Chapter 46: The Sannin and The Android: 04

Orochimaru's pleas grew louder, his voice cracking. "Tsunade! I'm begging you!"

But Tsunade simply smirked, folding her arms. "Why would I want to stop this show? I'm getting free entertainment," she murmured, a sly grin crossing her face.

Naruto delivered one final, bored yawn, dodging Kabuto's desperate punch as easily as stepping around a puddle. And the chaos, as absurd and ridiculous as it was, continued on with no end in sight.

Kabuto, still clutching his sore behind and looking like he'd just been on the losing side of a sparring match with a cactus, crawled weakly across the warehouse floor toward Orochimaru. He dragged himself with all the dignity of a wet cat, leaving behind a trail of dust and wounded pride.

Naruto watched him with a peculiar look, her face a serene, emotionless mask. Then, with a slow, robotic motion, she reached down and gently patted Kabuto on his head, as if he were an adorable but mildly irritating pet. "You've got potential," she intoned, her voice flat yet somehow condescending. "But you really should know when you're outmatched. Dattebayo."

Kabuto's face flushed, more from humiliation than exertion, as he gritted his teeth and finally slumped at Orochimaru's feet. "Lord Orochimaru…" he gasped, glaring at Naruto as if he could will her out of existence with his eyes alone.

Orochimaru, with that ever-present sneer of his, looked down at his pathetic henchman. "Kabuto, don't just lie there. Summon something useful!"

Kabuto nodded, gathering the last shreds of his strength, and fished out a vial of Orochimaru's blood. With shaky hands, he smeared the crimson liquid on his palm, then pressed his hands together in a series of signs, muttering under his breath. "Summoning Jutsu!"

A massive poof of smoke filled the warehouse, swirling in the dim light, before dissipating to reveal an enormous purple snake with glinting scales and yellow eyes that gleamed with pure disdain. The creature loomed over them all, flicking its tongue and glaring at Orochimaru like a particularly unimpressed landlord.

"Why have you summoned me, Orochimaru?" Manda hissed, his voice filled with venom and impatience. "This better be good, or I swear I'll—"

Orochimaru, his face twisted into a forced smile, pointed a shaky stump of an arm at Naruto. "Kill… her, Manda. Do that, and I'll… I'll give you a thousand men! Roasted, even."

Manda narrowed his enormous eyes, considering the offer, his tail flicking with interest. "A thousand roasted humans, you say?" He licked his lips. "Fine. But if you're lying, I'll start with you."

While this grotesque negotiation was happening, Naruto, still unfazed, picked at her nose absentmindedly. Not that she had any actual need to—it was spotless—but she seemed to think it added to her already bizarre charm. "Huh," she mumbled, examining her fingernail, "a bigger snake."

With a sigh that sounded almost like mild exasperation, she shrugged, then formed her own hand signs, slowly and deliberately, as if she were bored. "Summoning Jutsu. Dattebayo."

Another poof of smoke filled the air, albeit a much smaller, less impressive one. When it cleared, standing proudly on the ground was… an elderly toad. Small, wrinkled, with a stern expression and holding a wooden staff, the creature looked around, taking in the scene with a single squinty eye.

Kabuto burst out laughing, clutching his stomach as if he'd just heard the punchline of the universe's greatest joke. "That… that's your summon? An old toad?"

Orochimaru chuckled darkly, and even Manda hissed a low, mocking laugh that echoed through the warehouse. "How pathetic," Orochimaru sneered, looking down at Naruto with a twisted smirk. "Summoning something like that—how weak."

Naruto's usually blank face turned a shade of embarrassed pink, her expression resigned as if she, too, questioned the summoning choices made on her behalf.

The old toad squinted, adjusting her tiny spectacles as she looked from Kabuto to Orochimaru, and then to Manda. "Excuse me," she croaked, her voice raspy but firm, "but are you three seriously bullying a little girl?"

Orochimaru rolled his eyes, scoffing, "She's hardly—"

"It's the other way around!" Kabuto interrupted indignantly. "That thing is the bully!"

Shima, the old toad, raised her staff and tapped it on the ground, silencing them instantly. "You oughta be ashamed, you lot," she scolded, her gaze firm and unyielding. "A big, slithering snake, a so-called 'medical ninja,' and a poor excuse for a man with no arms left. All ganging up on a child. What would your mothers say?"

Kabuto's eye twitched, and Orochimaru looked like he'd bitten into something sour. Manda, however, seemed undeterred, coiling up as if ready to strike. "I don't have time for this nonsense. Out of my way, toad, or you'll be my appetizer."

Shima didn't bat an eye. Instead, she raised her hands, her fingers moving in a series of quick seals. "Toad Oil Flame Bullet!" she croaked, inhaling deeply.

With surprising speed for her size, Shima spat a thick stream of viscous oil at Manda, coating him from head to tail in a slimy, combustible mess. Before he could react, she snapped her fingers, igniting the oil in a burst of fiery orange flames. Manda hissed, thrashing about as the flames engulfed him, the entire warehouse lighting up like a bonfire.

Kabuto shielded his face from the heat, his jaw dropping as the elderly toad launched into a dizzying display of powerful toad techniques. With a wave of her staff, Shima summoned a massive tidal wave of water, dousing Manda in one swift motion that sent the snake skidding across the warehouse floor, steam rising from his charred scales.

"Sage Art: Tongue Bind!" she shouted, her voice carrying a terrifying authority.

A monstrous pink tongue shot out from her mouth, wrapping around Kabuto like a whip and yanking him off his feet. She slammed him into the floor, then swung him into a nearby stack of crates with enough force to make the entire warehouse shake. Kabuto hit the ground, dazed, eyes spinning like a cheap carnival ride.

She then threw acidic saliva at Manda who gasped in pain.

Manda hissed furiously, his pride and scales both scorched. "That's it! I'm out of here!" With a final glare at Orochimaru, who was still cowering, Manda vanished in a puff of smoke, no doubt off to nurse his wounds and reconsider his taste in alliances.

With a sharp huff, Shima turned her gaze back to Orochimaru, Kabuto, and the mess they'd made. "You boys need to learn some respect," she scolded, shaking her head with a disappointed look. "Picking on a poor little girl. What would your ancestors say?"

Orochimaru, who was now huddled in a corner, simply glared, unable to muster a reply. Kabuto, nursing his bruised ego and body, could only give a pitiful moan of pain.

With that, Kabuto performed a hand sign, glaring at Naruto, noting the faint smirk on her lips. Then, he and Orochimaru vanished.

Shima dusted off her hands, muttering about the "youth these days" before turning to Naruto with a much softer expression. "You did good, child," she said warmly, her wrinkled face softening. "Didn't need to come in, but I couldn't stand to see those ruffians mistreating ya like that."

Naruto gave a stiff nod, her robotic tone softening just a fraction. "Thank you," she murmured, though the arrogance still lingered in her gaze. "I… well… I didn't know what would've happened to me if you hadn't shown up."

Shima chuckled, clearly charmed. "Ah, don't worry, dear. Next time you're around Mount Myoboku, I'll treat ya to some nice, crunchy crickets. You earned it." And with a wink, the old toad vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving Naruto standing alone, looking oddly pleased.

From the shadows, Tsunade, who had witnessed the entire spectacle, sighed with relief, her mind churning as she watched Naruto's odd antics and blank stares. She couldn't tell if Naruto was cunning enough to fool her opponents into underestimating her, or just so spectacularly dense that it bordered on genius.

But before she could dwell on it, Tsunade felt a wave of dizziness hit her—the drug's effects finally taking hold. She staggered, the world spinning around her, and felt her legs give out. As she fell, she felt an arm catch her in mid-air.

It was Naruto, staring at her with a look that was… vaguely disturbing. Her eyes glinted oddly as she said, "Huh, finally, a proper patient to fix. Dattebayo."

Realization dawned on Tsunade as Naruto's gaze became almost too intense. "No…!" she gasped, her voice weak as the darkness closed in, "Don't… touch…" But her words faded as she lost consciousness, the last thing she saw being Naruto's eerily glowing eyes, staring at her with an unsettling determination.

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