Summoning Technique

At dawn, Konoha's valley was shrouded in a light mist, the air filled with the fresh scent of earth and vegetation. The night had not fully faded, and a few faint stars still lingered in the sky.

A midnight rain had washed away some of the dust. After a simple breakfast, the group packed up and set off. This time, they had no fixed destination. Neji planned to stay away from the village's conflicts for now and return to Konoha only after gaining the strength to protect himself.

"Let's go!"

Tsunade took the lead, walking toward the rising sun.

Along the way, they chatted freely about their experiences, covering everything under the sun. Whenever Tsunade spoke of her younger days with Jiraiya and Orochimaru, she could not stop herself from laughing.

"Neji, as my disciple, I haven't taught you anything yet. Tell me, which of my skills do you want to learn first?" Tsunade turned back to look at Neji, as though she had finally remembered that she was supposed to be the teacher between them.

"Then I'll learn the Summoning Technique." Neji did not stand on ceremony and named the ninjutsu he had wanted for a long time.

The Summoning Technique was not difficult to learn. What was difficult was finding a summoning beast willing to form a contract. Ordinary birds and wild beasts could also serve as summoning beasts, of course, but they were of no use to Neji and thus not worth considering.

Tsunade's summoning beast, Katsuyu, was one of the Ninja World's most powerful summoning beasts. Wet Bone Forest, where she resided, was known as one of the three great holy lands, and Neji had been thinking about its secret of natural energy for a long time.

"The Summoning Technique? I thought you'd want to learn medical ninjutsu."

Tsunade muttered to herself, then had everyone stop and rest for a while. She stared at her finger for a moment before gently biting it open. Then, with her hands weaving through seals like butterflies dancing among flowers, she shouted, "Summoning Technique!"

With a bang, a cloud of smoke burst forth, and Tsunade summoned a massive scroll. She opened it and pointed to a blank column. "Here. Write your name here, using your own blood."

Neji glanced at Tsunade and nodded. He raised his hand and bit open his finger, blood immediately beading up like glistening strings of pearls. Tsunade's body trembled, but she forced herself not to look away.

"You brat, what are you staring at? Hurry up and write!"

Seeing Tsunade's haughty expression, Neji smiled faintly and wrote down his name.

Bang!

Tsunade dispelled the Summoning Technique and said to Neji with anticipation and curiosity, "You saw the order of the hand seals. Try it yourself and see how large a Katsuyu you can summon."

"All right!"

Neji did not waste words. Before the bite on his finger could heal, he smeared blood across his palm. His hands intertwined and shifted, completing the seals for the Summoning Technique in an instant.

As Neji finished forming the seals, a powerful surge of chakra erupted from his body and instantly spread through the entire valley.

A light sheen of sweat appeared on Neji's forehead, and his body trembled slightly, but his eyes never wavered. Suddenly, a dazzling flash burst forth, followed by a deafening roar.

Boom—

A massive figure appeared beneath Neji's feet. It was a Katsuyu as large as a small mountain, her body glowing faintly and her eyes carrying a trace of gentleness.

The abundant qi in Neji's Dantian was instantly reduced by half, but he did not care in the slightest. He simply stared intently at the summoning beast beneath him.

"What an astonishing amount of chakra... It's simply unbelievable." Tsunade's voice held a trace of amazement. "Your summoned Katsuyu is nearly as large as the one I could summon in my youth."

Neji smiled slightly, then jumped down from Katsuyu's body and approached her. "Greetings, elder. I am Hyuga Neji."

Katsuyu slowly raised her head, her gaze gentle. "Hello to you too, little Neji. I can sense a power of affinity emanating from you. It makes me feel very comfortable."

Standing to the side, Tsunade heard Katsuyu's words and felt as if lightning had flashed through her mind. She recalled how she always unconsciously felt at ease around Neji. Many things about him defied common sense, yet she trusted him for no apparent reason.

So the source of that trust was the power of affinity radiating from Neji. As an ancient summoning beast who had existed for more than a thousand years, Katsuyu's words brought Tsunade sudden understanding.

As the last member of the Senju Clan, Tsunade possessed a deeper understanding of life and nature than ordinary people. That was why she could sense traces of qi within Neji. Through that perception, she could also vaguely sense a person's malice.

What she sensed from Neji was always peace. That was also the key reason she trusted him.

"Well, whatever. He's already my disciple anyway." Tsunade withdrew her thoughts and looked at Neji with satisfaction.

Then she turned to Katsuyu. "Lady Katsuyu, it's been a long time!"

"So it's little Tsunade! I see. Is little Neji your new disciple? That's wonderful." Katsuyu's voice remained gentle.

"Lady Katsuyu, you said Neji possesses a power of affinity that even attracts you. Does that mean he has the potential to learn Sage Art?" Tsunade asked curiously.

"Sage Art? What is Sage Art?" Neji pretended that this was the first time he had heard the term.

"Beyond the human body, natural chakra exists in the surrounding space. It is a power contained within nature, present in all things." Tsunade's voice was low and calm. "Sage Chakra is a powerful energy formed by harmonizing with nature and integrating natural chakra into one's own chakra."

Shizune and Xiao Xi listened with rapt attention, their eyes filled with curiosity and longing. Neji listened quietly, a trace of contemplation in his gaze.

"Neji, your power of affinity lets me see that possibility." Tsunade's voice held a hint of expectation. "It was a power my grandfather possessed, a talent that even I do not have."

"The First Hokage!" Xiao Xi and Shizune cried out.

"Sage Art..." Neji murmured, a trace of fervor in his voice.

Seeing that Neji finally looked somewhat like a young man, Tsunade smiled. "That's right, Sage Art. Compared to ordinary chakra, their power is like heaven and earth."

Everyone gasped.

Tsunade looked at their reactions and nodded in satisfaction.

Then Katsuyu's gentle voice sounded. "It is still too early to say whether he can cultivate it. When Neji has free time, he may come to Wet Bone Forest. Only there can he accurately sense natural chakra."

Hearing that, Neji came to a sudden realization. I clearly tried sensing it according to the method Naruto Uzumaki would use in the future, yet I received no response at all. It seems natural chakra is inseparably connected to the three great holy lands. If I want this power, I must make a trip to Wet Bone Forest.