One month later.
The weather was clear and sunny, with a completely cloudless sky.
A black cat was lazily lying on a branch of a large tree, yawning and watching some children below.
There were two boys and a girl standing around a white-haired child, quietly observing as he showcased his skills.
The child said, "Pay close attention, this time I won't hold back."
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu."
Jiraiya placed his hand on the ground, and as soon as he did, a burst of white smoke appeared. When the smoke cleared, a massive creature stood beneath him, with red skin and horizontal pupils like those of a goat, and a pipe in its mouth.
It wore a blue coat and resembled a toad, though it was different due to the numerous bumps on its body.
This was an extraordinarily large toad.
When this giant toad appeared, Tōshirō, Tsunade, and Orochimaru's expressions varied.
Tōshirō barely showed any reaction, not expecting Jiraiya to successfully sign a contract with Mount Myōboku.
Tsunade seemed astonished.
And Orochimaru remained calm.
Jiraiya placed his hands on his hips and laughed loudly, feeling immensely proud. After all the efforts he'd put in, he finally got something in return. How could he not boast a little?
But it seemed that the giant toad beneath his feet wasn't giving him this honor, as it shook slightly.
Jiraiya lost his balance and fell to the ground in an awkward manner.
The giant toad spoke in a thunderous voice, "Jiraiya, why did you summon me?"
Jiraiya got up from the ground and approached the giant toad, whispering, "Please, Gamabunta, this is a rare opportunity, let me show off in front of my friends."
Gamabunta grumbled loudly but didn't refuse. He seemed proud, but in truth, he enjoyed showing off too.
However, he didn't show it and responded reluctantly, "It's annoying, don't make it a habit."
Tsunade exclaimed in surprise, "The toad talks!"
Jiraiya responded coolly, "It's no big deal."
Tsunade was stunned, which was exactly what Jiraiya wanted.
Tsunade then curiously asked, "Where did you get this big toad?"
Jiraiya didn't hide anything and told her the story in detail, adding some flair to make the tale more lively.
At first, Tsunade didn't believe him, but since she couldn't find any evidence to contradict him, she reluctantly admitted, "You were really lucky."
Jiraiya replied proudly, "It's not just luck, I'm the Child of Prophecy."
Tsunade laughed sarcastically, "What nonsense, you're more like the child of misfortune."
Jiraiya smiled without arguing.
After all, Jiraiya wasn't just anyone anymore.
He was the Child of Prophecy, destined to bear the burden of saving the world.
Then he said, "By the way, where's your summoned creature? Summon it so I can take a look."
Tsunade frowned, clearly aware that Jiraiya knew she still hadn't learned the Summoning Jutsu yet, so she replied coldly, "I don't have one, are you happy now?"
She didn't expect that the one who was considered the weakest would surpass her, making Tsunade feel uneasy.
She decided that she would go back and learn the Summoning Jutsu, then ask Grandma Mito to make a contract with a slug for her.
Jiraiya was thrilled and smiled slyly, "Why are you angry? I'm just looking out for my friends."
After saying that, he looked at someone else and asked the same question Tsunade had asked him.
Orochimaru wasn't oblivious to Jiraiya's intentions and shot a white-eyed glare at Jiraiya.
Feigning surprise, Jiraiya said, "Could it be that you haven't signed a summoning contract either?"
Orochimaru: ...
Jiraiya felt overjoyed, as he was usually left behind by these two, but this time he had managed to surpass them. How could he not celebrate that?
After provoking Tsunade and Orochimaru, Jiraiya felt it wasn't enough, so he continued his taunting towards Tōshirō.
He said, "By the way, Tōshirō, how's the Summoning Jutsu I taught you coming along?"
Tōshirō replied coldly, "It's fine, I've signed the contract."
"It doesn't matter, even I spent a lot of time successfully signing the contract... huh, what did you just say?"
Tōshirō responded calmly, "Is there a problem?"
Jiraiya shouted in despair, like Cao Cao, "No way! That's impossible!"
He had spent a lot of time and effort learning the Summoning Jutsu, how could Tōshirō learn it and sign the contract so quickly?
Tōshirō replied calmly, "Let me prove it to you."
He quickly performed the Summoning Jutsu.
Suddenly, a large amount of white smoke appeared, and when it cleared, a white fox stood before them.
Jiraiya rubbed his eyes, not believing that Tōshirō had actually summoned a creature.
But he felt relieved since it didn't seem as impressive as his giant toad.
He thought to himself, "It's okay, it's just a fox."
Tsunade exclaimed happily, "What a beautiful creature!"
Orochimaru complimented, "You're really impressive, Tōshirō."
Jiraiya felt a bit deflated, as this was supposed to be his day to show off, but it had now become Tōshirō's day.
He said bitterly, "It's just a fox, nothing special."
Tsunade approached the fox and asked gently, "What's your name, little one?"
Jiraiya scoffed, "Are you stupid? Foxes don't talk."
Tsunade replied angrily, "Your big toad can talk, why can't this fox?"
Jiraiya said dismissively, "Not all summoned creatures can talk. Do you think any animal can just speak?"
Then he added, "My toad comes from Mount Myōboku. You know what that means, right? A mountain inhabited by sages, it's not comparable to just any other place."
The snow-white fox looked at Tōshirō and said happily, "Tōshirō, why did you summon me? Are you going to give me something delicious? I want roasted chicken."
Tōshirō smiled with a playful reprimand, "All you ever think about is eating. How did I end up signing a contract with you, you little glutton?"
The snow fox laughed foolishly.
The awkward moment came quickly, and Jiraiya couldn't respond immediately.
Tsunade mockingly said, "Did you see that? Don't think your summoned creature is the only one that can talk."
The snow fox observed the people around her and looked at Tōshirō with questioning eyes.
Tōshirō shrugged, "I've told you about them before, they're my friends."
The snow fox nodded without showing any surprise.
Tōshirō wasn't always busy with training; sometimes, he would take the snow fox out to play, building a stronger bond with her since, after all, she was his summoned creature.
Humans no longer amazed her as they had the first time.
Moreover, Tōshirō had prepared the fox in advance to prevent her from speaking inappropriately and revealing his secret.
Tsunade smiled and asked, "Little fox, what's your name?"
"Fairy Fox."
Tsunade was taken aback and said, "Did I hear you correctly?"
The fox's face showed signs of confusion.
When her master, Tōshirō, first heard this name, he had shown the same expression, not knowing why.
"That's because..."
Tsunade bit her lip, unsure how to explain it properly.
But Jiraiya had no reservations, laughing so hard that he nearly fell over, "Your name is really funny! And you call yourself a 'fairy'? What's meant by a fairy is a woman of extraordinary beauty and an exquisite figure. I suggest you change your name before someone hears it and laughs at you."
He paused, holding back his laughter while repeating the words "fairy" aloud.
The fox felt insulted.
She hated this human and looked at him angrily.
Jiraiya bent down and lifted his finger, showing a mocking smile that provoked the fox: "Oh no, how scary..."
The fox opened her mouth, seizing the opportunity to bite his finger.
Jiraiya screamed in pain, and his finger started to bleed.
Tsunade added salt to the wound by mocking him: "Serves you right."
Jiraiya fumed and shouted angrily, "Damn it, how dare you bite me? I was only joking."
Jiraiya tried to ease his pain by blowing on his finger, as if that would stop the bleeding.
The fox shook her head and let out a growl, unwilling to accept her name being ridiculed.
Jiraiya, enraged, pointed at the fox and said, "Come on, Gamabunta, I've decided you should be the one to punish this insolent fox."
Gamabunta moved slightly and struck Jiraiya with a powerful blow.
Jiraiya was injured, and his health points dropped by half.
Gamabunta's sudden attack was highly effective.
Jiraiya rolled on the ground several times, covered in dirt, staring at Gamabunta in shock: "Why did you do that?"
" Baka"
Gamabunta cursed with a single word.
Moments later, Gamabunta returned to his original state and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
Unable to bear the embarrassment caused by his summoner, Gamabunta chose to vanish.
After being struck by his own summoned creature, Tsunade couldn't help but mock Jiraiya: "You're so weak, you can't even control your own summon."
Since he couldn't overpower Gamabunta, Jiraiya resorted to verbal threats: "Damn Gamabunta, I'll kick him next time."
Having seized the opportunity to get back at Jiraiya, Tsunade felt both happy and relieved. She gazed at the fox with growing affection and tenderness, especially with its pristine white fur and cute appearance that piqued her interest. She couldn't resist the urge to hug and care for it.
But the fox leaped to the right, wagging its tail, avoiding Tsunade's embrace. It didn't want to be held by anyone other than its master.
Foxes are often surrounded by prejudice, believed to be deceitful creatures. But in reality, they are very loyal beings, remaining faithful to one partner for their entire lives. Even if their partner dies, they don't seek another.
This nature influenced its behavior when it came to its contract with its summoner, refusing to show any kind of affection to anyone other than its master.
Tsunade felt embarrassed and said, "It seems your summoned creature doesn't like me."
Tōshirō joked, "Maybe it's because you're prone to violence, so it's scared of you. Haha."
"What did you say!"
Tōshirō continued teasing, "See, you're always ready to get violent."
Under the fox's watchful eyes, Tsunade backed down and asked, "Tōshirō, where did you get this summon?"
Tōshirō responded with a grin, "Would you believe me if I said I found it on the road?"
Of course, Tsunade didn't believe that.
But she couldn't find a reasonable explanation, and she wouldn't do something like Jiraiya and summon herself to Mount Myōboku.
"If you don't want to talk, that's fine..."
Tsunade's expression quickly changed, a sly smile appearing on her face as she said, "Tōshirō, I want to ask you for something."
Tōshirō felt suspicious: "No, no, that smile of yours is making me nervous."
Suddenly, Tsunade's face hardened, and she grabbed Tōshirō by the collar with one hand, saying angrily, "Speak clearly!"
Tōshirō smiled and said, "This is your normal self. I love your proud and rebellious look."
Tsunade looked at Tōshirō with disgust: "You're such a pervert."
Tōshirō's smile froze as he said, "I refuse!"
"No, give me a chance."
"Get out."
(End of Chapter)
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