After missing two consecutive attacks, Karan's anger flared even more. She spun in the air and aimed a kick at his head. This time, Retsu did not dodge; instead, he accurately caught her ankle with a backhand grip.
"Let go of me!" Karan barked, raising her other foot to kick his chin, only for him to catch that ankle as well.
Now, with both feet firmly locked in Retsu's hands, she hung suspended in the air, unable to move.
In her desperation, a ball of blazing red fire suddenly ignited in her hands, and she prepared to hurl it at Retsu's head.
But before the flames could even get close, Retsu exerted force with his hands and swung her out like a meteor hammer.
[Remember this site's domain: Taiwan Novel Network has many books, tukan.com is super complete.]
*Bang!*
Karan performed a nimble somersault in mid-air and landed steadily on the ground over ten meters away.
She stared warily at Retsu, her gaze growing more solemn. "Very well, it seems you do have some skill. I'm getting serious now!"
As she spoke, she crossed her arms over her chest, and raging red flames instantly erupted around her. The flames coiled around her body as if they were alive, enveloping her completely. Her already sharp eyes now held an eerie quality as she shouted arrogantly, "Alright, now, prepare to beg for mercy!"
"Fire Release?" Retsu rubbed his chin, his tone relaxed. "Although I'm not particularly skilled in Water Release, it should be enough to handle you."
"Stop looking down on people! Take this Fireball Jutsu!"
Karan swung her hands, and several basketball-sized fireballs shot toward Retsu like meteors, cutting through the air with scorching heat.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
Retsu's hands quickly formed seals. He took a deep breath and forcefully spat out a large volume of water.
The water instantly converged into a tall, spherical wall of water, shielding him firmly within.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
The fireballs crashed into the water wall one after another, instantly erupting into a large amount of white mist. Steam permeated the forest, shrouding both of their figures.
"Tsk! I hate water!"
Karan frowned as she watched her attacks being easily blocked by the water wall.
Seeing the water wall collapse and the surging current rush toward her, she reacted like a cat encountering water, instantly jumping onto a nearby large tree and agilely avoiding the flow.
"So you're afraid of water." Retsu watched her frantic dodging with a mischievous smirk. His hands formed seals again, and his voice rose sharply, "Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
As his voice fell, the water around him that was about to dissipate suddenly surged, quickly gathering into a massive waterfall nearly ten meters high. With a deafening roar, it charged toward Karan like a stampeding beast.
"No way? This is too much!"
Karan felt a wave of despair as she watched the overwhelming wave coming at her, and she couldn't help but complain aloud.
Before she could even attempt to dodge, she was instantly swallowed by the massive current, her figure vanishing within the surging waves.
Nearby trees and rocks were easily crushed by the current, which pushed forward with a thunderous roar.
Fortunately, the Mamedanuki who had been following Karan saw that things were going south and had long since fled in all directions; otherwise, they would likely have been swept away by the water, leaving nothing behind.
However, Retsu never intended to kill her. When he released the Great Waterfall Technique, he specifically controlled the amount of Chakra. Combined with the lack of a nearby river for replenishment, this was only a weakened version of the technique, and it soon dissipated, leaving a shallow puddle in its wake.
Retsu stepped onto the water's surface, walking to the center of the puddle as if on level ground, and bent down to pick up Karan, who was floating on the water.
Karan was now soaking wet, her short red hair sticking to her cheeks. Her former arrogance had completely vanished, and her eyes were still a bit dazed, looking for all the world like a soaked kitty that had just been fished out of a river, appearing quite adorable.
"Hey, are you alright?" Retsu shook her gently, his tone carrying a hint of amusement.
"Cough, cough..." Karan coughed twice, spitting out the water in her mouth. She looked up and glared at him, adopting an air of resignation.
"You bastard, you're humiliating me on purpose, aren't you? Kill me or cut me up as you please! My Big Sister Leader will definitely avenge me!"
"Don't worry, I won't kill you." Retsu placed her on the now-dry ground, his tone becoming more serious.
"But I have one condition: you must sign a Summoning Contract with me and become my Summoned Beast."
"Summoning Contract?" Karan was stunned. Although she didn't understand exactly what it was, she still shook her head firmly.
"Whatever it is, I won't agree! I am a warrior of the Panther Clan; I will never submit to a human!"
"I see..." Retsu rubbed his chin, seemingly having anticipated this.
He pulled a scroll out of the Kamui Dimension, spread it on the ground, and pressed his palm onto it, channeling Chakra. *Poof!*
After a puff of white smoke cleared, a fresh sea fish nearly a meter long and still twitching appeared before them, carrying a faint salty scent.
Retsu pointed at the sea fish and looked at Karan, his tone full of temptation. "Setting the contract aside for a moment, how about I treat you to some fish? I just caught it from the seaside; it's very fresh."
Karan's gaze was instantly drawn to the sea fish. She subconsciously licked the corner of her mouth, and her head nodded uncontrollably.
But in the next second, she realized what she was doing and immediately turned her face away in embarrassment and anger. "You bastard! Do you take me for some easy cat who can be bought with a single fish? I'm telling you, it's absolutely impossible!"
Half an hour later, a campfire was lit in the forest.
A dozen golden-brown sea fish were skewered around the fire. Fat dripped from the fish, making a sizzling sound, and a rich aroma permeated the air.
Karan sat cross-legged by the campfire, holding a sea fish that was charred on the outside and tender on the inside. She was devouring it in large bites, her mouth covered in oil. Her former haughtiness and anger had long since been thrown to the winds, replaced only by satisfaction. "Delicious!"
She spat out a fish bone and turned to look at Retsu, who was seasoning a new sea fish, her eyes sparkling. "I want more!"
"Here you go." Retsu smiled and handed over a freshly roasted fish. Watching her eagerly take a large bite and narrow her eyes in happiness, he couldn't help but find it a bit funny.
For today, he had specifically gone to the seaside, caught dozens of fresh sea fish, and sealed them into the scroll. It seemed his efforts hadn't been in vain.
In fact, when he heard from Kōzō that there was a cat yokai searching for the shikon jewel, he guessed it was most likely a yokai from the Leopard Cat Tribe. As it turned out, his guess was correct; it was indeed Karan, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Leopard Cat Tribe.
The Panther Clan had once fought against the yokai led by Inu no Taisho. After their defeat, they were forced to leave the Western Lands and had been waiting for an opportunity to return to their ancestral home.
Now that Karan had come alone to scout for information, it was clear the tribe had caught wind of the shikon jewel and wanted to use it to resurrect the Leopard Cat Lord, just as in the original story.
His desire to win over Karan was also premeditated. His previous Summoned Beasts were Ninja Cats who had long collaborated with the Uchiha Clan, so he understood a cat's preferences quite well.
Unfortunately, after being brought to this world via Edo Tensei, his previous Summoning Contract had become void. He had been looking to find a suitable new Summoned Beast.
The cat yokai of the Leopard Cat Tribe were very suitable; after all, they were all kitties.
For this "subjugation plan," he had not only prepared sea fish but had also stocked up on Catnip, Cat Teasers, and even Yarn Balls in the Kamui Dimension.
He hadn't signed a Summoning Contract with Mount Myōboku. It wasn't that Retsu was unwilling, but the toads of Mount Myōboku hadn't taken a fancy to him at all. Back then, his opportunity to enter Mount Myōboku and learn Senjutsu was entirely won through a bet with Jiraiya.