Chapter 434: Power
Wooo—
Across the vast ocean, a colossal roar echoed through the air.
Lost in the shaking, all the freshmen stumbled and collapsed onto the ground, unable to keep their footing.
Exhausted from the earlier trial, they had no choice but to sit right where they fell.
It was then that they noticed the very land beneath them was slowly beginning to drift.
Looking forward, they gasped as a gigantic head breached the water's surface ahead of them.
As it turned out, this wasn't an island at all, but an enormous whale that stretched out like an entire continent.
They were merely standing atop the whale's back.
What they had assumed to be solid ground was nothing more than a tiny portion of the creature's immense spine.
"Whoa, it's actually a huge whale! I can't believe I was standing on the back of something this massive... That is so cool!"
Boruto's heart skipped a beat, his face lighting up with unbridled excitement.
Holy crap, this is insane!
This whale is even bigger than the toads from Mount Myoboku!
Boruto had seen Mount Myoboku's giant toads before, but he had never imagined a whale could exist that utterly dwarfed them.
Mitsuki smiled smoothly. "This is nothing. What you're about to see next will truly blow your mind."
The subtle smile on his face suggested he was eager to see Boruto's reaction.
Boruto turned to him. "What scene? How do you know so much about this anyway? Aren't you a freshman just like us?"
"It's a Konoha legend—a manifestation of the strongest shinobi's true power," Mitsuki replied with a chuckle.
As the giant whale drifted farther out to sea, a colossal landmass emerged before their eyes.
As they drew closer, they noticed that the island was in utter ruin, dominated by towering, hundreds-of-meters-tall ancient trees.
Large portions of the island appeared to have been completely leveled, as if a battle between towering juggernauts had left the entire land scarified.
Naruto looked up toward the sky and called out, "Uncle Tonbo, we're ready to start!"
Following Naruto's voice, the freshmen raised their heads, only to discover several figures floating gracefully in midair directly above them, riding atop a cloud of auspicious mist.
Even farther out, a massive serpent hovered in the sky, serving as a platform for a man standing firmly atop its head.
"Hahaha! Sounds good! Let's show the new generation what real power looks like and give them a goal to strive for. Hopefully, they'll manage to surpass us one day."
Tobitake Tonbo let out a hearty laugh and rapidly wove a series of hand seals.
Immediately, the giant whale beneath the freshmen began to undergo a miraculous transformation—its side fins morphed into massive wings, while thick plumage sprouted across its colossal body, carrying the kids right off the ocean surface and up into the sky!
BOOM!
The giant whale broke from the ocean, transforming into a legendary phoenix bird!
The freshmen could only stare in speechless wonder as the massive sea creature beneath their feet turned into a colossal avian beast.
Gazing at the towering island in the distance and the flying beast beneath them, the kids were thoroughly stunned, mind-boggling waves of shock rippling through their hearts.
So that whale from earlier wasn't a summoning beast... It was just ninjutsu all along?! A ninjutsu that can even shape-shift?!
Just how terrifyingly powerful did a shinobi have to be to pull off a jutsu on this scale?
Before long, many students recognized the legendary figures slowly revealing themselves.
One of the living legends of the Shinobi World—Captain Tonbo, Vice Director of Konoha's Technology Development Bureau, and a Three-Star Glory Shinobi.
One of the most famous men in all the lands.
Rumor had it that aside from his overwhelming strength, his personal wealth and business empire were unmatched in the Shinobi World. Word was that if Captain Tonbo hadn't intentionally held back, the Tobitake clan would easily be the richest family on the planet, controlling the vast majority of global wealth.
"It's Captain Tonbo!"
"The Taijutsu Master!"
"The Sixth Hokage!"
"Master Neji Hyuga, the genius!"
"...Who's the scruffy guy with the beard?"
Every one of them was a world-famous figure, easily recognized by most of the students.
Gleeful excitement washed over the freshmen's faces.
None of them had expected to catch a glimpse of so many legendary shinobi in person—figures they had only ever seen on television screens.
"It's Dad! I can't believe Dad actually came!" Tonbo Hyuga beamed with joy upon spotting Neji, turning to smile at Houki Taketori beside him.
That was the father he was proudest of.
Upon catching sight of Kakashi, Houki Taketori pulled down a piece of cloth from his forehead to cover one of his eyes.
"It's the Sixth Hokage, Lord Kakashi!" His entire face flushed bright red with hero worship.
He had never imagined he would get to see the Sixth Hokage in the flesh—the man he admired above all others.
"Master Guy!" Metal Lee shouted at the top of his lungs when he saw Might Guy.
Hearing his name, Might Guy turned around and flashed a classic thumbs-up, accompanied by his signature dazzling smile.
The grand entry of these legendary shinobi completely dazzled the new generation.
It was an overwhelming, wonderful surprise.
Whatever embarrassment and terror they had suffered earlier was instantly swept away by sheer excitement.
Tobitake Tonbo raised his voice to address the crowd: "Alright, kids! Today, myself, along with the other instructors, will give you a little demonstration of true shinobi power to broaden your horizons! From this day forward, this is the benchmark you'll be striving to surpass!"
Ah, time to show off again.
Showing off once a year like this really is the ultimate stress relief.
It served as a crucial outlet for venting his built-up exhaustion.
Researching this and developing that every single day took an immense toll on his mental state.
Besides, his own kids were growing up and didn't need his constant care anymore; with fewer interactions between them, he found himself lacking spiritual fulfillment.
That was precisely why Tobitake Tonbo made a point to participate in this interactive event with the kids every year.
Furthermore, since this freshman orientation ceremony had been his idea in the first place, of course he was going to attend.
On top of that, many of these new kids hadn't been planted with his neural threads yet, so he needed an opportunity to seed them.
Not every kid was like Boruto, Mitsuki, or Tonbo Hyuga—the ones he personally placed immense value on. For those select few, he had controlled their parents' neural threads at birth to transfer a derived portion into the children directly.
Besides, he genuinely loved kids.
Even before he got married back in the day, he had always adored children—though back then, it was mostly to satisfy his own mischievous streak.
Now that he was pushing forty, his love for children had grown entirely genuine.
It was all the fault of his sons, daughters, son-in-law, and daughter-in-law—not a single one of them had managed to lay an egg yet!
Four whole years! They'd been married for four years, and he still hadn't become a grandfather!
It was an absolute disgrace.
Thinking back to his youth, he had gotten Ayame pregnant in no time flat!
He had originally hoped to become a grandfather before turning forty, dreaming that maybe he could even live to see five generations under one roof.
What a bunch of useless kids!
Now, he had no choice but to play around with other people's children instead.
Besides, these kids before him were the future of the Shinobi World—just in case he couldn't solo the Otsutsuki clan by himself later on.
Therefore, he had to train them, discipline them, and guide them through childhood joy so they could one day grow into powerhouses capable of surpassing him.
Even if that was a tall order, it wasn't impossible.
"A benchmark? What kind of benchmark? What are they going to demonstrate?"
The freshmen whispered among themselves in confusion after listening to his speech.
Were they really about to see real shinobi power on display?
Shikadai pondered silently. It probably is. Why else would so many legendary, top-tier shinobi assemble here at once?
He had heard from his grandfather and father that these very men were among the absolute strongest entities in the entire Shinobi World.
Chocho Akimichi stared mournfully at her empty snack bag and let out a heavy sigh. "I'm out of potato chips... Why isn't my dad up there? My dad's super strong too; he could've shown off just as well!"
She had been hoping to munch on potato chips while watching the show.
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