The Scroll of Ling

Ueno Kei did not stop for a moment on his way home, heading straight for his house.

Although the people he passed were curious about a child who stood barely over 1.1 meters tall yet carried a blade some 70 or 80 centimeters long on his back, fortunately, no one came forward to question him.

Even fewer people tried to stop him; it was normal for children in this world to mature early, and adults generally didn't pay much mind to someone carrying a sword. Especially in a place like a ninja village, the child might well be a student at the ninja academy, and having one's own weapon was perfectly acceptable.

As long as one didn't cause any trouble, no one would bother to meddle.

Thus, Ueno Kei made it home smoothly. The problems he had anticipated did not arise, proving his worries were merely self-inflicted anxiety.

Once Ueno Kei hurried inside, he shut the door and locked it behind him.

Returning to his bedroom, he first unslung the blade and set it aside, then took out the scroll from his bosom, placing it carefully on the bed. In Ueno Kei's view, this likely contained some form of ninjutsu or classified information.

After all, in this world, using scrolls to record information was a common practice among ninjas.

Of course, it was also possible that the scroll couldn't be opened; it was common to place seals on scrolls to protect family-inherited ninjutsu or important secrets from being leaked.

Therefore, Ueno Kei did not hold onto the expectation that he would definitely be able to open it.

Ueno Kei took a deep breath, suppressed the restlessness in his heart, clenched his hands, and untied the silk cord binding the scroll, his hands moving slightly.

A trace of joy appeared on Ueno Kei's face—it moved! There was a chance!

However, Ueno Kei did not relax in the slightest; he continued to unroll the scroll slowly, ready to throw it out the window without hesitation should anything unusual occur. Ueno Kei valued his life dearly now; having found a goal in life, he did not want to die in such an inexplicable manner.

When Ueno Kei fully unrolled the scroll, he paused, a look of disappointment crossing his face. It was not the powerful ninjutsu or classified intelligence he had imagined, but rather a long list of names, arranged in rows, one after another.

It seemed to be nothing more than a document recording the personnel of some organization. Even if these people were important, what did that have to do with him? Ueno Kei sighed in deep disappointment.

The disappointment in his eyes was uncontrollable. Although he hadn't had any specific expectations at first, now that it was truly the case, it was indeed hard to accept.

Just as Ueno Kei was about to roll the scroll back up and put it away, a line of text at the very end caught his curiosity. The font was too small, so he took a magnifying glass from his bedside drawer.

He lay flat on the floor, examining the tiny characters in the corner of the scroll. As he looked, Ueno Kei's expression changed instantly, and he read it again with an look of disbelief.

It was as if the heavens were playing a joke on him; just when he was about to give up, they had dropped a massive pie from the sky, leaving him dizzy with shock.

The line read: "Lizard Clan Summoning Scroll, Xuanyang Clan, Year 192."

This was actually a priceless summoning scroll—the kind that allowed one to sign a contract with legendary summoning beasts from other dimensions and make them combat partners!

At this moment, Ueno Kei's hands trembled as he held the scroll, his face flushed red as if he were oxygen-deprived. Although he didn't know the capabilities of these summoning beasts, to him, this was an absolute treasure. Without a family legacy or a master to guide him, the chances of obtaining a summoning beast were usually slim to none.

This windfall made Ueno Kei want to roar with joy. Not to mention that it was a clan-wide summoning scroll; Ueno Kei keenly caught the word "clan," which meant that at the very least, he could be certain that once signed, there would be more than one summoning beast available.

Ueno Kei took a few deep breaths, gradually calming his emotions. Although the lingering excitement remained on his face, he at least appeared much calmer.

Ueno Kei immediately turned and took a calligraphy brush from a bookshelf he had bought at the market, bit his finger, and let his blood drip onto the brush.

He filled in his name in the blank space after the last row of names on the summoning scroll, then pressed his five fingerprints beneath it.

Immediately after, Ueno Kei carefully tucked the scroll away, placing it in a hidden compartment under his bed.

Although it would be best to keep such an item on his person, Ueno Kei felt his current strength was too weak. If he carried such a priceless item and it were discovered, he could imagine the consequences with his eyes closed. Even if it were discovered by Konoha ninjas, the best outcome would likely be confiscation.

Storing it at home wasn't entirely safe either, but comparing the two, he chose the lesser of two evils. Of course, Ueno Kei had a better option: to summon a beast and have it take the scroll back to the summoning realm for safekeeping.

But unfortunately, Ueno Kei could not do that yet.

First, his meager chakra reserves were nowhere near enough to perform the Summoning Jutsu; he couldn't bear the cost of summoning a beast.

Second, Ueno Kei didn't even know the hand seals for the Summoning Jutsu.

So, although it seemed as if Ueno Kei had instantly gained a massive advantage, it was, unfortunately, nothing more than a reflection of the moon in the water—a mirage that would remain out of reach for a long time to come.

What Ueno Kei needed to do now was to keep training, to refine more chakra. Although the amount of chakra a ninja possessed could vary wildly, everyone started out with the same small amount.

It could be slowly tempered through later training, though one's personal aptitude limited the ultimate ceiling. Once you reached that limit, your chakra volume would saturate and, barring any special accidents, remain fixed.

Naturally, Ueno Kei believed that no matter how poor his aptitude was, he would eventually be able to use the Summoning Jutsu. Chakra was not a difficult problem to solve; it just required time.

Based on his training over the past six months, Ueno Kei was confident he could reach the standard within four to five years. However, this was just a prediction; different summoning beasts required different amounts of chakra.

At least for now, Ueno Kei wasn't too worried about that.

The only problem was the hand seals for the Summoning Jutsu.

This was a hurdle, as Ueno Kei couldn't just go around asking people. Not everyone knew it, and if he asked those who did, it would inevitably arouse suspicion.

He would have to wait for a future opportunity and see if he could learn it through some special channel.

At the very least, the team leader assigned after graduation was something to look forward to, Ueno Kei thought, frowning. He had learned shortly after entering the academy that after graduation, students were formed into three-man squads led by a Chunin or Jonin.

Although he was eager to know who this first, most important teacher would be, it was beyond his control. He could only silently pray to be assigned a good ninja mentor.

A Jonin would be best, as that was the most likely way for Ueno Kei to learn the Summoning Jutsu.