Uzumaki Honoka stared blankly at the young man cradling her, his smile as warm as the morning sun.
The slender arm she had draped around Minato Namikaze's neck tightened instinctively.
A fluttery sensation welled up inside her, urging her to lean in and kiss him.
???
What the hell!
Trap a dog just to slaughter it?
Nara Kei clenched his fists tightly, grinding his teeth in frustration as he watched Minato Namikaze, still stunned but beginning to clumsily respond to the kiss.
o(▼皿▼メ;)o
Return to Konoha tomorrow! No, right now!
He couldn't stand being here for another second!
Muttering curses under his breath, Nara Kei grabbed the scruff of the peregrine falcon's neck—the bird currently immobilized by both the Four Limbs Sealing Array and the Nirvana Blissful Slumber jutsu—and began dragging it toward the research facility's main entrance.
The temperature at the mouth of the volcano wasn't low.
Thanks to his chakra protection, he was fine, but if he didn't get this peregrine falcon out soon, it'd be plucked, gutted, and roasted before long.
Flight-capable summoned beasts had always been exceptionally rare in the ninja world.
Accordingly, they were especially coveted.
This particular one resembled a peregrine falcon. While its size wasn't as exaggerated as that of its smaller kin, its back could still carry no more than two adults.
As the island's apex flying predator, it possessed outstanding speed and power.
Coupled with the option to outsource its care to Konoha's Summon Aviary facility, it wouldn't require much effort on his part.
Nara Kei already considered making a contract with it.
Rather than stick around watching Minato Namikaze and Uzumaki Honoka shove their coupledom down his throat, wouldn't doing something useful be better?
——————
Konoha's Zero Training Ground.
Once an uninhabited area practically overtaken by wildlife, the training ground now gathered numerous Konoha ninjas.
And as time passed, the crowd appeared to keep growing larger.
Summons had always been a scarce resource within the ninja world.
Leaving aside those clans and commoner-ninjas without summoning contracts entirely.
Even prestigious clans like Uchiha, Sarutobi, and Shimura—each possessing their own summoning traditions—didn't want to miss this auction.
Around the edge of the hastily-constructed auction stage,
Nara Shikaku casually moved among various clan members and powerful commoner-ninjas, maintaining an atmosphere of harmony and camaraderie. In truth, however, he was panicking beneath his composed exterior.
Inside, he desperately prayed that Kei Yamanaka would just be a little reliable.
Three summoned beasts had already been presented for quite some time, yet not a single additional summon had arrived in half a day?
If this kept up, there was no way he could hold this event together any longer!
Behind the auction platform, Jiraiya sat cross-legged atop a large boulder, one hand supporting his chin.
Looking up at the sun hanging high above, he felt the gentle warmth against his nose, prompting an absentminded rub.
Still, he found himself feeling rather puzzled too.
Given Kei Yamanaka's meticulous personality—someone who would go as far as learning his enemy's underwear color before executing a mission—
And considering Minato's strength, which surpassed most other ninja ever since mastering [Flying Thunder God Technique]—
How could anything possibly have gone wrong?
"Sniff sniff~"
A strange scent drifted into his nostrils, sending a wave of dizziness through him.
Jiraiya secretly glanced at his right hand, which had just scooped up some gunk from between his toes, then cautiously looked left and right. Seeing no one was watching, he finally exhaled in relief.
He was Jiraiya—one of the Sannin, a Toad Sage, the White-Haired Prodigy—yet still had his pride to uphold.
Smelling that toe-picking hand and actually feeling somewhat excited? That was definitely embarrassing.
Weng—
A brief reverse summoning force arrived through the Summoning Contract.
Jiraiya instantly perked up.
He quickly bit his thumb again—already bitten once before—and leapt from the ground, activating the [Summoning Jutsu] to bring forth the stomach of Gamashika the Great Toad.
Puff—
A massive cloud of chakra smoke rose.
Two enormous flying birds appeared behind the auction platform, their feathers soaked in stomach fluids. Their claws were clearly fractured, yet they slept more peacefully than if they were already dead.
Nara Shikaku, who had been eagerly waiting, immediately flashed onto the auction stage.
After carefully inspecting the multiple injuries on the two giant birds, he hesitated slightly before checking their breaths.
Good, good—it's just a deep sleep.
What the heck!
That kid Kei—couldn't he have gone easier on the Genjutsu?
Fractured and still sleeping soundly! He almost thought these two giant birds were dead!
With such big wings and strong bodies, they could easily carry over ten people into flight—they were strategic-grade Flying Summoned Beasts.
If they had died, it would've been such a waste!
The clan heads who had gathered watched as the two massive birds suddenly appeared, eyes sparkling with excitement.
They clearly recognized the beasts' value.
This kind of huge bird!
A rare treasure indeed!
Their long wait hadn't been in vain at all!
"Two female eagles, only minor fractures. With proper treatment, they'll recover in a month or two. Starting bid: two million ryo. Let's begin."
Shikaku checked both birds, standing on the auction platform and loudly announcing.
"Two million ryo—we of the Shimura clan will take them."
"Trying to throw around your clan name, huh? Hmph. We of the Kurama clan bid three million."
"Three million five hundred thousand!"
"The Uchiha clan bids four million!"
"You Uchiha never even leave the village—what use do you have for such large eagles? We of the Shimura clan offer four million five hundred thousand!"
The clan heads and elders began raising their offers one after another.
To them, egg-laying females were far more valuable than males.
If bred properly, they could be bred and passed down through generations!
The auction heated up rapidly.
The moderately wealthy civilian ninja watched the clan representatives bickering fiercely over bids, completely unfazed.
Flying summoned beasts were indeed rare, but not essential to them.
For those without deep clan backgrounds,
strategic value meant little—what truly mattered was obtaining summoned beast partners that could directly enhance their combat strength.
Six massive female eagles and hawks, summoned in three waves, were quickly snatched up by the major clans.
After a short pause lasting about two minutes,
giant rhinos, giant lizards, giant hippos, great bears, giant wolves, and other land-based fierce beasts started to appear one after another.
The non-clan ninja and those interested in cultivating their own summoned beasts, having waited for a long time, had now begun to enthusiastically join the bidding.
Nara Shikaku watched the fierce beasts continuously appearing, his face stretched into a wide grin.
No matter how much money they earned.
Anyone who bought a summoned beast would be indebted to the Ino–Shika–Cho alliance.
After all, such powerful beasts, each at least equal to a Chunin in strength, had become increasingly rare in the ninja world!
And by seizing this opportunity,
the three clans of Ino–Shika–Cho would most likely secure an additional seat in the High Council meetings!
For them, this was far more valuable than any amount of money!
"...How come it's still not done yet?"
Jiraiya felt sharp needles of pain once again on his thumb.
He grumbled to himself.
Once this was over, he'd have Kushina make him a small sealed blood tube too.
Before, he had mocked Kei Yamanaka and Minato Namikaze for being too cautious.
But now, after using the Summoning Jutsu more than forty times in a row, he finally realized those two truly had the foresight!
Damn it!
Just to earn some grueling cash.
His thumb—the thumb of a legendary Toad Sage—was nearly chewed to bits!
As Jiraiya sensed yet another notification from Elder Fukasaku of Mount Myoboku summoning him,
[Summoning Jutsu!]
he angrily dragged his bruised thumb across his left palm, gritted his teeth, and performed the Summoning Jutsu again.
Later, he absolutely must find eight pretty girls to cheer up his bruised spirit!
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