Hokage: You Call This Guy the Savior?!

"What about Naruto?" Sakura asked, her voice laced with worry.

"We leave first; Naruto will be fine," Keiichi said, turning on his heel and walking away.

"What exactly is that thing?" Sasuke's concern was clearly directed at the wrong thing.

"That is a Summoning Beast, a powerful creature summoned from another dimension. Just like humans, they can refine chakra, learn ninjutsu, and even speak," Keiichi explained to Sasuke while moving away from the battlefield.

"A Summoning Beast..." Sasuke muttered to himself, seemingly calculating something.

Keiichi saw through his thoughts, summoned his Magikarp, and said, "Summoning Beasts vary in strength. For example, you know exactly what my summon is capable of."

"Magikarp, Magikarp!" The summon seemed to understand, expressing its dissatisfaction.

"What are you squawking about? Look at that one, then look at yourself—can't you learn a thing or two?" Keiichi lectured the Magikarp with the tone of a parent talking about a neighbor's child.

The Magikarp wiggled its body, expressing its defiance.

"Then how was Naruto able to summon such a powerful creature?"

"That's because he has a good master named Jiraiya, of course. He's one of the legendary Sannin; he's got plenty of good things to pass on," Keiichi explained nonchalantly.

The speaker was careless, but the listener was attentive; Sasuke took those words to heart.

So the reason my progress is so slow is because I haven't found a good teacher? If I had a Summoning Beast like that...

Just as everyone was desperately fleeing the battlefield, a massive monster, equal in size to Gamabunta, coalesced as if sand were being piled into a tower.

Judging by its appearance, the monster looked just like a plump tanuki.

"Huh? Could this be...?" Gamabunta narrowed his eyes, as if realizing something.

Sunagakure's Shukaku?

How did it end up in Konoha?

Could it be that the brat I just stepped on is the Jinchuriki for Shukaku?

Gamabunta's expression grew more solemn, for he knew this was no time to be joking around with Naruto.

In fact, Mount Myoboku and Konoha shared a close, alliance-like relationship, which was why Jiraiya had been able to use reverse summoning to reach Mount Myoboku all those years ago.

If he allowed Shukaku to wreak havoc in Konoha while he stood by and did nothing, he would surely be reprimanded by the Great Toad Sage...

Damn you, Naruto, can't you learn from your master Jiraiya?

It's only been a few days since we signed the contract, and you've already caused me such a massive headache!

"Naruto, this guy isn't easy to deal with, so you'd better hold on tight." With that, Gamabunta drew the short sword from his waist and held it horizontally before him.

Though called a short sword, it was over ten meters long; even just dropping it could trigger an earthquake.

The battle between the two giant beasts instantly reached its climax.

Keiichi soon regretted his decision, as he realized he had underestimated just how terrifying the battle between these two behemoths truly was. Massive, sweeping Wind Style blades whistled through the air above their heads, slicing giant trees in half in less than a second—the power was simply unbelievable.

If the ninjutsu they unleashed was this terrifying, how horrifying would a Tailed Beast Bomb be?

Is this what a Tailed Beast is?

The shockwaves of the battle were more than any mortal could withstand.

It was no wonder that Jinchuriki who could manifest Tailed Beast forms became ultimate weapons on the battlefield; it seemed only a monster who was also a Jinchuriki could stand against them.

Back during the Fourth Great Ninja War, the battlefield Keiichi was on had been relatively remote. He had only seen the nine Tailed Beasts fighting in the distance, shaking the heavens and the earth, but he hadn't felt the true impact of it.

But now, a real, living Tailed Beast was stomping around right over his head, and the feeling was as intense as it gets.

Even if he were stepped on and killed in the next second, dying without even knowing why, it would be perfectly normal.

The other three were no better off. They were now entirely focused on escaping, having lost all the arrogance of geniuses; they didn't even dare to speak loudly for fear of drawing the attention of the two monsters.

Were we really just fighting against a monster like this?

That's like lighting a candle in a latrine—pure suicide!

Though shaken, Keiichi remained relatively calm, observing the situation on the battlefield from time to time. However, he could see that Gamabunta was truly struggling.

The situation was completely dominated by Shukaku. It wielded various Wind Style techniques with ease, and with a massive reserve of chakra as backup, Gamabunta couldn't even get within a step of it, completely suppressed by the sheer firepower.

Aside from not losing out in terms of size and mouth, Gamabunta was at a complete disadvantage in every other aspect.

If this continued, Gamabunta would eventually collapse.

It was strange, though; none of the other Tailed Beasts knew ninjutsu—they only knew how to throw Tailed Beast Bombs at each other. Why was Shukaku so learned and versatile?

Could it be that it had apprenticed under some Sand Ninja in the past?

Gamabunta seemed to realize that he would lose if things kept going this way, so he had a sudden inspiration and leaped high into the air, his entire body soaring into the sky.

The force of his jump left four massive craters in the ground, each large enough for the four of them to lie in with room to spare.

Gamabunta pulled his limbs in, his entire body plummeting straight toward Shukaku, the short sword in his hand descending vertically.

Shukaku was still careless, never expecting Gamabunta to dare fight back.

"Ascending... Dragon... Slash!"

A streak of white light descended from above, flashing across the massive body of Shukaku.

Clang!

Gamabunta stood with his back to Shukaku, his short blade sliding into its sheath with a crisp metallic ring.

The next moment, one of Shukaku's arms was cleanly severed, crashing to the ground; had it not dodged in time, it likely would have been split in two.

"Boss Gamabunta, you're absolutely amazing!" Naruto never missed an opportunity to butter him up.

"That goes without saying!" Gamabunta preened with pride.

"Wind Style: Air Bullet!"

Shukaku was enraged. It slapped its belly and fired a massive blast of air directly from its mouth. It didn't even need to charge, making the attack blindingly fast as it slammed into Gamabunta's back.

Critical hit! Super effective!

"Ouch..."

"Boss, why are you showing off at a time like this!" Naruto was nearly shaken off, his face full of grievance.

"No... no martial virtue..." Gamabunta nearly lost his breath, his back wrenched from the impact.

He began muttering things about bullying the elderly, sneak attacks, and "taking care of yourself"—phrases that left everyone else confused.

Clutching his back, Gamabunta was forced into a passive defensive position, getting battered by Shukaku until he was covered in dust and unable to lift his head.

"This won't work; Naruto is going to lose." Keiichi suddenly stopped in his tracks, voicing the conclusion in his mind.

"You're right, but we can't help him. That kind of monster..." Sakura tried to steel herself, but she couldn't hide the fear in her heart.

"Damn it... my chakra is almost exhausted. If only I could still use Chidori..." Sasuke's face was etched with frustration.

"The commotion here is so loud, the Leaf Village should be sending reinforcements soon," Neji analyzed calmly.

"You guys go ahead. I'm the only one left with any fight in me. I'll stay." Keiichi stopped and turned back toward the battlefield, leaving behind a righteous silhouette.

However, Sasuke and Neji weren't buying it and blocked his path simultaneously.

"No, you can't go!" the two said in unison.

"Even if you go, you're just throwing your life away," Sakura added with cold, brutal honesty.

"No, I'm confident I can help Naruto."

"How do you plan to help?"

Keiichi smiled slightly and pointed toward the Magikarp nearby, which was currently staring blankly with eyes full of "wisdom."

Three small heads were filled with massive confusion.

Are you planning to send it over to bore that giant raccoon to death?

"Boss, what do we do now? I have a feeling you're going to lose!" Naruto asked anxiously.

"Who are you saying is going to lose! I'm just catching my breath to save energy for the next attack!"

"Can you perform that move again? The one called Ascending Dragon Slash?"

"It won't work. It's on guard now. Don't you see it constantly changing its position? This raccoon is cunning!"

"Then what do we do?"

"To replicate the last success, we need something to bind it temporarily!"

Hearing this, Naruto's expression dimmed. Even if he summoned a thousand Shadow Clones, he couldn't restrain such a colossal beast.

For a moment, both man and toad sighed and shook their heads.

On the other side, Shukaku was attacking with gusto, slapping its belly to release a barrage of high-penetration Air Bullets, causing devastating destruction to the forest.

It had finally woken up from a nap, and now there was such a perfect punching bag to vent its anger on—could anything be more fun?

It didn't care where the toad came from; it would just beat it half to death first!

As for its severed arm, it didn't mind; it was essentially a construct of chakra and would grow back sooner or later.

Just then, a tiny thing blocked its path, spreading its short fins as if trying to stop it from attacking the giant toad.

Shukaku didn't even think twice before stomping down. What kind of trash dared to interfere in their battle?

That poor little thing, lacking any self-awareness and trying to stop a carriage with its mantis arms, must have been crushed into a puddle of fish paste by now, right?

However, the moment that thought crossed its mind, an incredible force surged from beneath its foot, accompanied by an inexplicable light that forced its eyes to widen.

Chapter 84: Evolve, My Summoned Beast

Meow meow meow?

What is going on?

In all its years, this was the first time Shukaku had encountered a tiny thing it couldn't crush.

Pop!

The light beneath its foot flared brilliantly, and a rebounding force compelled Shukaku to lift its leg, unable to press down any further.

"Appear, Gyarados!" Keiichi watched the ball of white light from afar and muttered to himself.

Having witnessed so many high-level battles, the Magikarp finally accumulated enough combat experience to reach level 20, unlocking the path to evolution.

As the saying goes, a carp leaping over the Dragon Gate is like a flower blooming on the other shore; everything is destined to change.

"ROAR!"

A dragon's cry erupted from within the light. Both giant beasts widened their eyes in shock as they watched a monster, its size increased dozens of times over, swim out from the radiance, its presence not a whit inferior to their own.

The origin of this creature was unknown; despite lacking wings, it could fly through the air, its serpentine body swimming nimbly through the sky.

Many might mistakenly believe that Gyarados is a Dragon and Water dual-type, but in reality, it is a combination of Flying and Water attributes.

Translated into the elemental units of the ninja world, that was a fusion of Wind and Water!

Though this summon was not massive in size, the waves of dragon roars emanating from its maw forced the two giant beasts to feel a pressure from the very top of the food chain, causing their strength to diminish by thirty percent for no apparent reason.

Ability Intimidate, activated!

"Keiichi, is that your strange fish?" Sasuke pointed at the Gyarados in disbelief, his gaze fixed and vacant.

I also...

Want one so badly!

"Not bad, right? I told you not to underestimate it. Did you really think I summoned it just for a laugh?" Keiichi replied with a dead-serious expression.

Sasuke felt depressed. If Keiichi had summoned a monster like this during the Chunin Exams, would he have even had a shred of a chance at victory?

Why...

Why do you all have such powerful summons?

Why am I the only one who doesn't?

The moment Gyarados appeared, both sides immediately ceased their hostilities, unsure of which side this sudden intruder belonged to; it would be a disaster if they accidentally struck their own ally.