Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Summoning Contract
"Wooosh…"
The fierce wind howled.
A massive sunflower spun continuously in the gusts, driving the helicopter rapidly toward the distant horizon.
"This is truly a convenient jutsu."
Watching the clouds rush by, Tsunade turned her gaze to Kiyoshi, who, at only eight years old, displayed monstrous talent beyond belief.
After a moment of contemplation, she finally spoke to her young student: "Now that I think about it, I haven't given you a proper gift yet, have I?"
"A gift?" Kiyoshi looked surprised, then chuckled.
"Oh, there's no need for that, Tsunade-neechan. Being able to learn medical ninjutsu from you as your student is already more than enough."
He genuinely didn't care much about receiving a gift.
Even if Tsunade were to hand him the crystal necklace imbued with the First Hokage's Wood Style chakra, it wouldn't be of much practical use to him.
After all, he was already a Wood-Wood Fruit user, with the power of nature. If he truly wanted, he could likely create similar chakra crystals using Wood Style.
Of course, if it involved certain other "heavy" pendants, that would be a different story!
"Hm?"
Tsunade, with her eyes closed, bit her finger and quickly formed a series of hand seals.
"Tsunade-sama, are you…?" Shizune, who was nearby, noticed and felt a sense of realization and awe.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Unable to bear the sight of blood due to her hemophobia, Tsunade pressed her hands to the ground, performing the seals with closed eyes.
To the astonishment of both Kiyoshi and Shizune, a vast summoning seal spread across the ground.
"Boom!"
A thick cloud of smoke erupted, revealing a half-human-sized slug with a watery blue hue.
"So, this is the Summoning Jutsu?" Kiyoshi's eyes sparkled with interest. It was amazing to summon a creature from a great distance through such a jutsu.
"Hello, Great Slug… Tsunade-sama, I'll treat you right away."
Shizune, now realizing the situation, greeted the slug respectfully and hurriedly moved to treat Tsunade's hemophobia, carefully wiping away the blood.
As Tsunade's disciple, Shizune knew the name of her master's summoning creature well.
It was known as Katsuyu, part of the Slug Sage's body from the Shikkotsu Forest, a sacred place.
Legends say the true Slug Sage's body was of unimaginable size, so immense that even with all her strength, Tsunade could not summon more than a fraction of it.
"It's been a while, Tsunade-sama, and Shizune."
The slug murmured softly in greeting.
"Katsuyu, this is Ishikawa Kiyoshi, the new disciple I recently accepted. I want him to sign the summoning scroll for the Shikkotsu Forest," Tsunade said directly.
"Your new disciple?" Katsuyu looked at Kiyoshi in mild surprise.
"Yes, Katsuyu-sama, Kiyoshi is a descendant of the Senju clan and has awakened the First Hokage's Wood Release." Shizune added helpfully.
"The First Hokage's Wood Release? How impressive…" Katsuyu said, clearly astonished.
This boy, who looked no older than eight or nine, had awakened the legendary Wood Release of the First Hokage.
"So, Tsunade-neechan, this is your summoning creature?" Kiyoshi sized up Katsuyu.
While he preferred summoning creatures with a more imposing and grandiose appearance, he saw the kindness in his teacher's gesture and didn't reject it.
After all, there were no rules against signing more than one summoning contract.
Being one of the three great summoning creatures, Katsuyu's excellent healing and combat abilities were quite valuable.
Plus, he had always been curious about the unique Sage Mode of Shikkotsu Forest and looked forward to studying it in the future.
His own Sage Mode was self-taught and different from the styles of the three great lands, so there might be a lot he could learn from them.
"Since it's your request, Tsunade-sama, of course, I won't refuse."
With that, Katsuyu's half-human-sized body squirmed, and a damp scroll rolled out of its abdomen, unfolding itself in front of Kiyoshi.
On it were numerous names, the last one boldly displaying Tsunade's.
"Kiyoshi-kun, please write your name here and leave your handprint," Katsuyu instructed.
"Tsunade-neechan, I…"
"Not interested?" Tsunade smiled and asked, "Katsuyu's appearance might not be very imposing, but in terms of healing and combat abilities, it's an exceptional summoning creature."
There was a reason she hadn't mentioned.
The true intent behind this contract was the ancient Sage Arts of Shikkotsu Forest, a place that stood equal to the summoning grounds of Mount Myoboku and Ryuchi Cave.
Even though she hadn't mastered Sage Mode there, she was confident that, one day, Kiyoshi could.
"No, I'll sign… But, please close your eyes first, Tsunade-neechan."
Kiyoshi grinned, promptly bit his finger, and wrote his name in blood, leaving a handprint on the summoning contract.
As soon as he wiped away the blood, the wound disappeared without a trace.
"Please take care of me, Katsuyu-sama." Kiyoshi said politely to his new summoning partner.
Katsuyu smiled, pleased with the politeness of her new summoner. "Nice to meet you, Kiyoshi-kun."
Meanwhile, Tsunade, who had averted her eyes to avoid seeing blood, turned back around at Shizune's prompt.
"Katsuyu, I didn't just summon you to have Kiyoshi sign the contract."
"It's also about that special secret scroll I left with you."
"I understand, Tsunade-sama…" Katsuyu nodded, and with another squirm of her abdomen, she expelled a half-meter-high scroll.
"What's this?" Kiyoshi asked in shock.
Tsunade accepted the scroll, her expression slightly nostalgic and her gaze complicated.
"This is something my grandfather entrusted to me. It contains all of the Wood Release Jutsus he developed in his lifetime.
The version kept in Konoha is just a backup—this is the original, and it's much more complete."
"But sadly, neither I nor any other member of the Senju clan has been able to awaken the Wood Release."
Tsunade's words left Kiyoshi stunned. So the Wood Release Jutsus in the hands of the Third Hokage and Danzo were incomplete.
He had even considered trying to acquire the First Hokage's techniques from Danzo someday.
"Now, I entrust this to you, Kiyoshi." Tsunade solemnly handed the half-meter scroll to Kiyoshi.
"Th-This…" Kiyoshi stared at Tsunade in shock. While he had suspected she might have a scroll related to Wood Release, he hadn't expected she would hand it over so soon.
After all, he had only recently become her student, and Tsunade wasn't known for being impulsive.
Normally, he would have to prove himself for a few years before she would trust him with this.
"Don't ever give up on your dreams, you little pervert…" Tsunade gazed at him with deep affection, gently patting his cheek with a hopeful smile.
"I'll be waiting for the day you return to the village to take your place as a Hokage."
Because if it's you, I know you'll make it.
Tsunade thought, carrying on the dreams of Nawaki, her younger brother.
"Tsunade-sama." Shizune, shocked by her mentor's words, quickly smiled, her eyes full of expectation.
"Kiyoshi-kun, you better do your best."
Kiyoshi "…"
The eager anticipation and trust from Tsunade and Shizune made Kiyoshi realize they might have misunderstood his intentions.
Becoming Hokage? What he originally meant was that he wanted to be "the man behind the Fifth Hokage."
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