The mere fact that this splitting hound could go from one body with three heads to six distinct bodies with six heads was exactly why Kamishiro liked it so much.
That trait alone made it an incredibly powerful Summoning Beast.
These instinct-driven chakra beasts were just that—beasts. Their intelligence couldn't even begin to compare to the toads of Mount Myoboku. They possessed overwhelming violence but absolutely zero brains. That glaring weakness was the only reason Kamishiro had managed to successfully capture the Yatagarasu, the Twin-Horned Rhino, and the Cloven-Hoofed Ox.
You had to admit, having a functional brain was a wonderful thing.
But Kamishiro actually preferred creatures like this. If this giant dog had suddenly opened its mouth and started talking to him, who knows how he would have reacted.
Hearing Kamishiro's "advice," Minato wore a look of sheer helplessness. Moving with god-like speed, the Yellow Flash dashed to each individual splitting hound and used the Flying Thunder God to teleport them, stacking them on top of each other in a single pile like bricks.
Before the feral dogs could even attempt to scramble apart, Minato threw a Flying Thunder God kunai straight up into the air. The moment the kunai reached the apex of its arc directly above the pile of dogs, Minato teleported to it.
Hanging in mid-air, Minato cast the Summoning Jutsu.
With a massive POOF, Gamabunta's colossal body materialized in the sky. The dogs didn't even have a fraction of a second to react before the high-altitude amphibian slammed down, crushing them violently into the earth.
Ah, yes. The classic Summoning: Food Cart Destroyer Jutsu.
Minato had only just heard about the hound's unique splitting gimmick. While he obviously understood the fundamental nature of chakra constructs, he had no idea what the "proper" method was to force them to fuse back together. So, he opted for the most universally understood method.
Stack a bunch of things together, then smash them as hard as you can with a giant hammer. If they were sticky enough, they'd definitely fuse back together, right?
Behold: even the most elite ninja in the world occasionally had thought processes that were incredibly un-ninja-like.
Fusing together was only one possibility. The far more likely outcome was that they would just be pulverized into meat paste.
Fortunately, the splitting hound wasn't that fragile. Miraculously, Minato's brute-force gamble paid off. Pinned under Gamabunta's massive backside and completely unable to struggle free, the dogs finally yielded to the pressure and fused back into a single, three-headed entity.
"Finally locked this thing down," Kamishiro sighed from up in the air.
The Yellow Flash made the job look effortlessly graceful. Even if Kamishiro had been at 100% health, he could never have pulled off a maneuver like that. At best, he would have just spent hours electrocuting the six dogs into submission one by one.
With the splitting hound currently splayed out on the ground, its limbs completely immobilized by Gamabunta's crushing weight, no amount of struggling was going to free it.
Kamishiro let out a long breath. Dealing with this multiplying menace over the last few days had drained every ounce of his mental energy.
He commanded the Yatagarasu to lower its altitude and jumped off the bird's head.
Walking up to the hound's three massive heads, Kamishiro literally stepped onto its nose and walked right up its face.
Despite being completely pinned, the splitting hound responded to the blatant disrespect with a low, menacing growl.
Kamishiro obviously didn't care about the giant dog's feelings. He pulled a kunai from his pouch. Attached to the handle was a strip of paper completely covered in complex formulas—a specialized Summoning Contract Sealing formula unique to the Uzumaki Clan. It was the absolute perfect tool for dealing with a high-power, low-IQ chakra beast like this.
Kamishiro shallowly stabbed the kunai directly into the hound's middle forehead. Blood instantly trickled down.
Of course, he wasn't trying to kill it. If he was, all that effort would have been a colossal waste.
Kamishiro's hands blurred through a rapid sequence of over a hundred hand signs. The moment the final seal was formed, the kunai and the attached sealing tag slowly sank directly into the splitting hound's head, phasing right through bone and flesh.
He performed the entire process without a single hint of hesitation. He was incredibly proficient at it now. After all, he had already done this three times over the past few days. By the fourth time, it was basically muscle memory.
Like a pebble dropping into a lake, the weapon vanished without leaving a single scar on the hound's forehead once the jutsu was complete.
Then, all six eyes on the three-headed dog blinked in unison. The feral hostility instantly evaporated, replaced by an unnervingly docile gaze directed entirely at Kamishiro.
Seeing that Kamishiro's contract seal was complete, Minato released Gamabunta's summoning.
With the giant toad gone, the splitting hound was free to move. But it stayed perfectly still, waiting for Kamishiro's command.
Kamishiro patted the giant dog's head and hopped down to the ground.
If he had been dealing with a high-tier Summoning Beast like Gamabunta, just signing a contract wouldn't have meant much. The contract is only step one. If you don't buy them drinks, stroke their egos, and build a relationship, they won't even look at you. Establishing mutual respect takes time. Otherwise, even if you summon them, they'll just cross their arms and refuse to fight. What are you going to do about it?
Besides, between a ninja and a top-tier Summoning Beast, it's rarely clear who the actual "master" is.
Powerful, high-IQ Summoning Beasts have highly anthropomorphized personalities and an immense amount of pride. Just look at Manda's arrogant attitude towards Orochimaru.
But creatures like the splitting hound didn't have that problem. The moment the specialized contract ritual was complete, it instantly transformed from a man-eating monster into a perfectly obedient pet.
In fact, if Kamishiro hadn't been actively ordering it to stay still, its three massive tongues would have already licked him completely clean.
"Thanks for the help, Minato-senpai," Kamishiro said, not forgetting his manners.
"It was just a small favor," Minato replied, waving it off with his usual gentle smile. "But more importantly, are your injuries alright?"
Standing right next to him, Minato could clearly sense that the kid was in terrible shape. His wounds had been hastily bandaged, but the first-aid was clearly subpar.
"I'm fine," Kamishiro shook his head. Truthfully, the injuries weren't the main issue anymore. It was the sheer, crushing exhaustion.
Still, looking at his new haul of giant, terrifying pets, he felt the pain was completely worth it.
The more he thought about it, the happier he got. Unable to contain himself, he threw his head back and burst into laughter.
Please forgive him. He hadn't had anything to drink or spoken properly in three days. His voice was cracked and hoarse, so the laugh sounded absolutely awful.
And with that, Kushina's patience finally snapped.
She moved at her absolute top speed, appearing right in front of him, and slammed her fist squarely onto the top of his head.
Was this really something to laugh about?! Yes, powerful Summoning Beasts were incredibly rare, but his timing for playing Pokémon was undeniably atrocious. At least, that was Kushina's opinion.
When Kushina wanted to hit someone, she hit them. But she never actually hit people with the intent to kill. She had pulled her punch significantly. After all, underneath the towering rage, she was mostly just terrified and worried for him.
But she absolutely did not expect the result.
Taking that single, pulled punch to the head, Kamishiro's eyes rolled straight into the back of his skull. He swayed on his feet, and promptly passed out cold.