The key to sealing the Nine Tails…
That was the Fourth Hokage's final concern — the passage of time would gradually weaken the seal. He knew that one day, something would be left behind as the seal deteriorated. So, before he died, he entrusted a vital item to the elders of Mount Myōboku.
That item… was the key.
But it wasn't a literal key made of metal or wood. It was, in fact, a scroll — one containing detailed instructions on how to strengthen or break the seal of the Nine Tails. It held the power to decide the future of the Tailed Beast sealed inside Uzumaki Naruto.
In other words, whoever obtained that scroll would hold the authority — to either reinforce the Nine Tails' seal or to unseal it completely and release the beast.
And at the last moment of his life, Namikaze Minato made a choice. He did not entrust this key to the Third Hokage. Instead, he placed his faith in someone else… his teacher, the Toad Sage — Jiraiya.
---
[Konoha – Behind the Mountains]
Jiraiya and Naruto arrived at the remote training grounds.
Ever since Jiraiya had agreed to take Naruto under his wing as his apprentice, he felt a responsibility to show him the skills of a true Sannin. After all, how could the student of one of the legendary Sannin not even pass the Chūnin Exams?
But something unexpected happened.
After running a few basic tests, Jiraiya quickly noticed that Naruto's chakra control was incredibly precise — even more refined than his own!
His foundational training was immaculate. Such a level of chakra refinement was impossible to achieve without decades of dedication and intense practice.
And yet… Naruto was just a teenager. How could someone so young have developed such proficiency?
The answer soon revealed itself — when Naruto used the Shadow Clone Technique.
Through sheer numbers and relentless training, Naruto had accomplished something unbelievable. By dividing his time and focus through hundreds of shadow clones, all doing the same training simultaneously, he had accumulated experience at an absurd rate.
Jiraiya was stunned.
"The Uzumaki clan's physique is truly something else…" he muttered with admiration. "No wonder Naruto's chakra reserves are so immense — this level of endurance is beyond natural."
He couldn't help but praise Naruto. Ninjas with special bloodline abilities truly began their lives at a much higher starting point than ordinary shinobi.
Even as one of the Sannin, Jiraiya admitted to himself that the chakra flowing within Naruto was far superior to his own at that age.
But of course, none of this would matter if Naruto didn't have the determination to match it.
And Naruto had that in spades.
Every single day, he practiced chakra refinement. He trained the most boring, repetitive basics — things that most ninjas would eventually abandon or skip over. But not Naruto.
He pushed through like a machine, again and again, perfecting what others overlooked.
"Minato… Kushina… you've raised one fine son," Jiraiya whispered to himself, feeling both proud and emotional.
It was time.
It was time to begin passing down the legacy.
---
"Naruto, the Chūnin Exams are coming up soon," Jiraiya said seriously. "Given the time we have, I'll teach you a special ninjutsu. One that doesn't require any hand seals."
"Huh? A ninjutsu that doesn't use hand seals?"
Naruto tilted his head in confusion.
"Yes," Jiraiya replied with a grin. "Isn't that amazing? But don't be fooled — this technique is extremely difficult. It's at least an A-rank ninjutsu!"
Naruto was silent.
He didn't even need to guess what Jiraiya was talking about. He already knew.
Stretching out one hand, he instantly condensed a swirling ball of chakra in his palm. A blue spiral orb — the Rasengan — formed perfectly, crackling with power. The leaves around him swirled in miniature vortexes as they were pulled by the chakra flow.
Jiraiya's jaw dropped.
"W-Wait… you… you already know the Rasengan?!"
This was impossible.
The technique Jiraiya had intended to pass down to Naruto — the very technique created by the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato — had already been mastered!
Jiraiya stared in disbelief.
Could it be that Minato had left Naruto a scroll with his personal jutsus? That was the only explanation that made sense now.
"Well… if that's the case… what am I supposed to teach now?" Jiraiya asked himself, feeling a little lost.
But then something occurred to him.
"Ah! Naruto… you haven't learned the Summoning Technique, have you?"
Jiraiya perked up, snapping his fingers with confidence.
"You saw that giant toad I summoned earlier, right? Pretty cool, huh? Do you want to learn how to summon it?"
Naruto nodded with a forced smile.
To be honest, he wasn't particularly excited. But he played along. If he was going to continue hiding his true abilities, he had to make Jiraiya lower his guard.
"Sure… I don't know how to summon yet," Naruto lied.
Hearing that, Jiraiya exhaled in relief.
Phew… Thank goodness. If he already knew that too, the only thing left would be Sage Mode… and that's still way too early for him.
Jiraiya retrieved a massive scroll — the contract of Mount Myōboku.
"This is the summoning contract for the toads of Mount Myōboku. To use the technique, you'll need to sign your name here with your blood."
Naruto nodded again. He already knew how this worked.
Every summoning pact required a contract scroll. Of course, there were exceptions. For example, Uchiha clan members could simply use their Sharingan to forcibly control many Summoning Beasts — a loophole that frustrated many ninja.
This was one of the reasons why the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, had such a deep-rooted distrust of the Uchiha clan.
The Sharingan… it was more than just a bloodline limit. It was a terrifying, limitless ability.
Compared to the Byakugan, the Sharingan seemed like a black hole — capable of copying, controlling, predicting, and even warping reality.
Tobirama had every reason to be cautious. The Uchiha clan was not only powerful, but emotionally volatile.
Almost every Uchiha was a little… unbalanced.
---
Uchiha Madara: "???"
Uchiha Fugaku: "You Senju are abnormal — your entire family is abnormal!"
Ohnoki: "Why is the Byakugan considered equal to the Sharingan again?"
Hyuga Hiashi: "Tsuchikage-sama, do you have a problem with the Byakugan?"
---
Far away, above the moon, deep in the silent void of space…
A mysterious white-robed woman with long white hair opened her eyes.
Her expression was cold and indifferent.
Of course mortals do not understand the true power of the Byakugan…
But they will. One day, when I break free from this seal… the entire ninja world shall witness the coming of a god.
All of them… they shall become my fruit.
Everything on this earth… belongs to me alone.
---
Back on Earth.
"Ninjutsu: Summoning Technique!" Jiraiya declared.
He bit his finger, smeared the blood, and slammed his palm onto the ground. With a burst of white smoke, a massive toad over ten meters tall appeared.
"See that, Naruto?" Jiraiya said with a confident grin. "Your turn. Go ahead and give it a shot!"
He was sure Naruto would be amazed by his power. After all, how many Genin could summon a creature this massive?
Toads, snakes, slugs — the legendary beasts summoned by the Three Sannin were world-renowned.
Jiraiya's Summoning Beast was not only iconic — it was stylish. It was blue. It was spicy.
In short… this move was very spicy indeed!
---
Naruto, however, remained perfectly still.
Seeing Naruto's calm reaction, Jiraiya tried to console him.
"It's okay, Naruto. I know this move is a bit too advanced for a Genin. Even Minato, the genius Fourth Hokage himself, struggled with this when he first learned it."
But before Jiraiya could even finish his sentence, Naruto suddenly moved.
"Ninjutsu: Summoning Technique!"
Without hesitation, Naruto performed the exact same hand seals that Jiraiya had just used. His fingers danced, and then he slammed his palm against the ground.
Complex symbols erupted across the earth. The chakra being poured into the technique was enormous — enough to shake the entire mountain!
Jiraiya's eyes widened. This wasn't normal.
Naruto's chakra was being consumed at an unbelievable rate — vanishing like water down a drain.
"T-Ten whole units of chakra… gone in an instant?!"
"No way… don't tell me… he's about to summon Gamabunta on his first try?!"
Jiraiya could barely believe what he was seeing.
Even I couldn't do that when I first learned the Summoning Technique…
And then — BOOM!
A giant cloud of white smoke exploded outward, shaking the trees and parting the sky.
But it wasn't Gamabunta.
Sitting atop a green jade throne that materialized from thin air was an ancient toad — unlike anything Jiraiya had ever seen.
It wore Buddhist prayer beads around its neck. Its eyelids were half-closed in timeless wisdom.
Jiraiya's mouth fell open.
"W-WHAT?!"
"…The Great Toad Sage?!"