Although Gastly doesn't look much like a creature of the mortal world, Mokgetsu personally certified it as a Ninja Beast, so there should be no problem.
"How can there be no problem when there's something like a ghost floating behind you?" Yahiko couldn't help but comment.
Though Yahiko didn't believe in ghosts before, witnessing it firsthand forced him to believe.
"If you don't believe me, just turn around and take a look." After Yahiko said this, he turned his gaze back to Nagato's back, only to find the mysterious purple silhouette had vanished.
"Wait, that's strange, could I have been mistaken?" Yahiko couldn't help but extend his hand backward to scratch his head, only to feel a chilling sensation as if he had dipped his hand into icy water.
Yahiko instinctively turned around, and a black orb emitting eerie purple mist with large eyes came into view.
"It's a ghost!"
Yahiko's eyes widened, almost stumbling to the ground in surprise, but fortunately, Nagato quickly supported Yahiko, preventing him from intimately meeting the ground.
"Nagato, use Almighty Push quickly!" Yahiko shouted while gathering Chakra.
Gastly was too close, so at this range, the instantly cast Almighty Push that doesn't require Hand Seals was ideal.
"Uh, actually, it's my Summoning Beast," Nagato explained.
He had meant to say retreating a step upon seeing Gastly was normal, Yahiko almost stumbled.
"Oh, I see, it's a Summoning Beast," Yahiko said, looking enlightened.
"Doesn't make sense at all, does it?" Looking at Gastly again, Yahiko couldn't hold back his comments.
With its purple smoke, black orb, and large eyes, which Summoning Beast looks like this?
"Gengar!"
Gastly heard Yahiko criticizing its appearance and instantly became displeased, sticking out its pink long tongue at Yahiko.
'Lick!'
Though due to its low power at birth and lack of Chakra, it didn't cause Yahiko actual harm, it made Yahiko's vision dark, making him wish to wash his face dozens of times.
"Though somewhat different from regular beasts, it truly is a Ninja Beast," Nagato conveyed Mokgetsu's explanation.
Even though Gastly didn't look like a creature from the mortal world, it was indeed non-aggressive, forcing Yahiko to believe Nagato.
"Nagato, let's go see what the others are doing," Yahiko thought for a moment and decided to head towards Hatosuke with Nagato.
Yahiko didn't want to be the only one scared; he wanted other people to meet Nagato's unusual Summoning Beast.
Anyway, since Gastly is Nagato's Summoning Beast, others will see it sooner or later.
"Isn't it kind of bad?" Nagato hesitated slightly.
While judging based on appearance isn't good, Gastly's looks would likely shock those who see it.
"What's bad about that? Better to meet it sooner than later to avoid possible mistakes," Yahiko reasoned very logically.
If Yahiko encountered Gastly alone, he would definitely go head-to-head with Gastly.
Nagato thought about it and agreed, especially since Gastly appeared eager, so he consented.
"Ghost!"
And so, screams echoed throughout the Ninja Sect camp, with Gastly making a memorable impression in its peculiar way.
...
The Martial Arts Tournament ended, and Mokgetsu didn't need to use media strategies; news about the tournament spread all over the Ninja World.
Given the tournament had already garnered attention for various reasons before, and considering the number of surprising occurrences, excitement naturally increased.
But what surprised ninjas across the Ninja World the most was that the first place was taken by a ninja from the Ninja Sect, truly shocking.
All ninjas interested in the Youth Martial Arts Tournament knew that Hidden Rock and Konoha valued it the most.
Not only did they send many talented ninjas from their villages, but also strong leaders.
Hidden Rock sent the Third Tsuchikage's son, Kitsuchi, while Konoha sent Blazing Sun Mokgetsu.
The lineup clearly indicated that no internal manipulation by the Ninja Sect could allow their ninja to secure first place.
No matter the favorable matchups, in the end, their ninja would still have to face the strongest contender to claim first place, relying solely on strength.
So some people crowned Nagato as the Ninja World's top genius, believing that Nagato is currently the most talented ninja in the Ninja World.
The initial proposer might have sincerely believed in Nagato's unrivaled abilities.
However, as the acclaim grew, it started to feel more like excessive praise.
No genius from the Five Great Ninja Villages was ever called the Ninja World's top genius, making it inevitable for people to suspect conspiracy when an obscure country's ninja force unexpectedly received such a title.
Besides first place, the strong performance of Konoha Ninjas at the Youth Martial Arts Tournament shocked many.
Although Hidden Rock showed the same importance to it as Konoha, in terms of results, Hidden Rock Ninjas were utterly outstripped by Konoha Ninjas.
Starting from the quarterfinals, Konoha Ninja representation began to look exaggerated, with five of them in the quarterfinals and three in the semifinals.
As for Hidden Rock, not one ninja succeeded in making it into the quarterfinals.
Of course, more Great Ninja Villages didn't reach the quarterfinals; both Hidden Sand and Hidden Cloud were completely eliminated in the first round.
But neither Hidden Sand nor Hidden Cloud sent many ninjas, which is not the same case as Hidden Rock.
In The Hidden Rock Village, in the Tsuchikage Office, Onoki looked over the Martial Arts Tournament data submitted by Kitsuchi with a headache.
"When it comes to talented ninjas, Hidden Rock is far behind Konoha," Onoki muttered, rubbing his brow.