[A/N: Bonus chapter for reaching 2k Power Stones in last week.]
Fujin nervously observed the 'beast' in front of him while maintaining his hand seal. He was prepared to disappear in the blink of an eye! As he was looking up, an eyelid opened and stared right at Fujin.
The beast saw Fujin and thought, 'I sensed a chakra field engulfing me. Looks like it was this human.'
The beast observed Fujin and wondered, 'Why is he riling up his chakra and maintaining a barrier?'
He didn't get up and spoke in a rough and jagged voice, "A human? We haven't had one visit us in a while. Why are you here, little one?"
Fujin sighed in relief, 'Finally someone who talks and is reasonable.'
Though the beast's voice was painful to hear, Fujin didn't mind as he finally could have a conversation with an animal.
However, he didn't let his guard down and replied, "I am here to sign a summoning contract."
The beast observed him and said, "I see. But why are you maintaining a barrier?"
Fujin let out a sigh and answered, "I have been using Summoning jutsu blindly to find the right summon for me. Unfortunately, I had some very bad experiences."
The beast was surprised to hear the reason. Suddenly, he began laughing out loud in amusement! The sound of his laughter echoed through the mountains with a deafening roar, as if a thousand thunderbolts were crashing down upon the earth at once.
Sweat gathered on Fujin's forehead as his barrier trembled! He cursed, 'Shit, without the barrier, I might have gone deaf!'
His excitement about the thought of signing a summoning contract with such a strong beast quelled down as he began worrying about his life instead.
After laughing, the beast stood up. Fujin watched in awe as he saw his majestic body. He was a behemoth of a beast, standing at an astonishing height of almost 20 meters tall. His muscles bulged under a coat of thick, matted fur that bristled in the wind. His sharp, powerful claws were the size of longswords, capable of rending through flesh and bone with ease.
But it was the beast's jaws that were truly terrifying, gaping open to reveal teeth that were larger than Fujin's whole body. Each tooth was razor-sharp and curved, like a scythe made of ivory. The ground shook beneath its massive paws as it stood up. This was a predator unlike any other, a true apex predator.
Fujin gulped once again as he recognized the beast, 'A Sabertooth!'
The beast said, "Drop your barrier and introduce yourself, little one. Don't worry, I won't eat you. You won't even fit the gap between my teeth!"
He let out a cackling laughter.
Fujin agreed with his analysis. Though his barrier was strong, he had doubts about whether it could withstand an assault from the behemoth in front of him. He deactivated the barrier and stopped maintaining the hand sign and his chakra for escaping back. However, he was still alert and prepared to activate the barrier immediately despite doubting its reliability.
He said, "I am Suzuki Fujin from Konohagakure."
The Sabertooth observed Fujin and said, "Good name. It suits you well. I am Ryu, the son of Tatsu. Your strongest affinity is Wind nature manipulation, right?"
Fujin was surprised. He wondered, 'How did he sense that? Was it just my name or does he have the ability to sense chakra affinity?'
He nodded and said, "Yes, it is my strongest affinity."
Ryu said, "Good. Having a strong Wind affinity is one of the necessary conditions to be able to sign a contract with us."
Fujin thought, 'Lucky me, my other elements are lacking a lot right now.'
Ryu added, "Of course, that isn't the only criterion. Climb on my head, I'll carry you to our Sage. She will determine whether you can sign a contract or not."
Fujin's attention was immediately drawn to the word 'Sage'. He thought with excitement, 'Great, they should be able to use Senjutsu!'
He nodded and used Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu to appear on top of Ryu's head.
Ryu said, "Hold on tight!"
Fujin held on tight to his fur as he expected Ryu to run at high speeds. However, Ryu didn't move. Fujin heard some noise behind him and turned his head to check it. The sight he saw left his eyes wide open and jaw hanging!
Ryu's fur moved and two gigantic pairs of wings appeared on his back! The wings fully spread displaying the immense wingspan which was easily 4 times his height!
Ryu flapped his wings and the gigantic creature lifted off in the air. Fujin gulped his saliva as he thought, 'Since when did Sabertooth gain wings?'
As Ryu took off into the sky, Fujin felt a sense of awe and wonder as he looked out at the stunning scenery before him. The mountains stretched out as far as the eye could see, their peaks piercing the clouds above. Below them, a vast forest spread out, with streams and rivers snaking their way through it like veins.
For once, Fujin let go of his worries and relaxed. Seeing how strong Ryu was, he knew that he didn't need to play tricks to attack Fujin. A childlike curiosity appeared in Fujin's eyes as he took in the breathtaking view, feeling incredibly blessed and content. Though Fujin had travelled in airplanes in his previous life, the feeling was completely different. In fact, it wasn't even comparable!
Ryu's wings beat rhythmically, sending a gentle breeze through Fujin's hair and filling his lungs with fresh air.
As Ryu climbed higher, Fujin could see the snow-capped summits of the highest peaks in the distance, their peaks wreathed in wispy clouds that glowed pink and orange in the light of the setting sun. The sky above was a riot of colors, from the deep purples and blues of the horizon to the golden hues of the clouds that drifted lazily overhead. It was a scene of such majesty and beauty that Fujin felt humbled and grateful to be alive to witness it.
As Ryu cruised through the skies, Fujin felt a sense of complete relaxation and tranquility. Fujin basked in the peacefulness of the moment and lost himself in thoughts as he began reflecting on his life.
He recalled his recent troubles before beginning to reflect on his entire journey in this majestic world. He recalled the schemes he employed, the people he killed, the fun he had and the hard work he put in. Soon, he began thinking about his previous life.
With the newfound clarity and tranquility, Fujin couldn't help but realize, 'In my previous life, I always dreamed about having superpowers. I dreamt of going on epic adventures. Now that I have superpowers that I could only dream of in my previous life and have an entire new world to explore, why am I so stressed?'
A smile appeared on Fujin's face as he closed his eyes. Memories of his past and worries about his future faded away, replaced with a sense of contentment and joy. He felt a deep connection to everything around him as though he was becoming one with the natural world!
Fujin entered into a special state. His mind was so calm and stable that he could feel the world's energy around him in this state. He lost all sense of time as he enjoyed the comfort of this energy.
Ryu, who was enjoying showing off to Fujin, suddenly focused all attention on him. A look of surprise appeared on his giant face as he thought, 'What the hell?'
Ryu sensed that Fujin had entered into a special state. He analyzed, 'What a surprise! I had sensed that he has a very potent affinity to wind. That is why I decided to bring him to our Sacred land. This journey was meant to display my might and relax him a bit from his agitated state.
But I never imagined that he would be able to connect with nature so easily! Looks like we will have a new summoner after one hundred and twenty five years!'
Ryu didn't want to disturb Fujin and wake him up from the special state he was in. He maintained a constant speed as he headed towards the tallest mountain.
As he moved, he thought in relief and excitement, 'Great Grandmother, it looks like our pride's ability might finally advance once again after 500 years!'
He quelled his excitement, 'Though it will be a long time before he can learn that skill. His chakra reserves are too poor. Even the quality of his chakra is lacking. We will need to improve it first and only then can he have some hope in learning it.'
As Ryu kept cruising, he moved above the clouds. In front of him was a mountain peak. Fujin finally opened his eyes. He saw the snow-covered peak and was awed by its beauty. Ryu noticed that Fujin had woken up and said, "Welcome to Mount Muteki."
[A/N: Phew! I think I have exhausted my vocabulary in this chapter, lol. This chapter probably took the longest time to write so far as I wanted to capture the breathtaking scenery of the Sabertooths' mountain home and make it as immersive as possible. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it and please let me know your thoughts & feedback on the scenery described above.]
[A/N : Bonus chapter on next Sunday if the fic gets 1000 Power Stones. Bonus chapter on next week's Saturday if the fic gets 2000 Power Stones.]
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