Chapter 430: Summoning Technique
"Again... just one more time..."
Inojin Yamanaka drew scene after scene upon his scroll, over and over, until he finally managed to conjure a massive bird capable of carrying his weight just before his chakra was completely depleted.
Sitting on the giant bird's back, Inojin panted heavily, a triumphant smile breaking across his face.
His dad's psychological conditioning had definitely paid off.
Scanning his surroundings, he noticed that aside from himself, not a single student had found a way to handle the situation—clearly, none of them had anticipated a twist like this.
With so many kids falling around him, he had no idea who to rescue first. Besides, even if he wanted to, he lacked the chakra reserve to save anyone else.
"The teachers are seriously ruthless."
Inojin glanced over at the instructors.
Hovering smoothly beneath their feet were clouds of auspicious mist, carrying them effortlessly through the sky.
"Dammit, what even is that? How come I never gathered any intel on it?" Inojin raised an eyebrow in frustration.
His father, Sai, had taught him countless intelligence-gathering methods and techniques, yet he had zero concept of whatever those floating clouds were.
...
"Oh gosh, this is the Heaven Descent! Dad mentioned that Captain Tonbo used to use this exact method to train people's courage! I'm finally experiencing it for myself... and I hate every second of it!"
Shikadai stared at the deep blue ocean rolling beneath them, watching the monstrous waves crashing below.
Right now, all he wanted was to run home to his mom.
Though he felt that way, he wasn't genuinely worried for his life—he knew that since the teachers arranged this, they certainly wouldn't let anyone plunge to their death.
It was just that... the sensation of free-falling from ten thousand meters truly felt like dying!
This was an extreme psychological ordeal. Even though his brilliant brain had already analyzed the situation and concluded he was perfectly safe, his physical body refused to listen.
At this moment, his brain and his body felt like two completely separate operating systems, each doing its own thing.
Defying his conscious thoughts, tears involuntarily welled up and trickled from Shikadai's eyes.
"Dammit... my body's totally out of control."
...
Denki was crying his heart out, tears flying wildly upward into the wind as he fell.
"So this is the orientation ceremony?! I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die! I haven't even achieved my dream of becoming a Three-Star Scientific Shinobi yet!"
His dad had never warned him that Konoha's orientation ceremony was this completely insane!
His mind had gone completely blank, but one singular thought flared bright in his head: I MUST invent a Scientific Shinobi Tool that lets me fly anytime, anywhere!
...
Sarada Uchiha pushed up her glasses, trying in vain to hide the tears welling in her eyes.
"Papa, save me..."
Though she was still young, she had experienced flying before—just never a full-on free-fall.
If she had known school was going to be like this, she might have skipped it altogether! Was she really going to have to endure stuff like this regularly from now on?
A Ninja Hawk... She suddenly remembered the summoning beast that often played with her.
If only I knew the Summoning Technique right now!
Unfortunately, she hadn't learned it yet, having only mastered chakra extraction and basic chakra control.
All she could do was watch helplessly as the ocean rushed closer and closer.
...
"Alright! This is the Heaven Descent my dad talked about—the lowest-tier courage training for taijutsu shinobi! In the name of my youth, I refuse to yield to fear!"
Metal Lee's hair was dragged straight up by the rushing wind, yet his wide eyes burned with fiery determination.
He had heard his father speak of this training before.
His dad had undergone this exact trial in the past, calling it the absolute baseline test of courage for any aspiring taijutsu shinobi. Metal Lee refused to be outdone.
Chakra surged wildly throughout his body, almost bursting from his skin.
"Though... I still need the teachers to save my life right now. I haven't learned the Eight Inner Gates yet, so I can't walk on air!"
Despite his fiery resolve, Metal Lee was ultimately powerless to stop his descent, as he hadn't unlocked flight either.
Even so, he wasn't afraid.
His father had always told him that true courage was tested in moments like these.
...Even if tears were involuntarily leaking out from the corners of his eyes anyway.
...
BOOM!
Just as absolute terror gripped the hearts of the student body, a gentle smile broke across Mitsuki's face. Green chakra suddenly erupted across his entire frame.
A massive volume of natural energy surged together.
Poof!
A gigantic, floating serpent was summoned beneath his feet, carrying him securely on its head.
Smiling calmly, Mitsuki looked up at his classmates raining down from the sky like falling dumplings.
"Hey there. I've experienced the Heaven Descent way too many times, so I'll pass on it today."
...
Hmm?
Mitsuki's movement immediately caught Naruto's attention.
"What intense natural energy... Is that Orochimaru's son, Mitsuki?!"
Naruto had always kept a watchful eye on Mitsuki.
Orochimaru hadn't made any attempt to hide the boy either, allowing him to live freely in Konoha rather than isolating him in a laboratory.
Naruto certainly hadn't expected that a young child like Mitsuki could already integrate natural energy and master Sage Mode.
From the looks of it, his Sage Mode was even more specialized—than Naruto's own.
It was likely on par with Uncle Tonbo's Sage Mode.
Whoosh!
Konohamaru rode a cloud of auspicious mist over to Naruto's side. "Sage Mode at such a young age... truly remarkable. Orochimaru really is something else."
His brow furrowed slightly.
Even though Orochimaru currently served as the Director of the Technology Development Bureau, Konohamaru still despised the man just as much as ever.
After all, that was the man who had murdered his grandfather.
He just hadn't expected even a young child like this to master Sage Mode. Judging by that summoning jutsu, Mitsuki's combat capability was likely already beyond that of an average Chunin.
Not that Konohamaru harbored any ill will toward Mitsuki himself.
He simply viewed the boy as Orochimaru's experimental subject and wished to save him—to prevent Orochimaru from subjecting him to further modifications.
Konohamaru had experimented with Sage Mode before; while he could use it, it wasn't particularly practical for him. He certainly didn't possess the seamless compatibility that Naruto or Mitsuki shared with it.
"Yeah. Orochimaru must have mastered Sage Mode as well by now. But he's settled down for real these days, and with Uncle Tonbo keeping watch, he wouldn't dare step out of line," Naruto nodded.
Besides, it wasn't as if Uncle Tonbo was the only one keeping Orochimaru in check.
There was Naruto himself, Sasuke, Teacher Kakashi, Master Guy, and many others.
Not to mention all the brand-new technology Konoha had developed.
Naruto certainly didn't look down on Scientific Shinobi Tools—everything in this world had a purpose and value of its own.
"Wind Release: Updraft!"
Konohamaru wove hand seals rapidly. Beneath the falling students, a swirling updraft materialized out of thin air.
It caught every single student safely in midair.
Though the swirling currents caught them gently, it left the kids dizzy and disoriented.
"This is horrible! I want my mommy! Waaahh~!"
"I heard our moms are huge fans of the Hokage too... they won't help us!"
"School is terrifying!"
"Why didn't my dad warn me about this?!"
As the students regained their senses, they found themselves lying safely atop a massive floating platform. Beneath them, thunderous ocean waves crashed furiously against one another.
Rumble!
From the dark depths of the sea came a terrifying, resonant roar like an impending tsunami, sending fresh waves of dread rippling through the young students' hearts.
"Listen up, freshmen! What you just experienced is called the Heaven Descent. It's a specialized training exercise designed to help you overcome fear, and you'll be undergoing it regularly in the future!"
Naruto delivered the terrifying news with a straight face.
Instantly, the new students burst into a chorus of wailing and tears.
"WHAT?! We have to do this again?!"
"It's not fair! How come those two get to fly?!"
They gestured tearfully at Mitsuki and Inojin, who were slowly descending from the sky above, feeling utterly wronged.
How come only those two get to fly? That's so unfair!
Konohamaru countered, "Because they possess actual shinobi capabilities and know how to utilize them. If you can achieve the same feats, we won't require you to participate in this drill either. Effective today, Mitsuki and Inojin are officially exempt from future Heaven Descent training!"
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