Snakes, are the signature summons of
Orochimaru, his assistant, Kabuto
Yakushi, and his students: Sasuke Uchiha
and Anko Mitarashi. They reside at the
Ryūchi Cave, along with the Great Snake
Sage.
The snakes can vary greatly in size,
body mass and species, from small
enough to hide in one's sleeves to larger
than buildings, and thin enough to be
used to tie someone's hands to strong
enough to choke a colossal animal like
the Island Turtle. Although common
snakes cannot speak human language
like toads, some of their summoners
could communicate with them. They are
able to detect live beings by their heat
and smell in order to track and lead their
summoners to their prey. They can also
use their classic venom to poison things.
Orochimaru frequently summons snakes
in battle, either having them attack for
him or instructing them to carry out
other tasks. While most snakes are very
obedient and do as they are instructed,
the largest snake, Manda, demanded a
sacrifice of a hundred humans in
exchange for helping Orochimaru.
Snakes have also mastered the use of
natural energy to enter a Sage Mode of
their own. The only known way to learn
it is in the Ryūchi Cave with the White
Snake Sage.