Chapter 31: A Night Visit to Xuanyuan Tomb

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"Summoning beasts? I thought you always looked down on them," Ebizō remarked, glancing at Jinghang with curiosity.

"Looked down? Why would I look down on them?"

"Well, back when you were a jōnin, weren't you always pitting the Iron Sand puppets against Shukaku in mock battles? I thought you—"

"Hey, it's not like I looked down on them. You know I grew up in an orphanage. The village paid for my education, and my jōnin mentor, Dōxi, didn't live long enough to teach me summoning before he died in action. Afterward, I became a bodyguard for the Second Kazekage—"

"Yes, I know. The Second Kazekage rarely used summoning beasts. So, you really just don't know how to summon? Haha!" Ebizō chuckled.

"That's right, I genuinely don't know how," Jinghang said, spreading his hands in surrender.

"No problem. If you don't know, we'll just learn now. Let me explain the main summoning beast clans of Sunagakure."

"I'm all ears."

"Let's skip the smaller clans since I don't think you'd choose them. Sunagakure has three major summoning beast clans: the Weasel Clan of Xuanyuan Tomb, the Lizard Clan of Komodo Island, and the Scorpion Clan of Poison Fang Mountain."

"Xuanyuan Tomb? Isn't that the Yellow Weasel Tomb?" Jinghang asked, puzzled. A light tap landed on his head.

"How rude! That's an outsider's derogatory term for the Weasel Clan. We don't call it that ourselves."

"Oh, I see. My bad, I deserved that. So, which clan is your summoning beast from?"

"My sister and I both specialize in poison, so our summoning beasts are from the Scorpion Clan of Poison Fang Mountain."

"Got it. So, which clan do you think I should choose for my contract?"

"That depends on what you want to achieve. Each clan has its specialties."

"My goals are twofold: first, to learn Sage Mode; second, to defend against genjutsu."

"In that case, you'd best choose the Weasel Clan. The Lizard Clan specializes in stealth and reconnaissance, while the Scorpion Clan focuses on poison and assassination. The Weasel Clan, however, excels in both sage techniques and genjutsu. By the way, my brother-in-law's summoning beast is also from the Weasel Clan."

"Lord Retsudo's summoning beast is from the Weasel Clan?"

"That's right!"

"Where's the Weasel Clan's contract scroll?"

"It should be with my nephew."

"Akasuna Kuimu?"

"Exactly!"

"Lord Kazekage, it's not impossible for you to form a contract with the Weasel Clan, but their ritual is a bit different from other summoning beasts. I need to explain it to you first," Akasuna Kuimu said patiently to Jinghang.

"Oh? Please go on."

"Anyone who wishes to sign the contract must perform a specific ritual during their first summoning. You'll need to reverse summon yourself to Xuanyuan Tomb with a live chicken. There, you'll offer the chicken's blood as a sacrifice to the Golden Weasel Deity. Only after receiving the deity's approval will the contract be formally established."

"Ah, I see. Do you have a live chicken at your place?"

"Uh, yes, but is there really such a rush, Lord Kazekage?"

"Sigh, this kind of thing shouldn't be delayed. The longer I put it off, the more uneasy I'll feel. Sasori—my good godson! Go grab a chicken from your family's coop for me," Jinghang said, pricking his finger to sign his name on the scroll. Spotting Sasori darting past the doorway, he immediately called out to him.

At this mischievous stage of his life, Sasori's eyes lit up at the request. With a sly grin, he ran to the chicken coop and grabbed the family's prized rooster—the one that crowed every morning to wake him up.

"Godfather, here you go!" Sasori presented the rooster to Jinghang as if it were a treasure.

"Are you messing with me? Isn't this the morning crowing rooster? Go get another one."

"Forget it, this one will do. Make sure to get a receipt from Pakura later for reimbursement. Claim it as an office expense," Jinghang said with a smile, turning to Kuimu.

"Reverse Summoning Technique." With a puff of white smoke, Jinghang disappeared from Sasori's sight.

"Ancestor, try this!"

"Ancestor, have some of this!"

"Ancestor, eat this!"

…

In a brightly lit hall, a grand banquet was in progress. Rows upon rows of tables stretched endlessly, each adorned with a large character for "longevity." The aroma of wine and meat filled the air, suggesting this was a birthday feast for someone of great esteem. Yet, the atmosphere wasn't entirely harmonious. At this moment, all eyes were focused on two main seats at the head of the hall.

A chubby old man with a yellow beard sat sulking in a grand armchair, hugging his knees like a child denied his favorite toy. His bushy eyebrows furrowed, and his lips were pursed in a pout. Around him, what appeared to be his children and grandchildren tried to coax him with various offerings.

On closer inspection, they were all holding different kinds of chicken—roast chicken, stewed chicken, boiled chicken, fried chicken, braised chicken, stir-fried chicken, curry chicken, white-cut chicken, gourd chicken, beggar's chicken, salt-baked chicken, three-yellow chicken, and even chicken sashimi! The tantalizing aroma wafting from these dishes could make anyone's mouth water. Yet, the old man stubbornly shook his head, grumbling repeatedly, "Take it away. I don't want it."

"Hey, you old coot! The kids worked hard to prepare this grand Ten Thousand Chicken Feast for your 3,000th birthday. Couldn't you have mentioned earlier that you wanted morning crowing chicken blood? Why make things difficult now? Just pick something and eat already—don't embarrass the kids!" scolded an elderly woman dressed as a matron. But the old man remained unmoved, still muttering, "Take it away. I don't want it."

Just as everyone was at a loss, a loud "puff" sounded, followed by a burst of white smoke. Out of nowhere, a young man with long blue hair appeared in the hall—none other than Jinghang. In his hand, he held the Akasuna family's prized morning crowing rooster.

The rooster, having been rudely awakened and carried away, was already bewildered. Now, under the bright lights of the hall, it mistook the scene for dawn and began to crow loudly.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo!" The rooster crowed three times, silencing the entire hall as all eyes turned to Jinghang and the bird in his hand.

"Hahaha! Just what I wanted! Just what I wanted!" The yellow-bearded old man clapped his hands in delight, his round eyes gleaming as he licked his lips. "Give it to me! Give it to me!"

Still unsure of the situation, Jinghang obediently handed over the rooster. The old man snatched it eagerly, gripping its wings tightly in one hand while plucking its neck feathers with the other. In mere moments, the neck was bare. Then, with a flash of predatory light in his eyes, the old man sank his teeth into the rooster's neck. The process was so swift that the bird barely had time to squawk before it went limp.

As the old man drank the rooster's blood, his appearance began to change. His hands turned into claws, his ears grew larger, and a bushy tail sprouted from his back. Before long, he had transformed into a massive yellow-furred, white-haired weasel.

"Ahh! Refreshing!" The weasel tossed the drained rooster aside, his face full of satisfaction. Pointing a claw at Jinghang, he declared, "Good lad! You've done well. From this day forth, you may tell the world that you are my godson!"

Gasps filled the hall at the weasel's proclamation.

"Wait, what?!" Jinghang was utterly bewildered.