Shikigami Summoning in Konoha

Chapter 27: The Water Here is Shallow, You Won't Drown!

"It's okay!"

Hearing Hinata's words, Katsuragi smiled reassuringly, feeling somewhat pleased inside. Before this, he had been slightly worried. After all, in the original story, Hinata had feelings for Naruto, and he feared she might be influenced by the plot's inertia.

Now seeing that she was still more concerned about him, Katsuragi felt relieved.

"I am Katsuragi Kotori!"

Katsuragi stretched out his hand and gently ruffled Hinata's hair, then leaned closer to whisper in her blushing face, "Hinata, look, I'm about to do something 'dangerous' for you, how about a little reward later?"

"Reward!?"

Hinata looked up at Katsuragi in confusion, then lowered her head again, asking softly, "What… what kind of reward do you want?"

"Hehe!"

Katsuragi chuckled mischievously. After over a year of getting closer, their relationship had improved significantly from when they first met, so it was about time to make some 'naughty' requests.

To prevent the old pervert, the Third Hokage, from overhearing, Katsuragi—the little devil, cough, the young boy—moved even closer to Hinata, almost touching her face, and proposed, "How about a kiss later, is that okay?"

"Eh!?"

Hinata froze, her face turning bright red, almost as if it was on fire. Katsuragi could almost see steam coming out of her head, and her expression was as dazed as if she were drunk.

"Kiss… kiss… one kiss!"

Hinata repeated Katsuragi's request in a whisper, her mind in turmoil. If it weren't for the long time she had to adjust, she might have fainted by now, though she was close to it even so.

"Yes! Yes! Just one!"

Seeing that Hinata might agree, Katsuragi quickly put on a pitiful look and said, "I listened to you and am about to approach him, facing great 'danger', so please agree! Hinata!"

"Uh!"

Hinata, slightly clearer-headed now though she might have preferred to say it wasn't necessary to approach him, looked at Katsuragi's hopeful face and finally, biting her lip, whispered faintly, "Then… only… one time!"

"No problem!"

Hearing Hinata agree, Katsuragi cheered silently, almost jumping with joy. He calmed himself down and looked in Naruto's direction, thinking gratefully, "Naruto, Naruto, thank you so much!"

The Third Hokage, observing Katsuragi and Hinata through the crystal ball, was puzzled by Katsuragi's sudden excitement and took a puff of his cigarette, muttering to himself, "That girl is Hiashi's child, right?"

"The one next to her is the young Katsuragi Kotori he mentioned."

Unbeknownst to Katsuragi, the Third Hokage was not completely unaware of him. After all, Katsuragi had been involved in the Hyuga kidnapping incident, so Hiashi had mentioned him in his reports, but due to Hiashi's reasons, the Third hadn't paid too much attention.

"Katsuragi..."

The Third was familiar with that surname; Katsuragi's father had been an important subordinate by his side. Katsuragi didn't know it, but the Third's tolerance towards him was higher than he imagined.

Watching Katsuragi approach Naruto, the Third put aside his thoughts and focused on the crystal ball. He wanted to see what Katsuragi was planning, whether he was just there to mock and bully Naruto or if he had other intentions.

"Hey there! How are you!"

Seeing Naruto by the river, too absorbed in his sadness to notice his arrival, Katsuragi, for some reason, started the conversation by asking, "Are you planning to jump into the river? The water here is shallow, you won't drown!"

"Cough, cough, cough…"

The Third Hokage, who had been smoking at that moment, choked suddenly, completely caught off guard by Katsuragi's words.

"Huh!?"

The crying Naruto also paused, then turned to look left and right, realizing there was no one else around before pointing at himself and tremblingly asking, "Are… are you talking to me?"

"No, there's a ghost next to you getting ready to jump into the river!"

"Where? Where?"

Seeing Naruto frightened into jumping up, Katsuragi was speechless and then said, "Alright! I was just joking. Are you okay? You weren't really planning to jump, were you?"

Hearing that Katsuragi was joking, Naruto let out a big sigh of relief. Then, seeing Katsuragi thinking he was about to jump, he loudly exclaimed, "Who's jumping into the river? I… I..."

Embarrassed to say he had come there to cry, Naruto struggled for words before shouting again, "I'm looking at the fish, planning to make grilled fish! Yes, grilled fish!"

Seeing Naruto trying hard to find an excuse for himself, Katsuragi smiled helplessly and didn't tease him further, saying, "Alright, since you're not planning to jump, that's fine. Continue looking at the fish then!"

"Wait..."

Seeing Katsuragi turning to leave, Naruto quickly called out, seizing the rare opportunity to interact with someone who didn't hate or despise him, especially someone who seemed to be about his age. He nervously asked, "You… you don't hate me?"

"Um! If you can grill a tasty fish for me, I might consider not disliking you!"

Katsuragi teased, holding his chin and grinning. Just as he finished speaking and saw Naruto's actions, he was stunned.

"Splosh!"

Watching Naruto shout, "Wait for me, I'll catch a fish for you now!" and dive into the water, Katsuragi felt somewhat guilty. He really hadn't planned on interacting much with Naruto; after all, it was too dangerous and could easily expose some of his secrets.

But seeing Naruto, who wasn't good at swimming, still trying hard in the water to catch fish for him, Katsuragi felt that just walking away now would be too cruel.

"Sigh!"

After a silent sigh, Katsuragi signaled to Hinata that there was nothing to worry about, picked up a few pebbles, and walked to the riverbank. Watching Naruto splashing around, he called out, "Alright, alright, come back. By the time you catch a fish, it will be too late!"

"Eh!?"

Naruto, still in the water, paused, then feeling somewhat disappointed, thought the one person who didn't despise him was about to leave. Just as he was lost in thought, he suddenly heard three splashes beside him, startling him.

Then, he saw three big fish turn belly up on the water surface, and he couldn't figure out what had just happened.

"What are you waiting for, come on, get the fish! Although the weather is nice, be careful not to catch a cold if you stay in the water any longer!" Seeing Naruto still dazed in the water, Katsuragi, who had stunned the fish with stones, urged him.

"Okay! Okay!" Naruto finally realized Katsuragi wasn't leaving, hurriedly grabbed the fish, and came back to shore. Then, excitedly looking at Katsuragi, he asked, "How did you do that?"

"What do you mean 'how'?" Katsuragi, about to call Hinata over, looked puzzled at Naruto.

"The fish!" Naruto held up the fish in his hands and eagerly looked at Katsuragi: "How did you make them come up like that?"

"Oh, that!" Katsuragi picked up a stone, aimed at a big fish in the river, and threw it with precision, hitting the fish directly on the head. The fish immediately turned over and floated to the surface.

"Just like that!"

"Awesome!" Naruto's eyes sparkled as he watched Katsuragi, having never seen someone about his own age with such impressive skills before.

The Third Hokage, observing Katsuragi's actions, was also surprised. He hadn't expected Katsuragi to be so skilled, especially in controlling his strength to knock out the fish without killing it, which was quite difficult.

The Third, of course, didn't know that to ensure his strength appeared normal and not arouse Hiashi's suspicion, Katsuragi practiced control most frequently.

That was why he had such precise control now. Otherwise, with the power of the summoned spirits bolstering him, he might have accidentally killed Neji during their fight!

End of Chapter 27