Naruto: Let the glory of the giants spread throughout the ninja world!

Bai gazed at Ryukura Akira behind him, then looked at the determined-looking boy in front of him, and a familiar smile gradually curved his lips.

"I see," he said softly. "So all these days you've been training so hard, not just to become stronger, but also to be able to control it."

Liu Cangming nodded.

Bai stepped forward and gently straightened his wind-blown collar: "Then leave it to me. I'll protect you, no matter what happens."

His voice was soft, yet it carried an undeniable firmness.

Ryukura Akira paused for a moment, then smiled: "Thank you, Shiro."

He sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and the blood-red eyes of Ryukura Akira behind him slowly lit up.

---

Deep in the Death Forest.

Towering ancient trees blocked out the sunlight, and the damp air was filled with the smell of decay and blood.

Mitarashi Anko stood on a thick tree branch, staring intently at the man in front of her dressed as a Kusanagi ninja.

Her chest heaved violently, and the curse mark on her neck throbbed with pain, like some kind of ominous premonition.

"It's been so many years," the man said, extending his long, slender fingers to slowly remove the mask from his face, revealing a pale and eerie face with purple eyeshadow outlining his narrow pupils. "I didn't expect you to be so cold."

"Orochimaru." Anko's voice sounded like it was being squeezed out from between her teeth.

Without the slightest hesitation, she instantly formed hand seals: "Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

Several venomous snakes slithered out from his sleeves and lunged at Orochimaru's face.

Orochimaru casually turned to the side, the snakes grazing his cheek and missing their bite.

Red Bean followed closely behind, kunai flipping at her fingertips, aiming straight for Orochimaru's throat.

"Still so impatient." Orochimaru sighed, his body twisting like a snake, easily dodging each attack.

Hongdou gritted her teeth.

She knew she was no match for Orochimaru in a direct fight, but she never thought about winning.

In another close-quarters exchange, Anko suddenly gripped Orochimaru's wrist. With her other hand, she drew a kunai and plunged it down—

"Pfft."

The kunai pierced through her left palm and Orochimaru's right hand, pinning both of their hands firmly to the tree trunk behind them.

"Gotcha." A sinister smile curled at the corner of Hongdou's mouth.

Orochimaru looked down at his pinned hand, but there was no panic on his face.

Hongdou's right hand was already raised, interlocking with his left hand. It was the starting stance for the Twin Snakes Killing Each Other. Once the hand seal was completed, both of them would be reduced to ashes in the explosion.

"Teacher," Hongdou's voice was hoarse and resolute, "please come to hell with me."

However, just as she was about to form the hand seal, the hand in her palm suddenly turned into a puddle of mud.

"What?!"

A familiar, husky voice with a hint of laughter came from behind: "What's wrong? Even if you're a special Jonin in the village, you can't just use the forbidden techniques I taught you."

Hongdou suddenly turned around.

Orochimaru stood unharmed on a tree branch three meters behind her, while the only thing nailed to the trunk was a melting earth clone.

Cold sweat instantly soaked through Hongdou's back.

"You're still so impulsive." Orochimaru slowly approached, reaching out to pinch Anko's chin, forcing him to look up into his snake-like eyes. "If you dare to spoil my fun."

He paused, his voice low and menacing, as if it came from hell: "I will destroy this village."

Red Bean trembled all over; the pain from the cursed seal made her almost unable to move. She could only watch helplessly as Orochimaru released his grip and turned to leave.

Her consciousness began to blur, and the curse mark on her neck seemed to burn even more intensely.

Just then—

"boom!!!"

A huge black shadow fell from the sky and slammed hard into the thick tree branch where the two were standing.

The enormous impact shattered the branches instantly, sending wood chips and dust flying everywhere.

Orochimaru's pupils contracted slightly as he retreated rapidly, while Anko was thrown back by the shockwave and crashed heavily into the trunk of another tree, spitting out blood. This time, however, it actually made her feel more energetic.

The smoke slowly dissipated.

A giant standing sixteen meters tall stood among broken branches, his body steaming with scorching white vapor.

His blood-red eyes looked down at Orochimaru, whose expression had finally turned serious.

"What...is this?" Red Bean's eyes widened, unable to believe what she was seeing.

Orochimaru's gaze locked onto the giant. His pupils contracted slightly, and then—a dangerous smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Interesting..." He licked his lips, "A summoning beast? Or has the teacher finally invented another useful creature besides Yamato?"

Ryukura Akira simply took a step towards Orochimaru, and the tree trunk instantly cracked where his foot landed, with cracks spreading outwards like a spider web.

Orochimaru formed hand seals, a fanatical smile spreading across his face. "Let me see your power!"

He slammed his hand on the ground: "Spirit Summoning Technique!"

"Bang!"

A huge plume of smoke exploded, revealing a colossal creature with purple stripes—the Mansakani.

Its enormous body, exceeding fifty meters in length, coiled around the surrounding tree trunks, its triangular head held high, its golden vertical pupils coldly staring at Ryukura Akira before it.

"Orochimaru." Manda's deep voice echoed through the forest, tinged with obvious displeasure. "This time, I demand a hundred human sacrifices. Otherwise, I'll eat you."

"Enough with the nonsense." Orochimaru stood atop Manda's head, his gaze never leaving Ryukura Akira. "Take care of that guy first."

Manda finally looked at his opponent properly. Manda's head was ten meters tall, making Ryukura Akira seem rather petite in comparison.

"That's it?" Manda flicked his tongue dismissively. "Not even enough to fill my teeth."

No sooner had the words left its mouth than it opened its blood-red maw and lunged at Liu Cangming!

Ryukura Akira moved swiftly, not dodging, but directly meeting the attack head-on, gripping Manda's upper and lower jaws tightly with both hands!

"What?!" A look of astonishment flashed in Manda's eyes.

Ryukura Akira's feet sank deep into the tree trunk, steam billowing wildly from his body. His arm muscles bulged, and he slowly pried open the gaping maw of the ten thousand snakes!

"roar--!"

The snake, in pain, writhed wildly, its massive body twisting and turning, its tail sweeping across and snapping several large trees in half.

Ryukura Akira was struck by this tremendous force, his entire body flying out and crashing heavily onto the ground dozens of meters away, creating a huge crater.

However, it got up again the next second.

Orochimaru's eyes lit up.

He could clearly see that the wounds on Ryukura Akira's body caused by the impact were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The billowing white steam enveloped the wounds, and the muscle tissue writhed wildly. In just a few breaths, the wounds were reduced to faint traces.

"Interesting, very interesting," Orochimaru muttered to himself, his interest growing stronger. "This regenerative ability is simply perfect."

Manda was extremely angry.

"I'm going to grind you into mincemeat!"

The massive body of Manda sprang from the tree trunk, lunging at Ryukura Akira like a purple lightning bolt. This time, Ryukura Akira didn't take the hit head-on; instead, he rolled to the side, barely dodging the fatal blow.

The head of the monstrous creature crashed into the ground, causing the soil to explode and revealing a huge crater.

As he rolled around, Ryukura Akira grabbed the scales on the neck of the giant snake, pushed off with his arms, and flipped himself onto the snake's back!

"Damn it—!" Manda twisted and turned frantically, trying to shake off this annoying guy.

Ryukura Akira gripped the gaps in the scales tightly with his palm, while his other fist was raised high and instantly became large, a result of his training over the past few days.

As his body strengthens, his control over the giant's body even allows him to temporarily transfer muscles, but unfortunately, his mind control is ultimately imperfect.

"Bang!"

A punch landed.

Manda's body trembled violently.

"Bang!"

Another punch.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

With each punch, the scales of the myriad snakes would crack and split open.

Ryukura Akira's fist, steaming with scorching heat, pounded into the same spot again and again. The scales there finally gave way, shattering to reveal the flesh beneath.

Manda, gripped by pain, went berserk and rolled violently, flinging Ryukura Akira away.

Liu Cangming crashed into several large trees, breaking them, and fell heavily to the ground.

But it got up again.

Orochimaru's gaze remained fixed on the figure shrouded in steam, his interest now turning into a kind of fanaticism.

"This physical strength, this regenerative ability..." he muttered to himself, his smile growing wider. "If I could obtain this power, immortality, hahahahaha."

He raised his hand, preparing to unleash another attack from the monstrous serpent, but just then, a rapid whooshing sound came from afar.

Someone is coming.

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and glanced at Ryukura Akira, who was still standing in the ruins.

"That's enough for today," he said softly. The myriad serpents beneath his feet seemed to sense their master's intention, and their massive bodies began to turn into smoke.

"Wait, Orochimaru!" Manda's angry voice echoed through the smoke, "You haven't offered the sacrifice yet!"

As the smoke cleared, Manda and Orochimaru vanished simultaneously.

Ryukura Akira stood still, his blood-red eyes scanning the surroundings. After confirming that the target had disappeared, the steam on his body gradually subsided, finally turning into a wisp of white smoke and dissipating into the air.

Behind a tree trunk in the distance, Hongdou slid down and sat down, panting heavily.

"What exactly is that thing?" she murmured.