Naruto: I become Jinchūriki and Ophis is sealed on me!

Who made Manda deliver this message?

Who is Manda's new master?

Orochimaru's mind raced with questions, as Manda's summoning partner, he knew the serpent's temper all too well. Manda would never willingly call anyone "master," let alone treat a summoning partner with any semblance of respect.

Had Manda really changed?

Were the injuries from a battle, or was there something else going on?

Various scenarios played out in Orochimaru's mind as he mulled over the situation.

After a moment, Orochimaru summoned a smaller snake and sent it back to Ryuchi Cave with a mission to get to the bottom of this.

Manda had been cryptic, and Orochimaru needed answers.

"Orochimaru, did your summoning beast just rebel?" Jiraiya couldn't help but gloat, a wide grin spreading across his face. "I've always said the snakes from Ryuchi Cave are unreliable. You should've gone with the toads from Mount Myoboku instead."

"Mount Myoboku's toads are nothing but snake food," Orochimaru replied coolly, not even bothering to look at Jiraiya.

"Uh..."

Jiraiya was momentarily at a loss for words.

But it didn't take long for him to recover, his face flushing with anger as he shouted, "That's nonsense! The toads of Mount Myoboku have eaten plenty of Ryuchi Cave's snakes!"

"Heh..." Orochimaru let out a low, mocking chuckle, clearly unimpressed, before turning on his heel to head back into the cave.

"Don't you dare walk away from me!" Jiraiya yelled, growing more frustrated by the second.

Tsunade stepped in, grabbing Jiraiya by the arm before he could follow Orochimaru. "That's enough! Now's not the time for your childish antics. We need to confirm the validity of this intel and make preparations. Or do you want to be surrounded by the enemy?"

Soon, a message returned from Ryuchi Cave.

Manda's response was that he didn't even know who his new master was. However, with Nawaki's involvement, Orochimaru quickly pieced together that Xin was the one behind this.

The intel was accurate: Amegakure was indeed mobilizing a large force to surround Konoha's position, likely preparing for a decisive battle. Hanzō had run out of patience.

Orochimaru's serpent-like eyes narrowed as he processed the information. He had known that Amegakure would reach its breaking point sooner or later.

He just hadn't expected it to happen so soon.

Hanzō was preparing for a decisive battle with Konoha. If he won, he would likely try to expand his gains, possibly even invading the Land of Fire to plunder resources and prolong the war. If he lost, he would negotiate with Konoha, betting that they wouldn't refuse.

At this point, Konoha was fighting on multiple fronts and was stretched thin. As long as Amegakure was willing to negotiate, Konoha would likely agree, even if it meant making some concessions.

....

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