In general, in the face of death, the more intelligent a creature, the more likely it is to abandon its dignity and simply try to preserve its life, waiting for an opportunity to make a comeback.
Manda is in a very awkward situation.
Just moments ago, it had threatened to devour Orochimaru, this human who knew no fear, only to have its upper and lower jaws pierced by the Kusanagi sword and pinned to the ground.
Manda, having lived for hundreds of years, had never suffered such humiliation.
Even the mighty White Snake Sage or the even more ferocious giant serpent, Manda had never bowed its head in defeat, though it couldn't win.
Until it encountered Orochimaru, this utterly unreasonable being, today.
Manda initially believed it was subdued by Orochimaru because its body hadn't fully emerged from the hole. So, Manda feigned submission, begging Orochimaru to remove the Kusanagi sword from its head and pull its entire body out of the hole.
Then, it would launch a counterattack!
But the reality proved it was wrong, horribly wrong!
How could its little schemes possibly escape Orochimaru's perception?
Not only did it endure another strike from the sword, but its body was also ensnared by a peculiar black chakra. Feeling its internal power rapidly being assimilated by this dark energy and slipping further beyond its control, Manda finally panicked.
"Lord Orochimaru, I am willing to surrender!"
With a pained whimper escaping its pierced mouth, the stubborn Manda was finally persuaded by Orochimaru.
Under the mocking gaze of Katsuyu, Manda surrendered its soul, allowing Orochimaru to brand a summoning contract upon it, thus becoming Orochimaru's exclusive summon.
"Lord Orochimaru, that Kusanagi sword, named Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, is actually my tail."
"If Lord requires it..."
Manda's snake mouth opened and closed slightly, a trace of fear and obsequiousness in its ferocious serpent eyes.
Sensing Manda's inner thoughts, Orochimaru gently patted its massive snake head.
"For now, let it remain within you!"
"When I need it, I will naturally ask for it!"
Manda secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
With the Kusanagi sword empowering it from within, ordinary weapons could not harm Manda in the slightest, except for the Void Sword, another Kusanagi blade. If Orochimaru were to extract the divine artifact from its tail now, Manda's strength would undoubtedly be greatly diminished, and its title as King of Snakes might even become questionable.
Without even touching the threshold of Sage Mode, if Manda lost its invulnerability, it would merely be a large, ordinary summon.
Orochimaru would naturally never do something so foolish that would weaken his own strength.
As for what weapon Sasuke Uchiha would use in the future...
"Heh heh, what does that have to do with me?"
Orochimaru sneered inwardly.
...
"Great Sage, this junior has completed the summoning contract with Manda and it is time for me to depart!"
Orochimaru returned to the temple and bowed slightly to the White Snake Sage seated on the main throne.
"Hmm..."
The White Snake Sage raised an eyelid, looking at Orochimaru with a half-smile, and shook her head lightly.
"Orochimaru, I was just praising your intelligence, how did you suddenly become so foolish?"
"I seem to recall that the contract with Ryūchi Cave still has one crucial step yet to be completed?"
Orochimaru's pupils contracted, his apprehension towards the White Snake Sage instantly reaching its peak.
"It is indeed this junior who was impolite. Please, White Snake Sage, instruct me!"
"Hmph!"
The White Snake Sage vanished from her throne in an instant, transforming into her giant white-scaled serpent form beside Orochimaru, coiling around him.
"That's more like it!"
"I am not intentionally making things difficult for you!"
"But the rules of Ryūchi Cave for millennia have always been this way!"
"Contractors of Ryūchi Cave must undergo a personal trial from me before they can leave!"
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, feigning ignorance, and asked:
"What kind of trial?"
"Heh heh..."
The White Snake Sage's serpent pupils gleamed with greedy excitement, hissing as he spoke:
"Naturally, it is an infusion of Sage Mode energy!"
"I will inject a portion of Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode energy, containing part of my own venom, into your body to test your adaptability to Sage chakra!"
Orochimaru's eyes twitched, and he asked with a hint of worry:
"What are the consequences?"
The White Snake Sage's fangs, sharp and menacing, slowly approached Orochimaru's neck.
"If you pass the trial, you will gain the true qualification to practice Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode!"
"Otherwise..."
"Heh heh..."
"Everything you have gained in Ryūchi Cave will regretfully remain here in Ryūchi Cave!"
As soon as he finished speaking, without waiting for Orochimaru's reaction, his venomous fangs pierced the skin, and a surging stream of Sage chakra, carrying a burning toxin, surged into Orochimaru's body.
"Ugh!"
Orochimaru let out a muffled groan, his body convulsing under the effect of the ferocious Sage chakra and toxin, nearly collapsing to the ground.
The White Snake Sage, with an expectant expression, withdrew her form and returned to her human elder guise, sitting on the throne and looking down at Orochimaru struggling to resist the erosion of Sage energy.
"Great Sage, wouldn't this kind of death be too lenient for him?"
Katsuyu sidled up to the White Snake Sage, her eyes fixed on the faltering Orochimaru, who was clearly struggling against the Sage energy, and said hatefully, clenching her teeth.
The White Snake Sage took a puff of her pipe and glanced at Katsuyu, snorting softly.
"Hmph hmph!"
"My venom is not something that can be easily endured, just watch!"
Katsuyu, somewhat unwillingly, shrunk her neck, not daring to question the capricious Great Sage further.
"And if he survives the trial?"
"Are we truly going to let him leave with the Kusanagi sword?"
"This human just completely subdued Manda. If we let him go, Ryūchi Cave will not only have to teach him Sage Mode but also lose two divine artifacts!"
The White Snake Sage squinted and shook her head lightly.
"Completely subdued, has he? He does have some means!"
"However..."
"If he can truly endure it, then we can only let him leave!"
"After all, the rules of Ryūchi Cave are something even I cannot break arbitrarily!"
Katsuyu pouted, looking unconvinced.
"Great Sage, that person has been dead for over a thousand years. The rules established back then are long meaningless!"
"You might as well lift the restrictions on us and go out to hunt for food when you have the chance!"
Katsuyu licked her lips, her vertical pupils filled with bloodlust and greed.
"Silence!"
The White Snake Sage reprimanded in a low voice:
"That person's abilities are not something you can casually discuss!"
"With that person's strength, what is the boundary between life and death?"
"Even I, a thousand years ago, barely escaped that person's purge thanks to my relationship with Mount Myōboku!"
"Although I was made to abide by the rule of not hunting humans outside, at least Ryūchi Cave's legacy was preserved."
"And..."
The White Snake Sage recalled the nearly world-destroying battle of a thousand years ago, a deep fear flashing in her eyes.
"The Old Toad once said that person has been watching the entire ninja world from the shadows."
"Mere divine artifacts are external possessions."
"If Orochimaru can truly survive the erosion of Sage Mode energy, giving him the sword is no issue!"
"If he cannot endure it and dies, then it is not my fault!"