In the depths of Ryūchi Cave, on a humble throne reassembled with the Art of Inorganic Reincarnation, Orochimaru looked down upon the three Snake Sages prostrate before him.
"Honestly, Kurama might have misunderstood my intentions earlier," he mused. "The submission I desired was not one offered by beings of your caliber..."
His stern, indifferent words echoed from Orochimaru's lips. The three Sage entities, who had pledged their loyalty with utmost haste, trembled. Despair instantly flooded their hearts.
Kurama watched the dignified Orochimaru, his gaze momentarily distant. It felt, somehow, like witnessing history unfold.
"However..."
Orochimaru met the gaze of the lost-in-thought Kurama and his tone softened. "Since Kurama himself has personally vouched for you, there's no harm in sparing your lives!"
"Surrender your souls and the sources of your chakra!"
With a gentle command, Orochimaru gestured upwards. The colossal summoning scroll, held within the mouth of the dragon-headed statue above the temple, descended gracefully.
Holding it, Orochimaru slowly descended from his Sage's throne to stand before the kneeling trio.
The three Sage entities, trembling, reverted to their true forms. They simultaneously opened their mouths, expelling a mass of pure Sage chakra, within which they left a trace of their soul's imprint.
After performing these actions, the vitality of the three Sage entities visibly waned. Yet, they dared not display any hint of dissatisfaction, each using their serpentine heads to cradle their respective sources of power and respectfully offering them to Orochimaru.
A flicker of satisfaction crossed Orochimaru's eyes. With his fingertips, glowing with a faint green light, he touched the Ryūchi Cave summoning scroll, instantly erasing the imprint left by the White Snake Sage.
His fingers curled. The sharp, Sage chakra-infused tip of his finger sliced open his wrist. With his blood-stained finger, he made a mark on the scroll, casually crossing out the contract he had previously signed.
Then, just as he had done in Lou Lan, he imprinted his soul's mark and chakra onto the main body of the summoning scroll.
From this moment onward, all named giant snakes within Ryūchi Cave, with the exception of the three Sage entities and Manda, had their souls and power completely fall under Orochimaru's control.
With an indifferent wave of his hand, Orochimaru seized the soul imprints and chakra sources offered by the three Sage entities, forcefully stuffing them into the summoning scroll.
"Rise!"
"Since your lives were spared at Kurama's behest, your fate now rests with Kurama."
The three Sage entities felt a wave of relief. Obediently, they transformed back into human form. Pale-faced, they rose from the ground and consciously positioned themselves behind Kurama.
"Kurama..."
Orochimaru presented the scroll in his hand to Kurama, a smile gracing his lips.
"Come and sign your name. This way, you'll become the first Tailed Beast to possess your own summoning beast in the ninja world."
"How about it, happy?"
Kurama was indeed happy, so happy that he felt like leaping up to punch Orochimaru. He extended his claws and hovered them over the scroll for a long time, looking at Orochimaru with a dejected expression, as if he were on the verge of tears.
"I..."
"Only know how to write some simple symbols, and they come out incredibly ugly..."
Orochimaru paused, nearly bursting into laughter. Kurama felt a pang of embarrassment.
"The Sage of Six Paths probably never imagined a day would come when Tailed Beasts would have to write their own names!" he grumbled. "Making me write my name, you're really giving me trouble..."
"And also!"
"Is there really no way you can simplify the hand seals for the Transformation Jutsu and Summoning Jutsu?"
"Otherwise, even if I somehow managed to sign my name, I still wouldn't be able to use the Summoning Jutsu!"
Faced with Kurama's aggrieved gaze, Orochimaru found himself somewhat overwhelmed. He quickly took Kurama's paw, lent him a bit of his blood, and mixed it with a wisp of Kurama's original chakra energy on the scroll, writing the name "Kurama" in its entirety.
Then, holding Kurama's paw, he firmly imprinted a footprint onto Kurama's name.
"There!"
"I'll figure out the hand seals for you later!"
Kurama's worries finally subsided. He nodded gently, his eyes lingering on the three characters Orochimaru had written, as if trying to engrave them into his memory.
Orochimaru did not rush to retrieve the scroll. He allowed Kurama to study the writing of his name for a while. Glancing at the three Sage entities, he spoke softly, "Manda is still waiting outside Ryūchi Cave. Go and summon it back."
"Great Sage, your subordinate will fetch Manda immediately."
Tsurushimahime, taking the lead over her two sisters, nodded and accepted the command, vanishing from Orochimaru's presence in an instant.
The remaining two Sage entities looked at Orochimaru with hopeful anticipation, awaiting their new master's instructions. Orochimaru was quite satisfied with their attitude. He nodded gently and said to Ichikishimahime and Tagitsuhime, "You don't need to engage in much scheming under my command. As long as you complete the tasks given by myself and Kurama, there won't be many strict rules to follow."
The two Sage entities exchanged a glance, feeling inexplicably more at ease.
"Yes, Great Sage!"
"Mm!"
Seeing their respectful demeanor, Orochimaru waved his hand dismissively. "The two of you, go and summon Shinji."
"It should have sensed the battle between myself and the White Snake Sage. Tell it that Ryūchi Cave will not tolerate a second voice."
"Go!"
The two Sage entities hesitated for a moment, but recalling the strength of Orochimaru and Kurama, they readily accepted the order.
"Yes!"
Watching them depart after receiving their orders, Orochimaru turned and returned to his Sage's throne to sit. Kurama, as if he had finally studied his name enough, leaped onto the armrest of the Sage's throne with the scroll.
Returning the scroll to Orochimaru, Kurama asked with some curiosity, "Orochimaru, Ryūchi Cave has been subdued. How do you plan to handle the giant snakes here?"
"Are you going to leave Orochimaru Two here to be the Great Sage for his entire life?"
Orochimaru's actions of gathering the summoning scroll faltered. He looked at Kurama speechlessly. "Kurama, both bodies are considered my main body. Isn't calling me 'Number Two' a bit too much?"
"It makes me sound like an accessory!"
Kurama waved his claws nonchalantly. "What's the difference? I'm asking you about serious matters! And you're nitpicking about a name..."
Orochimaru shook his head helplessly. "This body needs to merge with the other body as soon as possible and cannot remain in Ryūchi Cave for too long."
"As for the snakes of Ryūchi Cave..." Orochimaru pondered for a moment, a smile slowly spreading across his lips. "Manda has followed me for quite some time, and its performance on several occasions has been diligent. Especially this time, Manda's performance has satisfied me greatly..."
"It's time to give it some benefits!"
Kurama nodded in agreement. "So, you plan to make Manda your representative... snake in Ryūchi Cave?"
"Mm!"
"The Lord of Manda naturally deserves a title that matches its name."
Orochimaru nodded slightly. "I also want to use this opportunity to show these snakes of Ryūchi Cave how fortunate it is to serve me diligently."
Kurama sneered at Orochimaru, scoffing, "Hmph, hmph! I don't see any difference. Their souls and chakra sources are all in your hands. Whether they work or not is up to you!"
Orochimaru amusingly rubbed Kurama's head and gently shook his head. "Kurama, it's different! As long as a creature possesses intelligence, there will always be a desire for comparison."
"With Manda as an example, the giant snakes of Ryūchi Cave will receive a message: serving by my side can lead to rewards for your efforts."
"Working for me willingly and being forced to work for me – the difference between the two is quite significant."
"Ryūchi Cave will become the primary source of summoning beasts for the Leaf Village ninjas in the future. As the next Hokage, I must consider the ninjas of the village."
Kurama narrowed his eyes, looking at Orochimaru with disdain. "Pah! Black-hearted! Eating snakes without spitting out the bones! Shameless!"