Bab 8: The Sharingan Crow
"So, you're Shisui's disciple?" the crow asked me as I froze upon the sight of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"The Mangekyō Sharingan..." I breathed out, and in my daze, I stared into the eye.
I had yet to see one, and the Mangekyō Sharingan was the ultimate power of the Uchiha, one which I aimed to acquire for myself one day, but that still needed to be developed.
"Huh, so you know of this secret eye, boy?" The crow asked me again. The crow seemed somewhat elder, but still, his voice was equivalent to a man in his early 60s on Earth.
"Of course. It's the ultimate evolution of the Sharingan, or after the Eternal Mangekyō, of course," I said, but the crow didn't even react.
"Well, let's introduce ourselves first. I'm Karasu, the 23rd Chieftain of the Forest Crows," Karasu said.
I expected as much, but what shocked me was the "Forest Crows" part.
"There are multiple Crow Villages?" I asked him, and Karasu nodded.
"Before, we were one large clan, during the early Warring States. We fought the Albatross Clan, or more specifically the Wandering Albatross, the greatest bird fighters yet known to this world. We linked up with the Hawks, Eagles, Owls, and Falcons to fight this threat. After 200 years of war, we won, wiping them out." He said.
"However, a lot of us crows were exhausted and tired from the never-ending war, so the clan broke up in what is called the Silent Break. Clans within the clan were formed, and they left simultaneously. The once great clan split into 4 within 50 years: The Mountain Crows, the Forest Crows, the City Crows, and the Plain Crows," he continued, and I nodded along.
I guess that's how that one Tokubetsu Jōnin utilizes crows to fight.
"We remained, and we've entered a time of prosperity, as each of the 5 Great Clans of Tenguwood—the Forest Hawks, the Owls, the Falcons, the Eagles, and the Crows—each took one part of the forest. But this truce is hanging by a thread," he said.
"I see. But what is to be done with me?" I asked Karasu.
"You are to become our Summoner, of course. Shisui long since deemed you worthy when he gave you the contract, and he also wrote to us of your imminent arrival. His death saddened the clan, but I'm sure they'll be lively once again, now that we have a new one," he said, and I smiled at that.
At least I don't have to prove myself.
"I see. Would you be so kind as to give me a rundown of the crows as a clan?" I asked, and Karasu sighed, no doubt knowing of Yoru's laziness.
"I see. Well, where shall I begin?" he said as he thought for a second.
"Firstly, the clan is split into 2 affiliations: the White Claws and the Black Claws. The White Claws are our fighters, exceptionally large crows. Their white feathers and size come from breeding experiments with the Wandering Albatross, resulting in large and strong crows. Then there are the Black Crows, our most numerous. They fill a variety of roles: transport, spying, tracking, hunting, eating, assassinating. They make up the majority of the clan," he said.
"There's about 150 adult White Claws, with an average size of 10-15 meters tall. Additionally, we have about 2,000 Black Claws of varying sizes, all larger or smaller than the average. And then there are 5,000 normal crows, the same size as me," he said, finishing the basic information phase.
"Our largest warrior is Shirotori, the crow who led you inside. He also leads the White Claws. The leader of the Black Claws, Kuro, is about the size of Yoru, who brought you here. Yoru, although he seems lazy, is one of our finest transport and Ninjutsu users. He's granted the Wind affinity, and a strong one at that."
"We live in Tenguwood, specifically inside The Great Tree, situated in the northern part of the Great Ruins, which lies in the middle of Tenguwood. The Great Tree is 550 meters tall and 145 meters wide. We crows of the Forest Crow Clan live here, and we only venture outside for hunting or missions," he said, finishing the information dump.
I took a few seconds to absorb the information.
The Crow Clan was surprisingly efficient in combat. If they had 150 warriors the size of the two guards outside the Tree, that would indeed be a force to be reckoned with.
Additionally, the crows are one of the most unique and versatile summons I've ever heard of.
Flying, transport, spying, hunting, fighting, tracking, assassinating, and delivering information.
Very few could offer all these things. However, I focused my attention back on the bird chief.
"Well, do you know much about the outside world?" I asked him, and he nodded.
"Shisui told me a lot. It's been split into 5 main villages and multiple smaller ones. Each village is led by a Kage. There have been 3 wars where every village was involved. The Tailed Beasts are captured and placed inside Jinchūriki, and most villages have multiple clans, like yours and Shisui's, the strongest clan in Konoha," he said, and I sighed.
Yeah, we truly were the strongest clan in Konoha.
"Was," I said.
"Pardon?" Karasu asked.
"Was. The Uchiha Clan is no longer the strongest clan in the village. In fact, we're the weakest," I said, and I think he was shocked, but I couldn't tell.
"Huh? How? It's been less than a year since Shisui died," Karasu asked.
"Do you know someone named Itachi Uchiha?" I asked him.
"Aye, the prodigy."
"Well, he turned on the clan, slaughtering all of them—children, women, and men. The only ones who survived are Sasuke and me. Recently, 4 Uchiha Chūnin returned from an undercover mission, but that's all. The rest are dead. And I'm the Clan Head now," I said, and Karasu went silent.
"To think he turned on the clan... and Shisui," Karasu said slowly before sighing.
"I see. Well, we, the Crows, shall not let our summoner, and the new Clan Head of the Uchiha, fight alone," he said, looking me dead in the eyes.
"We'll help in any way possible," he said, and my eyes widened as I began thinking.
Crows? In what way could they help me in day-to-day life? It's not like they can act as the police force—
That might just work.
"Lord Karasu, can crows remain outside the forest for long?" I asked him.
"Well, it depends. Most summoning clans cannot, like the toads and snakes. But that's primarily because they aren't natural due to their growing size. Unlike others, some breeds of crows only become as large as the crows in your area of the world. And these crows could remain there for years without returning, as long as they get there manually," he said, and I couldn't help but let a grin spread across my face.
"Well, would it be possible to deploy a network of crows throughout the city?" I asked, and I felt Karasu smile as well, though it was only a feeling.
...
After a few hours inside that office, I finally exited and headed back to the balcony. The large white, armored crow was gone, but Yoru was still laying on the balcony, sleeping.
"Yoru," I said as I approached him.
"Ah, good morning," he said as he opened one eye while keeping the other closed.
"Well, I've talked with Karasu, and I've been accepted as the main summoner of your clan," I told him, and with that, he closed both eyes.
"Good for you," he said.
I sighed before continuing.
"Well, Karasu told me that you'd teach me how to return to my house," I said, as the crow tried ignoring me for a few seconds, but eventually got up.
"It's quite simple. It's the same as utilizing the summoning jutsu. Bite your finger, drawing blood. Then perform these hand seals before smashing your hand into the ground," he said, and I nodded, biting my hand.
He then said the hand seals out loud as I performed them.
Boar → Dog → Bird → Monkey → Ram
I then slammed my right hand onto the ground as a seal spread through the ground beneath me.
In a split second, I disappeared, and the view of the forest was replaced by my own house, and Sasuke.
"What? How'd you just appear?" Sasuke asked as he put the kunai he had just drawn back into his pouch.
Holy shit, that went so well. I got one of the most diverse summons and some help. I can't think of any other way it could have gone better.
If I'm lucky, I can even manage to get myself a top spy network, which I could use later if the Uchiha get our police position back. Or simply gain blackmail on so many people.
However, I turned to Sasuke, not leaving him be.
"It's simple. I've got myself a summoning," I said with a smile as Sasuke's eyes widened.
"What? Which one? Let me see!" he said, launching a barrage of questions.
"Crows," I said, and his previously lively mood dampened.
"Now, I know what you're thinking, but no, it's not the same as Itachi. I got the contract from Shisui, and Itachi is simply using his jutsu," I said, and Sasuke slowly started to feel better.
However, I decided to test it out as I threw up the hand seals again.
Boar → Dog → Bird → Monkey → Ram, before concentrating about 20% of my chakra into it.
And in front of me appeared a slightly larger crow. Perhaps 10% larger than the normal crow.
"Oh, you're the new summoner? Nice to meet you. I'm Sokou, the fastest message deliverer in the Crow family. If you ever need me, simply think of me and use about the same amount of chakra as now," he said, rambling way too much in one breath.
"Alright, I just wanted to test the summoning jutsu. You may return now if you wish," I told him, and although I could see some resistance to leaving, he reluctantly did.
"O-okay, well call me if you want to chat, or need me to deliver something," he said.
"Alright, see you, Sokou," I said as he popped out of my house.
"That. Was. So. Cool," Sasuke said beside me as I turned to him, only to see stars in his eyes.
I would never hear the end of this, would I?
Fuck.
— Bab baru akan segera rilis — Tulis ulasan
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone