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Although he didn't know why Yuuki Yuichi could pull such a thing from his crotch, Yuhi shinku still stepped forward to examine the scroll.
The scroll was smaller than a normal summoning scroll. As Yuhi shinku unfolded it, he paused in confusion, then looked strangely at Yuuki Yuichi before reading aloud, "The Red Flame Fire Crow will one day punch the toad and kick the big snake!"
Yuuki Yuichi's name was clearly written on the left side.
"Is this a summoning scroll?" Yuhi Shinku exclaimed in disbelief. Summoning techniques were something anyone could learn, but possessing a summoning beast wasn't as easy.
So how did Yuuki Yuichi suddenly end up with this?
Closing the scroll, Yuhi Shinku glanced once more at Yuuki Yuichi's crotch before placing it back on the table, unsure what to think of the boy.
In his current groggy state, Yuuki Yuichi hadn't even realized he exposed the existence of the Fire Crow Clan. Still dizzy, his last memory was Yuhi shinku's baffled expression before he lost consciousness again.
At around 3 p.m., Yuuki Yuichi slowly woke up in bed.
"An unfamiliar ceiling…"
Yuuki Yuichi murmured incoherently, still groggy, before suddenly jolting awake. "Oh, the familiar ceiling!"
"What happened to me?" he muttered, rubbing his head, as the memory of earlier events resurfaced.
"Damn Uzumaki Naruto!" he cursed. In his mind, since both he and Naruto were from powerful clans—his Uchiha bloodline and his 1.5-tomoe Sharingan—there shouldn't have been a problem summoning eight shadow clones, though he knew it wasn't ideal.
It turns out he was dead wrong.
Had he pushed himself to create more clones, he might've genuinely died. Shadow clones were similar to the multi-shadow clone technique, but not as extreme, since the latter allowed for the creation of thousands at once.
But Yuuki Yuichi learned the hard way that even a few shadow clones can wreak havoc on your mind.
Yuhi Shinku, who had been watching from the doorway with the Fire Crow Clan's scroll in hand, spoke up. "Here, take it back." He tossed the scroll to Yuuki Yuichi. "Where did you even get this?"
Yuuki Yuichi stared at the scroll for a moment before recalling what happened in the forest earlier that day. "This morning, I ran into a bird engulfed in flames near Hokage Rock."
He glanced at Yuhi Shinku, seeing him listening attentively, and continued, "So, I put out the fire with a bucket of water. After that, it asked me to sign my name on this scroll and then flew away."
With a blank expression, he waved the summoning scroll.
Yuhi Shinku fell into silence, processing the story. The bird on fire was likely a Fire Crow, and it was probably practicing some fire technique when Yuuki doused it with water.
And yet, instead of holding a grudge, the crow allowed Yuuki Yuichi to sign a summoning contract.
None of this added up.
Despite the strangeness of it all, Yuhi Shinku didn't doubt Yuuki Yuichi's words. Although the boy was mischievous, he wasn't a liar. And the fact that he had gained a summoning beast was something to celebrate.
A summoning beast, especially an intelligent one, was a valuable asset for any ninja. It wasn't like anyone could just form contracts with them—these were often the foundations of entire clans, such as the Sarutobi Clan's bond with the Saru Demon Clan.
After a moment of reflection, Yuhi Shinku nodded in understanding. "You should take care of this scroll yourself, Yuichi," she advised seriously. "It's your good fortune and a testament to your strength. But keep it safe."
Yuuki Yuichi nodded, agreeing. He glanced at the scroll, realizing it wasn't something to be taken lightly. You couldn't simply reproduce it if lost, and signing it required the Fire Crow's approval.
Feeling confident, Yuuki Yuichi looked at Yuhi Shinku. "Uncle, do you want to sign it too?"
Yuhi Shinku raised an eyebrow, then smiled and shook his head. "I already have my own summoning beast. Besides, the Fire Crow chose you. Summoning beasts like these don't just let anyone sign a contract without consent."
He knew too well that contracts with powerful summoning beasts, such as Jiraiya's toad from Mount Myoboku, were rare and highly coveted. Yuhi shinku chuckled at the memory of an elder in Konoha trying—and failing miserably—to force such a contract in the past.
"Just be careful," he added. "Years ago, a high-ranking official tried to take someone else's summoning beast and ended up getting beaten up. Even the person with the contract was thrashed by their own summoning beast."
"Don't let that happen to you," he warned with a grin. "That would be too embarrassing."
Yuuki Yuichi laughed at the thought, but his mind quickly jumped to one particular bandaged elder—Danzo.
It had to be him.
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