Ninjutsu?
If this were before, Shigure might have been thrilled. But now…
The Great Sage had fully recovered. As long as Shigure willed it, he could ask the Great Sage to stop repairing the Glutton and immediately acquire any ninjutsu he wanted.
Not a problem in the slightest.
But—
There were techniques even the Great Sage couldn't grant him. Forbidden arts. And among them… necromancy.
It just so happened that the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, possessed a particular technique Shigure had coveted for a long time.
The Summoning Technique.
Shigure already had the Somersault Cloud. If he could add a Ruyi Jingu Bang to his arsenal, it would be perfection itself.
As for summoned beasts, he felt that, rather than calling on them for battle, it was more practical to use Ice Release, Earth Release, or other elemental ninjutsu to create massive constructs of his own. Those would not only be more powerful but also far more convenient. Unless a summoned creature had a truly unique ability, Shigure considered them largely unnecessary in combat.
"In that case, Lord Third, could you teach me the Summoning Technique?"
Summoning…
Hiruzen had originally intended to teach Shigure a powerful elemental ninjutsu. After all, Ice Release combined with Earth Release would be an incredibly potent pairing.
He hadn't expected Shigure to want to learn summoning instead.
In truth, the Summoning Technique was often considered a hallmark of elite shinobi. Only powerful ninja were capable of forming such contracts.
"You want to learn summoning? Not elemental ninjutsu? I could teach you something even stronger—"
Before he could finish, Shigure formed a one-handed seal—though truthfully, the gesture was just for the Third's benefit—and unleashed a surge of chakra.
In an instant, several small ice dragons swirled into existence. They were much smaller than the ones he usually conjured, but their numbers were staggering.
And with the elemental nature transformation of his chakra, each dragon was a miniature weapon of terrifying destructive power.
"As for elemental techniques, I can develop them myself," Shigure said casually. "I don't find creating new ninjutsu all that difficult."
If anyone else had said that, Hiruzen would have kicked them out for bragging.
But this was Shigure—the prodigy who had developed his own Ice Release kekkei genkai and possessed chakra control bordering on the inhuman.
For this little monster, developing new jutsu genuinely wasn't a far-fetched claim.
"…Very well. I'll teach you the Summoning Technique."
Hiruzen let out a quiet sigh. The Monkey Clan—the Sarutobi Clan's exclusive summoning contract—had never signed with an outsider before.
He had no idea whether they'd accept Shigure.
But it was worth a try.
"Come with me."
Teaching summoning wasn't something that could be done in the Hokage's office.
On the way, Shigure asked, "Where are Naruto and Sasuke? Have they finished their lessons?"
"They've already finished," Hiruzen replied. "You're the last one. I imagine you ran off to train early this morning."
Shigure's curiosity was piqued. "What ninjutsu did they learn?"
The Third chuckled. "You sound just like them. They both asked what you were learning. Naruto seems fascinated by your swordsmanship—he wanted to learn a ninjutsu related to it."
"Related to swordsmanship?" Shigure tilted his head. "What kind of ninjutsu works with a sword?"
"Naruto's chakra nature is Wind, so I taught him Wind Release: Vacuum Blade and Wind Release: Shuriken," the Third Hokage explained.
"The first injects wind-nature chakra into a kunai, forming a blade of compressed air with exceptional cutting power.
The second does the same with a shuriken, making it spin with such high speed and sharpness that it can slice through solid objects like stone with ease."
Shigure hadn't expected those techniques—they were known to be among Danzō's signature jutsu.
Still, Hiruzen Sarutobi was a master of ninjutsu in his own right. While he might not wield Wind Release with the same precision as Danzō, there was no doubt he could use them effectively.
One technique for long-range, one for close quarters—they were a perfect match for Naruto.
"What about Sasuke?" Shigure asked.
"Uchiha Sasuke wanted to be faster, so I taught him the Body Flicker Technique. He also wanted to create clones of himself," Hiruzen said, glancing at Shigure. "But Sasuke's chakra reserves are still too low, and the combat power of standard Shadow Clones is lacking for him. So, I had Kakashi teach him the Lightning Release: Shadow Clone."
Lightning Release: Shadow Clone.
It was a perfect choice for Sasuke. Ordinary Shadow Clones had limited offensive capability and drained chakra quickly—not ideal for someone with his reserves. But the Lightning Clone was different; when dispelled, it would transform into a surge of lightning, stunning and damaging the opponent.
In the right situation, it could be decisive.
"Didn't you say we'd each only learn one ninjutsu? Why did Naruto and Sasuke both get two?" Shigure asked.
"Because the jutsu they chose weren't particularly high-level, so I allowed them one extra," the Third replied. Then his eyes narrowed slightly. "But the Summoning Technique you want to learn is different. If you give it up, I can also teach you two ninjutsu instead."
Shigure shook his head immediately. "No—I want to learn the Summoning Technique."
It was clear he was serious about it.
Hiruzen sighed. "Very well. But I'll warn you—the summoning I teach you may not work for you. If it fails, you'll have to seek out a summoning creature yourself and sign a separate contract."
"Got it."
They arrived at the Sarutobi Clan's training grounds. As the clan of the current Hokage, their compound was vast. To Shigure, it even seemed that part of this land had once belonged to the Uchiha before being absorbed into Sarutobi territory.
When one man rose to power, the whole clan prospered.
"This is the contract. Sign your name and press your fingerprint on it," Hiruzen instructed. "Whether you succeed depends on the summoning beast's willingness to answer your call."
Once the contract was signed, if no summoning creature acknowledged Shigure, the pact would be meaningless.
Hiruzen then demonstrated the seals for the Summoning Technique.
Even without invoking the Great Sage's analytical ability, Shigure activated his accelerated thought process. The sequence was simple, and he committed it to memory in an instant.
Following Hiruzen's instructions, Shigure bit his thumb, formed the seals, and slammed his palm to the ground.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
The Third watched with interest. Would the Monkey King answer this call?
BOOM!
A burst of white smoke erupted across the training ground. Hiruzen's eyes widened—there was a response.
As the smoke cleared, a tall, black-haired figure in shinobi garb emerged.
It was no human.
"Enma… the Monkey King," Hiruzen breathed.
...
TN:
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