Chapter 29: What? Luring the Bird to Kill It?
Uzumaki Honoka stared in a daze at the young man holding her, his smile warm and radiant like the sun.
Her slender arms, wrapped around Namikaze Minato, instinctively tightened slightly.
The sudden rush of emotions made her act without thinking—she leaned in closer.
???
What the hell?!
Luring the bird to kill it?
Yamanaka Shinno watched as Minato, stunned at first, awkwardly started to respond.
His fists clenched and unclenched multiple times, his teeth nearly grinding to dust.
o(▼皿▼メ;)o
Back to Konoha. They were leaving for Konoha first thing tomorrow!
There was no way he was staying in this place another day!
Cursing under his breath, Shinno grabbed the back of the peregrine falcon's neck and dragged the dazed bird toward the entrance of the research facility.
The heat from the volcanic crater was intense.
With chakra protecting his body, he was fine—but if he left this falcon here any longer, it'd be roasted clean and ready to eat.
Flight abilities were rare in the ninja world.
That made flying summons highly valuable.
Though this peregrine falcon wasn't as massive as its subordinates, its back could still barely fit two adult riders.
As the island's dominant aerial predator, it had both speed and strength far superior to regular birds.
And since Konoha's bird summoning stable could take care of it, he wouldn't have to put in too much effort raising it himself.
Shinno was already considering making a contract with it.
Why waste time watching Minato and Honoka flirt when he could be doing something productive?
...
Konoha's Training Ground Zero.
Once an almost abandoned area overrun by wild animals, the training ground was now packed with a large number of Konoha ninja.
And as time passed, the crowd only grew larger.
Summoning beasts were a rare resource in the ninja world.
It wasn't just the clanless and civilian ninja who lacked them—even established clans like the Uchiha, Sarutobi, and Shimura, despite their own summoning contracts, weren't about to miss this auction.
At the edge of the hastily built auction platform, Nara Shikaku moved smoothly among the gathered clan members and powerful civilians, keeping the atmosphere balanced.
But inwardly, he was panicking.
He could only pray that Shinno wouldn't mess things up.
The first three summon beasts had already been out for ages—why hadn't any more shown up yet?!
If this kept up, he wouldn't be able to hold the crowd together!
...
Behind the auction platform, Jiraiya sat cross-legged on a large boulder, resting his chin on his palm.
He glanced up at the high noon sun, feeling the warm light tickle his nose, and rubbed it absentmindedly.
Something felt off.
With Shinno's level of thoroughness—he was the type to dig up even the color of his enemy's underwear before a mission—
And with Minato's mastery of the Flying Thunder God technique placing him above most shinobi—
How could anything have gone wrong?
Sniff sniff~
A strong scent drifted past his nose.
Jiraiya glanced at his right hand—the same one he had just used to scratch between his toes.
Carefully, he looked around to make sure no one had noticed, then let out a quiet sigh of relief.
He was one of the Legendary Sannin, the Toad Sage, the White-Haired Pervert—he had a reputation to maintain.
Secretly enjoying the scent of his own foot was... kind of embarrassing.
...
A brief surge of reverse summoning energy pulsed through the summoning contract.
Jiraiya immediately perked up.
He sprang to his feet, bit his already-injured thumb again, and performed the summoning technique, calling forth the stomach of the Rock Inn Toad.
Boom!
A massive cloud of chakra smoke erupted.
Two giant birds, their feathers soaked in stomach fluids, lay behind the auction platform, their talons clearly broken—yet they were sleeping so soundly they might as well have been dead.
Nara Shikaku, who had been waiting impatiently, instantly flashed onto the stage.
Upon seeing the injuries on the birds, he hesitated before checking their breathing.
Thank god. They were just asleep.
Damn it!
Couldn't Shinno have gone a little easier with the genjutsu?
These birds had broken bones, yet they were still snoring away like nothing happened—Shikaku had nearly thought they were dead!
These massive wings and sturdy bodies could easily carry over a dozen people—prime strategic-level flight summons.
If they had died, that would've been a complete waste!
The clan heads and elders watching the auction all stared at the two giant birds with eyes burning with desire.
Clearly, they recognized their worth.
Such enormous birds!
What a rare find!
Waiting all this time was totally worth it!
"These are two female eagles. They have minor fractures but will fully recover within one to two months. Starting bid: two million ryo each. Bidding starts now."
Nara Shikaku announced, his voice loud and clear.
"Two million ryo! The Shimura clan will take one."
"Trying to intimidate with your clan name? Heh, the Kurama clan bids three million ryo."
"Three and a half million."
"Uchiha clan—four million ryo."
"You Uchiha don't even leave the village, what do you need such big birds for? Shimura clan bids four and a half million!"
The clan leaders and elders quickly began raising their bids.
For them, female eagles were even more valuable than males.
If they could be bred properly, these summons could be passed down for generations!
The auction was heating up.
Meanwhile, the wealthier civilian ninja in the crowd watched the intense bidding war with complete indifference.
Flying summons were rare, sure—but they weren't a necessity for everyone.
Without a strong clan foundation, strategic value meant nothing to them.
What they really needed were summons that could directly enhance their combat power.
Six giant female eagles and hawks, summoned in three separate waves, were quickly snapped up by the major clans.
Then, after a short pause—
Giant rhinos, lizards, hippos, bears, wolves, and other land-based beasts began appearing one after another.
At last, the civilian ninja and those looking to personally train their summons jumped into the bidding.
Nara Shikaku watched the steady flow of new beasts, a grin stretching across his face.
It didn't matter how much money they made today.
Every person who bought a summon would owe the Ino-Shika-Cho trio a favor.
And considering that each of these beasts was at least Chunin-level in strength, they were an incredibly rare commodity in today's ninja world.
Even better—
Thanks to this, their clan alliance would almost certainly gain an extra seat at the next high council meeting!
That was far more valuable than money!
...
"How is this still not over?"
Jiraiya glanced at his throbbing, bloody thumb.
He swore to himself—
After this, he'd have Kushina make him a special blood storage seal.
He used to mock Shinno and Minato for being too pampered—
But after summoning over forty times, he finally understood.
Those guys had the right idea!
Damn it!
Just to make a little extra cash, he, a legendary Toad Sage, had nearly turned his thumb into minced meat!
As he felt Fukasaku from Mount Myoboku calling for another summoning—
Jiraiya wiped his wounded thumb on his palm, gritted his teeth, and performed the technique again.
After this, he was definitely going to find eight girls to heal his wounded soul.
Not seven.
Not six.
Eight. Minimum.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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