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If it's said that 10,000 prayers in a past life can only be exchanged for one fateful encounter…
Akira would rather not have met this time.
After the "poop" incident ended, Akira received a compensation of 100,000 ryo—a huge sum of money!
But he'd rather not have it.
Once a summoning contract is established, it becomes extremely difficult to form a new one. If a ninja attempts another summoning ritual, the result will always be similar to the first creature they summoned.
For example, if Akira's first summoned creature was "poop," then any future summoning would only bring forth creatures closely related to it—perhaps a snail, a slug, or another mollusk.
Undeniably weak.
If Akira wanted to summon a completely different creature, he would need to obtain an ancestral summoning scroll, but that was impossible.
He was depressed.
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and all he got was trash!
Even though Sarutobi-sensei compensated him with 100,000 ryo, it did nothing to ease the sorrow in his heart.
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Somewhere on the road...
"Kakashi, what's up with our teacher lately? He's been staring at that weird pile of 'poop' and laughing to himself. You think he's gone crazy?"
"Obito, don't talk nonsense! I heard the Third Hokage say that this is Akira-sensei's summoning beast—a god-level summoning beast! Its power is supposedly on par with the legendary summons from the Three Great Holy Lands! I even heard that it could rival Gamabunta from Mount Myoboku!"
"WHAT?! That thing is that strong?!"
Obito gasped, nearly tripping over his own feet.
They were currently on their way to a mission.
Since they had rested for a few days, their second mission was set to begin immediately.
Akira listened quietly to the conversation behind him and felt a bit relieved.
In order to maintain his dignity, he had not only extorted a huge amount of money from the Third Hokage but had also forced him to keep quiet about the fact that he had summoned... garbage.
To the outside world, the only explanation was that this "poop" was an immensely powerful summoning beast!
But he didn't expect Sarutobi-sensei to exaggerate so much!
Comparable to the immortal summons of the Three Great Holy Lands?!
"Yukiharu, are you really that powerful?"
Akira looked at the soft, wriggling creature resting on his shoulder.
That was the name he had given his summoning beast—Yukiharu.
After spending some time with it, Akira discovered that while Yukiharu had no combat ability, it did have one very special skill—it could transform into any creature it touched. Although the size remained small, Akira believed that given time to grow, it could become an incredible shapeshifting beast.
According to his tests, even perceptive ninjas couldn't tell the difference between Yukiharu's transformed state and the real thing!
"A surprising find," Akira murmured in satisfaction.
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Their mission—The Land of Waves.
Today, their squad was heading to the Land of Waves to eliminate a group of rogue ninja.
Due to the ongoing war, many ninjas who feared death had defected from their villages. But rather than simply fleeing, these defectors caused chaos, plundering and terrorizing innocent civilians.
That was unacceptable.
Akira checked the map. They were about to arrive in the Land of Waves.
"We should find some locals and ask about the situation. The Land of Waves is close to Kirigakure, so it's too dangerous to reveal our identities."
"Understood, sensei!"
Kakashi and the others responded and followed Akira into the village.
Their destination was the home of a fisherman named Kaiju.
The Land of Waves was surrounded by water, making boats the primary means of travel. As a result, fishing was a common profession here.
"That's the place."
After asking a few passersby, Akira finally found Kaiju's house.
It was a run-down, shabby mud house.
Seeing how dilapidated it was, Akira suddenly doubted whether Kaiju could even afford Konoha's mission fees.
Even though this was a C-rank mission, the reward was still a few thousand ryo.
In times of war, a few thousand ryo was half a year's salary for a fisherman—assuming they had customers every day. But most fishermen in the Land of Waves barely made a living, as the competition was fierce.
"Alright, let's go in."
Akira signaled to his team and reached out to open the door.
At that moment—
A wooden stick swung straight at his face!
Akira was startled.
But he immediately realized that the attack was weak. He tilted his head slightly, easily dodging it.
"Get out! You black-hearted merchants! We don't have anything for you! Get lost!"
A young boy rushed out of the house.
He was holding a thick, rotting wooden stick—clearly the one who had just attacked Akira.
"Oi, brat! You've got the wrong guy. We're Konoha ninjas, not merchants," Akira said, looking at the boy indifferently.
"Hmph! Don't lie! This month alone, people pretending to be Konoha ninjas have come here several times! You're not fooling me!"
The boy raised his stick again.
Akira sighed and casually grabbed the wooden stick, snatching it out of the boy's hands.
"Give it back, you bastard!" The boy reached for it again.
At that moment, a black-faced fisherman rushed out of the house.
Akira instantly recognized him as a fisherman—his entire body reeked of seawater. That distinct fishy smell could only belong to someone who had spent years at sea.
"Kasha! Stop causing trouble! These are Konoha ninja!"
The fisherman ran forward and pulled the boy aside.
"Konoha… ninja?"
The boy stared at Akira, dumbfounded.
"I apologize, sir. I am Kaiju, the one who requested this mission. My child is ignorant, please forgive him."
"It's fine, I don't mind."
Akira waved it off.
But his expression darkened slightly.
His initial judgment was correct—this man was malnourished, his face gaunt, his body covered in sweat, and it was obvious he hadn't eaten in days.
How could someone like this afford to pay Konoha's fees?
Akira glanced at Kakashi.
Kakashi frowned slightly.
He had noticed it too.
"Uncle Kaiju! Do you have anything to eat? I'm starving!"
Obito suddenly interrupted.
The journey had taken them through mountainous terrain, leaving no time for a proper meal. And since Akira had been in a rush to find their employer, they hadn't stopped to eat.
Now, Obito's stomach was growling.
"This…"
Kaiju looked embarrassed, but after hesitating, he still invited them inside.
"Uncle, your house is so run-down… Won't you catch a cold at night?" Obito asked, looking around. The walls were full of holes, and part of the roof was even missing.
"Well, it's summer… so it's cooler this way."
Kaiju forced a smile and led them inside.
Meanwhile, Akira turned to Kakashi.
"Kakashi, what do you think?"
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TheGreatGod: What do you guys think of the name Yukiharu?