Konoha's Sword Saint [61]

When Hoshiyomi gave him that dumbfounded look, Inuzuka Ko finally realized how his words might've sounded and quickly explained:

"What I meant is, your ninja wolf has outstanding potential. So I was hoping that someday—once he's older—you'd consider letting him mate with one of our Inuzuka clan's ninja dogs.

A union like that could produce some incredible offspring. We're a clan that relies on our ninja dogs to fight. If we can improve their bloodlines, our overall strength goes up too.

Don't worry, I'm not asking for a free ride. If pups are born from it, I'll personally pick the most gifted one and gift it to you. It could even become a legacy companion for your Gekkō Clan."

Hoshiyomi wiped the cold sweat from his brow, helplessly chuckling.

"Uh, his name's Lobo, actually.

As for that… let's wait until he's older and let him decide.

If he's fine with it, then I don't mind.

But really—I'm more curious: is Lobo's talent that special?"

If Inuzuka Ko hadn't become a shinobi, he could've easily been an expert in animal biology. He grew visibly excited at the question, scooped Lobo back up, and began explaining in detail while physically examining the pup again:

"It's not a question of being 'special'—he's exceptional.

Just look at this glossy coat, the teeth, the paws, the skeletal development—

I'm telling you, not a single pup in the entire Inuzuka Clan comes close to this kind of physical growth at his age."

Ko practically treated Lobo like a lab specimen—prying open his jaws, feeling his joints, tapping bones—and completely overwhelmed the little guy.

The moment Ko's grip loosened, Lobo shot out of his arms like a white blur and buried himself in Hoshiyomi's arms, shoving his face deep under Hoshiyomi's elbow and refusing to look at Ko again.

Ko clicked his tongue in disappointment, hands still hovering mid-air, then casually picked up one of his own ninja dogs to pet instead. While rubbing its ears, he grumbled:

"Now this one, I used to think was promising too… but compared to Lobo? Maybe only the teeth are on par. Everything else falls short."

If that ninja dog could talk, the first thing it would probably say is:

"I may not be human, but you, sir, are truly a dog."

Ko sighed and glanced at the white head still buried in Hoshiyomi's arm before continuing:

"But honestly, Lobo's physical traits aren't even the scariest part.

What's really terrifying is his intelligence and chakra potential.

For most ninja beasts, it's rare to have both high intelligence and strong chakra affinity.

Usually it's one or the other. The smart ones can only support from the sidelines.

The ones with raw chakra tend to be… kind of dumb.

Take my own companion, Jūmaru. Not bad at ninjutsu, but dense as a rock. Teaching him our clan's techniques nearly drove me insane.

But Lobo? He's already capable of crude chakra control—and he's got a sharp mind.

A ninja beast with both of those traits? That's one in ten thousand.

Beasts like him often grow into top-tier summons. They'll find some remote place to settle, breed, and form powerful clans of their own.

The Third Hokage's summoning beast, the Monkey King Enma, is exactly that kind of existence.

And from what I've seen, Lobo has the potential to reach that level someday."

Hearing the name Enma, Hoshiyomi's eyes lit up.

From what he remembered in the original story, Enma was one of the strongest non-Sacred Realm summons in the entire ninja world. If Lobo could grow to that level, then Hoshiyomi really had stumbled onto a goldmine.

Rubbing the little wolf's head, Hoshiyomi asked excitedly:

"Then… can Lobo learn to talk like Enma?"

Ko smiled.

"Based on his intelligence? Yeah, probably—if he's trained for it.

But in our Inuzuka Clan, we don't train our beasts to speak human language.

We understand them just fine, and keeping them silent gives us a tactical advantage.

So I'm afraid we wouldn't be able to help with that part."

Hoshiyomi nodded, then asked one more thing:

"I've got one last question, Uncle Ko—can a ninja beast's chakra affinity be tested with chakra paper, like a human's?"

"Of course! That's exactly what chakra paper is for.

It works just as well on ninja beasts as it does on people.

Now that you mention it… I am curious about Lobo's chakra nature.

Tetsu! Go grab a piece of chakra paper!"

Inuzuka Tetsu returned quickly with the test paper in hand.

(Oh right—Hoshiyomi had done his own chakra test before. His affinities were Wind, Fire, and Lightning. But since he wasn't especially interested in ninjutsu, he only practiced basic techniques for everyday convenience.)

He didn't think he'd have time to use ninjutsu in real combat—might as well swing a sword twice instead.

Hoshiyomi set Lobo down and waved the chakra paper in front of him:

"Put your paw on this, and inject chakra into it. Got it?"

To demonstrate, Hoshiyomi let his own chakra pulse through his fingers, causing the paper to react slightly. Then he placed it under Lobo's paw.

Lobo, smart as ever, got it immediately. He pressed his little paw down and began channeling chakra.

Everyone in the room leaned in to watch.

The chakra paper began to change.

First, it split down the middle. Then one half became damp, while the other suddenly burst into flames.

Lobo's chakra nature was revealed—Wind, Water, and Fire. Three natures.

Even Tetsu, who'd just been spectating, looked stunned. His expression was almost existential.

"This… is this what they mean when people say they're not even as good as a dog—no, a wolf?"

He only had two chakra natures. And here was a tiny wolf pup, barely even grown, already displaying three.

Man vs. wolf? Not even a fair fight.

After the test, Hoshiyomi and Torifu chatted a bit more with Ko before taking their leave.

Before they left, Ko gifted Hoshiyomi something special to help strengthen their relationship—a copy of the Inuzuka Clan's beast-rearing manual. With that in hand, Lobo's future development was practically guaranteed.

When they got home, Lobo was so full from chicken he could barely move. But that didn't stop Hoshiyomi's mom from doting on him.

She immediately started fussing over his fur, scratched his chin, and even prepped him a warm meal. When she heard about Lobo's talent, she lit up:

"Well, that just means you'll be even safer from now on!

We absolutely have to raise him properly.

The meat we have at home won't cut it—I'll go buy more.

This little one's gotta grow up strong!"

PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin