Shikigami Summoning in Konoha

Chapter 12: Adorable Hinata!

Within the silent wooden house, the only sound was the gentle flow of the brook beneath the cherry blossom tree outside. Katsuragi glanced between the Three-Tailed Fox, whose face was frosty with anger, and Yuki-onna, who normally wore a neutral expression. He sighed silently. There's no hiding this anyway—might as well tell them.

"I got hurt. It happened yesterday afternoon, because of those Cloud ninja."

"Cloud ninja!?"

The Three-Tailed Fox's eyes flashed with a mix of rage and concern upon hearing Katsuragi was wounded. She recalled yesterday's events and asked, "You mean the ones we saw at the ramen shop?"

Yuki-onna was newly summoned and didn't know much about what Katsuragi and the Three-Tailed Fox were discussing. She didn't press for details, simply standing by and listening calmly.

"Yeah."

Katsuragi nodded at the Three-Tailed Fox. "Yesterday, after failing to find any bears, I decided to stay in the forest a bit longer, hoping I'd find one. Then, on my way back, I ran into them trying to abduct someone from the Hyūga Clan."

The Three-Tailed Fox remembered what Katsuragi had said before about the Hyūga's distinctive features.

"The Hyūga? Aren't they the ones with those pure-white eyes?"

"Exactly. Their Byakugan is a unique Kekkei Genkai exclusive to Konoha's Hyūga Clan, and they guard it zealously. The Cloud ninja wanted to kidnap them to steal that priceless power."

"You tried to stop them?"

The Three-Tailed Fox couldn't think of any other scenario that would explain Katsuragi's injury. She scolded him, "Are you stupid? Why would you jump in like that, knowing how dangerous they are?"

"Uh…"

Katsuragi felt awkward. Thinking back, he also realized it was foolhardy. The smartest move would have been to raise an alarm first, attract other people's attention, and then stall for time.

It was fortunate Hyūga Hiashi arrived in time. Otherwise, his career as a ninja might have ended before it ever began.

"Your injuries aren't serious, are they?"

After reprimanding Katsuragi, the Three-Tailed Fox immediately worried about his wounds. She came right up to him, inspecting him closely from head to toe. But since they were inside the courtyard (where his physical injuries didn't show), she saw nothing unusual.

"Don't worry, Fox Sis," Katsuragi hurriedly reassured her. "It's over now—really, I'm fine!"

"I'm sorry, Little Katsuragi…"

Contrary to his comfort, the Three-Tailed Fox bowed her head, sounding dejected. "All of this is because my power was too weak to protect you…"

"Fox Sis, not this again!"

Katsuragi said helplessly, gazing at her intently. "It's exactly your power that saved my life. Without it, I would've died back there."

The Three-Tailed Fox fell silent, seeming torn between accepting Katsuragi's words and remaining unconvinced.

Right then, Yuki-onna took a quiet step closer to the Three-Tailed Fox—her first time approaching her. In a clear, cool voice, she said, "You did well. From here on, we can guard him together."

"Yuki-onna…"

Hearing the gentleness in her gaze, the Three-Tailed Fox nodded resolutely. "Mm!"

Watching them, Katsuragi exhaled in relief. He silently thanked Yuki-onna. She's not as cold as she appears. Even the iciest exterior can't hide a caring heart.

"Alright, I'm off to rest, Fox Sis, Big Sis Yuki-onna."

Having stayed awake the entire night, Katsuragi felt sudden fatigue overwhelm him after sorting everything out. Considering his real body was only four years old—and injured—he probably wouldn't even be able to keep his eyes open if this weren't the courtyard.

"Take care and heal up, okay!"

Waving goodbye to the Three-Tailed Fox, who was still fussing about his condition, Katsuragi's figure disappeared from the courtyard and returned to the Hyūga Clan guest room.

"Yuki-onna's Power…"

Katsuragi shifted his position slightly, half-opening his eyes to gaze at the still-falling snow outside the window. He could sense a new closeness in the air, as if he could direct the snow whenever he wanted.

But he didn't try to use that ability. Right now, his chakra was still depleted from yesterday's battle. Wasting energy controlling snow would only hamper his recovery.

"What if people ask me about what really happened? How should I explain it?"

Katsuragi pondered how to handle the aftermath. He intended to come up with a plausible cover story before sleeping, but his eyelids grew heavier and heavier… until he fell asleep without even realizing it.

When Katsuragi opened his eyes again, small, pale hands were gently shaking him awake. Hinata sat at his bedside, her cheeks flushed red with shyness. Seeing him stir, she spoke in a soft, trembling voice:

"Y-you're awake! You need… to take your medicine…"

Sitting upright, Katsuragi shook his head to fully wake up. He asked, "What time is it now?"

"I-it's… already afternoon…"

Noticing how Hinata kept her head down, as if too shy to meet his gaze, Katsuragi felt a pang of exasperation. "Miss Hinata, am I that scary?"

"C-call me… Hinata… You… you're not scary!"

She kept fiddling with her fingers and bowing her head. Even though she claimed he wasn't scary, she still wouldn't make eye contact. Katsuragi honestly wasn't sure how to respond.

But recalling her personality from the anime, he figured it wasn't that strange. Glancing at the window, where the snow had finally stopped, he cautiously stretched his limbs. Then he took the medicine she handed him, thanking her: "Thank you, Hinata!"

"N-no… you're welcome…"

She peeked up just enough to watch him swallow the pills. Seeing that he'd taken them, she gave a small smile of relief. But when Katsuragi's eyes flicked toward her, she instantly ducked her head again, retreating to her shy "ostrich" state.

"Hinata…" she began, stammering. "Father said… once you… woke up… he wanted you… to see him…"

"Hyūga Hiashi wants to see me?"

Katsuragi froze, a hint of worry crossing his mind. The clan head was probably going to ask about last night. Since he still hadn't come up with a good story, he felt his stress level rising again.

"Huh? Katsuragi, what's wrong?"

Seeing him remain silent, brow furrowed, Hinata timidly looked up. She immediately noticed how troubled he appeared.

"Oh…"

Katsuragi jolted back to awareness, turning to Hinata with a faint shrug. "It's nothing. By the way, I'm calling you Hinata now, so can you drop that 'Katsuragi-kun' thing and just call me Katsuragi?"

"Ka… Ka… Katsuragi…"

"… …"

"That's too many 'Ka's all at once."

"S-sorry!"

Watching Hinata blush and stammer was actually rather adorable. Katsuragi couldn't help but smile, feeling his earlier worry lighten a bit. You know what? I'll just deal with whatever Hiashi asks on the spot. He's not gonna harm me when I almost died rescuing his daughter, right?

End of Chapter 12