Mufasa spoke with uncontainable excitement, his energy infectious.
The students erupted into wild applause, captivated by the sheer power of the Dragon Knight system he had just described.
They were young, ambitious, and blissfully unaware of the price that came with such strength.
The instructors, however, exchanged knowing smirks.
They could already see what was coming—longer class hours, more intense training, and an increase in the overall difficulty of the curriculum.
Mufasa grinned. "Soon, the academy will provide Dragon Rider Belts for everyone to experience firsthand."
"Awesome!"
"This is going to be incredible!"
The students cheered wildly.
The idea of wielding such power, of transforming into warriors of legend, thrilled them to no end.
But they had no idea what awaited them.
It wasn't until their first training session that reality hit them like a Rasengan to the face.
Master Yi, the usually laid-back Ninjutsu Defense instructor, became a relentless force, bombarding them with attacks from every conceivable angle.
His once easygoing lessons transformed into hellish gauntlets of survival.
Ms. Elise, their healing specialist, found herself working overtime, brewing serums daily just to keep the students from collapsing.
Resentment for Mufasa grew rapidly among the students.
"Every time he improves something, we suffer for it!"
Mufasa, of course, paid them no mind.
"The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in battle," he laughed, watching the young knights struggle.
Kazekage Office.
Mufasa leaned back in his chair, feet propped up on his desk, humming a tune.
Finally, he had accomplished something truly groundbreaking.
An office worker named, Suzy, approached with a stack of documents.
"Lord Kazekage, Kosuke, a messenger from Mount Myoboku, has been waiting to see you."
Mufasa raised an eyebrow. "How long has he been waiting?"
"Three days."
Mufasa sat up, intrigued.
Could this be another opportunity to expand the Rider system?
"Bring him in immediately!"
Moments later, Kosukevwas carried into the office in a shallow water basin, his small body half-submerged.
An Anbu ninja, Yoru, held the basin with a straight face, despite the splashes.
Kosuke, ice cream in his mouth, grumbled.
"This place is way too hot and dry! Us toads aren't built for deserts."
Mufasa chuckled. "We're working on redirecting water from the Land of Rivers. The climate here will improve soon."
Then, his tone turned serious. "So, what brings a messenger of the Great Toad Sage to my doorstep?"
Kosuke swallowed the last of his ice cream. "The Great Toad Sage wishes to see you. Are you available, Lord Kazekage?"
Mufasa nodded. "Of course."
"Then follow me."
Kosuke jumped from the basin, splashing Yoru in the face.
The Anbu ninja remained silent, though his twitching eyebrow betrayed his irritation.
Kosuke unrolled a reverse summoning scroll.
"Step in, Lord Kazekage. We're heading to Mount Myoboku."
With a final word to Suzy, Mufasa placed his hand on the scroll—and in a flash of chakra, he was gone.
Mount Myoboku.
Mufasa arrived in a world that was the complete opposite of Ryūchi Cave.
Lush mountains stretched into the horizon, waterfalls cascaded into crystal-clear lakes, and the air smelled of fresh moss and blooming flowers.
The land was teeming with giant frogs, hopping lazily around, croaking in harmony.
"Not bad," Mufasa mused. "I could live here."
Kosuke led him down a stone path toward the Great Toad Sage's palace.
On the way, Mufasa spotted a familiar figure—Uzumaki Naruto, deep in sage training.
"Naruto!" Mufasa called.
Startled, Naruto lost focus, and the chakra imbalance caused his transformation to spiral out of control.
His limbs thickened, his skin turned warty, and he started morphing into a full-fledged toad.
Reacting swiftly, Mufasa appeared beside him and discharged a controlled burst of electrical energy, disrupting the transformation.
"Wha—!" Naruto yelped, his frog-like eyes blinking rapidly.
"Old man Mufasa?!"
Mufasa grinned. "Just passing through. Thought I'd say hi."
"Are you here to see the Great Toad Sage? Take me with you!"
Kosuke Toad cut in. "Naruto, your training isn't complete. If you slack off, you'll be stuck here forever."
Naruto deflated. "Ugh... Fine."
Mufasa patted his shoulder. "Hang in there, future Hokage."
Naruto's expression brightened at that. "Hehe, you know it!"
Great Toad Sage's Palace.
The grand hall was ancient, carved from stone older than any known civilization.
Sitting atop a colossal throne was the Great Toad Sage himself, Gamamaru—more commonly known as the Great Toad Sage.
A being who had lived for over a thousand years, his wisdom predated even the Sage of Six Paths.
Despite his frail, elderly demeanor, his foresight had shaped the very course of history.
Flanking him were his two advisors, Fukasaku and Shima, their sharp eyes studying Mufasa with curiosity.
The Great Toad Sage smiled warmly. "Ahh, Lord Kazekage, welcome."
Mufasa bowed respectfully. "It's an honor, Great Sage."
"Before we move into why I called you here, Lord Kazekage, do you wish to tell what you desire first?"
Mufasa got straight to the point. "I want to establish a formal summoning contract between Mount Myoboku and Sunagakure. A true alliance."
The hall grew silent.
Then, the Great Toad Sage chuckled. "Hoho, I see. But, with all due respect… I must decline."
Mufasa raised an eyebrow. "May I ask why?"
The ancient toad's expression grew solemn. "My visions of the future are becoming increasingly unclear.
The path ahead is more chaotic than ever before… and the source of that uncertainty… is you."
Mufasa tilted his head. "Me?"
The Great Toad Sage nodded. "You are the Son of Chaos in this world."
Sons of Chaos?!
Mufasa hadn't expected the Great Toad Sage to throw such a title at him.
He chuckled, shaking his head. "That name should belong to Obito or Uchiha Madara. Giving it to me? That doesn't feel right."
The Great Toad Sage looked half-asleep, but his voice remained strong. "Haha, they call me an old fool, but my sight remains clear."
"What you've done in the Land of Wind, the Land of Rivers, and the Land of Fire… it has left ripples, many of them dark."
"The Land of Rivers, in particular, has descended into lawlessness. Thieves run rampant, and chaos spreads like wildfire."
Mufasa crossed his arms. He wasn't surprised. The fall of the old regime had thrown everything into disarray. Some clung to the past, others sought power in the void left behind.
Villages had been ransacked, bandits had taken over territories, and self-proclaimed kings had risen. Yet, within that same chaos, a new order was being forged. Sand Village forces held the prisoner-of-war camps in check, the trade routes flourished, and soon, everything would revolve around the new infrastructure.
Mufasa was unbothered. "Chaos is the ladder to progress."
The Great Toad Sage cracked an eye open. "Progress?"
"Yes. The shinobi world has been stagnant for too long. It needs to move forward—faster."
Silence.
Then, the old sage closed his eyes again, as if slipping into sleep.
Minutes passed.
Mufasa sighed, already turning to leave.
The conversation had told him everything he needed to know—the Great Toad Sage would not support him.
Still, out of respect, he set down a parting gift of rare wine.
"Farewell."
He was almost at the door when the Great Toad Sage finally spoke again. "Young man, sometimes slow is not a bad thing."
Mufasa smirked over his shoulder. "Neither is speed."
The Great Toad Sage let out a deep sigh. "Mount Myoboku has many beautiful sights. Why not explore them? Fukasaku, Shima, show him around."
The two legendary sages, Fukasaku and Shima, hopped onto Mufasa's shoulders, leading him on a tour of the sacred land.
They passed through rolling hills, vibrant lakes, and towering mushrooms.
Mufasa saw many legendary toads—Gamaken, Gamahiro, and even the battle-hardened Gamabunta.
But as they reached the mountain's edge, the air changed.
A distant battle echoed through the valley.
Mufasa frowned. "Who would be foolish enough to cause trouble in Mount Myoboku?"
Shima's eyes gleamed. "Must be something tasty."
Mufasa followed the sound, arriving at a clearing where Gamabunta, pipe in mouth, stood facing off against a monstrous insect—a giant locust in a samurai kimono.
Mufasa's brow twitched. "What… is that?"
Fukasaku sighed. "That's one of the warriors from Shuka Valley."
"Shuka Valley?"
Shima licked her lips. "It's where the Insect Sages train."
Mufasa blinked. "There are Insect Sages too? What's next? Sushi Sages?"
Before they could answer, the locust warrior lunged.
Its armored forelimbs gleamed like razors as it clashed against Gamabunta's massive blade.
The battle was brutal.
Gamabunta's steel met the locust's unyielding carapace, the force of their blows shaking the ground.
The locust warrior barely flinched.
With inhuman speed, it dodged Gamabunta's strikes and countered with blinding slashes, forcing the great toad onto the defensive.
Gamabunta growled. "You're getting annoying."
Gathering chakra, he unleashed a massive Water Release: Great Cannonball attack.
The locust warrior roared, countering with a fierce Wind Release, splitting the water blast apart.
Mufasa watched intently. "Not bad."
Gamabunta, however, had a trick up his sleeve.
With a smirk, he activated a summoning jutsu mid-battle.
From the sky, another massive shadow descended.
Gamaken and Gamahiro crashed down like falling mountains, reinforcing their brother.
The locust warrior narrowed its eyes. "So that's how it is?"
It slammed its clawed hands together. "Fine. Brothers, arise!"
Two more figures appeared in bursts of smoke—one a towering dragonfly, the other a hulking beetle with a single deadly horn.
Mufasa whistled.
"Three toads. Three insects. Now things are getting interesting."
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Word count: 1569
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