True Dragon?

"A dragon?" Duanmu carefully searched through his memories of Naruto. When it came to dragons, the only thing that came to mind seemed to be Ryuchi Cave.

"Then is this Ryuchi Cave?" Duanmu asked, still looking around.

The voice seemed to grow angry. "A mere pack of snakes dares to be mentioned in the same breath as I, a true dragon? Ryuchi Cave is nothing but a nest of crawling things coiled in the gutters, while my dwelling is the Dragon Palace, which stands beyond the Three Realms! You mortals dare confuse me with those serpents who cling to life by shedding their skins? This is nothing short of blasphemy against the body of a true dragon!"

Before the words had even faded, the entire space suddenly shook violently. Countless cracks split open across the black ground, and illusory golden dragon scales emerged from within them, surging toward Duanmu like a tide. The air filled with an oppressive force from the ancient primordial wilds, as if even his soul would be crushed to powder by that power.

Cold sweat instantly poured down Duanmu's back. He did not want to die here just like that!

"Um... well, Lord True Dragon, please calm your anger! This junior is shallow in knowledge and mistakenly compared you to mundane creatures. I hope Your Greatness will be magnanimous and not lower yourself to argue with a junior like me." As Duanmu spoke, he slowly backed away. His hands unconsciously shifted into a defensive posture, and his eyes locked tightly onto those enormous pupils, trying to find a chance of survival from the other party's changes in mood.

He knew that any rebuttal right now would be useless. Only by showing weakness could he temporarily steady the other party.

Just then, the little toad on Duanmu's shoulder suddenly let out a "ribbit." Though the sound was small, it carried a strange penetrating force, and the golden dragon-scale phantoms that had been surging violently actually paused slightly.

The ancient voice seemed to freeze for a moment. "Hm? The aura of Mount Myoboku? Why is this little thing on you?"

Duanmu's heart stirred, and he hurriedly explained, "This is the summoning beast of a friend of mine, not mine. Just now, this junior was practicing Summoning Jutsu with my friend, and somehow I mistakenly intruded into your dwelling. I absolutely did not mean to offend you!"

He deliberately emphasized "mistakenly intruded," hoping the other party would believe he was not an enemy who had intentionally barged in.

Those giant eyes fell silent for a moment. The golden light gradually receded a little, and the trembling of the space weakened along with it.

"Forget it. On account of this little thing, I'll spare you this once for now." The voice softened slightly. "However, the fact that you could come to the Dragon Palace through the spatial fissure of a Summoning Jutsu can be considered a bit of fate. Speak, then. What do you want from me?"

At that moment, Duanmu's mind began to fantasize. Could this dragon possibly become his summoning beast?

The dragon's voice rang out again, carrying a hint of amusement. "What that little head of yours is thinking, I can see clear as day. You want me to become your summoning beast? With that pitiful bit of chakra you have now, you don't even have the qualifications to make me yawn."

Duanmu's face reddened. He had not expected his thoughts to be so easily seen through by the other party.

"However, I can let you sign a summoning contract with another race."

Duanmu's heart stirred, and he quickly pressed, "Another race? May I ask what sort of powerful beings they are?"

He was a little curious. A race mentioned by this ancient being who called himself a "true dragon" was surely no ordinary sort. Perhaps it could become a new source of help for him.

The dragon smiled and said, "Wolves."

Hearing that it was wolves, Duanmu immediately froze. Wolves?

In the world of Naruto, he did not seem to have ever heard of any ninja clan or powerful person whose main summoning beasts were wolves.

Could it be some mysterious group hidden in legends?

The dragon seemed to see through Duanmu's inner thoughts and laughed. "What are you thinking? They're just an ordinary wolf clan. They're a group I casually saved a long time ago, and now they live on Moonview Plains at the border of the Land of Fire. If you can pass their trial, you may sign a contract with the wolf king. When that time comes, these wind messengers of the grasslands will become your sharpest claws and fangs."

"To put it plainly, they're my underlings." The dragon added in a somewhat disdainful tone, a trace of mockery flashing through his golden pupils. "But don't underestimate them. Those wolf cubs have been tempered in the wind and sand of Moonview Plains for hundreds of years. Not only are they as fast as lightning, but their sense of smell can track prey a hundred li away. When the pack works together, their encircling hunting tactics can give even some jonin a headache. And their leader—the current wolf king, that is—is said to have grasped a faint trace of natural energy. Though it can't compare to the subtlety of Mount Myoboku's senjutsu, it's still enough to make ordinary ninja suffer."

Duanmu's heart stirred as he listened. An ordinary wolf clan? But if they had caught the eye of this "true dragon" and lived on the border of the Land of Fire, they were probably far from ordinary wild beasts.

Especially when "natural energy" was mentioned, Duanmu's eyes lit up slightly—that was the key to senjutsu. Even if it was only a trace, it meant enormous potential.

"Of course," the dragon said, changing the subject, his voice regaining its earlier authority, "the wolves of Moonview Plains have extremely wild temperaments and only acknowledge the strong. If you want them to submit, you'll have to rely on your own strength to challenge their Wolf Fang Formation. If you can't even pass the wolf king's test, then give up on that thought as soon as possible."

"As for senjutsu, I can teach you. It is not something the senjutsu from places like Mount Myoboku can compare with. Mount Myoboku's senjutsu emphasizes resonance with nature and requires long periods of calm cultivation. With the slightest carelessness, natural energy will backlash, and you'll turn into a frog. What I will teach you is to directly draw upon the most fundamental power of thunder and lightning between heaven and earth, using thunder to temper your body and chakra. Although the process is extremely dangerous, it can greatly increase your strength in a short period of time. And after you succeed in cultivating it, your ninjutsu and taijutsu will both carry the tyrannical properties of thunder, making their power far surpass ordinary senjutsu."

"However," the dragon said, changing tack again, "this senjutsu has extremely high requirements for the body's endurance. Every cultivation session feels like being lashed by ten thousand whips of lightning. Are you sure you want to learn it?"

Duanmu nodded solemnly, but then thought that he might not have time with the upcoming Chunin Exams, so he asked, "Lord True Dragon, may I ask whether the cultivation of this senjutsu and the trial at Moonview Plains can wait for a while? I have an important exam to take next and temporarily can't devote myself to it completely."

He paused, then added, "It's the Chunin Exams, which concerns whether our team can advance. I can't be absent."

The dragon fell silent for a moment. Starlight flowed within his enormous eyes, as if he were weighing something.

Only after quite some time did he slowly speak. "That is fine. Mundane trials are also a form of tempering for you. However, remember, opportunities are not unlimited. Once you have finished dealing with your trivial matters, you must go to Moonview Plains as soon as possible—the wolf pack's patience will not keep waiting for humans forever. As for senjutsu, I will first imprint the basic mental method into your mind. You may comprehend it on your own during your spare time. After you pass the wolf pack's trial, I will personally guide you in drawing upon the power of thunder."

As soon as the words fell, Duanmu felt an enormous stream of information suddenly pour into his mind. Countless obscure runes and circulation routes were branded deep into his consciousness like imprints. It was precisely the introductory mental method of that thunder senjutsu.

Before he could digest it, the dragon gently blew out a breath and sent Duanmu back.

At that moment, Konoha had fallen into an inexplicable commotion because of Duanmu's disappearance.

Naruto had waited at the training ground for a long time, but Duanmu never came back. At first, he only thought Duanmu had been delayed by something, and he was still thinking that when Duanmu returned, he would definitely mock him properly for the embarrassing way his summoning had failed just now, and then make good on his promise to treat him to Ichiraku Ramen.

But by the time the setting sun sank and night fell, Duanmu's figure still had not appeared. Only then did Naruto start to feel uneasy. He searched all over the village, asking everyone he met whether they had seen Duanmu. From the Hokage Office to Ichiraku Ramen, he practically ran through every place Duanmu might have gone, but found nothing.

At the same time, Sasuke also discovered Duanmu's disappearance.

He had already been somewhat unsettled because of Duanmu's earlier persuasion and had planned to find an opportunity to have a proper talk with him, only to discover that he had not seen Duanmu all day.

At first, he thought Duanmu simply did not want to bother with him, but when he saw Naruto looking frantic with anxiety, as well as the worried expression Sakura wore, an ominous premonition quietly rose in his heart.

He thought of Duanmu's abnormal behavior at the training ground earlier, the little toad that had suddenly appeared and disappeared, and that strange spatial fluctuation when Duanmu was sent away. Although he had not been present at the time, his sharp intuition made him realize that Duanmu's disappearance was definitely no accident.

Kakashi also received the news. He frowned, his fingers unconsciously tapping against the tabletop.

As Team 7's instructor, he naturally understood his students very well.

Although Duanmu usually seemed somewhat casual, he was definitely not someone who would disappear for no reason, especially at such a critical moment with the Chunin Exams about to arrive.

Kakashi's gaze grew grave. He knew that there had to be some unknown secret hidden behind this, and Duanmu's disappearance was very likely related to some powerful, unknown force.

He decided to report to the Hokage immediately and organize people to begin a secret investigation. No matter what, they had to find Duanmu's whereabouts in the shortest time possible.

Just as Kakashi was on his way to the Hokage Office, Duanmu appeared out of thin air before his eyes.