Chapter 84: That’s a Summoning Beast! It’s Our Comrade

A colossal toad nearly a hundred meters tall sat cross-legged, head drooping, mouth wide as it snored with a deafening rumble.

Of course, this wasn't what shocked Jiraiya.

The real reason was…

Dozens of shadow clones, all sporting Naruto's blond hair, had appeared around the giant toad's limbs, shoulders, and head, each hauling chains to wrap around the massive creature.

Naruto himself stood before the toad, gripping one of the heavy chains that bound it, casually slinging it over his shoulder as he leaned forward with all his might.

If it weren't for the massive toad behind him, he might have looked like an experienced sailor towing a ship downriver.

In Naruto's mind, he only knew one toad from Mount Myoboku—the one that wielded a giant cleaver. But this beast was different; the real-life, three-dimensional creature in front of him was far more imposing than the animated version he'd seen.

This toad, summoned into the real world, had only one inclination—sleeping. It was the kind of deep, undisturbable sleep that no amount of calling could rouse.

Seeing the mountain-sized toad, Naruto's hands itched with excitement. He couldn't help but wonder if he could move such a "weight."

Off in the distance, Jiraiya's shouting did little to stop Naruto's actions.

All he could hear was the loud snoring of the big toad, drowning out the old white-haired pervert's words.

"Naru—to—!"

"You little brat!"

"Stop right now!"

Jiraiya, already sweating profusely, panicked the moment he saw the Great Toad Sage appear.

For years, he had begged to meet the Great Toad Sage, yet every reply from Mount Myoboku was the same: the sage was sleeping and wouldn't see visitors.

Never did he imagine he'd encounter the Great Toad Sage under these circumstances.

His forehead drenched in cold sweat, Jiraiya broke into a run, practically leaping over himself to reach Naruto.

"Eh?"

"Old perv, what are you doing here?" Naruto paused, glancing back at Jiraiya, who looked visibly distressed.

"You…!"

"Get those chains off this instant!"

"That's the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku!"

Snatching the chain from Naruto's hands, Jiraiya pointed at the massive toad behind them, his voice rising in frustration.

This kid was going to be the death of him.

Though he had no idea how Naruto managed to summon the Great Toad Sage, the situation at hand was… disastrous. Jiraiya genuinely feared that Mount Myoboku would cancel their contract over this.

"Huh?"

Naruto stopped in his tracks, looking at Jiraiya in bewilderment before turning to glance at the snoring toad.

Upon realizing this enormous creature was the Great Toad Sage, he was genuinely stunned.

Wasn't the sage supposed to be tucked away in Mount Myoboku, dreaming about the future and giving Jiraiya vague prophecies?

But…

How did he end up summoning it here?

"What do you mean, 'huh'?!"

"Move, now!"

Jiraiya was both furious and panicked. Was this really the time for Naruto to stand there, dazed?

If the Great Toad Sage woke up…

And saw itself chained up like this…

He didn't need to think about it—the consequences were bound to be severe.

Jiraiya, his patience wearing thin, let out a low growl, creating a shadow clone in frustration and dashing over to the toad's massive legs.

He decided to handle the chains himself.

Boom!

Just as Jiraiya reached out, the air swirled with smoke, and with a sudden poof, the Great Toad Sage vanished from sight.

"Oh no, oh no!!!"

Jiraiya pressed his hands to his head, his face a portrait of panic.

There was only one explanation for the sudden disappearance…

The sage must have woken up and, noticing the chains around itself, decided to end the summoning and return.

Jiraiya's mind was on the verge of exploding.

"You little brat!!"

"Look at the mess you've caused!!"

He truly couldn't comprehend what went through Naruto's head.

When a normal person mastered the summoning technique, wouldn't they first marvel at the strength of their summoned beast, or perhaps even praise their teacher?

Take Minato, for example. He'd been like that.

But Naruto? First, he managed to summon one of Mount Myoboku's revered sages, then he whipped out chains and bound it, and on top of that, he'd started dragging it around like dead weight!

That was a summoning beast!!

A comrade in battle, not some burden to be dragged around!

The thought of the slumbering Great Toad Sage being hauled around for "weight training" made Jiraiya's blood pressure spike.

He recalled the drawer full of medication the Third Hokage used to keep nearby…

Maybe he understood why, now.

And really… could this kid even be called "obedient" at all?

"Jiraiya-sensei, my summoning technique is pretty good, isn't it?" Naruto's voice was casual, almost innocent.

Jiraiya: ...

Naruto hadn't thought much of using the sage as a training weight. When he first summoned the big toad, he'd shouted into its ear, but it had slept as if it were dead.

So, he figured he might as well use it for a little workout.

Jiraiya's face darkened, his hand raising to give Naruto a smack. But Naruto, seeing the white-haired old man lift his hand, thought he was going to ruffle his hair and deftly dodged out of the way.

"You… you little brat!"

"Do you have any idea what you've just done?!"

"That was a sage from one of the Three Great Sacred Places, an existence comparable to the Sage of Six Paths!"

"Oh."

Naruto's expression remained nonchalant as he faced the angry Jiraiya.

So what if it was a thousand years old… He got it.

Old but still kicking—a real monster.

Old perv → Monster perv.

Now he'd know how to greet both the Great Toad Sage and the Sage of Six Paths with proper respect when he met them.

"Heh…"

Jiraiya's frustration had turned to disbelief. He couldn't help but chuckle, shaking his head.

He really was an idiot. Really!

Back at the Hokage's office, he should've left on the spot!!

Why had he agreed to the old man's request in the first place?

Now, just looking at Naruto was enough to give him a headache.

After taking a deep breath, Jiraiya resumed his role as the teacher, giving it one more try with a sigh.

"Naruto, try using the summoning technique again…"

"This time, ease up on the chakra…"

"Don't use too much."

After racking his brain, Jiraiya figured there could be only one reason Naruto had summoned the Great Toad Sage…

This kid had an overwhelming amount of chakra within him, enough to accidentally call forth the sage.

"Oh, I got it."

Naruto blinked, nodding to show he understood.

When he'd used the technique before, he thought that pouring in more chakra would summon a bigger toad.

Who could've known that he'd end up summoning the sage—that old monster?

Biting his finger lightly, Naruto formed the hand seals once more.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Poof!

Before either of them could get a good look at the summoned toad, a lazy, drawling voice reached their ears.

"Little Jiraiya, what's the fuss?"

"Who needs smacking?"

Jiraiya: ....

"This one's better than the last!"