The First Taste of Power: Summons from the Three Great Sacred Grounds

A few days later.

On Konoha's Back Mountain.

Before dawn broke.

A cold wind swept through the forest clearing, carrying the mountain's damp chill.

A line of children huddled together, necks tucked in and teeth chattering.

Half from the cold, half from fear.

Three people stood opposite them.

The Three Sannin.

Tsunade stepped forward and folded her arms.

She looked down at the children who would one day hold power in Konoha.

"First day of the Special Training Class."

Tsunade did not speak loudly, but her voice carried with startling clarity across the silent clearing.

"Let's get acquainted. In the order you're standing, give your name and your goal."

Nawaki jumped out first.

"Nawaki Senju! My goal is to become Hokage!"

"Too vague. Next." Tsunade cut him off without mercy.

Nawaki shut his mouth, looking wounded.

Minato Namikaze stepped forward, his back ramrod straight. "I'm Minato Namikaze. My goal is to grow stronger and protect the people I cherish."

Tsunade nodded.

Uchiha Mikoto bit her lip, a little nervous. "Uchiha Mikoto. I want to prove... girls can become outstanding shinobi too."

"Kushina Uzumaki!" the red-haired girl announced, shooting Mikoto a sidelong glance. "I'm going to be Konoha's greatest kunoichi!"

Then came the three in the middle.

Crunch.

A remarkably crisp chewing sound.

Choza Akimichi was stuffing potato chips into his mouth.

Tsunade shot him a sharp look.

Chōza's hand jerked, scattering chip crumbs across the ground.

He hurriedly hid the bag behind his back and stood straight. "Ch-Choza Akimichi! My goal is to eat my way across the entire Shinobi World!"

Inoichi Yamanaka covered his face in despair, then forced a strained smile. "Inoichi Yamanaka. I hope we can all get along."

Shikaku Nara sighed, his hands buried in his pockets.

Before he left home, his mother had told him they were going on an outing to the Back Mountain.

One look at the three terrifying figures opposite him—people who could make a toddler cry—and he realized his own mother had sold him out.

She had sold him out completely.

"Shikaku Nara. My goal... is not to die here."

Jiraiya burst out laughing.

Next.

"Hyuga Hiashi. I'll restore the Hyuga's prestige." The eldest son of the Hyuga clan lifted his chin.

"Hizashi Hyuga," said the identical boy beside him, his voice much quieter. "I'll support my elder brother."

Tsunade's gaze lingered on the brothers for a second, but she said nothing.

That left the two smallest children.

One was a five- or six-year-old girl with face paint. She waved a little fist and declared:

"Tsume Inuzuka! I'm going to be the fiercest ninja in the village!"

The other was a cool-looking boy in sunglasses.

"Shibi Aburame. I just need to raise my bugs well."

Eleven of them.

The future of Konoha's great clans was gathered right here.

But there was one more!

"Might Duy! My greatest wish is to let my youth burn bright!!"

At the very back of the line, Might Duy stepped forward in his green bodysuit.

He gave everyone a thumbs-up.

Quite a few of them rolled their eyes at the eccentric man.

Tsunade smiled.

Might Duy trained on the Back Mountain every day without fail.

Since she had chosen this place, she naturally intended to bring him into the fold.

For one thing, she alone knew his potential.

And after taking his Eight Gates, she would have felt guilty if she gave him nothing in return.

This Special Training Class was one way Tsunade meant to make it up to Might Duy.

Tsunade looked away from him.

Her gaze swept over all twelve of them.

Senju, Uchiha, Hyuga, Ino–Shika–Cho, Aburame, Inuzuka, Minato Namikaze, Kushina Uzumaki, and Might Duy.

Her heart pounded in her chest.

Win these people over, and she would hold the lifeline of Konoha's next several decades.

Once this group grew up, what would those old men in the Hokage's office amount to?

Konoha's rules?

Her rules would be Konoha's rules!

"Introductions are over." Tsunade took a step forward, and an invisible pressure rolled over them like a tidal wave.

"Now it's our turn."

"I'm your head instructor, Tsunade Senju."

She cracked her knuckles. The sharp pops sounded especially harsh in the cold wind.

"Taijutsu, Sealing Jutsu, Medical Ninjutsu—I'll handle all of it."

"I have only one rule!"

"As long as you have a breath left, I can drag you back from death's door."

"So injuries are normal here, and broken bones are just the appetizer. Be ready to break an arm or a leg."

Several of the children swallowed at once.

Chōza quietly tossed his half-finished bag of chips into the grass.

"Next are your two assistant instructors." Tsunade took half a step back.

Jiraiya had originally come just to make an appearance.

But he wasn't blind.

One glance at this absurdly impressive lineup told him plenty.

The Hyuga twins, a Uchiha girl, the prospective Nine-Tails jinchūriki.

And the heirs of Konoha's great clans.

He realized Tsunade was not fooling around.

Perhaps she had other motives.

But right now, she truly was training Konoha's next generation!

Jiraiya dropped his usual carefree manner.

He stepped forward and folded his arms, his gaze sharper than they had ever seen it.

"I'm Jiraiya."

He looked over the children.

"I specialize in Fire Release, Earth Release, and a secret hair technique of my own. How much you learn from me depends on what you're capable of."

Jiraiya stepped back.

Orochimaru gave two raspy chuckles.

He glided forward like a venomous snake.

His cold gaze brushed across each child's neck.

"Orochimaru."

No further introduction.

"I'll teach you only two things. How to kill, and... how to survive among the dead."

"I've studied all five elemental releases."

"If you're clever enough, I'll teach you the true nature of ninjutsu."

Oppressive.

Utterly oppressive.

Three jonin stood before them: the most formidable young figures with real authority in the village.

Just standing there, they gave off the scent of blood and waves of Chakra.

The pressure left the children struggling to breathe.

Hyuga Hiashi stared at the ground, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

So this was what real elites were like?

The elders of his Hyuga clan seemed like hothouse flowers beside these three.

Tsunade watched the children, who looked ready to faint from fright, and a playful smile curved her lips.

They needed one more push.

One last push to shatter the limits of what they thought possible.

"What you've heard so far are only our individual specialties."

"Beyond those, there's one ability all three of us share!"

Tsunade's voice rose sharply.

She glanced at Orochimaru and Jiraiya.

They understood her intent at once.

If they wanted to establish their authority, they needed the most direct demonstration possible.

All three crouched at the same time.

Their fingers blurred through hand signs in perfect unison.

They moved too quickly for even these gifted children to follow the sequence.

Boar. Dog. Bird. Monkey. Ram.

Then all three slammed their palms down.

Surging with violent Chakra, their hands struck the hard earth of the Back Mountain.

Tsunade's shout tore through the cold wind.

"Summoning Technique!!!"

Boom—!

A deafening blast erupted across the Back Mountain.

The ground shook violently. A fierce gust swept outward, carrying shattered stones with it.

Nawaki and Minato, standing in the front row, were forced two steps back by the blast.

Thick white smoke surged skyward like a volcanic eruption, blotting out the first light of dawn.

The gale tore at the edges of the smoke.

Three enormous, looming shadows, as vast and terrifying as mountains,

blotted out what little sky remained above the children's heads!