Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was already the end of the year.
Last night, Konoha had a heavy snowfall, and when they woke up this morning, the entire village had transformed into a world covered in silver.
Kushina seemed very excited; the Land of Whirlpools had never had such heavy snow, and the two winters since she came to Konoha had only seen a few sporadic snowflakes.
"Let's build a huge snowman!" Kushina shouted at them.
"Hahaha, good idea!" Nawaki responded. "Watch me, Ninjutsu: Snowman Creation Technique!" A massive amount of chakra instantly surged from his body, swirling the accumulated snow on the ground. Under Nawaki's precise control, in a short while, a snowman nearly five meters tall gradually took shape.
"Hahaha, it's done! Kushina, aren't I amazing!" Nawaki said, showing off with a smug look. But before Kushina could answer, the snowman collapsed with a crash, and Nawaki immediately looked dejected.
"The freshly fallen snow is too soft, Nawaki. It can't support such a large snowman," Minato said from the side.
"It's okay, Nawaki, let's try again. We'll help you," Kyuushin, having lived in the south in his previous life and rarely seeing snow, immediately joined in on their enthusiasm.
"Kyuushin, I knew you'd have a way." Nawaki instantly cheered up and began building another snowman.
"Water Release: Water Mist Diffusion Technique!" Kyuushin also made his move, spitting out a large amount of water mist. Under his control, these mists gradually covered the entire snowman and seeped into its interior. Then, he looked at Minato.
Without words, Minato understood, and he too began to form hand signs. "Wind Release: Gentle Breeze Jutsu!" Minato pushed his palm forward, and an invisible breeze instantly formed, blowing towards the snowman. Under the blowing wind, the small water droplets that Kyuushin had just condensed on the snowman's surface instantly froze, connecting together and firmly securing it.
"Alright, this way, it shouldn't collapse," Kyuushin said with a smile.
"Oh, oh! It's a success!" Kushina cheered.
In the distance, Tsunade, who had finally finished her work and returned from the hospital, smiled when she saw Nawaki and his friends playing happily.
"It seems their ninjutsu is coming along well," a slightly hoarse voice suddenly said from behind her.
Tsunade's face fell, and she said irritably, "Orochimaru, can we not talk about training at such a happy time?"
"My apologies, it won't happen again," Orochimaru apologized readily.
"Forget it, I've been telling you since we were kids, and you've never changed," Tsunade waved her hand and asked again, "Why did you suddenly come over here?"
"Of course, Nawaki called me," Orochimaru said. "Nawaki asked me to come here to celebrate the New Year this year. You know, in the past, I always spent it alone. He said Mito-sama was also very happy about it, so I came. And it shouldn't just be me; Jiraiya should also be coming."
"Yo! Tsunade, Orochimaru, you're here!" No sooner had he finished speaking than Jiraiya's characteristic loud voice appeared.
Tsunade clutched her forehead, looking at Jiraiya, who had just arrived, with a speechless expression. "Why are you dressed like that?" At this moment, Jiraiya had completely changed from his usual unkempt appearance. He was wearing a carefully selected kimono, and his hair was neatly styled, making him look quite presentable.
"Oh, I'm going to see Mito-sama today, you know," Jiraiya said with a shy look.
Tsunade's veins instantly bulged on her forehead. She clenched her fist and fiercely punched Jiraiya on the head. "Be serious!" Fortunately, she held back her strength; otherwise, something serious might have happened on this festive day.
Orochimaru, beside them, shook his head, ignoring his two bickering companions. Instead, he carried his gift and walked towards the reception room.
In the blink of an eye, it was lunchtime. Kyuushin and the others, who had been playing wildly outside, also came to the dining table and sat down properly. Today could be said to be the liveliest day at the Senju residence in nearly ten years. Besides Mito, Tsunade, and Nawaki, there were also Kyuushin, Kushina, Minato, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru, a total of eight people. Mito was also very happy. Elderly people naturally enjoy lively gatherings, so when Nawaki suggested inviting Orochimaru, she did not object and even asked Minato to invite Jiraiya as well.
The four children also put on new clothes today. Kyuushin, Kushina, and Nawaki were fine, but Mito had never seen Minato wear new clothes. So, taking advantage of the New Year, she bought each of them a new outfit, and an additional two sets for Minato. She had always had a very good impression of him: gentle, humble, and polite.
After the meal, Mito was about to leave when Tsunade called out to her. "Grandma, the three of us plan to teach them the Summoning Technique today. Would you mind witnessing it?" Mito nodded and sat down again.
Tsunade looked at Kyuushin and the other two and said seriously, "The Summoning Technique is a ninjutsu where the user signs a blood contract with a Summoning Beast and then summons it. The core of the technique is the beast itself. There are many types, and powerful ones can provide great help to the user. The three of us have respectively signed contracts with the legendary Three Great Sage Regions. What we are going to do now is have you also sign contracts with them. Do you understand?"
"Yes, we understand," the three replied in unison.
Tsunade nodded, then turned to Kyuushin. "What I possess is the summoning contract of Shikkotsu Forest, passed down from my grandfather. Strictly speaking, there is only one summoning beast there, and that is the Slug Sage. However, she can split. The size of her body can be determined by the amount of chakra injected. Compared to the other two Sage Regions, she is not particularly good at combat, but every clone possesses extremely powerful medical abilities, making it very suitable for auxiliary combat. Most importantly, the Slug Sage has a very gentle personality. As long as you don't intentionally harm her, she will usually be very willing to help you." After speaking, she performed the summoning technique, summoning a huge scroll. After unrolling it, she gestured for Kyuushin to come forward.
Kyuushin took a step forward, looking at the name slots on the scroll. The last name was Tsunade's, and the one before her was Senju Hashirama's. Tsunade nodded at him, so Kyuushin no longer hesitated. He cut his finger, signed his name, and pressed his handprint onto it. At this point, the contract was successfully signed.
On the other side, while Kyuushin was signing the contract, Jiraiya also began to introduce Mount Myoboku to Minato.
"What I possess is the summoning contract of Mount Myoboku, which I obtained by chance. Mount Myoboku is home to a large number of toads, and they all possess Sage Art abilities. Some are enormous and can directly help in battle, while others have various auxiliary abilities. To summon them to help you, the first thing is to befriend them. They all have different personalities. If you encounter a toad that doesn't recognize you, it might refuse to fight even if you summon it. But I still have some standing in Mount Myoboku. As my disciple, I believe they will help you out of respect for me, so don't worry."
After speaking, he immediately summoned a toad on the spot. He patted it, and the toad opened its mouth, its tongue rolling out a scroll that landed at Minato's feet.