"Hiro, Ken, and Shi, Mount Myoboku may soon face destruction. Each of you take a share of the treasures and flee. Find Fukasaku outside."
The three toads were summoned because the Great Toad Sage had dreamt of a future where only they escaped Mount Myoboku. After that, he could no longer see beyond.
"Elder, Fukasaku has already passed away," Toad Shi reminded him. The old sage often confused dreams of the future with reality.
"Oh, Fukasaku is gone… then find Shima," the Great Sage said slowly. His massive, aged body prevented him from moving swiftly like Ken or Hiro, and he knew any enemy would target him first.
Though unwilling to abandon Mount Myoboku before its fall, the three toads had no choice but to obey. They gathered what scrolls they could, left through the barrier, and bounded toward the Shinobi World in search of Shima.
Mount Myoboku's collection was immense, enough to fill two hidden caverns. No three toads could carry it all, even with sealing scrolls.
"Damn it, the Great Sage must have foreseen an unstoppable enemy," Shi muttered as he hopped, reluctant to leave his sacred home where toads could grow strong and live long, breaking the limits of their species—something no ordinary summon could match.
Just as Hiro tried to reassure him, a blinding beam of light pierced down from the sky, cutting straight through his head and killing him instantly.
"Hiro!" Ken and Shi froze in horror. Shi shouted, "Ken, run! The enemy has us in their sights!"
Ken hesitated for a moment too long. Another beam descended, erasing him before he could even cry out.
Shi, realizing he was alone, tunneled desperately into the earth using Earth Release. He was Mount Myoboku's most skilled burrower, gliding underground as easily as through water.
The orbital weapon lost its lock after its third charge. Android 18 relayed the news to Hyuga Mirai, who could do little.
"We need more orbital stations. Unless they're synced with ground sensors, burrowers are hard to track," Mirai decided, already planning to build more once he united the planet.
Guiding his anti-gravity airship, he reached the site of Hiro and Ken's deaths.
"Whoa, those toads are huge!" Naruto Uzumaki and the others gaped at the mountain-sized corpses.
Seeing their awe, Mirai explained, "Mount Myoboku's toads vary in size. A five or six-meter one will do for you. Kill one, and it's a B-rank mission. Handle a three to four-meter toad alone, and it counts as C-rank."
Turning to Ichikishima-hime, he asked, "Do you want these?"
"No!" she snapped. The corpses reeked of char, and though full of Sage Chakra, she refused to eat them. After enjoying Mirai's pleasant scent, the burnt stench was unbearable.
"In that case, they're for little purple. Summoning Jutsu!"
With a puff of smoke, a colossal purple serpent appeared. Even Naruto dropped to the ground in shock, while Sasuke Uchiha, Gaara, and the others broke into cold sweat at its towering form, gleaming scales, and predatory gaze.
"Snake Princess-sama is here too? Mirai-sama, you haven't summoned me in so long," little purple rumbled, sounding almost hurt.
Mirai admitted his neglect, then said, "Sorry, little purple. I'll need your help today. There may be a giant toad among the enemy."
"Leave it to me. No matter the foe, they'll end up in my stomach," the serpent boasted before eyeing the corpses. "Can I eat those two?"
"They're yours," Mirai confirmed. Delighted, little purple swallowed both massive bodies whole, then shrank back to size.
"These toads taste better than any fish. Their flavor is unmatched," little purple said happily. Food near Ryūchi Cave had grown scarce, forcing it to hunt at sea. Without enough prey, it would have to hibernate, relying only on natural energy.
"You'll eat your fill soon," Mirai promised, storing away the sealing scrolls. He then mounted little purple with Naruto, Sasuke, and the three Snake Princesses, heading toward Mount Myoboku.
Naruto's eyes sparkled. "So cool! Mirai-ojisan, can I sign a Ryūchi Cave contract too?"
"You already signed with Shikotsu Forest," Sasuke scoffed. "Only Gaara and I can summon this serpent as companions." Still, he grinned—finally, an edge over Naruto.
The boys admired little purple's dazzling scales, imagining themselves riding its head in battle.
"Little ones, little purple belongs only to Mirai-sama. Without his permission, you'll never summon him. But if you train hard, you might call other serpents. Not as fragrant as Mirai, but rare among humans," Ichikishima teased, flicking her tongue.
The children stiffened. They could handle snakes, or villains—but a snake-woman was too much.
Mirai ignored her mischief, directing little purple toward Mount Myoboku. With wings spanning over a hundred meters, each flap whipped up gales.
From above, little purple spotted the massive Iwasu Toad, like a living mountain with trees on its back. "Mirai-sama, can I have that one?" it asked eagerly.
The toad was over five hundred meters long, dwarfing even little purple. Yet Shouzu's confidence showed it had a plan. Mirai agreed. "It's yours. If you can't handle it, call me."
He then tossed a nano capsule skyward. With a burst of smoke, one hundred mech puppets appeared, designed from the Mark-46 armor but optimized entirely for heavy firepower. They were airborne cannons built for war.
"Android 18, seal Mount Myoboku," Mirai ordered. A hundred units barely sufficed, but few toads could completely evade their surveillance.
As the mechs spread out, little purple landed with Mirai and the others.
"You kids, be careful. Push too far, and you'll die," Mirai warned. These Genin weren't destined heroes anymore. Even small toads could overwhelm them. Still, the trial was valuable—their enemies were toads, not humans.
"I won't disappoint you, Mirai-ojisan! Summoning Jutsu!" Naruto shouted.
He conjured a five-meter slug, which blinked in confusion. "Naruto-kun? Where is this? Such dense natural energy… and such a huge snake. Is this Ryūchi Cave?"
Naruto quickly explained.
"What? War between the Three Great Sanctuaries? And… to fight toads? This is too much, Naruto-kun!" the slug quivered, terrified.
Not to be outdone, Sasuke, Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari performed their own summons. Smoke cleared to reveal several Ryūchi serpents, with Gaara's largest—over thirty meters long—towering above the rest.
Mirai judged Gaara's summon battle-ready, while the others were still juveniles. Kankuro and Temari looked envious; Sasuke sulked, embarrassed by his smaller serpent.
Still, none of the snakes dared test their summoners, cowed by Mirai, little purple, and the Snake Princesses nearby.
"I'll summon some as well. Ayaka, with me," Mirai said, scanning Mount Myoboku with his Byakugan. He counted nearly a thousand toads.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
In twin bursts of smoke, dozens of colossal serpents appeared—each nearly a hundred meters long. At their head was Manda, scales of purple and black, horns gleaming.
(End of chapter)