Konoha's Sword Saint [57]

After putting an end to the white wolf, Hoshiyomi dropped to the ground, completely exhausted. This battle had drained him more than he expected.

Between the Shadow Clone and three uses of Moonlight Slash, most of his chakra was already spent. Add to that the intense pursuit and fight—he was completely worn out.

He grabbed the roasted meat they had used earlier to lure the wolf and stuffed a couple of bites into his mouth. It was cold, but still better than those dry, rough ration pills.

Just as he chewed down a few mouthfuls, Akimichi Torifu appeared before them, asking with concern, "What's the situation? Everyone okay?"

When he saw the white wolf's corpse, Torifu finally relaxed. Things hadn't turned out as bad as he feared. After listening to the reports from all three of them, he let out a long sigh of relief. It had been dangerous—but no real harm done. Otherwise, he would've blamed himself for life.

Shinku was unharmed. Hoshiyomi had a small wound on his hand and chakra depletion. The most injured one was Sakumo—two broken ribs and some nasty bruises. He looked a bit miserable.

Torifu, being a very well-rounded ninja, helped set Sakumo's ribs and used basic healing ninjutsu to treat both Sakumo and Hoshiyomi's minor wounds.

Looking at the cut on his palm that had now completely healed, Hoshiyomi thought that maybe he should learn some basic medical ninjutsu too. He wasn't on a team with Tsunade, after all—knowing a few emergency techniques could come in handy.

Torifu looked up at the night sky and said, "The mission's done, and dawn's almost here. Let's head back to Land of Rice Fields and rest for a while. We'll report to the daimyō by noon tomorrow."

But Hoshiyomi shook his head. He explained to Torifu what the white wolf had done just before dying. After hearing it, Torifu rubbed his chin thoughtfully and said, "Since you agreed to its request, let's go have a look. Who knows? Might be something good waiting for you."

With that, Torifu picked up Sakumo and gestured for Hoshiyomi and Shinku to lead the way.

They followed the direction the white wolf had indicated. After walking a few hundred meters, they came across a cave entrance hidden beneath tall grass.

The three of them exchanged glances—this had to be the place. Hoshiyomi took a deep breath, pushed the grass aside, and entered the cave.

The moment they stepped inside, an unpleasant smell hit them. Torifu sniffed and said, "That's wolf dung. This was definitely its den."

The others nodded and moved deeper in. After just a few steps, they heard soft yipping noises—like the whimpering of a newborn pup.

As soon as they heard the sound, they understood what the white wolf's final request had meant. It was asking Hoshiyomi to look after its cub.

The cave wasn't deep—maybe ten meters or so. At the very end was a small nest made of soft straw.

Inside it was a single wolf pup, eyes barely open, letting out faint yelps.

Unlike the white wolf's fierce and proud appearance, this little one was barely the size of a hand. Its fur was a soft milky white, and its tiny pink nose made it look incredibly cute.

It clearly realized these weren't its parents and was trying to act tough, letting out its little growls in a show of defiance.

Hoshiyomi had always liked small animals. Seeing the pup, he couldn't help but feel moved. He took out the leftover roasted meat, tore it into strips, and placed them in front of the pup.

The little wolf caught the scent and forgot about growling, started devouring the meat without hesitation. Its messy but adorable eating made all three of them laugh.

Torifu looked at the pup in disbelief. He suddenly reached out, grabbed it by the scruff of the neck, and lifted it up.

It seemed to be instinct—once the pup was picked up like that, it went limp, its little body relaxing entirely as its head drooped, surrendering itself without resistance.

Torifu held it up in front of his face and examined it carefully. Then he smiled and said to Hoshiyomi, "Looks like I was right. This really is something valuable."

He handed the pup into Hoshiyomi's arms. The cub, sensing it was the same person who had fed it earlier, rubbed against Hoshiyomi and let out two small yips.

It seemed to be asking, "Got any more?"

Hoshiyomi patted its tiny head and pulled out another piece of meat, tore it into bits, and fed it as he turned to Torifu and said, "Sensei, are you saying…"

"That's right. This little guy has amazing potential. The fact that it's already refined chakra at such a young age proves it. My own summoning beast didn't manage to refine chakra until eight or nine years of careful training."

As he said that, Torifu performed a summoning jutsu. With a puff, a large porcupine appeared.

The porcupine snorted twice, then started rubbing against Torifu's leg, clearly begging for food.

Torifu immediately looked panicked and backed away, shouting, "Don't come near me!"

With all those sharp spines on its back, it wasn't hard to see why Torifu didn't want physical affection from it.

After a brief mess of chaos, Torifu dismissed the porcupine and scratched his head. "That's why I don't really like showing off my summon…"

"But this little one—you should definitely train it. First, to honor your promise with the white wolf. Second, just to see how far it can go.

The Inuzuka Clan in the village specializes in raising ninken. They've got sharp eyes when it comes to evaluating ninja beasts. Once we get back, take the pup to them and see what they think of its potential.

If even they say this pup is gifted, I suggest you form a summoning contract with it right away. It could grow into one of your key allies someday."

Maybe worried Hoshiyomi wouldn't take it seriously, Torifu added, "Don't underestimate it just because the white wolf looked small.

I checked its bones earlier—turns out that wolf had only lived a little over twenty years.

For ninja beasts, that's still young. Species with short lifespans usually live around the same as humans, but if you gave that white wolf another ten years to reach its peak… there's no way you three could've beaten it.

Talented summoning beasts like this are extremely rare. If you miss this chance, you might never find another one like it."

After hearing all that, Hoshiyomi was deeply moved. He hadn't thought much about summoning beasts before.

He'd even considered asking Jiraiya for help one day—maybe signing with Mount Myōboku or something like that.

But now that he thought about it… riding a giant toad with Jiraiya? Cool, sure. But wouldn't riding a giant wolf look way more badass?

Just thinking about the white wolf's majestic figure—yeah, easily outshined slugs, snakes, or toads by a mile.

After all, power can be temporary. But looking cool? That lasts a lifetime.

—Gekkō Hoshiyomi, proud follower of aesthetic supremacy for 20 years.