If possible...
Menma naturally didn't want the situation to become so rigid. He had come to subdue the Shiromari, not to defeat it, let alone kill it.
Heaven knows.
Menma initially just wanted to display his strength and then forcefully pressure the Shiromari into submission. However, the current situation had indeed exceeded his expectations. Ultimately, this was the result of a lack of experience.
He shouldn't have used the Spiraling Ring just now.
He should have chosen his jutsu more carefully, just enough to subdue the beast. At worst, he could have used more Nine-Tails chakra and relied on taijutsu and brute force to pin it down, which would have been a decent option.
Now look at this mess. He had attacked the Shiromari with such a brutal jutsu.
The beast was already fiercely loyal to its former master, strictly adhering to the orders of Gonza Shuzaki to view all intruders as enemies. Now that Menma had severely injured it, adding insult to injury... for the Shiromari to be willing to talk to him now would be the biggest joke in the world.
"I acted too recklessly just now. For that, I apologize first, Shiromari. I didn't come here with malicious intent. I only hope to establish a summoning contract with you. I wish for you to become my aid."
Menma took a deep breath, looked up at the Shiromari's massive head, and spoke with the utmost sincerity. However, even Menma felt his words lacked weight. Beating someone up severely and then immediately asking to form a contract...
No matter how you spun it, it sounded unreasonable and ridiculous.
But Menma had his own difficulties. The Shiromari had completely ignored him at the start, forcing him to resort to rougher methods. Of course, later on, it was indeed Menma's fault for failing to control his strength properly.
That was Menma's biggest mistake.
As expected.
To Menma's words...
The Shiromari still gave no response. It didn't even have the interest to spare Menma a glance. It knew it couldn't beat Menma, but so what!?
Want to form a summoning contract with it?
Don't even dream about it.
The Shiromari possessed an incredibly staunch spirit.
It only followed and remained loyal to the master it acknowledged. It had zero interest in a brat who disturbed its rest and destroyed the castle contracted to its master.
If he had the guts, he could just kill it. The Shiromari was clearly unmoved.
Its strong opposition was visible and palpable.
Just now, Menma had intended to step forward and use the Mystical Palm Technique he had just learned to heal the Shiromari, but he was met with violent resistance.
This stubborn and unyielding attitude...
Caused a mix of distress and admiration to appear on Menma's face.
After all, when forming a summoning contract, who wouldn't want a partner that was both powerful and loyal? Just like the difference between Orochimaru's Manda and Jiraiya's Gamabunta—it was like heaven and earth.
Setting aside strength for a moment...
Given the choice between two familiar summoning beasts, anyone would choose Bunta over Manda. Manda was known to easily abandon his summoner and flee if things got tough.
Bunta was different.
Even if he had a foul mouth sometimes, that toad from Mount Myōboku was one hundred percent willing to fight alongside Jiraiya until death.
Such a loyal summoning beast was what all ninja sought.
Therefore, Menma greatly admired the Shiromari's loyalty to Gonza Shuzaki, remembering its former master's orders and guarding this desolate land for decades without wavering.
"I know of your loyalty to Gonza Shuzaki, but decades have passed. Your duty was fulfilled long ago. There is no need to continue waiting here endlessly. Come with me, Shiromari. I can bring you a broader future. As a being born for battle, you don't want to stay here alone forever, do you? Your loyalty and your will have already been proven over the past decades. I believe even your former master, Gonza Shuzaki, would not want you to waste away here."
Menma paused, then continued.
Unlike before...
Menma's words somewhat moved the Shiromari.
It was a combat-type summoning beast.
Spending decades in such a lonely and desolate area... to say it felt nothing would be a lie.
It also yearned for a different future, but that yearning could not override its loyalty to its former master, Gonza Shuzaki. In the Shiromari's heart, Gonza's final order remained the top priority.
Otherwise, it could have left years ago. Or, over the decades, were there not more than a few ninja passing through this area!?
It could have completely re-selected a pleasing ninja to sign a new summoning contract with.
But it didn't.
The reason was simple.
It had to strictly abide by the final contract with its master.
Menma's words merely caused a negligible ripple in its heart before calmness returned.
It ignored Menma.
This made Menma scratch his head in increasing helplessness.
It was like a hedgehog—there was nowhere to start. It didn't respond to hard or soft tactics. For a moment, Menma really couldn't think of any way. He realized in this moment that he had been too naive before, thinking he could easily subdue the Shiromari.
'That's right, it's not a low-intelligence beast, but a truly higher intelligent being. How can I treat it with common sense...'
Menma thought helplessly.
It seemed it would be very difficult to subdue this Shiromari.
Just as Menma was about to give up...
Suddenly, a light bulb went off in his brain.
A certain thought surfaced in his mind.
As the corners of Menma's mouth raised into a handsome arc, he spoke again: "If you are willing to form a summoning contract with me, I can also promise to avenge the former Land of Necks within my lifetime, giving the enemies who destroyed it the same outcome. Furthermore, I will do my utmost to search for Gonza Shuzaki's descendants and take care of them as much as I can within my capabilities. I wonder... Shiromari, would you accept such conditions?"
Loyal to Gonza Shuzaki, was it?
Then he would approach the problem directly through Gonza Shuzaki.
If even this didn't work, then Menma truly had no other options and would have to choose to give up. After all, he couldn't really kill the beast; there was no enmity between them.