25: The investment of the big guys comes from the "defective products" of Myoboku Mountain

Inside the workshop, the lingering scent of cooling metal still hung in the air.

“Click.”

As the last piece of dark brown scale armor was meticulously fitted onto a joint, Tang Yan’s fourth puppet, codenamed “Jia,” was officially declared complete. This creation, modeled after a pangolin, lay quietly on the ground, its streamlined body and the scorpion-like tail hook shimmering with metallic coldness silently proclaiming its powerful functionality.

Tang Yan exhaled a long breath, the continuous days of frantic work leaving him utterly exhausted. His gaze swept over to the other side of the workbench, where several “little gadgets” that brought him peace of mind lay quietly: the casing for the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needle, the disassembled parts of One Thousand and One Nights, and the Wrath of Buddha Tang Lotus (Mutilated Version), which, despite its simplified craftsmanship, still possessed terrifying power.

Finally, he had some trump cards.

But a problem also surfaced in his mind: once war began, the speed and confidentiality of information transmission would be a matter of life and death.

The Village’s communication sand eagles? He scoffed. Any letter sent by those things would likely have a high-definition photocopy appear on Rasa’s desk immediately. Any intelligence he sent would be equivalent to a real-time update on the Kazekage Building’s bulletin board.

No, he had to have his own messenger. A completely loyal, absolutely private messenger capable of traversing the battlefield.

Once this thought arose, it grew like wild grass, impossible to suppress.

Tang Yan walked out of the secret room and came to the open space in the front yard of Workshop Seven. He bit his finger, quickly formed hand seals, and pressed his hand onto a tattered summoning scroll.

He was summoning Kosuke, the Ninja Toad responsible for communications at Mount Myōboku.

“Boom!”

A huge cloud of white smoke suddenly exploded, far exceeding his expectations.

Tang Yan’s heart skipped a beat. “Damn it, I didn’t control my Chakra output well. Did I use too much force? This commotion, it probably summoned another Ninja Toad, didn't it?”

The smoke slowly dissipated.

The figure that appeared in the field was indeed Kosuke. But next to Kosuke stood another figure of similar size—an old female Ninja Toad, smoking a pipe, her face covered in wrinkles, yet exuding an aura so powerful that all the metal in the workshop seemed to hum faintly.

One of Mount Myōboku’s two Great Sages, Shima!

Tang Yan thought to himself, “Good heavens, I just wanted to order takeout, and the platform’s CEO personally delivered it? This fanfare is a bit too grand.”

Kosuke stood at attention beside Shima, not even daring to breathe loudly.

Shima’s sharp eyes, like the highest precision scanner, scrutinized Tang Yan from head to toe. She took a puff from her pipe and exhaled a smoke ring. “You’re that brat named Tang Yan? The ‘ingredients’ you cultivate taste very good.” Her voice was not loud, but it carried a penetrating power that reached one’s soul. “This scent on you is very strange, and quite dangerous.”

Tang Yan’s eyelids twitched.

He maintained a calm expression, even forcing out a rather sunny smile: “Senior, you have keen insight. This junior is Tang Yan, a Genin from Sunagakure. May I ask what guidance Shima has for gracing us with her presence?”

“These are some ‘ingredients’ I recently cultivated. Please try them,” Tang Yan said, taking out another box, originally prepared for Kosuke, and offering it with both hands.

Shima didn’t take it; she just looked at him indifferently. “The Great Ninja Toad Sage made a prophecy. He said that the Ninja World is about to experience turmoil. Someone will rise in Sunagakure, an anomaly who controls the tools of life and death and carries an ancient legacy. I think this anomaly is very likely you.”

Tang Yan’s smile stiffened slightly. Tools of life and death? Ancient legacy? Had he just had the Tang Clan’s deepest secrets revealed?

“Therefore, Mount Myōboku has decided to make a venture investment in you,” Shima said, taking out a pot-shaped container from behind her and casually tossing it at Tang Yan’s feet.

From the container, a small Ninja Toad tumbled out with a gurgling sound.

The little Ninja Toad was entirely greenish-blue, smaller than other young Ninja Toads, with unfocused eyes, looking malnourished and on the verge of kicking the bucket. As soon as it came out, it seemed to lose its balance and plopped onto the ground, even letting out a sneeze.

Tang Yan’s expression went blank for a moment.

This was the Sage’s investment? A defective product? Are you Ninja Toads at Mount Myōboku really this casual with venture capital? Or is this some kind of test?

“Don’t underestimate it,” Shima said, taking a puff from her pipe, the smoke blurring the wrinkles on her face. “This is a mutated poisonous Ninja Toad from Mount Myōboku. Its bloodline went awry, inherently isolating it from natural energy. For us Ninja Toads, being unable to practice Sage Mode makes it a complete waste.”

Her tone shifted, a hint of inscrutable meaning entering her voice: “But its bloodline is very peculiar, having an indescribable resonance with the sand and wind energy in your desert. The Great Ninja Toad Sage said that only in your hands can this thing possibly turn from waste into treasure. Of course, it might still remain waste; this investment carries risk.”

Shima threw another scroll over.

“This is its exclusive summoning contract, a one-time use. Sign it, and it will belong only to you, sharing life and death. Even if someone turns Mount Myōboku upside down, they won’t be able to summon it. Remember, it is our clan member, but in its heart, you must be first, and Mount Myōboku second. Whether it becomes a dragon or a worm depends entirely on your own fortune.”

Customized, targeted investment, and having already distanced themselves from most of the responsibility.

These Ninja Toads, who had lived for a thousand years, were more calculating than anyone.

Tang Yan’s thoughts raced, but his actions didn’t stop. He picked up the scroll, bit his finger without hesitation, and signed his name on it.

The moment his name was inscribed, the Myriad Forms Ingenuity Box deep within his mind suddenly vibrated, humming more violently than ever before!

A quietblue virtual light screen unfolded before his eyes with a roar, countless data streams cascading like a waterfall.

“Detecting special life form link… Link established… Starting analysis…”

“Species: Mount Myōboku Mutated Poisonous Ninja Toad (Juvenile)”

“Bloodline Analysis: Wind-attribute Chakra affinity 92%, Earth-attribute Chakra affinity 89%… Detected dual-attribute bloodline conflict, leading to inherent meridian disorder, unable to guide natural energy normally…”

“Verdict: Perfect moldable body! A ‘Ninja’ embryo with immense potential!”

Tang Yan’s breath hitched for a moment.

“Generating optimization plan…”

“Plan One: Meridian Reshaping. Based on the Tang Clan’s secret technique, Xuantian Skill, conduct daily meridian conditioning. Estimated time: three years. Can perfectly control both Wind and Earth Chakra attributes.”

“Plan Two: External Guidance. Acquire ‘Wind Spirit Wood’ and ‘Thick Earth Stone’ as guides, create and implant a harmonizing mechanism into its body. Can neutralize attribute conflicts and quickly mature, but potential Upper limitwill be slightly reduced.”

“Plan Three: Taijutsu Modification. Combine the Tang Clan’s movement technique, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, with puppet joint techniques to develop a new combat mode, circumventing its energy guidance defect and strengthening physical attack capabilities…”

“Plan Four…”

“Plan Five…”

A series of incredible, even insane, development plans instantly formed in Tang Yan’s mind.

Sage Mode insulator? No, this was clearly a natural Wind and Earth dual-attribute prodigy! Those Ninja Toads at Mount Myōboku were begging with a golden rice bowl, completely unaware of its true worth!

Tang Yan could no longer suppress the smile on his face, his lips curving upwards. He looked at the sickly little Ninja Toad at his feet, his eyes bursting with astonishing brilliance. It was the obsession and fanaticism of a top craftsman seeing a peerless material.

He slowly squatted down and extended a finger, gently waving it in front of the little Ninja Toad.

“From now on, you’ll be called ‘Ninja Toad.’”

The Ninja Toad, as it was now called, seemed to focus its previously unfocused gaze for a moment. It tilted its head, as if trying to understand this new name. Then, imitating Tang Yan, it extended its thin, long tongue and gently touched Tang Yan’s fingertip.

A peculiar mental link was instantly established. Tang Yan felt its confusion, weakness, and a hint of instinctive closeness.

“Transaction complete.” Shima gave Tang Yan and the Ninja Toad a deep look, said nothing more, picked up the box from the table, and with a “boom,” disappeared into the smoke with Kosuke.

The workshop returned to quiet.

Just then, the workshop door creaked open.

“Yan! You’re finally out! I thought you were going to seclude yourself inside and ascend! So, how is it, Six Paths Yan?” Zi Luo strode in boisterously, sweating from his recent training, his voice making the metal parts hum. Qian followed behind him, her steps much more demure.

Zi Luo immediately spotted Tang Yan squatting on the ground, and the small green Ninja Toad in front of him.

“Whoa, are you so stressed you’re starting to play with Ninja Toads? Still a kid at heart, huh!” Zi Luo burst into laughter. “This thing isn’t even as big as my palm. What’s it good for? A snack with drinks?”

Qian, however, didn’t laugh. Her gaze fell on the seemingly ordinary little Ninja Toad, then she carefully looked at Tang Yan’s profile.

She noticed that Tang Yan’s expression was very unusual.

He wasn't looking at a pet, nor a plaything.

That kind of focus, fervor, even a hint of mad creative desire, she had only seen when Tang Yan was dealing with rare metals and precise blueprints.

Tang Yan ignored Zi Luo’s mockery. He simply used his finger to gently scratch the Ninja Toad’s chin, and the Ninja Toad comfortably narrowed its eyes, letting out a faint purring sound.

In his heart, a brand new path, belonging only to him and the Ninja Toad, had already been planned.

Summoning animal? Too small-minded.

He was going to forge it into a true “Ninja.” A combat partner that could use Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, wield a miniature Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needle, and even swing a custom Tang Clan katana.

A Ninja Toad, exclusively belonging to the Tang Clan!