochimaru's expression. Refused? He had not even entertained the idea.
A man with that kind of ambition would never willingly place himself beneath Danzō, never reduce himself to a mere hound. Even coercion through drugs or forbidden techniques would likely prove futile. The man's strength had already surpassed Danzō's expectations.
"So… he rejected it." The voice in the darkness grew colder.
"Tell Danzō this," Orochimaru said calmly. "Uzuki Shimizu is a crucial piece in my path to becoming Hokage. He is not to be tested again."
"Between a so-called capable subordinate and the Fourth Hokage… I trust Danzō will choose what benefits him most."
Silence followed. The presence in the shadows vanished as though it had never been there.
Orochimaru remained alone, a faint, almost amused murmur escaping his lips.
"The Third Hokage is growing old… but you, Danzō, are no different. You cannot even recognize a shinobi's true potential."
A quiet laugh slipped from him, low and chilling.
"Then again… perhaps only I can see it."
"Ah… hahahaha…"
...
After teaching Shimizu the Summoning Technique, Orochimaru had returned to camp without delay. Shimizu, however, chose to linger a while longer.
Having just signed a contract with Ryūchi Cave, it was impossible for him not to feel a flicker of excitement. After generously giving Orochimaru two large samples of his blood, he decided he might as well spend a little more—if only to test the technique for himself.
He could hardly wait.
Biting down on his thumb, he winced slightly as the sharp sting shot through him.
A small price.
He formed the seals swiftly—Boar, Dog, Rooster, Monkey, Ram—and pressed his palm against the ground.
Dark markings of the summoning contract spread outward beneath his hand, intricate and ancient.
The Summoning Technique belonged to the realm of space-time ninjutsu. What Shimizu was performing now was a blood-contract summoning—calling forth a creature bound by pact to aid him in battle. The size and strength of what appeared would depend on the chakra he poured into it.
Without hesitation, he injected a quantity of chakra comparable to that of an S-rank technique.
According to Orochimaru, that was the minimum required to summon Manda—though even then, success was far from guaranteed.
Of course… Manda would likely ignore him entirely.
Shimizu wasn't asking for much.
Anything large would do.
A sharp bang split the night.
The ground trembled beneath him.
It worked.
And not just that—it was something massive.
As the smoke slowly cleared beneath the cold light of the moon, Shimizu finally made out the shape before him: a colossal snake, nearly thirty meters in length, its body covered in deep brown scales. Its enormous, grotesque head loomed high, its tongue flickering in and out as it tasted the air.
The massive snake seemed to be testing its surroundings, its forked tongue flickering in and out as though tasting the unfamiliar air.
Shimizu watched it for a moment before calling out, "What's your name?"
The dark-brown giant offered no response, its tongue continuing its rhythmic flick.
"…Hello?"
Then, without warning, the creature's vicious gaze snapped onto him.
For reasons he couldn't quite explain, an absurd thought surfaced in Shimizu's mind—this thing isn't… stupid, is it?
"Boom—!"
The snake moved.
Its enormous body surged forward with terrifying speed, its agility wildly disproportionate to its size, as it launched a lightning-fast strike. In the blink of an eye, its gaping maw swallowed the very patch of ground where Shimizu had stood, tearing it apart completely.
But Shimizu was already gone.
Relying on sheer speed, he had leapt onto a distant tree, watching with a faint scowl. "That bastard Orochimaru… not a word about this."
Before the thought could settle, the second attack came crashing down.
"Boom!"
Shimizu had no choice but to chain together multiple uses of the Body Flicker Technique, instantly putting over a hundred meters between himself and the beast.
From his new position behind the snake, he observed in silence as the aftermath of its attack unfolded—towering trees reduced to splintered ruin, the earth itself gouged open by brute force.
"…Impressive destructive power," he murmured.
Having lost sight of its prey, the giant snake swayed restlessly, its massive body shifting in uncertain arcs as it searched its surroundings.
Shimizu watched, then let out a quiet sigh. "Of all things… I summoned a venomous beast that can't even communicate."
A pause.
"…So how exactly am I supposed to send it back?"
Orochimaru hadn't mentioned that either.
At last, the snake caught sight of him again. Its body twisted violently before it lunged once more, faster than before.
"Good speed. Strong too…" Shimizu narrowed his eyes. "Let's test its defense next."
"Boom!"
The third strike, like the ones before it, failed to land.
At the same instant, a flash of lightning cut through the air. The snake's scales split open, a jagged wound carved into its body as blood sprayed outward.
"Even an A-rank technique like White Lightning can damage it," Shimizu noted calmly. "But for something this size… a wound like that barely matters."
He tilted his head slightly, already calculating.
"If I dropped something like this straight into the Sand Village's camp—especially during a surprise attack—it would cause considerable chaos."
Measured against the chakra cost, the results were striking.
"The efficiency far surpasses any conventional ninjutsu…"
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"Summoning beasts… really are useful."
With practiced ease, Shimizu slipped beyond the snake's sensory range, his mind already shifting from action to analysis as he reviewed his first attempt at the Summoning Technique.
Two problems immediately presented themselves.
First, the probability—and method—of summoning an intelligent creature capable of communication.
Second… how to make the summoned beast return to its own world quickly.
Like now, for instance.
He had summoned what was essentially a mindless killing machine—and worse, he had no way of sending it back. For the moment, all he could do was let it rampage freely through the forest.
He had briefly considered subduing it, but given its sheer size, the chakra cost would be significant.
If only I had Wood Release… he thought with a trace of regret. Binding techniques were where it truly excelled.
Unfortunately, his own arsenal leaned heavily toward extreme offense or absolute defense. Subduing something like this without killing it was… inconvenient.
And killing it?
That felt like a waste.
After all, this was his first summoned creature. And aside from its questionable intelligence, its savage temperament made it perfectly suited for the battlefield ahead.
The kind of presence that would inspire fear the moment it appeared.
So… for now, he would let it wreak havoc.
Though, as he glanced at the devastated forest around him, another thought surfaced.
If this commotion attracts the ANBU…
Shimizu's expression turned faintly amused.
He would, without hesitation, deny any involvement.
And as for the blame—
That would fall squarely on Orochimaru.