The Summoning Technique

Tenzo's actions improved Chino and the others' opinion of him considerably. At least their teacher wasn't as heartless as he seemed. He appeared to be the kind of person who was all bark and no bite, and it was clear that he truly valued the trust between teammates.

Zi Xu had no idea what had made an Anbu member directly serving the Hokage come to think that way. Weren't organizations like the Anbu supposed to demand that their members have no feelings? He found himself curious about Tenzo's past.

"Your bonds with your teammates are strong, and that's a good thing. But out in the field, you shouldn't knowingly fight an opponent you can't beat. Reckless behavior that amounts to courting death won't solve the problem in front of you. It'll only put your teammates in even greater danger." On their way back to the classroom, Tenzo made sure to lecture Hatsumi and the others about their foolish actions.

Hatsumi opened her mouth to argue, but then she remembered how the bugs she'd released had been restrained and captured by Tenzo without the slightest resistance. She could only admit that he was right. Even Chino, who was usually so strong-willed, agreed that Tenzo had a point.

When out in the field and outmatched by the enemy, the right thing to do was abandon your teammates and take vital information back to the village. But if Zi Xu or Hatsumi were in danger, could she really do the so-called right thing? She didn't think she could. Compared to the intangible village, Zi Xu and Hatsumi meant far more to her.

"In the end, it all comes down to a lack of strength. If you learn more Ninjutsu, you'll have more ways to fight your enemies. Relying solely on your clan's secret techniques will eventually let your enemies find your weaknesses. The secret techniques of the various clans have been passed down to this day, and while later generations have developed them further, other Ninjutsu have also arisen to counter them."

Tenzo pushed open the classroom door and let Zi Xu and the others go in first. He asked them to sit down, then rummaged around for something nearby. His hands kept moving as he explained what they were about to learn.

"The biggest difference between us and the Ninja Academy is that the Academy's main responsibility is to cultivate your awareness and resolve as Ninjas. Our task now is to improve your strength. Picking up where we left off, if you master more Ninjutsu, you'll have more techniques at your disposal in future battles and be able to respond more flexibly to ever-changing situations."

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

"Forget it. The book makes everything way too complicated. I didn't understand it back then, either. Books love making simple things complicated. I'll teach you through practice instead. Besides, I don't really understand the finer principles well enough to explain them."

Zi Xu listened closely. This was the kind of knowledge he rarely had a chance to learn. Konoha guarded its Ninjutsu very strictly. He hadn't even seen an ordinary Ninjutsu Scroll, let alone the fabled forbidden scroll. Such knowledge was firmly held by the higher-ups, and it was difficult for non-Ninjas to get access to it.

"First, I'll teach you a Ninjutsu suitable for beginners. This technique is essential to a Ninja's career. It can help in combat, and it's useful for all sorts of everyday missions, too..." Tenzo had certainly built up their anticipation. Zi Xu was captivated by what he said. After all this time, was he finally going to learn a new Ninjutsu? Hatsumi was even more eager and couldn't wait to urge him on.

"Yeah, yeah, what is it? Hurry up and tell us!"

Chino had already guessed what he was going to teach, but she lifted her head slightly, too. She also wanted to learn a new Ninjutsu.

"The technique is the Summoning Technique." Tenzo didn't keep them in suspense and simply told them.

"The Summoning Technique?"

"The Summoning Technique!"

"The Summoning Technique..."

The three of them reacted differently. Zi Xu was surprised because he hadn't heard much about the Summoning Technique. From the name, he thought it might be some sort of spirit-summoning spell, used to make evil spirits work for you. Like a capitalist who made his employees work overtime on May Day and then take comp time?

Hatsumi had known about the Summoning Technique for a long time, and she was the most eager to learn it. After all, what could be more perfect for someone who loved collecting bugs than a technique that could summon bugs from another dimension? Summoning Technique = summon more bugs = collect more bugs = grow stronger while indulging her collecting habit. It was the perfect Ninjutsu!

Chino, meanwhile, had always been troubled by not knowing what kind of Summoning Beast to summon. She'd thought of many possibilities, but never found one that suited her. Besides, Summoning Beasts chose their own summoners; you couldn't necessarily make a contract with the one best suited to you on your first try. So she didn't force it and decided to leave it to fate.

Tenzo was quite pleased by the three of their expressions. He nodded with a smile, then personally demonstrated how to perform the Summoning Technique.

"The hand signs for the Summoning Technique are Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, and Ram. Be sure to remember them and don't get them wrong. These signs turn Chakra into the form of a technique. The Summoning Technique is a space-time Ninjutsu, which means the hand signs are used to perform a transportation technique, bringing a summoned creature that isn't beside you to your location.

"When the transportation technique activates, a spell spreads out, forming a small magic circle. The summoned creature appears from the circle. Since all summoned creatures have to be transported, the hand signs are the same for all of them. The level of the creature you summon depends on how much Chakra you use.

"The more Chakra you expend, the higher the level of the creature you can summon. So if you feel your Chakra running low, it's best not to summon an especially powerful Summoning Beast. In that situation, you should summon a more specialized one..."

Tenzo explained at length, with remarkable patience and attention to detail, like a slightly nagging nanny. As he spoke, he also prepared a large fish tank, though nobody knew what it was for.

Tenzo spoke earnestly, and Zi Xu and the others listened with rapt attention, their focus fixed on his hands. His fingers interlaced and shifted through five hand signs in a row. Then he bit his thumb with his teeth, drawing a drop of blood. He pressed the bloody thumb firmly against the ground, and a large mass of black, tadpole-like symbols spread outward. It looked quite eerie, a little like the Cursed Seal on the demon blade in an anime he'd seen in his previous life.

The symbols continued spreading until they formed a complete circle. Then they turned into a cloud of white smoke. The smoke had no smell; according to Tenzo, it was the result of Chakra turning into gas. Once it cleared, Zi Xu and the others left their seats and gathered around, eager to see what kind of Summoning Beast had finally appeared after all that anticipation.

Zi Xu figured that something summoned in such a huge cloud of smoke might be an ancient saber-toothed tiger or a prehistoric mammoth from the ice age. Hatsumi imagined a majestic Beetle with razor-sharp fangs, whose opened wing cases could cast a shadow over all of Konoha. Chino thought it might be... a cute little kitty? Unfortunately, all three of them were wrong.

What appeared before them was a round-bodied red carp. It had long, catfish-like barbels by its mouth and a fin shaped like a golden crown atop its head. Its bright red scales gleamed, and a faint golden aura seemed to surround it. Most remarkable of all were its eyes.

What sort of gaze was that? Under its stare, even the ruler of the heavens or the emperor of the sea would have to question their own strength. No matter what powerful enemy it faced, its eyes barely seemed to change. It maintained the same haughty gaze, looking down on all creation. Its intelligent eyes seemed to contain all the knowledge accumulated since the birth of the universe, making you forget that it was only a fish.

"Flop, flop." At that moment, the wise carp lay on its side on the ground, its powerful muscles slapping against the floor. It sprang several meters into the air. Seizing his chance, Tenzo quickly caught it with the fish tank in his arms. "Plop!" The carp landed in the tank, gulping down water with a series of gurgles.

"See? This is my Summoning Beast. His name is Great Ferocity. Don't let his current state fool you—his Water Release is very powerful, no weaker than that of a shark or other such Summoning Beasts. He did once hit his head when he was jumping, though, and after that he stopped talking much. He can still communicate normally." Tenzo patted Great Ferocity's head through the water and introduced the red carp like an old friend.

Hatsumi was a little disappointed that she hadn't seen the great bug she'd imagined, but when she saw Great Ferocity's wise eyes, she couldn't help but think more highly of him. So this was a Jonin's Summoning Beast? No wonder it was extraordinary. Chino also tried to examine Great Ferocity with her Byakugan, but her usually reliable Byakugan found nothing unusual about him. He seemed like an ordinary fish, as if his strength had already reached the point of returning to simplicity.

Zi Xu had a lot he wanted to say. No matter how he looked at the fish, it looked like a Magikarp: round, plump body, golden fins, and eyes as wise as a Swampert's, as if Magikarp had already seen through everything whether or not you had. And then there was that name, which left him speechless. He couldn't help wondering whether Tenzo was also a reincarnator. This had to be a Magikarp! It looked exactly like one!

"Great Ferocity has a lot of connections in the world of Summoning Beasts. When you try the Summoning Technique, he can keep an eye on things for you. If you find a Summoning Beast you like, he can even help persuade it." Tenzo was very considerate. Great Ferocity seemed to understand their conversation, too. He gave a powerful flick of his tail and leaped out of the tank. After flipping in midair, he landed back inside. Great Ferocity used Splash, but nothing happened.

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