By noon, in the Hokage Meeting Room, the handover between Uchiha Tonan and Utatane Koharu had concluded. Tonan arranged the documents neatly and put them in his ninja bag. He then got up and bowed to Koharu, “Adviser-sama, I troubled you.”
Koharu smiled stiffly. Konoha Orphanage was a lucrative post. Not to mention the yearly funds, the more important thing was the orphans’ affection. Generally, they would enter various Konoha departments when they reached a certain age. If she needed anything done, the orphans would make things convenient for her. But now, Tonan has taken everything away. How could she be happy?
Hiruzen saw through Koharu’s feelings. He casually waved his hand, “You two can go back. Orochimaru is already dead. Don’t think about these things anymore.”
Mitokado Homura and Koharu looked at each other quietly before getting up and leaving. Once they left, Hiruzen snorted. He then looked at Tonan with a kind and gentle smile, “Tonan, don’t you have anything to ask?”
Tonan smiled, “Sensei, if you think you should tell me something, you’ll do so without asking.”
Hiruzen was extremely satisfied with Tonan’s attitude. He said with a smile, “It’s nothing important. Last night, we investigated Orochimaru’s experimental base. And found that Orochimaru seemed to be researching a special secret art that allows people to reincarnate. Koharu and Homura sided with Danzo before because Orochimaru promised them he would reincarnate them once the secret art was successfully developed.”
Hearing this, Tonan said lightly, “Something like this violates the law of nature. Even if it succeeds, a huge price would’ve to be paid.”
Hiruzen blew out a mouthful of smoke and nodded, “Yes, we found many notes in the laboratory that recorded the possible flaws, which is that it damages the original soul. A person’s soul is set from the beginning, and it will only decrease over time. Therefore, the danger of this secret art is immense…”
A light flashed through Tonan’s mind, and he noticed the problem. His system seemed to inherit abilities only. It was useless against things like the soul. It seemed that the system converted special bloodline limit characteristics, knowledge, and cultivation into abilities. But things such as lifespan and soul couldn’t be inherited. In the past, when Tonan had just gotten the system, he thought these things were considered abilities. After all, his talent had truly increased.
It was only later that he discovered that things such as innate comprehension were just a way of thinking about problems. Some people were accustomed to thinking about a problem in one way, while others were able to think about it from different angles. These were personal abilities.
“If that’s the case, then can I keep getting stronger? Can I live forever? Even Sage of Six Path died of old age. If I want to live forever, I guess I’ll have to inherit the bloodline limit of the Otsutsuki clan.”
But Tonan didn’t believe that the Otsutsuki were immortal. It should just be that their lifespan far exceeded that of humans. Tonan felt like he seemed to have missed a key point, but he couldn’t think of it.
Suddenly, Hiruzen thought of something and asked, “By the way, when you fought against Orochimaru, did you feel you were inadequate in any aspect?”
Hiruzen’s voice pulled Tonan out of his thoughts. Here came his chance.
Tonan frowned and pretended to think for a moment, “I think Orochimaru’s summoning beast was very powerful. Facing such a behemoth, I could only feel insignificant.”
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes, “Summoning beast…”
The atmosphere was silent for a while, and after a long time, Hiruzen stood up and waved at Tonan, “Tonan, come with me.”
It’s here. Tonan was delighted in his heart. He quietly followed Hiruzen and left the Hokage Meeting Room. After a while, Hiruzen led him to a deserted Konoha suburb. The trees were bare and shriveled vines were hanging down from them. Hiruzen made hang signs, and slammed his palm on the ground, summoning a huge scroll.
He spread it open and solemnly said, “Tonan, I’m going to teach you Summoning Technique. This is a space-time ninjutsu. We can make a contract with summoning beasts, then use the technique to summon them to help us in a fight. The reason why I didn’t teach you this yet was that both Orochimaru and Jiraiya found their summoning beasts themselves.”
“At first, I thought that one day you’ll meet a summoning beast that suits you. But perhaps, people’s fates are different. Maybe you were destined to inherit my legacy. My summoning beast is the monkey clan. If you think it’s suitable, just sign your name on this scroll.”
Tonan didn’t hesitate. He bit his thumb and wrote his name on the summoning scroll. As he was writing it, he looked carefully and found that Hiruzen’s summoning scroll just had Enma’s name.
Seeing that Tonan had finished signing, Hiruzen continued to explain, “Before using the Summoning Technique, there are a few things I want to explain. The Ninja World is where humans live, but the other side of this planet is where summoning beasts live.”
“Most of them don’t help humans for free. For instance, the monkey clan. After signing a contract with them, I’ve to collect special herbs for them every once in a while. The value is not too high but most of them are only available in the Ninja World. Now that you’ve signed a contract, you’ve to fulfill the deal and they’ll help you.”
Tonan listened carefully and nodded, “I understand sensei.” At this moment, a gust of wind blew and as the bare branches swayed a few times, two dried leaves fell. Hiruzen pointed at the seal on the back of the summoning scroll, “Memorize the hand signs and then try to see whether you can summon Enma.”
Tonan sat cross-legged on the ground and studied carefully. He looked at the scroll as if he wanted to understand every word on it and carve it in his heart. After about ten minutes, he narrowed his eyes and made hand signs, slamming his hand on the ground.
Summoning Technique – Enma.
Along with a ball of white smoke, Enma appeared in front of them. He didn’t seem surprised that Tonan had summoned him. He said to Hiruzen, “Hiruzen, it seems you two have already discussed it.”
Hiruzen nodded, “Enma, I’m troubling you. Take Tonan to Mount Huaguo to find a partner.”
Enma turned to Tonan, “Tonan, I’ll return to Mount Huaguo and then use Reverse Summoning Technique. When you sense it, don’t use chakra, otherwise, you might easily fall into unknown places.”
Tonan nodded and said seriously, “Got it, Enma-sama.”
Enma turned into a ball of smoke again, voluntarily dispelling the Summoning Technique. After half an hour, Tonan sensed a suction force coming from somewhere. He calmed his mind and soon disappeared in front of Hiruzen.
