VIII - 01.08

Katsuo's arms flailed wildly as he desperately searched for any way to stop his descent. Even as his body streaked downward, the ground underneath was still covered in the white of clouds. He hadn't realized just how high up Kyofu had taken him.

Four vultures of varying sizes flanked him from all sides, their wings tucked as they accompanied him in his descent. Katsuo screamed out at them to catch him, but they dutifully ignored his pleas.

It wasn't until the ground underneath finally began to show itself that they decided to help. The biggest vulture; the one behind him, swooped in, its large talons easily weathering the transfer of momentum.

With a few flaps of its wings, Katsuo found himself gently placed onto the ground, the other three vultures landing shortly afterwards. All four vultures looked similar, dark brown feathers covering the bulk of their body with a head of pink stretching out of them.

"Be thankful the Matriarch considered your proposal, human," the vulture that'd stopped his fall spoke, its voice harsh and deep. "If anyone besides her own daughter came with such a proposal, you'd have found yourself a pile of bones by now."

Katsuo looked at the giant vulture, considering what to say next. They'd probably be his ticket back to the Matriarch, so it was probably best he let them have their way. He bowed his head slightly to the giant vulture before turning his attention to the smaller one on his left.

"I appreciate the consideration. The Matriarch said I have to 'prove my worth'. May I ask how I'm supposed to be doing that?" The smaller vulture processed his words before turning its pink head back towards the larger one. It seemed like he wouldn't be able to avoid talking with the arrogant bird.

"To be of worth to the Matriarch you have to prove yourself as a true scavenger. Although we'd been close to getting the last of them, those damned hyenas scurried into tunnels too small for our bulk. Only once you rid us of those stray dogs will you obtain the contract you seek." 

The giant vulture's words caused Katsuo's eyebrows to rise. He'd thought that every summon had land to themselves, but it seemed that wasn't the case. He didn't know what he'd expected of his 'trial', but seemingly finishing off the vulture's war wasn't something he'd considered at all.

The beasts natural to the summoning world were known to be powerful. Katsuo hoped the vultures had at least dealt with the strongest of the hyenas.

With a thrust of their wings, the pink-headed vultures took to the sky, their large figure providing Katsuo a break from the harsh sun that seemed unmoving. Katsuo sat in silence as he followed the shadow the vultures left, until he found himself in an opening in the side of one of the cliffs.

He wouldn't describe it as 'small' like the lead pink-vulture had. The thick, dull brown stone had been carved into a wide opening that slightly narrowed further in. The opening was big enough for him to stand upright and even hop around in. It made him wonder just how big the hyena's he'd be dealing with would be.

Katsuo scanned his immediate surroundings and he entered the clearing. The remnants of whatever plant life could be found were spread out in piles, the brownish color of dried blood staining a few of them.

Loose fur cluttered against the stone encasing them, painting a scene on what this particular clearing was used for. This was where those too injured went to die, before seemingly being picked off by vultures small enough to grab through the entrance.

The tunnel burrowing deeper into the cliffside was shrouded in darkness, making Katsuo wish he'd had a fire affinity. A still unfamiliar drain coursed through his body as he felt his chakra transfer to the earth before him.

A mirror image of himself stared back at him, observing its surroundings just as he had previously. The clone knew what it'd been created for, and began its journey into the darkness ahead.

Katsuo paused for a second before joining his clone. It'd serve as a buffer, so that they hyena's couldn't catch him off guard. Katsuo made sure to keep at least one hand on the surrounding wall, so that he'd know whenever he'd entered a larger clearing.

The sound of movement further ahead caused him to pause his advance, his clone doing the say. A faint glow from what he assumed were some sort of crystals shun from around a corner, where the movement had been from.

The clone moved slowly, its arm tracing the rough stone interior of the tunnel. Its head peaked around the corner for a second, before quickly shooting backward. A pained snarl echoed around the tunnel, causing Katsuo to curse to himself.

The two Katsuos rushed into the clearing, any advent of stealth lost. Three hyenas stared back at the two, teeth barred and growls echoing through the hollow tunnels.

The largest one was in the front, protecting what Katsuo assumed to be its cubs. It was missing an ear, and a large half-healed gash clearly originating from one of the vultures decorated its right side. Even with its injuries, it was still the size of a bull, and Katsuo could see the muscle the beast bore.

A rough bark echoed within the tunnels, orangish-red building up within the hyenas throats at the battle cry. Both Katsuo and his clone swiftly went through hand signs, the rough stone interior closing inward to halt the attack.

What could've only been a great ball of fire struck against the prepared defenses, causing the tunnel to shake slightly. The wall of earth had broken, but Katsuo and his clone remained unharmed.

Once the smoke cleared, the injured hyena stood alone. A plethora of different tunnels were visible from behind the hyena, signaling where its cubs may have gone. Katsuo's clone rushed forward, a spike of rock erupting from its fist to replicate Katsuo's Shikotsumyaku.

The hyena danced around the clone's attack, swatting it hard with its paw. The clone collided with the rocky interior, but thankfully held its form. The bits of orange beginning to form within its throat forced Katsuo to rush forward as well.

The hyena dodged Katsuo's initial strike, but was caught off guard by the spinning heel that swiftly followed it. Katsuo's spiked foot buried deeper into the hyena's already wounded side, causing the beast to snarl in pain.

Its paw blurred forward, swatting Katsuo with great force. Katsuo maneuvered his body through the air so that his feet made contact with the rocky wall instead of his back. The Kaguya ran up the side of the clearing until he was upside down, attempting to drop down on the hyena.

The hyena jumped backwards, three small bullets of fire scorching through the air as it did so. Katsuo raised his arms to block, bone encasing them to protect them from the great heat. His clone had also jumped in front of the attack, taking the brunt of it.

Even with his clone serving as a buffer, the flames collided with Katsuo's guard. The heat was intense, turning the usual white bone into charred gray. In his moment of pain, the hyena shot forward, its mouth hung open.

Katsuo attempted to jump backward, but the hyena caught him by the arm. Its sharp teeth pressed fiercely on the limb, threatening to tear it off. Katsuo's other hand streaked forward, its speared palm slicing the side of the hyena's mouth.

The snarl that followed allowed Katsuo to free his arm, a deep hole left where the hyena had bitten. Katsuo grit his teeth, beckoning a dense layer of bone to cover the wounded limb. The hyena rushed forward, flames built up within its throat once more.

Katsuo jumped sideways, a wave of heat replacing the spot where he'd just been. The hyena was already on him, its teeth soaring towards his bone-encased arm. A flurry of hand signs saw a blob of mud escape from his throat, coating the inside of the hyena's mouth.

The hyena gagged at the sudden intrusion, allowing Katsuo to duck under the attempted bite. His uninjured arm shot forward, piercing the hyena's underbelly with its speared palm. Two more spiked bones erupted from his wrist, further piercing the hyena.

Katsuo rolled forward to dodge the swat of the beast's paw, but found himself nearly underneath it. One of its hind legs shot forward, hitting Katsuo in the gut. He coughed as his lungs were forcefully emptied, before gasping as his back collided with the interior of the tunnel.

Two more quick blobs of mud escaped from his lips, but the hyena swiftly maneuvered around them as it continued its approach. Fire built up within its throat once more, preparing to turn Katsuo to ash.

Another flurry of quick hand signs saw his body sink into the rocks he'd been pressed against, a fierce fireball crashing into the hole he'd escaped in. Thankfully it'd been a decently sized fireball, so it exploded on contact with the wall instead of hurling through Katsuo's tunnel.

Being surrounded by earth increased what he could do with 'Moguragakure no Jutsu'. Katsuo positioned himself so that he was on the hyena's left, directly facing its injured side. He shot forward from the wall, spiked hands thrusted forward.

He crashed into the hyena, further digging into its wound. The force had knocked the beast onto its side, allowing Katsuo to half-mount it. He raised his uninjured arm high, aiming for the beast's neck.

Suddenly, the hyena's fur caught aflame, catching Katsuo in its radius. He quickly dismounted from the hyena, the flames trailing their way up his clothes. Katsuo spit a blob of mud at the flaming cloth, extinguishing the fire.

His skin underneath hadn't been spared from damage, though. It was raw and red from the heat. The hyena rose to its feet, the fire coursing through its fur still roaring with life. 'Kirigakure no Jutsu' was the only water Jutsu he knew at the moment, so he didn't have a countermeasure prepared.

The hyena wasn't completely unaffected by the flames, but it'd surely outlast Katsuo if it'd manage to ignite him as well.

The hyena's movements grew less coordinated, clawing wildly with its paws and trying to hit Katsuo with its body. Katsuo jumped around the clearing, desperately dodging the hyena's attempts.

The spear in the palm of Katsuo's uninjured hand extended until his grip tightened around its hilt. His showcase to Kyofu had worked at his reserves, so he didn't have many unattached bones left in him.

Katsuo dodged another wild flail from the hyena, sending him to a position where he was hanging from the roof. The raging orange from the fire threatened to blind him as he looked at it, but Katsuo scanned the hyena's burning frame.

His arm cocked back, the spear released from his grasp at a great speed. The bone lodged itself into the hyena's injured side, its white instantly charing as an attest to the heat the beast was putting out.

The hyena whimpered in pain at the attack, its cloak of flames flickering slightly. Suddenly, Katsuo's mind began to clear. It was as if the fatigue from before had been wiped away from him, at least mentally. 

His body twisted in a front flip as he brought his spiked heel down, stabbing right through the hyena's left eye. The momentum sent the beast's head crashing into the floor, denting it ever slightly.

The 'crunch' he'd felt underneath sent a soothing feeling throughout his body. The hyena's cloak of flame stopped flickering, dying out once and for all.

Katsuo slumped against a nearby wall, catching his breath from the intense battle. He wanted to rest, but he still had to find the hyena's cubs.

Luckily, the beast's cries must have summoned its kin, as the two normal sized hyenas emerged from their hiding. Their eyes locked onto the body of their parent, causing them to whimper. They moved towards the corpse, prodding at it in an attempt to wake it up.

The scene struck at Katsuo's heart, but he had a mission to fulfill. Two spikes of earth shot out from underneath the hyena's impaling them. It'd been the quickest death he could give them.

Carrying all of the bodies out of the tunnel had proved a difficult task, especially with his injured arm. The vultures were waiting for him at the entrance, and swiftly claimed the bodies for themselves upon seeing it.

It struck at Katsuo's nerves seeing the scene, his grueling battle being nothing more than a lunch delivery for the vultures.

With a reluctant huff, Big-Pink hefted him upwards. Maybe it was the fatigue setting in, but the return to the Matriarch's nest had seemed shorter than it did when Kyofu took him.

Upon the relay that he completed his task, he'd been officially offered a contract in which he immediately signed. He hadn't gone through all he had to second guess himself.

Upon becoming the summoner of the Vultures of Totatsu Valley, Katsuo took it upon himself to get familiar with his summons before going home. As it stood, Kyofu would most likely be the one answering his summons.

The Matriarch—Sodatsu, requested she only be summoned if there was a 'great deal to be scavenged'. What she meant by that, he knew not, but he hoped to make use of the gigantic bird someday.

Big-Pink, or Senbi, asked (instructed) to only be summoned when facing a great warrior. His request hadn't been as vague as Sodatsu, so he assured the pink-headed vulture that he'd see battle in due time.

A few of the other vultures introduced themselves before sending him on his way. The sudden jolt back to his tent had left a feeling he'd probably never get used to.

With the vultures as support, he'd increased the Kaguya's chance of victory tenfold. He'd also be relying on the scavengers for lessons on Senjutsu, but that was for the future when he wasn't prepared for a likely war.

The sight of his clan members moving out and about reminded him of just how much work he had cut out for himself. For now, he'd rest, but he still had so much he still had to do.

Kyofu would be seeing action very soon, since his scouting trip in Tanigakure seemed to be next on his agenda.