Chapter 97 : First Summoning
Jiraiya’s gaze lingered strangely for a moment. Riku quietly stepped in front of Anko and said with a polite smile, "So you’re one of the Legendary Sannin, Master Jiraiya. I’ve admired you for a long time."
As he spoke, Riku subtly positioned himself to block Anko from Jiraiya’s view.
The main reason was simple—Anko’s outfit was far too revealing, accentuating her figure. And Riku, knowing full well what kind of man Jiraiya was, didn’t trust him with that kind of view.
Aside from training Naruto, Jiraiya was well known for his lecherous behavior.
Anko hadn’t thought much of it at first, but when she saw Riku step protectively in front of her, she realized what he was doing and chuckled. She glanced down and began fastening her coat.
Anko was wearing her usual tan trench coat, which she had grown accustomed to over time.
But now, because of Riku’s gesture, she found herself wondering—should she start dressing differently?
This kid...
Truthfully, Anko was a bit touched. No one had ever tried to protect her like that before.
She had always been bold and carefree, never paying much attention to appearances or propriety.
Once Jiraiya finally pulled his admiring gaze away, he looked at Riku with curiosity and asked, "And you are?"
He was clearly puzzled—he didn’t recognize the boy.
Naruto grinned from beside him and said, "His name’s Riku. He’s my teammate—and really strong."
By now, both Naruto and Sasuke had quietly acknowledged Riku’s strength.
Jiraiya still looked confused.
Staring at Riku, he asked, "Kid, what were you doing just now?"
Anko, who had now buttoned up her coat, stood beside Riku and smiled. "Master Jiraiya, we were just about to sign a Summoning Contract."
Jiraiya paused. "A Summoning Contract? You mean... with Ryūchi Cave?"
Anko nodded. "Yes. I promised him that if he passed the Chūnin Exams, I’d let him sign the Ryūchi Cave contract."
Before Jiraiya could respond, Naruto interjected, "But the Chūnin Exams aren’t over yet. Riku hasn’t even officially become a Chūnin. And when did he meet the examiner?"
Riku didn’t answer, but Anko chuckled. "Naruto, you know Riku better than anyone. You should know—the Chūnin Exams are nothing for him."
Naruto nodded vigorously. "That’s right. No one in this exam can beat Riku. Not even Gaara from Sunagakure."
To Naruto, Riku was on an entirely different level—someone who stood apart from the rest of their generation.
Jiraiya was now truly intrigued. "Seems like they hold you in pretty high regard, kid. Riku, right? You do understand that signing a contract with Ryūchi Cave is extremely dangerous, don’t you?"
Riku laughed. "If it wasn’t dangerous, how could the Summoning beasts be powerful?"
At this point, Jiraiya hadn’t yet begun Naruto’s training, so Naruto was still unfamiliar with the concept of Summoning beasts.
He tilted his head and asked, "Pervy Sage, what’s a Summoning beast?"
Jiraiya twitched slightly at the nickname, visibly resisting the urge to correct Naruto, but ultimately answered, "A Summoning beast is a powerful creature you can summon using the Summoning Jutsu to help you in battle."
Naruto’s eyes lit up. "That sounds awesome! I want to learn that too! Pervy Sage, you know how to do it, right?"
But Jiraiya smirked. "Did I say I’d teach you?"
At this point, he hadn’t yet agreed to train Naruto. Even though he knew Naruto was the son of his beloved student, Jiraiya was still undecided about taking him on.
Naruto pouted. "Then how am I supposed to learn anything from you?"
As Jiraiya and Naruto began their familiar back-and-forth, Riku turned to Anko and said, "Miss Anko, let’s find another place."
Anko nodded in agreement.
Before Jiraiya could say anything, Riku placed a hand on Anko’s shoulder—and in an instant, the two vanished.
Jiraiya, who was still arguing with Naruto, froze mid-sentence. "That was... Time-Space Ninjutsu? No way—how could a kid his age use something like that?"
He turned to Naruto. "Kid, tell me—what technique did Riku just use?"
Jiraiya had a strong feeling it resembled the Flying Thunder God Technique, but he wasn’t sure. What he was certain of, however, was that it had to be a space-time ninjutsu.
Naruto was just as baffled. "It’s probably just his Body Flicker Technique. Riku’s always been super fast."
Jiraiya shook his head. "No. Definitely not the Body Flicker. That was absolutely space-time ninjutsu..."
Naruto blinked in confusion. He had no idea what space-time ninjutsu even was.
Jiraiya sighed and began explaining the concept to him.
Meanwhile, Riku and Anko had reappeared in a secluded training spot deep in the forested mountains behind Konoha—one of the places where Riku usually trained alone.
Anko glanced around, then unbuttoned her coat. Riku blinked, startled. "Sister Anko, are you hot?"
Anko smirked. "What else would I be unbuttoning for? You stood in front of me earlier—you didn’t want others to see me, right?"
Riku shook his head and answered seriously, "Jiraiya’s gaze wasn’t right. I was worried he’d make you uncomfortable."
Anko laughed softly. "I’ve always dressed like this. Doesn’t really bother me."
Riku shook his head again. "But I’ve never looked at you that way."
Anko paused, considering his words. Truthfully, she did look good in the mesh underlayer she wore.
Her figure was already striking, and the fishnet top accentuated it further.
Given Jiraiya’s reputation, Riku couldn’t help but feel uneasy under that kind of gaze.
"Forget about him," Riku said at last. "Let’s get started with the Summoning."
Anko stepped to the side and smiled. "Alright. Let’s see what kind of Summoning beast you can bring out."
In truth, Anko could summon snakes from Ryūchi Cave as well, but only lesser ones—nothing near the level of Manda.
She simply didn’t have the chakra reserves to summon something that powerful, nor the strength to subdue it.
Now, as she stood beside Riku, Anko actually felt nervous—more nervous than Riku himself. She had no idea what level of Summoning beast he would summon.
Riku quickly formed hand signs. After completing the sequence, he bit his finger, pressed it against the contract scroll, and slammed his palm onto the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
A burst of smoke exploded outward, engulfing the area.
Meanwhile, several hundred meters away, Jiraiya spotted the smoke rising in the distance.
Recalling Riku’s claim that he was about to sign a contract with Ryūchi Cave—and now better understanding the kind of power the boy possessed—Jiraiya felt a strange tension settle over him.
He couldn’t just stand by.
With urgency, he dashed toward the source of the smoke, determined to see what kind of creature Riku had summoned...
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