40 Forest Arachna

After their spar concluded, Souei and the Ame Trio returned to the hideout, but Souei's mind was still buzzing with anticipation. Jiraiya had promised to teach him something intriguing in exchange for their training session, and Souei couldn't wait to learn. True to his word, Jiraiya led him to a secluded area in the hideout, away from prying eyes.

With a mischievous glint in his eye, Jiraiya finally revealed the secret. "Well then, I think it's time for you to learn something exciting – the Summoning Jutsu."

"Summoning Jutsu, eh? That's pretty nice." Souei's eyes widened with curiosity as he smiled.

"Looks like you're familiar with it." Jiraiya noted, and Souei nodded at the question. His mind referring back to the Battle for the Outpost.

"I've seen it used before by your teammate, Orochimaru. I remember him summoning a gigantic purple snake."

"Yeah, that would be Manda, the boss summon of the Snake Clan." Jiraiya smirked. "It's a versatile jutsu. You can summon creatures for various purposes – combat, transportation, communication and more. And that's just the more basic of uses, some summons have their own special skills that's unique to them. Today, I'll teach you the basics of this technique."

Souei nodded eagerly, ready to learn.

Jiraiya began by explaining the handsigns for the Summoning Jutsu, demonstrating each one slowly and precisely. He emphasized the importance of chakra control and the need to establish a strong connection with the intended summon.

"I'm not gonna give you the contract for the Toad summons, obviously. What I'm teaching you now is basically one of the more mundane ways for an individual to gain their own summons. Most people nowadays do it by finding a contract scroll that's hidden all around the world, others do it by seeking the homes of these creatures, and meeting them directly. But there is one other way for someone to become a full fledged summoner."

"And what's that?"

"Reverse summoning." Jiraiya continued. "When you don't have an actual contract yet with a clan, by doing the signs and channeling your chakra for the Summoning Jutsu, you would be reverse summoned to the creatures that would best suit you."

Souei raised an eyebrow, quite intrigued by the theory of it. "How does the jutsu know which creature suits me best?"

"Your strengths, weaknesses, things like that." Jiraiya shrugged in a way that made Souei think the man might not really know the answer to his question. "But from what I've heard, it's more with your mental capability and personality. I'm not really sure though."

Once Jiraiya believed Souei was ready, he motioned for Souei to follow along. With the Sannin's guidance, Souei repeated the handsigns and focused on channeling his chakra.

As Souei executed the final sign, his chakra surged, and he felt a unique sensation – a pull in his abdomen from somewhere beyond the realm he knew, and in a burst of smoke, Souei disappeared.

He found himself in a place he could never have imagined. It was a forest, but it was unlike any forest he had seen before. Perpetual darkness cloaked the area, casting a shroud over the environment. The trees were massive and they twisted and turned in all directions to create a gnarly backdrop. When he looked up, he knew immediately the type of animal his summons would be.

Souei smiled. 'Honestly, why am I not surprised?'

The entire canopy above him was covered in innumerable webs. The trunks of the trees that surround him all covered in a dense coat of a silky substance.

Everywhere he looked, webs glistened with a silvery sheen, stretching as far as the eye could see. The entire realm felt like a colossal spider's nest.

Souei quickly scanned the surroundings. The silence in the forest was eerie, and the oppressive darkness added to the sense of foreboding. Something wasn't right here.

Before Souei could collect his thoughts, a soft rustling sounded from above. He looked up to see an enormous black spider descending from a string of web that stretched all the way beyond the trees.

The spider's body was massive, its legs as thick as tree trunks, and its eyes gleamed with an eerie intelligence. It landed gracefully in front of Souei, regarding him with an almost calculating gaze.

Souei had dealt with all sorts of threats during his time as a shinobi, but this was unlike anything he had ever encountered. He felt a mixture of curiosity and unease. This creature was undoubtedly the boss summon of the Spider Clan, and it was assessing him.

"What's the meaning of this intrusion, human?" The gargantuan spider's voice was a low, resonating hiss, though Souei noted how its mouth didn't move at all. "Very rarely do prey make it this far into Forest Arachna without being caught in our webs."

"I am not prey." Souei maintained his composure and replied resolutely, despite the unsettling environment.

The spider regarded him silently for a moment. "You say you are not prey?" At this point, more and more spiders started to appear from the shadows of the forest. They varied in sizes, anywhere from ant sized to as large as a horse. "That means you came here willingly. You summoned yourself here."

"That's right," Souei confirmed boldly, he couldn't afford to show any weakness. "I wish to become the Spider Summoner."

At his declaration, the entire nest of spiders rustled. Noises of hundreds of thousands of spiders moving around that created an eerie ambience.

The boss spider's many eyes glinted, and Souei could detect a hint of curiosity flickered across his gaze. "Interesting. If you wish to become our summoner, then you must prove you're worthy of us. The last who have tried have perished."

"What do you ask of me?" Souei was determined. He understood that these creatures had their own rules, and he had to prove his worth.

The test began with the giant spider calling upon the lesser arachnids of the clan. Soon, the forest came alive with movement as countless spiders emerged from the shadows, others descending from webs as each one moved with uncanny grace. They surrounded Souei, forming an unbroken circle.

"Survive for as long as you can," Arachimaru declared. "For the spiders will challenge you."

The ordeal began as the smaller spiders advanced, testing Souei's abilities. They lunged at him, moving with precision and agility, forcing Souei to fight. He opted from using any of his more lethal techniques, just in case. He countered their attacks by creating his own strings, looping it around himself to create a spherical barrier before he extended them. Catching all the spiders and entangling them in a cocoon of threads. Despite the darkness and the eerie setting, he could see everything just fine due to his Seismic Sense.

The boss spider observed Souei's every move, and unseen to him, the giant spider's eyes showed a glint when it saw Souei's strings. It soon became clear that the young ninja was more than a match for the lesser spiders. He fended them off with ease, with him jumping high and landing on a platform, his legs bending as he eyed the screeching arachnids beneath him.

As the hours passed, Souei's determination and stamina were tested. He never wavered, maintaining his focus and composure. The spiders' challenges became more demanding, but he met each one head-on.

That was when a huge screech emanated from the forests, and a rumble of larger spiders emerged from the trees as they swung on webs towards him.

Souei was forced to duck his head when one of those spiders, as big as a large dog, spat out a glob of venom towards him. The spider was a shocking white, a color that he didn't know would ever belong on a spider.

Then two others landed on his string platform, their movements graceful as they moved towards him. Souei bristled, it took him several weeks to be able to fight with unbalanced footing on a string like this, but it seems that the spiders are used to it already.

Despite the potentially dangerous situation he found himself in, he couldn't help but smirk. These spiders would fit him to a tee. He could already think of a few ways to incorporate them into his fighting style.

He immediately created strings from his back, extending to the largest trees around. His body was hefted up to the air as he continued to swing around the forests dodging every attempt from the spiders. After the first few bouts with the lesser spiders, he finally understood the meaning of the test.

Spiders aren't frontline fighters. They never are, and they never will be. Doesn't mean they can't do it, but their instincts rather push them to strike from the back and be cunning whenever they approach combat.

And that's exactly what the spiders are testing him on.

'It's not about fighting back.' Souei realized. 'It's about not getting hit. From what I can tell, these spiders are graceful. They move through the ground and the air with no wasted movement. The webs they create allow a mesmerizing ability to move and wander freely through whatever medium they find themselves in. The spider boss wants me to show that I inherit that specific trait of the spider.'

'After all, spider's aren't warriors.' Souei thought as he backflipped through the air with a string jerking him to the right, dodging a chunk of web that the white spider had thrown. 'They're assassins.'

Finally, after an intense ordeal that felt like an eternity, the boss spider gave the signal to cease. The spiders withdrew, and the forest returned to its eerie stillness.

The large black spider approached Souei, his gaze filled with a newfound respect. "You caught on to what we spiders look for in a summoner quite quickly. A human with his own web. I'm impressed."

Souei, breathless but exhilarated, bowed respectfully. "Thank you."

"I am Arachimaru, the leader of the Spiders of Forest Arachna. State your name, human. We will hear it now."

Souei stood to his full height. "My name is Souei Matsuri, ninja of Sunagakure."

"Souei Matsuri." Arachimaru's voice was the same resonating hiss, but Souei swore he could detect a hint of excitement within the large spider. "You have proven yourself worthy. The Spiders accept you as our summoner."

Arachimaru then raised one his legs, and gently, a small cocoon of web descended from the skies. As they unveiled, Souei saw the massive scroll that was hidden within. It was entirely black, with embroideries of dark red spiderwebs spinning through the outside of the scroll.

"Sign it in blood, and you will be one of us. The Nest will always welcome you home."

Souei unrolled it with the utmost care and read over the names. There were only two others, faded and lost to time. Souei bit into his right index finger before elegantly writing his name on the scroll.

The giant spider's form began to shimmer, and Souei could somehow tell that it was happy. "The contract is complete. You have our allegiance, Souei. We are bound to your service whenever you call."

Arachimari then turned, calling out to the other spiders. " The Contract is complete! Souei Matsuri has become our summoner!"

A cacophony of screeches emanated from the forest as the other spiders finally approached him, hundreds upon thousands. Souei just stood still as the smaller spiders wandered around and climbed on him. The same white spider from before had even boldly sat upon his head, using it as a nest and becoming the world's strangest hat.

In any other circumstances, Souei would find the current situation to be one that filled him with dread. An expected reaction from hundreds of spiders crawling all over his body. But now, all he felt was a sense of fulfillment. He had not only learned the Summoning Jutsu but also earned the trust and loyalty of the Spider Clan.

'If only Aunt Chiyo could see this.'

With his new summoning abilities and the alliance with the Spider Clan, Souei was one step closer to realizing his goals. He soaked in the atmosphere, happy with his newfound achievement.

______________________________________________

AN: WE'RE FINALLY HERE! The spider summons was a long time coming haha. I've been setting this up since way back in the Chunin Exams. Can't wait for him to show his spider legs to the actual spiders and see what they think.

Fun fact, I'm actually really freakin terrified of spiders. Arachnophobia is no joke. But gotta say, I love these little critters. I've already designed some of the spiders that Souei would use as his personal summons and I can't wait to introduce 'em.

Anyways hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Leave a review and some power stones! I'd appreciate it lots.

Cheers!