Konoha cat breeder

Chapter 211: Reduced to Rubble

Deep within Ryūchi Cave, in the most violent nest of serpents, there dwelled a one-eyed crimson snake—a beast marked by a reverse scale.

The moment Tonari laid eyes on it, the thought instantly flashed through his mind.

The arrogant Manda snapped his mouth shut, while the mild-mannered Aoda subtly moved away from Shinga's side.

Because unlike other snakes, Shinga was infamous for its unstable temperament.

After losing an eye in battle, it had become a destructive menace, a walking disaster that no one wanted to deal with.

Even the White Snake Sage had no way of controlling it.

Among the serpents of Ryūchi Cave, some feared it, while others hated it—but none dared approach it.

When Tonari summoned his contracted snakes, his intent was simple—

Summon large, powerful battle serpents.

Manda and Aoda were obvious choices—they were giant combat specialists.

However, just to ensure maximum destruction, Tonari randomly selected one more from the pool of gigantic serpents within Ryūchi Cave.

To his surprise, that random choice ended up summoning Shinga—the most terrifying red-scaled behemoth of the cave.

From Manda's reaction alone, it was clear just how strong Shinga was.

Even though Manda wasn't necessarily afraid, it was clearly unwilling to provoke Shinga.

After all—

"The strong fear the reckless. The reckless fear the suicidal."

Compared to Manda's restrained wariness, Aoda was much less composed.

It immediately coiled protectively around Tonari, its sharp eyes locked on Shinga in caution.

But Shinga paid no attention to Aoda.

Its rage-fueled aura was nearly impossible to suppress.

Slowly, its massive body coiled downward, bringing its enormous head face-to-face with Tonari.

The cold aura radiating from its scales sent a chill through the air.

Its forked tongue flicked out—moist and deadly.

"Did you summon me?"

Shinga's deep, grating voice carried a chilling intensity, and its breath reeked of blood and decay.

The stench was enough to make one gag.

Tonari frowned slightly.

Truthfully, the serpents of Ryūchi Cave were unique.

Despite being filled with natural energy, most of them never used it actively.

Manda didn't. Aoda didn't.

But Shinga?

Tonari could sense something different.

Though it didn't use its natural energy, its unstable aura closely resembled someone who had absorbed too much—similar to Jūgo's berserk state.

If properly controlled, if guided, if it learned to stop absorbing natural energy at random—

Perhaps it could refine that latent power, perhaps it could even use Senjutsu properly.

This was a natural talent that Shinga had never fully awakened.

Just like how Manda was Orochimaru's most favored summon, Shinga had once had a master as well.

It took Tonari a moment to remember, but when he recognized Shinga, it clicked.

Back when Orochimaru took him to Ryūchi Cave to sign the serpent contract, he had seen an unfamiliar yet familiar name.

Now, he recalled—

It was the Third Kazekage.

Shinga had once been the Third Kazekage's favored battle summon.

The eye it had lost—

Had been sacrificed in battle alongside the Iron Sand master himself.

But after losing that eye, Shinga's temper worsened.

Even the Kazekage stopped summoning it frequently.

Tonari had felt a faint connection to Ryūchi Cave from the Kazekage's puppet, but now, he understood why.

"Yes," Tonari responded, his tone calm.

He stood his ground, unfazed by Shinga's looming presence.

The enormous red-scaled head hovered inches from his face.

Nearby, Minato's wrist flicked, summoning a special kunai in his hand.

Though he wasn't entirely sure why Tonari's summon was so aggressive, he remembered his own first summoning of Gamabunta.

That had been rough too.

"Shinga, don't do anything rash!"

Aoda tightened its coils around Tonari, ready to strike at any moment.

But Shinga ignored it.

Its single, cold eye stayed locked on Tonari.

And then—

"You… have his scent."

Shinga's voice was low, almost as if speaking to itself.

Aoda and Minato blinked in confusion.

Neither of them understood.

But Tonari immediately grasped its meaning.

It was referring to the Kazekage.

Having used the Kazekage's corpse as a puppet, Tonari had inadvertently absorbed traces of his chakra signature.

And Shinga, being so close, had sensed it.

Tonari patted Aoda's scales reassuringly, signaling that it was fine.

Though Aoda hesitated, it eventually relaxed its guard—though its watchful eyes never left Shinga.

What surprised it most—

Was how Shinga's clarity was increasing.

The longer it stayed near Tonari, the less wild it seemed.

Aoda had never seen Shinga so composed for this long.

"If you want answers," Tonari said, meeting its gaze fearlessly, "then do something for me first."

BOOM!

A surge of power erupted from Shinga.

Dust and fallen leaves were swept up in the violent gust of its energy.

Even Minato looked genuinely startled.

This snake…

It was far stronger than he had expected.

And more than that—

It had natural energy within it.

"Are you… bargaining with me?" Shinga's voice grew colder, and its sanity wavered again.

But Tonari remained unshaken.

He pointed toward a large settlement in the distance—

"Destroy it."

"Then I'll tell you what you want to know."

Shinga roared, its mouth gaping wide.

Aoda tensed, expecting it to attack Tonari.

But—

Shinga suddenly turned away, its massive form surging forward toward the town.

Trees were flattened. Rocks were pulverized.

Wherever its body passed, ruin followed.

Even Manda and Aoda were stunned.

They had expected resistance, maybe a fight—

But Shinga had obeyed without question.

Tonari sighed in relief and grinned slightly.

"Man, that was terrifying."

His words sounded dramatic—

But his clear, unshaken eyes told a different story.

Minato, who knew him well, chuckled knowingly.

"Tonari, you really don't scare easy, do you?"

Tonari simply smirked.

And as Shinga, Manda, and Aoda stormed into the town, a new chapter of terror unfolded in the Land of Lightning.

(To be continued…)

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