Although it could not transform completely yet, Sora was not disappointed. Instead, he was even more pleasantly surprised.
Tenji had clearly touched that threshold. Being able to initiate physical changes was already a qualitative leap.
It must be known that the transformation ability is the core secret of the Enma clan. As an individual once ostracized, for Tenji to have groped its way to this point on its own within a year was already exceptionally talented.
It seemed his blood had not only strengthened its physique, but also seemed to accelerate the awakening of its bloodline abilities.
"No need to rush. Steady progress is a good thing," Sora reassured. "A solid foundation will make the weapons you transform into in the future even more powerful."
Receiving Sora's affirmation, Tenji became happy again.
"By the way, what about that little fellow? How is it doing?"
Sora asked. Another main purpose of this trip was to check on the Small White Tiger.
Upon hearing this, Tenji immediately raised its head and let out a low but extremely penetrating roar. This roar was completely different from its usual "squeaks," carrying a hint of majestic and overwhelmingly domineering feeling.
...
Not long after, Sora felt a slight tremor from the ground.
Immediately afterward, the bushes not far away were parted by a tremendous force, and a massive figure slowly walked out.
When Sora clearly saw the figure, even though he was mentally prepared, his pupils still slightly contracted.
White Tiger!
That little creature which was on the verge of death a year ago and needed to be carefully cradled by Tenji had now grown into a behemoth!
It could no longer be called a "Small" White Tiger.
Its shoulder height was close to two meters. Its body length, including its tail, probably exceeded three meters. Standing there, it was like a moving small hill.
Its fur was still pure white, but upon closer inspection, one could see extremely faint bluish streams of light shimmering at the roots of its fur, like hidden cloud patterns.
The biggest difference from an ordinary fierce tiger was its pupils. They were no longer simply azure, but were blue with golden irises. When it looked around, a natural majesty emanated, carrying the inherent pressure of the king of beasts.
Although its overall form was still that of a White Tiger, careful perception could detect an extremely faint trace of Azure Dragon aura, sharing the same origin as Sora's, from its massive body and the occasional circulation of faint bluish light, though it was still not obvious.
It must be remembered that this White Tiger was, at most, not even one and a half years old. One could imagine how high its potential was!
The White Tiger walked to Tenji's side, lowered its huge head, and affectionately nuzzled Tenji. Then, those blue-gold tiger eyes looked at Sora, filled with gentleness and dependence. It let out a low, deep whine, forming a peculiar contrast with its fierce appearance.
Although Sora had not seen it for over a year, because it had ingested the Azure Dragon blood, it still instinctively showed closeness upon seeing Sora.
Tenji patted the White Tiger's thick front leg and said to Sora:
"It... eats a lot! Grows... fast! Strength... bigger than mine!"
Sora walked forward and reached out to stroke the thick, soft fur on the White Tiger's neck. He could clearly feel the terrifying power contained beneath the skin and fur.
Sora took a few steps back and said to the White Tiger:
"Show me your speed. Let me see your strength."
The White Tiger let out a low roar. Its figure suddenly blurred, stirring up a gust of wind as it swiftly darted through the forest, so fast it left only a white afterimage.
Sora was inwardly startled. This speed was simply astonishing, truly befitting "the wind follows the tiger"!
Its movement immediately brought wind with it, so fast it was difficult to capture!
Sora analyzed to himself:
"In the world of Naruto, Special Jonin like Gekkō Hayate are adept at speed, but this White Tiger's mobility is probably already approaching the Special Jonin level."
"Although its overall strength might still not match that of a full Jonin, with just this speed, if it encounters a Jonin who doesn't specialize in countering it, like those not skilled in speed, it can definitely maneuver and buy time."
"Moreover, it's only a little over a year old. Its growth potential is immense. It will definitely catch up to those powerful summoning beasts in the future."
Next, Sora tested the White Tiger's strength and reactions. The White Tiger shattered a rock with one swipe of its paw, its roar deafening and imposing. Its reaction speed was also extremely fast.
Considering the "high attack, low defense" characteristic of the Naruto world, an ordinary ninja hit by this claw would undoubtedly die!
Furthermore, with this size and presence, among ordinary animals, it would already be an absolute overlord.
Even among summoning beasts, based on appearance and strength alone, it was certainly no mediocre one.
"It seems you two get along very well and have both grown a lot."
Looking at the two transformed companions before him, Sora felt emotional. The casually planted cause back then had actually borne such remarkable fruit.
This growth speed was simply astounding.
The enhancing effect of his blood on summoning beasts seemed excessively good.
After pondering for a moment, Sora once again forced out four drops of essence blood containing peculiar energy fluctuations.
Unlike the previous massive consumption, this time when the four drops of essence blood left his body, his face merely paled slightly, and his breath remained steady.
Sora directly flicked two of the drops into Tenji's mouth, and fed the other two to the White Tiger who was watching him eagerly.
After swallowing the essence blood, both Tenji and the White Tiger's bodies trembled slightly.
The tentacles on Tenji's forehead bulged a bit more, and the aura around its body became more condensed.
The White Tiger let out a comfortable low roar. Its massive body became a bit more solid, and the golden light on its forehead also thickened a bit.
The effect was still significant, but Sora also clearly perceived that as their strength increased, the transformative effect of the essence blood on them was no longer as immediate and earth-shattering as it was initially.
It was more like a subtle, deep optimization and stimulation of potential.
This was in line with common sense: the higher the base, the more difficult the improvement.
After signing a summoning contract with the White Tiger, Sora said plainly:
"Alright, I should head back now."
"Continue growing at your own pace. Tenji, focus on mastering the transformation power. Little Tiger, solidify your strength. When needed, I will summon you."
"Yes, Master!" Tenji replied respectfully, its gaze firm.
The White Tiger also let out a low roar, indicating understanding.
Sora was in no hurry to give this White Tiger with immense potential a formal name. He felt that it at least needed to truly demonstrate power and spirit matching a name to be worthy of one.
Right now, it was still lacking a bit.
Without saying more, Sora took a deep look at them, then turned and left, disappearing into the depths of the dense forest after a few leaps.
...
After leaving Tenji and the White Tiger, Sora did not immediately return to Konoha.
The slight feeling of weakness brought on by feeding the essence blood, and the near rebirth-like transformations of the two little fellows lingered in his mind.
"My blood, especially my essence blood, has such a powerful catalytic effect on Tenji and Little Bai. If it could be mass-produced..."
The image of Kaido's Beast Pirates from the One Piece world, teeming with powerful figures capable of shaking the world, involuntarily surfaced in Sora's mind.
If he could emulate that model, creating a summoning beast army completely loyal to him and strengthened by his own blood, the scene would be unimaginable!
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📖 Like the story? Read 120 chapters ahead!
🔗 patreon.com/atomelectron
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━