Naruto: The Immortal Sage

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At one of Konoha's training grounds, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood in the middle of the level field with his hands resting on his hips.

"All right, let's begin today's training."

Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru stood before him in matching Konoha training clothes. All three held themselves straight and watched their teacher, waiting for his instructions.

"I have two bells here." Hiruzen raised one hand and revealed the small bells in his palm. They knocked together with a clear chime, and the lines around his eyes deepened as he smiled.

The three children stared at the bells in confusion. There were three of them, so why had their teacher brought only two?

"Two bells for three students," Orochimaru said after a moment. "That means one of us will fail."

"Good catch, Orochimaru." Hiruzen nodded in approval. The more time he spent teaching the boy, the more he liked him.

"You're right. The three of you will attack me and try to take these bells." Hiruzen let them chime once more as he explained the rules. "Whoever fails to get one will go without lunch."

Unlike the bell tests used by later generations, this one carried no hidden lesson about putting the team above the individual. It was a straightforward exercise meant to test their combat ability, reactions, and coordination.

As soon as they understood the rules, all three students grew eager to start. Jiraiya leaned forward, Tsunade's eyes narrowed, and Orochimaru stared at the bells in Hiruzen's hand. Each one was already planning how to win.

"Tsunade, if I get one of those bells, will you go on a date with me?" Jiraiya hurried to her side with an eager grin, rubbing the back of his head.

"Fine, but if you lose, you have to stop pestering me." Tsunade folded her arms, turned her face away, and waited for his answer.

"Deal!" Jiraiya accepted before she had even finished speaking. Judging by his confident smile, he had already decided the bell was as good as his.

"How childish." Orochimaru gave them a cool glance. "Tsunade doesn't like you, Jiraiya. Bothering her won't change that."

Jiraiya ignored him. He had no intention of listening to advice about Tsunade, especially from Orochimaru.

Half an hour later, Jiraiya was tied securely to one of the training posts. He glared at Tsunade and Orochimaru, who stood a short distance away with a bell in each of their hands.

"I won, Jiraiya! I knew you'd be the first one eliminated." Tsunade held up her bell and smiled with open satisfaction.

She loved making bets, even though she usually had terrible luck. Winning this one felt extra satisfying since she rarely won. The only exception was bets with Jiraiya—she almost always won those, and she wasn't about to let him forget it.

"BE QUIET, TSUNADE! YOU'RE FLAT AS A BOARD!" Jiraiya's expression darkened as he fired back the first insult that came to mind.

"What did you just say?" Tsunade's smile vanished. He had struck the one nerve she could never ignore. She stormed over, grabbed his collar with both hands, and glared straight into his face. "Jiraiya, you disgusting little pervert! Do you think I don't know that you sneak around Konoha's hot springs every day? Your head is full of filthy thoughts!"

"That's enough. Stop arguing." Hiruzen sighed and stepped between them before the quarrel turned into a fight. "Tsunade, Orochimaru, you two can head home."

"All right." Tsunade released Jiraiya's collar and recovered her pleased smile. "You can stay tied to that post and think about what you said."

She turned and left the training ground with Orochimaru, who had watched the entire exchange in silence.

Hiruzen waited until the two of them disappeared from view, then looked back at Jiraiya. His expression became serious.

During the test, Jiraiya's performance had fallen well behind Tsunade's and Orochimaru's. Hiruzen decided the boy needed some private instruction. He also wanted to see whether Jiraiya had another strength that none of them had discovered yet.

He lifted one hand, bit through the skin of his fingertip, and formed a rapid series of hand seals.

"Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu!"

A cloud of white smoke erupted across the training ground.

When it cleared, a towering ape stood planted in the middle of the field. He was broad, heavily built, and surrounded by enough pressure to make the air feel heavier.

Even Jiraiya could tell he was no ordinary summon.

"Who is he?" Jiraiya's eyes widened as he stared at the massive summon.

"This is Monkey King: Enma, recognized throughout the shinobi world as the strongest summon." Hiruzen introduced his old partner with a smile.

"Him? The strongest summon?" Jiraiya studied Enma from head to toe, his face full of doubt.

Enma certainly looked powerful. His body was thick with muscle, and the weight of his chakra was hard to ignore. Jiraiya still found Hiruzen's claim difficult to believe. Danzō Shimura's Baku was several times larger than Enma. How could the smaller of the two be considered the strongest?

"Don't underestimate me, boy." Enma folded his arms and looked down at him. "My ancestors served as summons of the Sage of Six Paths and signed a contract with him personally. Do you understand what that means?"

As long as the Three Great Sage Regions remained out of the comparison, the Enma Clan would always rank as the strongest summoning clan in the shinobi world.

The tailed beasts did not count, of course.

"I don't believe you. You're just bragging," Jiraiya replied with a snort.

Enma's face darkened, but he decided not to argue with a child. The Grand Sage had forbidden his clan from revealing too much about the past. Otherwise, Enma would have had plenty to say in response.

"Then what kind of summon can I make a contract with?" Jiraiya asked Hiruzen.

"That's something you'll have to discover for yourself." Hiruzen began untying the ropes that held him to the post. "If you're lucky, you'll find a powerful summon that's right for you."

Jiraiya glanced at his teacher's hands, and a calculating look entered his eyes. He had memorized every hand seal Hiruzen had used.

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