Upon his return, Kaitou was greeted with two different sights. One was the expectant - and slightly weirded-out - looks coming from Hashirama and Tobirama. The other was two transparent blue screens appearing in the corner of his vision.
He had to ignore the screens for now, much to his personal dismay. His last achievements had given him incredible rewards, things that still held great value, even if he hadn't fully explored them yet. Each decision regarding them required careful consideration.
Before he could say anything, Hashirama crossed his arms, a mix of relief and curiosity on his face. "Took you long enough. You were gone for two whole days! We were this close to activating the recall seal ourselves."
Kaitou blinked in mild surprise. "Two days?"
Tobirama narrowed his eyes. "Yes. And don't tell me you lost track of time. That's not like you."
Kaitou frowned slightly, thinking back to his time with the Tengu. He could've sworn he had only been gone for a single day at most. Even with everything they had discussed, the training, and the history lessons, the flow of time had felt normal to him. Yet, here, two whole days had passed.
"I didn't lose track of time," he said, his voice thoughtful. "But the place I went to… it was unlike anything I've encountered before. It might've had some kind of unique time distortion."
Tobirama hummed, clearly considering the implications, while Hashirama just shrugged. "Well, as long as you made it back in one piece, it's fine. So? You got yourself a summoning contract?"
Kaitou nodded. "Yes, it was a success. But it's more complicated than I expected."
Hearing this, even Tobirama raised an eyebrow. He then shot a glance at Hashirama, silently stopping him from pressing for details. If Kaitou was being cautious about revealing information, there was probably a good reason for it.
"That's good," Tobirama finally said. "And regarding what it is, you don't have to tell us yet. Just do so when the time is right."
Kaitou nodded. He knew that even if he was allowed to talk about the Tengu, he needed to choose his words carefully.
"Anything that happened in those days, that I'd need to know?" Kaitou inquired, trying to change the subject for now.
"Ah, now that you're saying it, those two guys, the Hoshikawa and Kurogane kid came by a few hours ago. Even we were slightly surprised, because firstly, who could have imagined that you would start so early as a teacher, and secondly, that they even found this place. It seemed, as if they asked around the whole camp to find you," came from Hashirama when he remembered the meeting with them.
"But, isn't learning Kekkei Genkai as a requirement a bit far fetched, Kaitou? They looked like good and talented Shinobi as they were," getting reminded by his brother, Tobirama, asked his own question.
Upon hearing this Kaitou sighed silently, which didn't escape the other two, and responded in a lightly amused tone, "Well, it all started as an experiment actually. I didn't have any real intentions of getting myself students or subordinates already. You can imagine the surprise they gave me, when they absorbed the theory parts as if they were dry sponges."
"Hell, they finished with the theoretical work on the first day, and while it is not as complicated as the higher stages of Fūinjutsu, it certainly is not something just anyone can understand fully in a matter of days, much less hours," he added, now having a slightly proud look on his face.
Seeing this, his uncles exchanged glances, before also showing small smiles on their faces. 'It seems, he doesn't even understand, that he appears to be a perfect teacher,' Tobirama silently told himself.
After this exchange, all three of them were silent for a moment, realizing there was not much more to be said here, Kaitou said his goodbyes and went back towards his training grounds to take a Quick Look on the progress of his test subjects, before resting back home.
Kaitou made his way toward the training grounds, his thoughts still lingering on the revelation of the time distortion. It was a concerning development, but one that would have to wait. For now, he wanted to check on his two students - though he still wasn't quite used to calling them that.
As he approached, he could hear the faint sound of chakra surging, followed by the distinct sound of a clash. His curiosity piqued, Kaitou quickened his pace, stepping onto the field.
The sight before him brought a smirk to his face.
Hoshikawa and Kurogane were deep in training, sparring against each other while simultaneously refining their chakra manipulation. Their movements were sharper than before, their chakra control noticeably more refined. Though they were far from mastering the fusion of their elements, their progress was undeniable.
At the sound of his footsteps, both stopped and turned toward him. Their expressions immediately shifted - relief, curiosity, and perhaps a bit of frustration.
"Kaitou-sensei!" Fuyuki called, lowering his stance. "You're back!"
Raiga nodded, crossing his arms. "Where were you? We couldn't find you for two days."
Kaitou exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. "I had some business to take care of." He glanced over their forms, assessing their exhaustion. "But it looks like you two didn't slack off while I was gone."
Fuyuki scratched his cheek sheepishly. "Well… we thought you'd be mad if we did."
Kaitou chuckled lightly. "Good." Then, his tone shifted slightly, carrying a note of satisfaction. "You've improved."
Both of them straightened at the praise, Raiga trying to hide his pleased expression while Fuyuki grinned outright.
Still, Kaitou knew they were reaching their limit. They had been at this for hours, and any further training today would only lead to diminishing returns.
"That's enough for today," he decided. "Go rest and recover. Training while exhausted won't get you anywhere."
The two hesitated for a moment before ultimately nodding, clearly drained but unwilling to argue.
As they left, Kaitou stayed behind for a little while longer, looking up at the evening sky. His mind was still filled with everything that had happened - the Tengu, the time distortion, and the potential this new connection held.
Eventually, he turned on his heel and made his way home.
The walk was quiet, the cool night air helping him unwind. By the time he reached his quarters, exhaustion had fully settled into his body. He barely had the energy to undress before collapsing onto his bed.
The moment his head hit the pillow, his vision was filled once more with the blue screens he had ignored earlier.
With a tired sigh, but no small amount of anticipation, Kaitou finally focused on them.
[System Notice!]
[Multiple Achievements received]
[Achievement received]
[Signing the deal!]
[Description: You have managed to form a summoning contract with one of the highest grades available for summoning creatures (civilizations).
Reward:
-Random Summoning Contract (Game Realm edition)]
[Achievement received]
[Explorer of the forgotten and hidden]
[Description: You have managed to find your way to a long forgotten civilization. Said civilization was deeply hidden, so deep that no one should have ever been able to find their way there.
Reward:
-ancient relic]
"…"
Kaitou looked at both of the achievements, the elation because of the first reward dimmed slightly upon setting sight on the second one. Forgetting momentarily about his second Summoning Contract, he tapped on the screen, and the reward materialized.
Kaitou stared at the golden ring in his hand, its polished surface reflecting the dim light of his quarters. It looked unassuming - just a simple band of gold, neither extravagant nor particularly eye-catching. But the moment he laid eyes on it, he felt a strange pull, a lingering sensation of something vast and unknown pressing at the edges of his perception.
Frowning slightly, he activated [Observe].
[Ancient Relic: Hoopa's Ring]
An artifact belonging to a powerful being that exists beyond the normal constraints of this world. The ring is a key - a link between dimensions, binding its original owner in a sealed state. Releasing the seal may have unpredictable consequences.
Kaitou's grip on the ring tightened. Hoopa…? The name rang a bell, but he couldn't put his finger on it, the description alone though, was enough to make him wary. A being that required sealing? That could only mean it was immensely powerful.
His exhaustion warred with his curiosity, but his curiosity won in the end. He channeled a careful stream of chakra into the ring, testing its reaction.
The response was immediate.
The air around him rippled like a mirage, a faint hum resonating through his very bones. Symbols he couldn't quite recognize flickered across the ring's surface, glowing with an eerie purple light. A sudden weight pressed against the room - a presence, ancient and restless.
Then, before he could even react, the space in front of him twisted.
A swirling vortex of deep violet energy erupted into existence, distorting the fabric of reality itself. From within, a figure emerged.
It was small - much smaller than he had expected for something so ominous. A floating, impish creature with large golden rings adorning its horns and arms. Its eyes gleamed with intelligence, but there was something else – something unsettling. Despite its bound state, Kaitou could sense its power, coiled beneath layers of restriction like a storm waiting to be unleashed.
This was also the moment why the name sounded familiar. Hoopa was a Pokémon, and a very strong and intriguing one at that. But, even if he knew where it came from, and what it was now, seeing it on screen and having it in front of him, were two entirely different things.
The creature – Hoopa – tilted its head, chains of shimmering energy wrapped tightly around its form. It smirked, its voice an eerie, echoing chime.
"So, you're the one who found my ring."
Kaitou's muscles tensed instinctively, but he kept his expression neutral. "And you are?"
The creature chuckled, the sound both playful and ominous. "Hoopa. And you, little human, have just stumbled upon something far beyond your understanding."
"…" Kaitou
"Hihihi, I'm just kidding, let's be friends. My name is Hoopa, and what is yours?" the little flying imp broke out in tears as he was laughing out loud, before introducing himself, his big eyes fixed on Kaitou
"My name is Kaitou Uzumaki, on a good partnership, I guess," seeing the little guy making the first step made Kaitou involuntarily drop his guard slightly, making him respond a bit awkwardly.
Kaitou exhaled slowly, his mind already working through possible scenarios. This was unexpected, but it was at least not the first time, he had to deal with something like this, and will probably not be the last.
He talked a bit with Hoopa about everything the little guy could remember, which actually wasn't a lot. Kaitou estimated his currently sealed state was the cause of that, this was something he had to focus on in the future.
The energetic little imp soon became sleepy, with how much he talked it didn't come as a surprise. Kaitou brought him to the room, his mother used, back when they both arrived here.
Hoopa didn't take long to fall asleep, making Kaitou breath a sigh of relief. He was cute and interesting, but way too talkative for Kaitou's taste.
Now back in his room, he decided to take the other reward right away as well, as he was now fully awake. Looking at the screen again, he couldn't help but focus on the word 'Random' for a second, before tapping on it.
Swoosh.
The next moment, a gigantic Fortune wheel appeared before him, when looking at it, he was able to read a few words written on the different parts. Things like, Genshin Impact, Soulslike, Palworld, Subnautica,… , and many more. Names of games that existed in his old world. Some of which he knew, and others he didn't.
It seemed simple enough, so he gave the wheel a good spin and waited. It took nearly a minute before it stopped spinning, which was in itself already weird, because Kaitou didn't use much strength, he just looked at the wheel, waiting for the winner.
[Congratulations Host, you have received the Reward: Summoning Contract (Monster Hunter).]