As he spoke, Akira's broad back completely blocked Anko from view—not even a corner of her clothes was visible.
Mainly because Anko's outfit today—especially that tight mesh underlayer—was a bit too form-fitting. The subtle, suggestive effect was… intense. And Akira knew full well that Jiraiya was a shameless old lecher—his eyes were practically about to pop out.
Aside from teaching Naruto, Jiraiya's greatest hobbies in life were probably "gathering material" and chasing women.
Anko hadn't paid much attention at first—her personality had always been carefree—but when she saw Akira step in front of her like that, something in her heart trembled faintly.
She seemed to realize something. A barely noticeable smile tugged at her lips as she quietly fastened the buttons of her coat.
She usually wore that old khaki trench coat out of habit and never thought much of it.
But now, being shielded by Akira like this, she suddenly found herself wondering if she should change her style a bit… after all, there was someone beside her now.
"This brat… he's actually pretty considerate."
Deep down, Anko was delighted. Being protected like this was a completely new feeling for someone who had spent her life on the edge of a blade.
She had always lived like one of the guys—never caring about her appearance, and no one had ever cared either.
Seeing his view blocked, Jiraiya reluctantly withdrew his appreciative gaze and turned his attention to the boy in front of him.
"And you are?" he asked with a grin.
He searched his memory but was certain he'd never seen this kid before.
Naruto immediately jumped in, proudly introducing him. "Pervy Sage! That's Akira—my teammate! He's ridiculously strong!"
At this point, both Naruto and Sasuke had already been thoroughly beaten into acknowledging Akira as the strongest.
Jiraiya was still confused. He looked at Akira curiously. "Kid, what were you two doing out here just now?"
By then, Anko had wrapped herself up properly again. She peeked out from behind Akira and explained with a smile, "Jiraiya-sama, we were just preparing to sign a summoning contract."
Jiraiya's brows shot up. "A summoning contract? Don't tell me you're planning to have this kid sign with those cold-blooded creatures from Ryūchi Cave?"
Anko nodded firmly. "Mm. It's a promise I made. As long as he passes the Chūnin Exams, I'll give him the scroll."
Before Jiraiya could respond, Naruto blurted out, "But the exams aren't even over yet! Akira's not a chūnin yet! And when did you get so close with the proctor anyway?!"
Akira ignored the idiot completely. Anko, on the other hand, smiled indulgently. "Naruto, you've been teammates with Akira for a while now. You should know—this level of exam is basically child's play for him, right?"
Naruto scratched his head and nodded reluctantly. "Yeah… that's actually true. None of the candidates this time could even handle him with one hand. Not even that sand guy with the gourd—Gaara."
In Naruto's mind, Akira was a complete anomaly—existing on a totally different level from them.
Now even Jiraiya began to look at Akira differently. Stroking his chin, he muttered, "Seems like everyone has high expectations for you. So, you're Akira, huh? Do you even realize how temperamental those snakes at Ryūchi Cave are? Signing that contract is like gambling with your life."
Akira remained calm, smiling faintly. "If there's no risk, how could you possibly obtain a summoning beast capable of shaking the earth?"
At this point, Naruto still knew nothing about summoning jutsus. He looked utterly confused.
"So what exactly are summoning beasts for, Pervy Sage?"
Jiraiya's mouth twitched at the nickname, though he had long since grown used to it.
"They're combat partners," he explained patiently. "They usually live in another space, and you summon them during battle to assist you. They're extremely powerful."
Naruto's eyes lit up instantly. "That's awesome! I wanna learn that too! You can teach me, right?!"
Jiraiya snorted. "Did I say I'd teach you that? Don't get ahead of yourself."
He was still in the "testing" phase—even though he had already accepted Naruto in his heart, he wasn't ready to say it out loud.
Naruto immediately flared up. "Then what do I have to do for you to teach me?!"
Watching the two start their usual bickering, Akira felt like a third wheel. He had no interest in sticking around.
Turning to Anko, he said, "Anko-nee, let's go somewhere quieter. It's too noisy here."
Anko nodded obediently.
Before Jiraiya could say anything else, Akira casually placed a hand on her shoulder.
The air rippled—
And in the next instant, both of them vanished without a trace. Not even an afterimage remained.
Jiraiya, who had been mid-argument with Naruto, froze. His pupils shrank sharply, his expression turning serious in an instant.
"That was… space-time ninjutsu?! How is that possible? A kid that young mastering something so profound?!"
He spun around and grabbed Naruto by the shoulders. "Kid! What jutsu did that boy just use? Did you see it clearly?"
His heart skipped a beat. That looked far too similar to the Fourth Hokage's Flying Raijin Jutsu.
But he couldn't be completely certain. One thing he was sure of, it definitely wasn't a simple Body Flicker.
Naruto scratched his head, confused. "Uh… probably just his Body Flicker? He's always ridiculously fast in fights."
Naruto's understanding was simple. If it was fast, it had to be Body Flicker.
Jiraiya shook his head firmly. "No. Definitely not. There was no movement trajectory. That was instant spatial displacement."
Naruto looked completely lost, unable to grasp such a high-level concept.
Left with no choice, Jiraiya patiently began explaining the basics of teleportation to his clueless future student.
Meanwhile—
Akira had already brought Anko to another secluded corner deep in Konoha's back mountains, his personal training ground.
The moment they landed, Anko let out a long breath and reached into her coat, pulling out a worn, ancient-looking scroll.
"This," she said, holding it out toward him, "is the summoning contract scroll for Ryūchi Cave."
Her tone turned unexpectedly serious.
"Once you sign your name in blood, there's no taking it back. From then on, you'll be recognized as one of Ryūchi Cave's contractors."
Akira's eyes fell on the scroll in her hands, and his expression sharpened slightly.
So this was the real thing.
Anko looked at him and added, "I promised you that if you passed the Chūnin Exams, I'd hand it over. With your strength, there's no point waiting for the final result."
Akira accepted the scroll, unrolled it, and glanced over the names already written there in blood.
Without hesitation, he bit his thumb, pressed it to the parchment, and wrote his name beneath the others.
The instant the blood seal completed itself, the entire scroll shuddered faintly, as though something deep within it had just awakened.
A cold, heavy chakra suddenly spread through the clearing.
The air turned oppressive.
Anko's expression changed slightly. "Looks like your signing has already been acknowledged."
Akira narrowed his eyes, calmly sensing the violent chakra gathering nearby.
Then, with a thunderous burst of smoke, a massive crimson serpent appeared in front of them.
Its single eye burned with a savage, dangerous light.
Shinra.
The moment he emerged, the pressure rolling off him swallowed the clearing whole, as if the air itself had been dragged into his domain.
Anko instinctively took half a step back, but Akira remained where he was, unmoving.
Shinra lowered his enormous head and stared at him for several seconds, that lone eye cold and merciless.
"So," the serpent finally said, voice rumbling like distant thunder, "you're the one who signed the contract."
Akira met his gaze directly. "That's right."
A strange silence followed.
Then Shinra gave a low snort, the killing intent in his eye easing just a fraction.
"You've got guts, at least."
Anko watched the exchange, barely daring to breathe. She had clearly expected this first meeting to be much rougher.
Akira, however, sounded as calm as if he were discussing the weather. "I want to go to Ryūchi Cave and learn Sage Arts."
The moment those words were spoken, even Anko's eyes widened.
Shinra's slit pupil narrowed, and for the first time, genuine interest flickered in that huge eye.
"You? Learn Sage Arts?"
Akira nodded. "If I didn't have that intention, I wouldn't have signed the contract."
Shinra stared at him a while longer, then slowly raised his head.
"Interesting."
After another moment, he turned his massive body toward the deeper mountains.
"Fine. Since you've got the nerve to ask, I'll take you there myself."
Anko blinked in obvious surprise. She clearly hadn't expected Shinra to agree so easily.
Akira gave a faint smile. "Then I'll leave the village side of things to you, Anko-nee."
Anko finally recovered and nodded. "Go on. I'll handle it."
With that, Akira stepped forward and leapt lightly onto Shinra's broad head.
The giant serpent gave one last glance toward Anko, then opened his maw slightly as strange chakra rippled around his body.
The space before them twisted.
A dark, cold passage seemed to open out of nowhere.
Without another word, Shinra carried Akira into it.
A moment later, both of them vanished from the clearing completely.
The scene shifted—
Deep within the cold, damp depths of Ryūchi Cave.
Akira followed behind the massive serpent, Shinra, as it slowly slithered toward the sacred ground where the White Snake Sage resided.
When the snakes lurking throughout Ryūchi Cave saw the usually violent Shinra bringing a human into their domain, countless serpent heads rose in unison.
Their vertical pupils were filled with shock.
Especially Manda and Aoda, coiled atop the rocks—their eyes contracted sharply in disbelief.
Manda flicked his tongue, his voice cold and sinister.
"Shinra… looks like the sun rose in the west today. You actually left your nest."
In the past, Shinra's temper had been explosive. Aside from powerful snakes like Aoda and Manda, no other serpent dared approach it.
It was practically a recluse, spending its days curled up deep within its lair, rarely ever appearing.
And yet today—not only had it come out, it had even brought back a living human.
To the snakes, this was more unbelievable than Ryūchi Cave collapsing.
Ignoring the strange looks around him, Shinra didn't even bother lifting his eyelids. He led Akira straight to the White Snake Sage.
"Old one, listen up," Shinra said arrogantly, as always. "This is the kid who just signed a summoning contract with me."
"Get things arranged for him. He wants to learn Sage Arts."
The tone was as overbearing as ever—but the content hit like a bomb.
Every snake in the cavern was stunned, wondering if they had heard wrong.
The same Shinra who had sworn never to trust humans again… had actually signed a contract once more.
It sounded like pure fantasy.
Manda coiled his massive body and slithered over to Akira's side, his cold, vertical pupils scanning him up and down for a long while.
No matter how he looked at it, this kid didn't seem to have anything special—just an ordinary human brat.
Manda couldn't help but sneer,
"Shinra, did you get your brain smashed in by a door?"
"Weren't you the one always shouting that humans are the least trustworthy creatures? And now you've gone and found yourself another 'handler'?"
Shinra shot him a cold glance, his voice icy.
"What's it to you? Get lost."
Manda was instantly enraged. His massive head reared up.
"What did you say? Say that again if you've got the guts!"
Shinra didn't bother arguing. He simply opened his blood-filled maw, a chilling hiss rumbling from deep within his throat.
Boom—!
A terrifying surge of senjutsu chakra erupted from his body, the pressure crashing over the entire cavern like a tangible force.
It was so overwhelming that it directly suppressed the senjutsu chakra within Manda.
"Unless you want to turn into a pile of rubble, shut your mouth."
Manda felt the pressure and, though not terrified, knew better than to act recklessly. Starting a fight here would bring him no benefit.
He could only swallow his anger, unwilling to clash with Shinra at such a moment.
After suppressing Manda, Shinra turned back to the White Snake Sage, his tone impatient.
"Old one, stop dragging your feet. Get him started already. The contract's signed."
The White Snake Sage, half-lidded eyes and pipe in hand, showed no anger at Shinra's rudeness.
She slowly exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, studying Akira through the haze.
"Interesting little one… to think you managed to tame Shinra."
"I had assumed that hot-headed brute would spend his life alone, never dealing with humans again."
"But let me be clear—if you intend to learn senjutsu, you must be prepared to stake your life on it."
Akira nodded calmly, his gaze clear and unwavering.
"I understand the risks. But in this world, high rewards never come without danger."
The White Snake Sage smiled faintly, clearly pleased.
"Good. Very good."
"This one's temperament suits my taste."
She turned to the three attendants standing nearby.
"Tagitsuhime, Ichikishimahime, Tamatsuhime—take him to the trial grounds."
Under normal circumstances, reaching the White Snake Sage required passing numerous trials. But since Akira had been personally brought in by Shinra, those formalities were waived.
The three snake maidens swayed forward, their eyes filled with curiosity as they observed Akira.
Anyone capable of subduing Shinra was no ordinary person—yet they couldn't sense just how much power lay hidden within him.
As they prepared to lead him away, Shinra shifted, instinctively about to follow.
The White Snake Sage suddenly spoke,
"Shinra, you need not go. Stay here."
Shinra snorted, clearly unwilling to listen.
But Akira turned back and casually patted the rough scales along his body.
"Stay here. I'll go alone. I'd prefer some peace and quiet—and you're too noisy."
Shinra glared at him fiercely. Though clearly displeased, he actually stopped moving and didn't follow.
The surrounding snakes were utterly stunned.
That was Shinra—completely lawless and uncontrollable—and yet he actually listened to a human?
Even his previous contractor—the one who had blinded one of his eyes—had never managed to command such obedience.
Manda slithered closer again, circling Shinra with a look as if he'd just seen an alien.
"Something's seriously wrong with you."
"Weren't you the one who hated humans ordering you around? Why are you obeying this brat so easily?"
Shinra rolled his massive eyes, his tone extremely impatient.
"Don't annoy me. Or I'll turn you into a stone ornament."
Manda ignored the threat. Despite their foul tempers, the two had known each other for ages.
In all of Ryūchi Cave, only he and Aoda dared speak to Shinra like this.
In terms of raw strength, Aoda was actually slightly stronger than Manda—comparable to the enhanced "second-generation" Manda later created by Kabuto.
But even someone like Aoda couldn't make Shinra bow his head.
After a moment of silence, Shinra finally spoke, his voice low.
"That kid Akira… his strength is unfathomable. He's on a completely different level from that Orochimaru of yours."
"To put it bluntly—if he wanted to kill me, it would take nothing more than a flick of his finger."
"As for why I signed the contract… it's simple. The kid's honest. That's all."
Manda burst into laughter, as if hearing the greatest joke in the world.
"Hahaha! Shinra, have you completely lost your mind?"
"You actually think a human can be honest? Have you forgotten what Orochimaru is like?"
"You've been hiding in this cave so long you've gone senile, haven't you? Forgotten how humans betrayed you?"
Despite being Orochimaru's contracted summon, Manda's tone carried no respect when speaking of him.
Shinra, however, remained calm, replying coldly,
"Don't compare that trash to him."
"They're nothing alike—completely different at their core."
Manda stopped laughing, his eyes gleaming with mockery.
"And how exactly are they different?"
"You're praising him to the skies, saying he's stronger than Orochimaru—I don't believe a word of it."
"Orochimaru is one of the Legendary Sannin. And this brat—he hasn't even lost the smell of milk yet—surpass him?"
Shinra scoffed, disdain flashing in his eyes.
"Explaining it to a frog in a well like you is pointless. Believe it or not—I don't owe you an explanation."
With that, he flicked his tail and slithered back to his lair, leaving Manda standing there in confusion.
Meanwhile—
Akira followed the three snake maidens through winding tunnels, eventually arriving at the secret training grounds for senjutsu.
Along the way, their eyes never left him.
They couldn't help but wonder—what exactly allowed this boy to subdue Shinra?
That violent serpent didn't even give them face, yet treated this human with unexpected courtesy.
He had even personally escorted him here—treatment no one else had ever received.
The tunnel was dimly lit, the air thick with an oppressive atmosphere. The eerie environment of Ryūchi Cave was deeply unsettling.
Akira frowned slightly—he wasn't particularly fond of such damp, gloomy surroundings.
The three maidens walking ahead had been silently probing him with their spiritual senses the entire time.
Suddenly—
Before their perception, it felt as if an unfathomable abyss stood before them.
They couldn't see through him at all.
Not his chakra, not his limits—nothing.
It was as though the boy walking behind them wasn't a person… but something far more terrifying, hidden beneath a human shell.
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