Return and Summoning

On the Konoha side, Tenzo watched Zi Xu vanish along with the summoning seal imprint, his mind going numb. After confirming several times, he finally accepted the fact that he had disappeared into thin air.

"Then there's only one conclusion—this kid reversed the order of the summoning technique and reverse-summoned himself somewhere..." Tenzo grabbed his hair and paced back and forth, his lips pressed tightly together.

"Reverse Summoning? What does that mean? Where is Zi Xu now?" Hatsumi clenched her fists nervously. She had never seen a summoning technique that made a person vanish like that.

Chino looked thoughtful, glanced at the summoning formula that hadn't fully disappeared from the ground, and tried to explain for Hatsumi:

"Normal summoning is when we perform the technique to communicate with a Summoning Beast in another space and use the technique to call it to our space. Zi Xu must have reversed the formula, making himself the 'summoned beast,' and thus transported himself to another space..." The more Chino spoke, the tighter her brow furrowed. She couldn't understand why the usually steady Zi Xu would do something like this. Though he sometimes did odd things, this was just strange.

Tenzo nodded seriously, his tone carrying a hint of gloom:

"She's right. The Reverse Summoning Technique is extremely random and dangerous. The transport space is full of spatial rifts. Most people's bodies can't withstand the tearing force of spatial transfer. Even if the transfer succeeds, there's no guarantee where you'll end up. Finding the way back... is nearly impossible..."

He then struck his own thigh in self-reproach, biting his lips in frustration. The Great Ferocity in the water tank nearby showed a look of wisdom in its eyes—it had seen through everything.

"Damn it, I let my guard down. As a teacher, I didn't notice the student's abnormal movements in time. I was assigned to carry out the teacher's task, and I messed up on the first try. Tenzo, how could you be so foolish? No, I have to report this to Lord Hokage. This accident was caused by my mistake..." Tenzo's face darkened. He felt his life had dimmed because of this incident.

Chino and Hatsumi nearby hadn't fully accepted the news that Zi Xu was in grave danger. Just as Chino bit her lip, seeming about to explode, the black summoning seal imprint that had almost completely dissipated on the ground flared back to life. The black imprint gradually became whole, and in no time, it formed a complete summoning array.

This time, Tenzo was on high alert. He shielded Chino and Hatsumi behind him. Without waiting for any change in the summoning seal, he directly formed hand seals with his fingers. Thick wooden posts grew from his arms, and the posts surrounded the summoning array as if alive, forming a cubic wooden cage in just a few breaths.

Hatsumi watched from behind Tenzo as he performed the Wood Release technique. She had to admit, as a Jonin, his hand-seal speed would take her a long time to learn.

Zi Xu felt that his transfer hadn't gone smoothly. At first, it was fine—he took a sightseeing approach, enjoying the energy clusters along the way. But when he saw the summoning array's seal just a hair's breadth away, several yellow-green rays of light formed something like a... cage at the entrance of the array?

"Puff~" White smoke rose again, and Zi Xu's figure appeared inside the wooden cage. Due to the landing point, his neck was stuck in the gap between the wooden bars. The little black snake was coiled on his red hair, staring blankly at the cage with wide eyes—both of them dumbfounded.

Tenzo and the others, on triple alert, saw that it was Zi Xu who had come out of the summoning array. They quickly went over to free him from the cage, asking him all sorts of questions in a flurry.

"Where did you go? Are you okay? What's with this little black snake?"

"Be careful next time. Don't reverse the summoning technique. You got lucky this time, but who knows about next time."

"As long as you're fine. I'll have to keep a closer eye on you during training from now on."

Seeing that Zi Xu was unharmed, Tenzo let out a huge sigh of relief. He never imagined that a simple lesson on the summoning technique could cause so much trouble. From now on, he would have to supervise them strictly and make sure they didn't cause any more trouble.

The Great Ferocity in the water tank showed a look of wisdom in its eyes. None of this was beyond its expectations—it was all within the Great Ferocity's calculations.

Zi Xu observed everyone's reactions and guessed that not much time had passed here since he used the Reverse Summoning Technique. He had spent most of his time in Ryūchi Cave in dreams, so his sense of time was a bit fuzzy.

He explained his experience to everyone, but he didn't mention Orochimaru or Ryūchi Cave. Although he didn't know if Konoha knew about Sage Mode, he was sure that if he revealed he had a way to contact Ryūchi Cave, he would be strictly investigated and controlled.

Orochimaru had vaguely hinted during casual conversation that he had studied transplanting First Generation Cells into living subjects with Danzo when he was young. This showed that Konoha wasn't opposed to human experimentation. Zi Xu had no desire to become a test subject lying on a lab table.

"After I finished the hand seals, I felt like I was summoned somewhere. There were many energy light clusters there. I didn't know where I was, but I was interested in those energy clusters. While floating, I watched them to pass the time. On the way, I also met this little guy..." Zi Xu lied without even drafting a script, and his expression was righteous and serious, without a hint of guilt.

"Later, I felt a suction force behind me, so I followed it back. I came out at what looked like the entrance of the summoning technique. But during the process, it seemed like yellow-green energy was trying to stop me from coming back. The next thing I knew, I was stuck in the cage..." He tried to come up with a reasonably plausible explanation. Tenzo and the others didn't suspect anything. As long as Zi Xu was safe, nothing else mattered for now.

"As long as you're fine. Now all three of you have contracted a Summoning Beast. This lesson has had a pretty good start." At this point, Tenzo showed his inadequacy as a professional teacher. Having worked in the Anbu before, he always subconsciously prioritized the mission as the primary goal. Right now, he just wanted to teach them the summoning technique well.

Fortunately, Chino and the others were thick-skinned and didn't need any buffer to relieve psychological pressure. Even Zi Xu, the one involved, just brushed the wood shavings off his clothes and sat back in his seat.

And so, the four of them and their four beasts continued the lesson as if nothing had happened. The Great Ferocity still showed a confident look. Xiao Chan lay dazedly on Hatsumi's palm. The Panda Cub clung to Chino's calf. The thin black snake, only as long as a forearm, lay on top of Zi Xu's head like a noodle, flicking its tongue.

"Now that everyone has their own Summoning Beast, we'll go over the specific precautions for the summoning technique. Don't underestimate it just because its rank is low. Legend has it that the Impure World Reincarnation, which brings the dead back from the Underworld Path, also falls under the category of summoning techniques. But that's a forbidden technique, so it's not within our scope of discussion..."

Tenzo spoke eloquently. His experience in the Anbu and Root had given him knowledge of many secrets. When he mentioned Impure World Reincarnation, he deliberately glanced at their expressions. Seeing no major abnormalities, he continued.

"Summoning Beasts are generally divided into three types: combat type, perception analysis type, and support type."

"Each type has its own area of expertise. For example, combat-type Summoning Beasts excel in direct combat. They usually have large bodies and master multiple ninjutsu, but their temperaments are generally violent. If not raised from a young age, they can be dangerous, and there have even been cases of Summoning Beasts turning on their masters."

When Tenzo said this, he looked at the Summoning Beasts of Zi Xu and the others. They were all in their infancy, not dangerous, and had gentle temperaments—unlike the Great Ferocity, which was very irritable.

He pointed at the little black snake on top of Zi Xu's head, indicating that it was a combat-type Summoning Beast. But Zi Xu remembered that this little black snake was meant to be used as a beacon, so maybe it should be considered a support type?

"Perception-type Summoning Beasts are similar to Hatsumi's Xiao Chan. Although their combat power is negligible, their perception and intelligence analysis abilities are strong. Generally, such Summoning Beasts can speak. If you encounter problems in the future, feel free to ask for its opinion..."

Finally, Tenzo pointed at the little panda that was grabbing Chino's pant leg, looking up at her with tearful eyes.

"Support-type Summoning Beasts combine the first two. They can assist the caster in battle, provide perception and vision, healing, etc... Uh, the Iron-Eating Beast should be a support type..." Tenzo felt that the tearful Iron-Eating Beast seemed to stick its tongue out at him when he called it a support-type Summoning Beast. He felt it was mocking him, but he had no proof.

"But don't worry, they can also grow. Summoning Beasts don't always have to obey the caster. That's something you'll have to cultivate on your own. Also, it's best to summon Summoning Beasts during battle. Normally, they live in their original space. Of course, you can also consume Chakra to keep them by your side for extended periods. That's up to you."

"And the most important thing: don't use the Reverse Summoning Technique casually. Those are the key points to note about the summoning technique. Do you have any questions?" After pouring all the essentials of the summoning technique into Zi Xu and the others in one go, Tenzo took a drink of water.

Although taking in so much information at once was a bit difficult, their comprehension was strong. Compared to students of the same period, they were undoubtedly far better. Hatsumi nodded and jotted down the key points Tenzo had mentioned in her notebook. Zi Xu, though his mind wasn't fully on this, still absorbed most of it.

Chino, however, wore a contemplative expression. She reached down, picked up the furry ball on her leg, and held it in her arms, raising a point that bothered her to Tenzo.

"Any ninjutsu has derivative techniques. If you master the most basic technique to its peak, is it possible that..."

Tenzo seemed to know what Chino was about to say and directly interrupted her, his tone more solemn than ever.

"Theoretically, yes, but the cost is too high. Who would spend their entire life studying just one technique? In this era, there aren't even many ninja who live to die of natural causes. Don't think about that. Besides, without the corresponding knowledge, you can't achieve a qualitative change..."