Although Shinki genuinely wanted to use puppets in warfare, the real issue was simple: What I want to do is my business. It has nothing to do with you, right?
These guys, however, decided to convene a Five Kage Summit just to target me?
Fine. Let them talk all they want. Whether or not I agree to their demands is my decision.
"I will always accept these unreasonable requests," Shinki said mockingly. "Hokage, convey my attitude to the leaders of each village. Tell them that I accept their threats, but if they want to play this game, I don't mind dropping my puppets into their villages. Coincidentally, I have a batch of expendable puppets on hand right now."
"What's the effect of airdropping puppets into a village? They can try it and see which one enjoys that kind of treatment first."
It was just a threat. Who wouldn't do that? If they threatened me, I could threaten them back.
The Third Hokage's expression turned stiff, his face betraying his inner turmoil. As the one directly in the crosshairs of this conflict, he bore the brunt of the pressure from the Five Kage Summit.
Headache!
Why had things devolved into such a mess?
The Third Hokage himself didn't know. Shinki's tough stance left no room for compromise, which forced the Hokage to adopt an even firmer attitude in response. But if he appeared either too lenient or too rigid, the situation would spiral out of control sooner or later.
With two days left before the Five Kage Summit, Shinki couldn't help but wonder how these old leaders would target him when they all sat down together.
This trip was already worth it—there was sure to be a fascinating show.
The Third Hokage wore a somber expression. Namikaze Minato, worried about his teacher, remained tense. Shinki, however, seemed as calm as ever, treating the whole affair as business as usual.
The next day, master and student stood atop the back of a giant eagle puppet, flying toward the seas near the Land of Whirlpools. The young blonde was still frowning.
Shinki noticed and raised his hand, landing a light slap on the back of Minato's head.
"What are you brooding over? Your teacher isn't dead yet, so there's no need for you to worry about such things."
"Stop overthinking. Focus on your own tasks. Since we have time now, your special training will continue."
Rubbing the back of his head, Minato muttered, "Teacher, my reaction speed is already very fast. Do I still need more training?"
"The faster, the better," Shinki said firmly. "Even if you're fast, there's always room to improve. If your reaction speed isn't quick enough, you could end up getting yourself killed while using the Flying Thunder God technique—or worse, impaling yourself on an enemy's weapon. Do you really want something like that to happen?"
Minato's imagination conjured a vivid image: using the Flying Thunder God technique to teleport near an enemy, only to impale himself on their weapon because he reacted too slowly.
The thought sent a chill down his spine. Trembling slightly, he nodded vigorously. "Teacher, I'll train hard!"
If such a situation ever occurred, Minato would become the laughingstock of the ninja world. Worse, his teacher, Shinki, would share in that embarrassment.
To avoid bringing shame to his teacher, Minato resolved to train diligently.
Traveling south, the master and student soon arrived near the waters of the Land of Whirlpools. The giant eagle puppet landed on the island's shore. Shinki raised his hand, borrowed a kunai, and began forming seals.
Poof!
With the successful use of the summoning technique, a golden python appeared amidst a cloud of white smoke.
"Jinya, it seems you've been overeating lately," Shinki observed, noticing the snake's slightly plump appearance.
Clearly, Jinya had been causing havoc among the prey in the forest near the camp.
Jinya was the name Shinki had given his summoned beast. As for Minato, his naming choices had always been bizarre—things like "Fire" and "Darkness." Thankfully, Shinki had rejected all of them. Minato eventually settled on naming his own summoned beast "Black Fang."
"Master," Jinya said, raising its head and affectionately nuzzling Shinki. Its speech was slow and halting, like a child learning to talk for the first time.
"You've started learning how to speak," Shinki noted with a small smile.
It wasn't surprising that psychic beasts could talk—many of them could. But to Minato, this was a revelation.
"Teacher, Black Fang can talk!" Minato exclaimed, jumping up in surprise.
Shinki, who was about to praise Jinya, paused mid-sentence. "Calm down. There's nothing special about a summoned beast being able to talk. Many summoned beasts in the ninja world can do so."
Ruffling his disciple's hair, Shinki sighed. "You need more experience. There's no need to make a fuss over such things."
Shinki continued to explain. "Many ninjas in Konoha have summoned beasts capable of speech. For example, the ninja dogs of the Inuzuka clan."
Minato blinked in confusion. "But why do the Inuzuka carry their ninja dogs everywhere?"
"Ah, that's different." Shinki rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "The Inuzuka clan raises their ninja dogs from special breeds, training them from birth. They carry their dogs everywhere—whether to school, meals, or even the toilet. That's why you see so many ninja dogs in Konoha."
He gestured toward Jinya. "Jinya and Black Fang are similar. Though they were created in a lab, they're related to the Dragon Cave, one of the three summoning sanctuaries. Whether it's the toads of Mount Myoboku, the slugs of the Shikkotsu Forest, or the snakes of the Dragon Cave, all can learn human speech."
Minato nodded, finally understanding. "So Jinya and Black Fang are no different from ordinary summoned beasts?"
"Exactly. Now go say goodbye to Black Fang. Remind it not to wander off."
Minato, with a hundred questions still swirling in his mind, hurried off to do as instructed.
>>>>>
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[Naruto: The Tale of an Otsutsuki]