The Art of Spirit Summoning

Tenzo's actions improved Chino and the others' impression of him somewhat—at least this teacher wasn't as cold as he appeared, seeming more like the type with a sharp tongue but a soft heart. It was clear he truly valued trust between comrades.

Zi Xu wondered what had led a direct-subordinate Anbu member of the Hokage to develop such thinking. Weren't organizations like Anbu supposed to demand emotionlessness? He grew curious about Tenzo's background.

"Your bonds with your teammates are strong, that's true, but in the wild, you'd better not recklessly charge into fights you know you can't win. Stubbornly seeking death won't solve your immediate problems—it'll only put your comrades in greater danger." On the way back to the classroom, Tenzo didn't forget to lecture Hatsumi and the others on their reckless behavior.

Hatsumi opened her mouth to argue, but after thinking about how her bugs had been effortlessly bound and caught by Tenzo without any resistance, she had to admit he was right. Even the usually headstrong Chino conceded that Tenzo's words were correct.

When outnumbered in the wild, the correct course of action was to abandon teammates and deliver vital intelligence back to the village. But if Zi Xu or Hatsumi were in danger, could she really do what was supposedly right? She didn't think she could. Compared to the abstract concept of the village, Zi Xu and Hatsumi meant far more to her.

"In the end, it all comes down to insufficient strength. If you learn more ninjutsu, you'll have more ways to counter enemies. Relying solely on clan secret techniques will eventually let opponents exploit your weaknesses. The secret techniques of the major clans have been passed down to this day, and while later generations have developed them further, counter-ninjutsu tailored to counter those techniques have also emerged."

Tenzo pushed open the classroom door and let Zi Xu and the others enter first. He had them sit down while he rummaged through something on the side. His hands kept moving, and he didn't stop talking, explaining what they were about to learn.

"The biggest difference between us and the Ninja Academy is that the Academy focuses on cultivating your awareness and resolve as ninjas. Our task now is to boost your power. Continuing from the last point—if you master more ninjutsu, you'll have more moves to use in future battles, and you'll be able to adapt more flexibly to changing situations."

After fiddling around for a while, Tenzo finally found the book he needed. He glanced at its contents, shook his head, and tossed it aside.

"Forget it. The stuff in books is too complicated—I didn't get it back then either. Books love making simple things convoluted. I'll just teach you through practice. Honestly, if you asked me to explain the precise theory, I wouldn't know it myself."

Zi Xu listened intently. This was knowledge rarely accessible in daily life. Konoha guarded its ninjutsu extremely strictly—not to mention legendary forbidden scrolls, he hadn't even seen the most basic ninjutsu scrolls. This knowledge was tightly held by the upper echelons, nearly impossible for non-ninjas to access.

"First, I'll teach you a ninjutsu suitable for beginners. This technique is practically essential for a ninja's career—not only useful in combat, but also handy for handling missions in daily life..." Tenzo really knew how to build suspense. Zi Xu was completely hooked. After all this time, was he finally going to learn a new ninjutsu? Hatsumi was even more eager, urging him impatiently.

"Mm-hmm, what is it? Hurry up and say it! Say it!" Only Chino had a vague guess at what he was about to teach, but she still lifted her chin slightly—she too was eager to learn a new technique.

"This ninjutsu is: the Summoning Technique." Tenzo didn't drag it out and just came out with it.

"Summoning Technique?"

"Summoning Technique!"

"Summoning Technique..."

The three reacted differently. Zi Xu hadn't heard much about the Summoning Technique, so he was surprised, but the name sounded like some kind of spirit-summoning or invocation art—probably driving evil spirits to work for him? Like a capitalist making employees work overtime on holidays with compensatory leave?

Hatsumi had known about the Summoning Technique for a long time, and her longing for it was the strongest. For a hoarder who loved collecting bugs, what could be more perfect than a technique that summoned bugs from another dimension? Summoning Technique = summoning other bugs = collecting more bugs = both boosting strength and satisfying her collection obsession—a perfect ninjutsu!

Chino, on the other hand, had always been troubled because she didn't know what kind of Summoning Beast to contract. She'd thought of many, but never found one that suited her. Still, Summoning Beasts also chose their masters—you couldn't always contract the right one on the first try. So she didn't force it; she'd just let fate decide.

Seeing the expressions on Zi Xu and the others, Tenzo was quite satisfied. He smiled and nodded, then personally demonstrated how to perform the Summoning Technique.

"The hand seals for the Summoning Technique are: Boar—Dog—Bird—Monkey—Ram. Remember that—don't mix them up. These seals convert chakra into the form of the technique. The Summoning Technique is a space-time ninjutsu, meaning the seals are used to perform a teleportation jutsu, bringing a summoned creature not by your side to your location.

When the teleportation activates, incantations spread out, forming a small formation. The summoned creature appears from within it. All summoned creatures require teleportation, so the seals are the same. The level of the summoned creature depends on the amount of chakra you expend.

The more chakra you use, the higher-level the creature you can summon. So if you feel your chakra running low, it's best not to summon an especially powerful Summoning Beast. Instead, summon something more functional..."

Tenzo rattled off a long explanation with exceptional patience and detail, like a somewhat naggy babysitter. As he spoke, he also prepared a large water tank, though its purpose was unclear.

Tenzo spoke seriously, and Zi Xu and the others listened with rapt attention, focusing on his fingers. His fingers crossed and changed, forming five hand seals in succession before biting his thumb. A drop of blood fell from his thumb, and he pressed his bloodstained finger firmly to the ground. A mass of black, tadpole-like runes spread outward, looking quite eerie—somewhat like the cursed seal from an anime Zi Xu had seen in his past life.

The runes kept spreading until they formed a complete circular seal, then turned into white smoke. The smoke had no smell—according to Tenzo, it was the product of chakra vaporization. When the smoke cleared, Zi Xu and the others left their seats and gathered around to get a good look at the long-awaited Summoning Beast.

Zi Xu thought such a large puff of smoke might summon some ancient beast like a saber-toothed tiger or a woolly mammoth. Hatsumi imagined a majestic beetle with sharp fangs, whose wing covers could cast the entire Konoha into shadow. Chino thought maybe... a cute little cat? But unfortunately, none of them were right.

What appeared before them was a round-bodied red carp. It had long whiskers like a catfish at the corners of its mouth, a golden crown-shaped fin on its head, and bright red scales that shimmered with dazzling light, faintly surrounded by a golden glow. Its eyes were the most striking feature.

What kind of gaze was that? Whether a king of the skies or an emperor of the seas, under that look, they'd doubt their own strength. No matter what powerful enemy it faced, its eyes seemed barely stirred—always that haughty, all-disdaining stare. Its intelligent gaze seemed to hold all the knowledge since the universe's birth, making you forget it was just a fish.

"Flap, flap." The wise carp now lay sideways on the ground, its strong muscles slapping the floor as it leaped several meters into the air. Tenzo seized the chance, quick-eyed and quick-handed, catching the airborne carp with the fish tank. "Splash~" The carp landed in the water, making gulping sounds as it swallowed water.

"See? This is my Summoning Beast. His name is 'Great Ferocity.' Don't judge him by his looks—his Water Release ninjutsu is formidable, no worse than Summoning Beasts like shark-rays. But once, he bumped his head while jumping, so he doesn't talk much now. Still, he can communicate normally." Tenzo patted Great Ferocity's head through the water, introducing the red carp like an old buddy.

Hatsumi was a bit disappointed not to see the big bug she'd imagined, but when she saw Great Ferocity's wise eyes, she couldn't help but regard him more highly. So this was a jonin's Summoning Beast? Truly extraordinary. Chino also tried to observe Great Ferocity with her Byakugan, but her usually reliable Byakugan found nothing unusual about him—he seemed like just an ordinary fish. His strength might have reached a level where it was indistinguishable from simplicity.

Zi Xu had a lot to say. No matter how he looked at it, this fish was just like a Magikarp—round and fat, golden fins, and those eyes that, whether you saw through them or not, had already seen through everything, rivaling the wisdom of a Mudkip. And the name—he couldn't even bring himself to criticize it. He couldn't help wondering if Tenzo was also a reincarnator. This had to be a Magikarp! It looked exactly like one!

"Great Ferocity has a wide network in the world of Summoning Beasts. When you use the Summoning Technique, he can help you pick the right one. If you find a Summoning Beast you like, he can even help persuade it." Tenzo was very thoughtful. Great Ferocity in the tank seemed to understand their conversation. He pushed off with his tail, leaped out of the tank, did a flip in the air, and splashed back in. Great Ferocity used Splash, but nothing happened.

"So, who wants to go first?" Tenzo wanted them to give it a try. Even if they failed, there wouldn't be any major side effects, and he was right there watching. What could possibly go wrong?