Chapter 74: Mami (Part 2)

Since Sansho had already given the go-ahead, Haseo saw no need to be overly modest. Under her guidance, he pricked his fingertip and used his own blood to write his name on the scroll.

Haseo Yu — just three kanji, written in only a few strokes.

Next, Sansho taught Haseo the hand seals for the Summoning Jutsu.

"Remember," she reminded him, "you don't need to channel too much chakra when performing the technique. There's no need to summon something too large."

In every sense of the word, this was merely Haseo's first experimental attempt at summoning — it wasn't for any combat mission nor under any urgent circumstances, so there was no need to go all out or make a big scene.

In terms of difficulty, the Summoning Jutsu wasn't one of those impossibly difficult Space-Time Ninjutsu techniques. In fact, it was rated as just a C-rank technique, meaning it didn't require significant effort to learn.

However, the true value of this technique lay in two aspects. First, powerful summoned beasts fueled by immense chakra were incredibly rare — practically inaccessible to ordinary ninja. Second, opening the summoning portal and pulling such massive creatures from distant dimensions required enormous amounts of chakra — far more than what an average ninja could handle.

Just imagine some of the Tailed Beasts that shamed their entire kind by being easily defeated even in incomplete forms by The Fourth Hokage's Toad Summon. This alone proves how formidable the latter truly is.

Haseo pressed his palms together and formed the seals: Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram — [Ninjutsu: Summoning Jutsu]!

Then, from within the summoning array emerged a relatively small summoned beast… and it was striped blue and white?

It was a slug — known as "Katsuyu," or the Living Slug.

Its true form was said to grow beyond comprehension, surpassing biological limits to such an extent that it could only reside deep within the Shikkotsu Forest — one of the Three Secret Regions (the sacred hidden lands). Each time it was summoned, only a tiny fragment of its real body appeared.

The slug summoned by Haseo now stood barely half a man's height when partially upright, and its total length did not exceed Haseo's own height.

Once the Summoning Jutsu was complete, an awkward silence settled over them. Haseo had no idea how to talk to a talking creature. Naturally, the slug had never met Haseo either. However, after shifting its antennae slightly, it immediately noticed Sansho standing nearby.

"Un… Lady Sansho, do you have orders for me?" the slug asked, addressing Sansho. Though a soft-bodied creature without a clear gender, it spoke with a distinctly feminine voice — rich in the lows, clear in the mids, and precise in the highs. Ethereal and crystal-clear.

With a voice like that, what more could anyone possibly ask for?

"Katsuyu," Sansho explained, "this is my disciple who summoned you. His name is Haseo Yu, and from today forward, he will become your contract holder." So saying, she briefly displayed the Summoning Contract Scroll to the slug before rolling it up again.

"I understand, Lady Sansho. Then… Lord Haseo?"

"Y...you're quite the sight," Haseo quickly responded.

A summoned beast with intelligence rivaling humans must give consent to become a summoning partner, even after signing a contract. They wouldn't respond to summons violating their own will. However, Katsuyu was different - despite her strength and wisdom, she didn't set any trials for her new summoner, instead fully obeying Sansho's command.

Katsuyu's personality was just as soft-spoken as her voice – calm and serene. Though senior enough to be considered an ancient master, she remained completely obedient to her summoner... unlike the other two summoned beasts under Sansho who enjoyed smoking, drinking, and perms. If one had to describe her nature, she would have the kind of refined, gentle character you'd call Nadeshiko—like a traditional Japanese noblewoman.

Sansho continued explaining, "Haseo currently has an issue - simply put, his chakra production exceeds his body's capacity. Katsuyu, your task is to absorb this excess chakra from him, ensuring it doesn't spiral out of control and keeping his chakra levels within a safe range."

This was actually a solid solution—way better than Haseo burning it off himself with jutsu.

Plus, Katsuyu could hold onto Haseo's extra chakra for a while and even give it back when needed… far better than just letting it go to waste.

"In other words," Sansho addressed Haseo directly, "until your body completely adapts to its chakra production capacity, Katsuyu's clone will stay by your side."

"...Is such a thing actually possible? I've heard that summoned beasts cannot remain in our world indefinitely - shouldn't there be a time limit on summons?"

Haseo felt no inconvenience at having Katsuyu around like a portable battery pack, especially considering how much help she provided. His concern lay in whether she could maintain constant presence.

"If I keep this size, I can stay here for several days, even up to ten, before that portion of my body returns to Shikkotsu Forest to regenerate a new segment," Katsuyu explained gently as she detached a piece of herself about the size of a human forearm, crawling up Haseo's body onto his shoulder.

This smaller form naturally offered greater convenience... which was precisely what made Katsuyu so unique compared to other summoned beasts—her ability to infinitely divide herself. There was technically only one Katsuyu, yet practically an infinite number of her existed simultaneously.

Considering Katsuyu's immense original mass, even tailed-beast-level chakra could easily be accommodated, let alone this relatively small surplus from Haseo. Now according to her own statement, endurance wouldn't be an issue either...

"Then I guess the problem's solved," Sansho said. Summoned beasts were exactly what Haseo needed—this choice made perfect sense.

Yet immediately afterward, she handed the prepared Summoning Contract Scroll to Haseo again.

"Sansho-sensei... What does this mean?"

Sansho didn't understand his meaning.

"Keep it with you. It has no further use to me… There's no suitable heir for it within the Senju either, and pretty soon, there won't even be a single Senju left in Konoha." Sansho actually handed the entire scroll over to Haseo, which was something he had never expected.

No wonder earlier Sansho had said it was perfectly fine for Haseo to sign his name on this Maki—it turned out she had already decided to transfer ownership of the scroll to him, or at least its custody.

"Sansho-sensei, this is too big a responsibility… What about Tsunade? Isn't she the obvious choice?"

"Tsunade is still young. Entrusting this scroll to you was my decision. But whether to return it—'returning it to where it truly belongs'—will be your choice to make." Smiling, Sansho patted Haseo on the shoulder, seemingly indifferent to the importance this scroll represented. She shoved the scroll into Haseo's arms, paid no attention to his reaction, and turned around, walking toward the edge of the woods.

Haseo just stood there frozen for a second, then scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

What an unexpected major gift he had just received.

And with that "generous gift" came an equally heavy—and completely unexpected—responsibility. Plus all the hopes a mentor could have for her pupil.

P.S. Hope to see your recommendation votes coming in!

<><><><><><><><>

Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!

~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!

<><><><><><><><>

~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!

~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!

patreon.com/Tansnovel

<><><><><><><><>