Shikigami Summoning in Konoha

Chapter 6: Konoha's Celebration

"Darn it! Where did all the bears go?"

After once again searching a nearby area in vain, Katsuragi angrily punched a tree trunk beside him, dislodging a flurry of snow with a soft rustle.

"Forget it, I might as well head back—it's already midday!"

He was annoyed, but this situation had happened many times lately, so he recovered quickly. Glancing at the sky, he figured he might as well return for lunch. He could always come back in the afternoon to continue his search.

"Why are there suddenly so many people in the village?!"

When Katsuragi reached the marketplace to grab some lunch, he noticed the streets were packed. A closer look revealed that most of these newcomers had dark skin and sturdy builds, and—most notably—wore forehead protectors that clearly weren't from Konoha.

"…This is…"

"Kumo-nin?!"

Seeing the symbols on their forehead protectors, Katsuragi immediately recognized them as ninja from the Land of Lightning's Hidden Cloud Village—Kumo.

"What are they doing here in Konoha?"

He felt puzzled and instantly more cautious. After all, this was a militant village known for its warrior-ninja. Their personalities tended to be quite aggressive. If he provoked one of them, things wouldn't be as straightforward as dealing with a Konoha shinobi.

"You have no idea how many people died in the war a few years ago!"

"Remember that neighbor's kid who was sent off to fight at just a few years old? His body was never even found…"

"Sigh, tell me about it. At least it's over now!"

"Yeah, this festival is to celebrate just that!"

"Let's hope this peace treaty lasts a bit longer!"

"War, huh…"

It wasn't until he overheard two old ladies chatting by the roadside that realization struck Katsuragi. Today was the day the Kumo-nin came to sign a peace treaty with Konoha, commemorating the end of the Third Great Ninja War.

"Little Katsuragi, good morning!"

While he was deep in thought, the languid, sultry voice of the Three-Tailed Fox drifted into his mind. It sounded like she'd only just woken up.

"It's already noon, Fox Sis!" Katsuragi replied in exasperation, continuing on his way to Konoha's most mysterious ramen shop. He also activated the shared vision with her.

"Whoa, there are so many people around today! Is there some kind of festival going on?"

Looking through Katsuragi's eyes, the Three-Tailed Fox saw the bustling marketplace and curiously asked, "But why do these people look so… dark?"

"They're from another village—the Land of Lightning, also called Kumo-nin," Katsuragi explained to the fox in his mind.

"Oh? Why'd they come to Konoha?"

By now, the Three-Tailed Fox was used to how Katsuragi always seemed to know more than any normal kid should, so she kept pressing questions out of sheer curiosity.

"Maybe to test Konoha's strength?"

Katsuragi thought it over and replied, "Four years ago, the Third Great Ninja War ended. Only Kumo-nin, who hardly suffered any damage in that war, remained at near-peak strength. Plus, we lost the Fourth Hokage in the battle against the Nine-Tails. So maybe they're here to see how strong Konoha is nowadays."

"Eh? Humans are so strange!"

The Three-Tailed Fox quickly grew bored of such topics, so her attention turned to the various street performances, thereby distracting Katsuragi and making his walk to the ramen shop take that much longer.

"Teuchi-ossan! One bowl of your Three-Delicacy Ramen!"

Seated at the counter, Katsuragi placed his order.

"Coming right up! Oh hey, Katsuragi—it looks like you've been out in the forest again, huh?"

Observing his slightly disheveled appearance, the man rumored to be secretly "Ōtsutsuki Teuchi," an all-seeing master in hiding, asked with kind interest.

"Uh-huh!"

Katsuragi scratched his head a bit sheepishly and answered, "Gotta get my training done, after all."

"You're still so young, with no parents to look after you. Are you sure it's okay to train so hard every single day?" Teuchi glanced over his shoulder while pulling out noodles. His practiced movements made it look easy.

"I want to become a strong ninja and protect everyone!" Katsuragi declared, clenching his fists in a show of determination. Of course, his real goal was simply to become powerful enough to survive and—if possible—find a way back to his original world.

"Well then, keep at it, Katsuragi!"

Seeing the boy's resolve, Teuchi couldn't help but grin. He ladled a generous helping of seafood into Katsuragi's bowl of freshly boiled noodles and said, "Eat plenty of protein—build up your body!"

"Thanks, Teuchi-ossan!"

Katsuragi thanked him happily. Just as he was about to pick up his chopsticks, a mocking voice from the seat next to him made him freeze.

"Hey, kid—did I hear you say you wanna be a strong ninja? Ha! What good is becoming a ninja anyway? You'll just get sent to the battlefield to die!"

Katsuragi turned toward the speaker. The man's skin tone was somewhat lighter than that of other Kumo-nin but still noticeably different from most Konoha citizens. Combined with the forehead protector he wore, it was clear he was a ninja from the Hidden Cloud.

"Shusai, can it with the trash talk!"

Before Katsuragi could say a word, the Kumo-nin seated next to the mouthy one—likely his superior—rebuked him. Then he cast Katsuragi a disinterested glance. It was obvious he didn't consider this a big deal; he probably just didn't want his subordinate to stir up trouble and risk damaging relations with Konoha.

Katsuragi gritted his teeth. Even though he knew it would be safer to keep quiet, that he might get into trouble by speaking up, he couldn't suppress the urge to respond. After barely a second, he stood up, looking the Kumo-nin straight in the eye.

"How do you know I won't become a powerful ninja? And besides, being on the battlefield doesn't mean I'm the one destined to die!"

"You little brat!"

The one called Shusai seemed stunned for a moment, then his face flushed with anger—evidently, he hadn't expected a mere kid to dare talk back.

As a ninja, gathering intel was critical, and Shusai wasn't an idiot. He'd overheard Teuchi mention Katsuragi had no parents and had noticed his slightly worn-out clothing, concluding that the boy was just an orphan. That's why he'd dared to taunt him so openly.

The Kumo-nin leader also understood Shusai's intention. That was probably why he'd only scolded him lightly: if Shusai picked on the wrong kid, it could have caused real problems.

Seeing Shusai stand up as though he might lunge at him, Katsuragi tensed, ready to react. He had no direct experience fighting ninja, but with his speed and agility, he could at least dodge for a while if his opponent was only a Chūnin or a low-level Jōnin. Plus, this was Konoha territory—someone would step in if he was threatened by foreign shinobi.

"Enough, Shusai!"

The Kumo-nin leader barked again, genuinely annoyed this time.

"Don't start trouble here!"

He shot a frosty glare at Shusai, who shrank back, not daring to make a move. Then the leader turned and gave Katsuragi a similarly icy look before turning away and ordering his group, "Let's go!"

As they left, Katsuragi caught Shusai's malicious glare lingering on him—a clear sign this man bore grudges.