There were only a few differences between being a probationary Contractor and a proper Contractor. One, I now had access to the archives of the Fox Clan, which had Jutsus, Training Manuals, and other useful knowledge. Two, I could summon anyone within the Fox Clan so long as I had prior agreement. Third, and most interestingly, I could now take up a wife or wives from the Clan if I wanted to once I was older. Fourth, I can own property within the Clan Lands.
Overall, I am enjoying my time with the Fox Clan now more than ever. There was no big ceremony to signify my change in status, just a heads up by word of mouth to the rest of the Clan. Currently, I am pursuing the Archives to check out what's here. I got the training manuals for Yin, Yang, Water, and Earth Chakra Nature Transformation. However, I am only going to devote three Shadow Clones for each Chakra Nature as this is a long-term project to gain mastery of all elements.
I have to focus on my strengths more than anything, considering what I am up against in the future, and I can't get too sidetracked. I am trying to find a Spear Technique Manual and Taijutsu Style Manual to devote my time to as I am holding off Ninjutsu for now since a good number of my enemies can either counter or absorb Ninjutsu. During my search, I came across something I didn't know existed in this world: Body Tempering Manuals.
"Am I in a Xianxia novel or something?"
I jokingly thought to myself as I picked a couple to look through and see if they were useful. I prowess through the pages, and with my knowledge of Medical Ninjutsu, I knew this wasn't a waste of time. I summoned a dozen Shadow Clones to hunt down all Body Tempering Manuals as I found a new avenue of strength that I couldn't pass up. If I can find something that can push my body to the next level, even if it takes time, then this is a win.
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Within the audience hall of the Shrine Palace, the Elders of the Fox Clan have gathered before Tamamo-no-mai. One of the Elders, a giant graying red fox the size of Gamabunta, Akaji, was the first to ask from the open-aired roof that was installed for the larger members of the Fox Clan.
" Little Tamamo, why have you called everyone?"
His voice was aged and rough, but the Clan Leader paid no mind to the informal address as she answered.
" As all of you have heard, we have a new Contracted Summoner, and I called all of you to notify you that within a year, I will start his Sage Training."
Tamamo-no-mai was met with an outcry of shock and dismissal.
" What?"
" You shouldn't be playing tricks on us old foxes, my lady."
" He's only eleven to twelve, right?"
" It's too soon!"
The Clan Leader let them say their piece for a few moment before silencing them with Chakra Pressure. She is the Clan Leader because she is one of the strongest and a young Sage by their standards, so the Elder quickly quiets down and focuses on their Clan Leader.
" This is not a debate. I am simply notifying you in advance, nothing more. And before you speak any more objections, let me tell you my reasoning for pushing this so soon. He entered the Trial of the Heart and came out unscathed. Not a single scratch was on him, and the Trial ended in a matter of minutes."
This new information surprised them all as it had never happened before, and they could speculate the implications of the matter.
" Oh, this is interesting."
A feminine voice said, and Tamamo-no-mai looked at the source. A young woman about thirteen, maybe fourteen, with long silky black hair and red-gold eyes. She was as pale as moonlight with a subtle glow and wore a simple black kimono with red and gold suns patterned on it. The Clan Leader greeted the woman.
" Welcome, Mother."
The Elders soon followed suit.
" You grace us with your presence, Lady Amaterasu."
" I greet the former Clan Leader."
Despite looking younger than her daughter, she was older and was a peer of the Animal Sages of the three Sacred Lands. Amaterasu smiled and stood beside her daughter before giving her a quick hug. The former Clan Leader then asked after separating from her daughter.
" Tamamo-chan, tell me about our newest Contact Summoner. I want your opinion, not rumors."
The Elders of the Fox Clan perked up their fox ears as they were curious as well since Tamamo-no-mai wanted to train Naruto into a Sage despite his brief time with the Clan. The Clan Leader sighed and spoke her thoughts.
" He has a drive for strength and yet no great ambition. It is more like he is desperate to be strong for his own survival than anything else. He also exercises restraint in his pursuit of strength. He already knows how he wants to be stronger but doesn't deny other means of increasing his strength if they have synergy with his current focus.
In truth, I am still surprised at how easily he overcame the Trial of the Heart, as most who go through it deny the darkness in their hearts and react violently, which only strengthens the manifestation of one's darkness. Usually, unless one can accept their darkness and move on, they die from fighting the manifestation. However, with Naruto Uzumaki, there was no conflict, no fighting, just calm acceptance from what I gathered.
This goes beyond simple maturity. It's a rare talent that is suited to the path of a Sage. He is also young, and I can't see the end of his potential. If cultivated, he could rival those three old monsters if given a century or two. This could enable us to take over one of the three Sacred Lands further down the line if we play our cards right."
The Audience Hall was filled with shocked silence at Tamamo-no-mai's ambition; taking over one of the Sacred Lands is a secret ambition of all other Summoning Clan outside of those allied with the Toads, Snakes, and Slugs. The reason is simple: Nature Energy, the more there is, the easier it is to cultivate strength for the next generation. Not a single member of the Toads, Snakes, and Slugs is weak, aside from their youngest children.
Despite the size of the Fox Clan, their combatant numbers are low. There are at most two dozen Jonin, several tens of Chunin, and a little over a hundred Genin with only a handful of Kage-level combatants. The Fox Clan could be considered mid-tier in terms of overall power, which is the highest any Summoning Clan can achieve outside of the three Sacred Lands.
" Tamamo-chan, sweetheart, if you are talking about centuries with a human, then do you intend to teach not simply teach him Sage Mode but Mastery over Nature Energy, a taboo that all three Sacred Lands enforce mercilessly."
" Yes, mother."
Amaterasu sighed at her daughter and said.
" Ambition is nice, dear, but make sure it doesn't burn you and the clan. If you are that confident, then that boy must be something special in your eyes. I will support your decision."
" Thank you, mother."
Tamamo-no-mai bowed to her mother in gratitude, and no elder dared oppose the decision because both the current and former Clan Leader held a high place in all their hearts. Plus, all the Elders wanted this initiative to succeed as they all had the same ambition to take one of the three Sacred Lands.
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" This is interesting."
I muttered to myself as I took in all the information from the Body Tempering Manuals my Shadow Clones read. While some were just extra training methods to gain small advantages, there were a few, with extreme methods, that could transform the body into a living weapon or armor. From over a hundred Body Tempering Manuals, I found three that caught my attention.
The Poison Rebirth Manual specializes in poisons to strengthen the body and grants a high resistance to most poisons, but a single misstep means death from the poison you use to temper your body. The Chakra Beast Blood Cauldron Manual uses the blood of Chakra Enhanced Animals with a few herbs in the mix to strengthen the body. However, this Body Tempering Manual has its risks like unstable Chakra Pathways, Chakra Points, and a chance to develop a disease within your blood that will make you rapid like a wild animal.
Lastly, there is the Lightning Forged Manual, where one uses Natural Lightning and Lightning Chakra to temper the body. The risks are obvious. Getting struck by Lightning multiple times is more likely to kill you than help you. Despite the risks of using these methods to strengthen my body, I am seriously considering going through with it regardless. Because if I fail against Kaguya or even Madara, then I will die anyway. The only difference would be sooner rather than later.
The three Manuals I picked offered the greatest gains in the shortest amount of time. While there were safer Body Tempering Manuals, they would take too long, as I likely have less than ten years before Black Zetsu makes his move, even if Canon is out the window. After all, the Rinnegan is likely already in play unless this is an Alternate Universe, and that is the key to breaking out the bunny mama.
I can also migrate the risks of the three Body Tempering Manuals with my knowledge of Medical Ninjutsu. Before anything else, I need to talk to the one man who could give me insight on tempering my body further, Maito Gai. I was already going to see him to talk about Taijutsu and the Eight Inner Gates, but I now had another reason. I made copies of the Body Tempering Manuals before going back to what I was originally trying to find in the Fox Clan Archives, a Taijutsu Style and Spear Jutsu Style if they have it.
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Tenten was utterly drained when she finally reached her home and crashed into her bed. This was a normal occurrence. Ever since she started working under Gai-sensei after becoming a Genin, she quickly learned that Ninja life was not so glamorous, not that she didn't know. Still, she never thought she would walk a dog, babysit, or be a day laborer when she officially started her career as a Shinobi. Then there was training, backbreaking, total exhaustion-inducing, exasperating training.
Gai-sensei drilled various skills and a serious work ethic into all his students. While Tenten was grateful to learn how to expand her skill set and improve her Taijutsu, she flat-out refuses to wear the same green monstrosity as her Sensei, and Neji Hyuga is much the same. Her other teammate, Rock Lee, was starting to come around to the idea. He already matched his Sensei's thick eyebrows.
Tenten was certain they were related somehow, but Lee was an orphan, and Gai-sensei didn't seem the type to abandon his family. She then heard a knock on her window and saw Naruto waving at her. The brunette couldn't bring herself to get off her bed, so, she called out.
" It's unlocked!"
The blonde invited himself in through the window and commented.
" Hey, Tenten-chan, you look almost dead."
Tenten huffed with an amused smile as she retorted.
" I wonder about that sometimes. Gai-sensei is a little insane when it comes to training."
" How's the life of Genin treating you?"
Naruto asked, and the brunette answered with a tired tone.
" Lots and lots of chores under the name of missions. I have had to paint fences, walk dogs, work on construction sites, and everything in between. Gai-sensei has us complete at least two to three a day before we do training in the evening or afternoon."
" Yikes. How is the rest of your team handling it?"
The blonde asked with a look of slight surprise. Tenten then answered as she decided to sit up.
" Neji is just as tired as I am, but Lee is taking it in stride."
" Your Sensei certainly sounds... interesting."
" That's putting it mildly."
The brunette retorted and then asked.
" What brings you here, Naruto-kun?"
" Just felt like checking up on you."
The blonde answered with a shrug, making Tenten smile at his apparent thoughtfulness. Naruto then commented after having a closer look at his friend.
" You look like you could use a massage."
" Ordinarily, I joke about you being a pervert for wanting to touch an exhausted girl, but honestly, that sounds great right about now."
" Then lay down, and I'll get started."
The brunette complied with the blonde's request, and as she lay on her stomach with her arms folded under her head, he straddled her and started working on her shoulders. Naruto kneaded Tenten's shoulders while putting his weight on her through his hands. She hummed in contentment as she felt the knots in her shoulders melt away.
" Did you practice this beforehand? You're surprisingly good?"
" Only on myself, either through a Shadow Clone or by my own hands."
Naruto answered truthfully as he moved from Tenten's shoulders to her back and spine. The brunette started to sag in relaxation at the blonde's massage, and he asked before moving on to another part of her body.
" Do you also want your feet and legs massaged?"
" Please."
Tenten easily agreed, and while Naruto continued to massage his female friend, he decided to approach the reason he was actually here for but was approaching the topic slowly. He didn't want her to think he would only seek her out because he wanted something out of her.
" Tell me more about your team, Tenten-chan."
" Well, Naruto-kun, you should've at least heard of Lee since he was a bit infamous back at the Academy. He can't use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, and his Taijutsu is mediocre at best. In all honesty, I am surprised he passed the exam and became a Genin. In contrast, Neji is a Hyuga and the Rookie of the Year, like Sasuke Uchiha in your class. Neji mainly keeps to himself for the most part, but Lee regularly challenges him, which results in a one-sided beatdown.
Neji is a genius because even when Lee and I gang up on him, we still lose to him in sparring practice. I don't understand why Lee is trying to be Neji's rival; he can't win, let alone put up a decent fight against him. Gai-sensei allows this and even encourages Lee to challenge Neji. Lee's an alright guy, but he needs to understand his limits."
Naruto wryly smiled as he thought.
" Oh, if only you knew what Rock Lee's limits really are, Tenten."
All things considered, Rock Lee did well for himself by Boruto's timeline, training a Taijutsu division, becoming a reliable Jonin, and even becoming a father somehow. Although Metal Lee was speculated to be Tenten's son but, there was never any confirmation in Boruto, but then again, Naruto never got to see the end of Two Blue Vortexes. He hopes he can deal with Kara in the future before Code splits up the mini Ten-Tails they had and becomes independent divine trees that will try to destroy the world.
The blonde then casually comments as he massages the brunette's calves.
" They sound interesting. Can I meet them?"
" Sure, I'll introduce you tomorrow."
Tenten easily agreed as she was completely relaxed from the massage she was given by Naruto. He then asked as he considered whether or not to massage her hips as well.
" When would be a good time to show up?"
" Just come with me in the morning when I usually meet them. Tomorrow is all about training, so no missions."
" Okay then, but first, do you want me to massage your hips while I am at it?"
" Go ahead."
The brunette answered the blonde as she paid no mind to his question. Naruto shrugged at her nonchalant attitude and placed his hands on her butt, and started to knead it while all his weight behind his hands. Tenten stiffened at first at being touched there but quickly relaxed as it didn't feel like her friend was trying to cop a feel. However, Naruto did think in the privacy of his mind.
" Her butt is bigger than I thought it would be, and it's toned but still soft enough to enjoy."
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I was at the spot where I agreed to meet Tenten yesterday. I still felt phantom sensations from massaging her butt. I had to stop myself from looking at my hands as I tried to recall her firm but soft butt. The last thing I need is a reputation for being an open pervert; thankfully, puberty hasn't hit me yet, so I have no boners to hide yet. Still, why am I still thinking about this?
I sighed as I was not looking forward to going through puberty again. I decided to distract myself by going over the Taijutsu Style Manual I picked out from the Fox Clan's Archives. Spear Claw Style was the name of the Taijutsu I picked out. What drew me to it was training my hands and fingers to act as blades, and it's high lethality.
Spear Claw Style is not just limited to my hands. It also provides methods to train my legs and feet as well. The only drawback to this Taijutsu is the fact it could destroy your hands and feet if you make a mistake; however the high risk, high reward of this Taijutsu training could give me a literal edge. With my know-how in Medical Ninjutsu, I know how to treat myself and not to push too soon for advancing my Taijutsu.
The first step was to strike a pile of sand while it was being heated in a large jar to smooth out and sharpen my hands and feet. I already knew where I could a large jar, and as I thought about the type of injuries I would be getting and how to treat them, Tenten finally appeared.
" Hey, Naruto-kun, did I keep you waiting?"
" Not really, no."
" Well, let's go meet my team."
I followed behind Tenten to one of the training grounds, where we were the last to arrive. Gai, in all his bushy brow glory, called out with a quick toothy grin with his thumb up.
" Tenten, great you can join us as we let the fires of our youth burn!"
I found it a bit funny to experience Gai's greeting first hand, but my humor quickly disappeared as I saw the green jumpsuit he wore. It hugged him in all the wrong, unflattering ways. Yeah, if he offers me one for whatever reason, I am going to at least ask for it in a different color and wear it under my clothes like a sensible person. The green beast then noticed me and asked Tenten.
" Tenten, who is our guest here?"
" Gai-sensei, this is Naruto, my friend. He wanted to meet everyone."
Gai crossed his arms as he smiled and nodded as he said.
" I see. You must have heard of us from Tenten and wanted to join us in our unleashing of the springtime of youth."
" In a matter of speaking."
I vaguely replied as I briefly wondered if I should rethink my decision to meet Gai. In the next instant, the green beast was in front of me and clapped his hands on my shoulders with a big smile.
" Well, it's nice to meet you. What is your name?"
" Naruto Uzumaki."
I curtly replied as I couldn't track his movement; it was like he teleported. He's as fast as I thought he would be, and it shows I still got a lot to learn. Gai then exclaimed.
" Well, Naruto-san, are you ready to unleash the springtime of youth!"
I honestly wanted to say no, as Gai was more intense in person than from a Manga strip or behind a screen. Despite the gnawing feeling in my gut, I agreed.
" Sure..."
"Let's get started with a hundred laps around the village!"
Gai exclaimed, and I thought to myself.
" Well, crap, maybe I should have taken my chances elsewhere."
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I was sweating a storm from all the training Gai had me join with his team. Tenten looked ready to pass out, Neji could barely stand as he was leaning against a tree to support himself, and Lee was lying on the ground. An interesting thing I noticed about Lee was that he wasn't wearing the same green monstrosity as Gai yet, so Lee must not have gotten taken in by Gai yet as his surrogate son.
" Impressive, Naruto-kun! You're keeping up with the training better than I thought you would."
The green beast complimented me as I was still standing compared to his students. He then said with a toothy smile and a thumbs up.
" Your springtime of youth is shining brightly, Naruto-kun!"
" Thanks."
I curtly replied before catching my breath and asking.
" What's next?"