Chapter 46: Chance Encounter

Making my way out into the dark crags surrounding the Outpost, I grinned when I felt how full I was.

Considering the stress from Amegakure, paired with a fight just a little bit ago, all three of us were quite pent up.

I offered to take first watch, as both Anko and Kurenai kept it to a minimum, so I wasn't feeling that worn out. In fact, I felt better than ever.

Sitting behind a rocky outcropping, I watched over the surroundings of the Outpost, enjoying the chilly night air.

I could hear the howls of the wolves, the buzzing of insects, and the hooting of owls.

Smiling, I allowed my gaze to wander, observing the tree line.

I watched as large wolves slinked around the tree line, and I could see a few birds fluttering in between the branches.

The night slowly passed, and as I looked up at the moon I nodded to myself, deciding that my shift was over.

As I moved down the rock face, I heard something land beside me. Turning, I saw a large hawk tilting its head at me.

Narrowing my eyes, I was about to ignore it when I heard "You're not from around here, yet your chakra levels..."

I looked around in confusion, before turning my gaze back to the hawk.

"Did... Did you just talk?"

Sighing, the hawk nodded its head, before opening its beak.

"Surely you have heard of the Summon World? A place away from human eyes, filled with only wildlife as far as the eye can see."

"You mean like Mount Myoboku, where the Toads live?"

Nodding its head again, the hawk said "Thank the Sage that you know of it. Anyways, yes, the Summon World does indeed have Mount Myoboku. However, just like your world, there are various... hmm, what's the word... ah, tribes, or countries. Mount Myoboku, Shikkotsu Forest, and Ryuichi Cave are the largest, but there are others out there. Us Hawks, for example, live on Mount Hane."

Hopping down towards me, it leaned closer, looking at me.

"You see, having a human contractor is beneficial, and being contracted to a group in the Summon World is beneficial as well. Its a win win."

"Yes, I am aware. However, my question is; why are we having this conversation? Are you trying to contract me?"

Nodding, the hawk said "We see the world... differently than you humans. To you, it seems random. After all, we are just now speaking. However, I can see your chakra; I can understand you on a fundamental level because of that. You are honest, you are clever, you are intelligent, and most of all, open minded. I sense no evil coming from you. That is why I want to ask; will you take the trial to become contracted with the Hawks?"

Taking a deep breath, I pursed my lips before asking "What would be expected of me if I did take the contract? You said it yourself; I am not from around here, so I couldn't stay here for you."

Chuckling, the Hawk spread its wings, which was much, much longer than I was tall.

"We are birds of prey; there are few places on this earth that we couldn't thrive on. Besides, you smell deeply of the forest, so I believe the move from here to there wouldn't be bad. As for the contract, it's rather simple. We wish to have more interaction with humans. Sadly, the people living here are rather... odd. They are strong, and they respect nature, but they treat us as deities. For the Hawks, that is not what we want. The Snakes, Wolves, Bears, and Owls may find that acceptable, but we don't."

"That's an odd reason."

"Not everything needs to be grandiose, you know. Besides, I am sure you have felt something similar; a strong craving for something so simple, yet you would do everything in your power for it. That is what we feel. A craving for a new land, one where we may spread our wings a bit more. The Hawks may be few, but we are strong in our own right."

I took a deep breath, before saying "So, what's this trial?"

"Simple. We wish to see you hunt. We watched as you trekked through the forest, and were impressed by your abilities. However, we want to see more. We wish to see you hunt something strong. Deep in the center of the forest is a large Buck. It has a mastery over earth chakra, and as such is quite tough. Kill it, and prove to us that you are a worthy hunter. Or don't; after all, we have all the time in the world. Maybe someone will pop up in that tribe that catches our attention."

Folding its wings, the hawk looked me in the eyes before adding "However, I believe that you will prove yourself. You carry yourself like a huntress, and when presented with a challenge..."

Seeing its yellow eyes glow, I watched as it took off into the night sky, leaving behind a last remark.

"We will be watching, so don't worry about trying to find us."

With a few beats of its wings, it soared away, out of sight.

I drew in a deep breath, with a small amount of adrenaline coursing through me.

I have seen what a contract can do for someone; after all, Anko herself has a contract with the Snakes, even if it is only a minor one.

Jiraya and the Fourth Hokage were both contracted to the Toads, and they grew stronger under their tutelage.

Additionally, the Third Hokage had the Monkey King Enma as his personal summon, and would often summon him during the Shinobi Wars.

So with the possibility of being able to get my own summon...

Well, adding that on top of being able to test my skills by hunting something in this forest...

I was definitely contemplating it. However, I would need to speak to both Anko and Kurenai first, to see what they thought, and hear any advice Anko might have on summons.

So, making my way back into the Outpost, I shook both of them awake.

Getting up, they looked at me before looking at each other, their eyes alight with confusion.

Sitting between them, I said "I just talked to a hawk."

They continued to remain silent, until Anko wrapped her arm around my shoulder.

"Maybe you should take a few hours, hmm? Rest your mind..."

Sighing, I pinched Anko's waist before saying "It was a summon, Anko. Like your snakes."

She fell quiet, before asking "What did it want?"

"To make a contract with me."

Kurenai looked over at me, her eyes serious as she asked "What was the contract? Do you think it was telling the truth?"

Smiling at her, I said "It just wants to be able to interact with humans. Apparently the tribes here worship the Summon World, so much so that the animals summoned are seen as deities. The Hawks want to 'move' away, as well as be able to see more of the world. They wanted me to hunt a large buck in the center of the forest. Honestly, considering the Wolves I encountered, I have to admit that I want to try my hand at hunting here. As for if it was telling the truth? I believe so. Its eyes were clear the entire time, and it had little reason to lie. After all, a contract between two parties is difficult to break, even more so when it is between a summon and a human."

Nodding, Kurenai leaned back into the wall, her lips pursed as she thought it over.

Turning to Anko, I asked "So, you have a contract with the Snakes. What should I expect? Is it as beneficial as it seems?"

Anko sighed, looking away.

"Probably. You see, my contract can barely be called that. Orochimaru was a prick, and I can only summon those that actually wish to aid me. As it is, only Akkura, her siblings, and their children chose to help me. However, you need to remember that those that live in Ryuichi Cave tend to be more distrustful and manipulative. In the end, I think that you should make the decision yourself."

I nodded, before leaning into her. Feeling her wrap her arms around me, I closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth of my wife.

---

So, here is my little twist, I guess.

Mount Myoboku and all the other places are, apparently, somewhere in the same world as Naruto. However, I find that VERY hard to believe, as I doubt EVERYONE could miss a DAMN MOUNTAIN.

Like, are you telling me Madara and Hashirama never once saw a giant mountain littered with overpowered toads? Yea, I don't think so.

However, I will say this: I don't actually know a LOT about summons. As such, I may be completely wrong, but the wiki says that somewhere in the source material someone said that it was possible to walk to Mount Myoboku from Konoha.

Well, I call bs but whatever, it isn't my original work. Anyways, I made this similar to Naruto: Tango of Death in the sense that I think they are two separate planes of reality. Theres the 'Overworld', where the story takes place, and the 'Summon World', where all the summons live. So, if anyone is a major lore buff or something, here is me exercising my creative liberties of the Naruto Verse.

Besides that, I will just say this now; Kokoro will not learn Sage Mode, at least not for a LONG, LONG TIME. If Jiraya and Orochimaru struggled heavily, how in the hell will she just 'boom' grasp it? However, this is going to be a power up for her, even if it is small compared to things we see happen to Naruto.

Lastly, we hit 1000 Collections! Thank you all so much! I really can't believe that what, two months ago I started this on a whim and now it has 330K views and 1000 people have it added to their collection! That's just really cool!

Oh, and somewhere in this little arc I may take the time to do a Kurenai backstory, so just a heads up.

Enjoy~

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