Shikigami Summoning in Konoha

Chapter 59: "Deception"

The Third Hokage was taken aback, watching as Katsuragi stood in his way, preventing his departure with a somewhat amused expression. "Alright, Katsuragi, stop fooling around. Teams are always formed in groups of three, and I know you're very strong, but it's getting late and I have a lot to do."

"Lord Third, it won't take much of your time," Katsuragi hurriedly insisted, knowing that if the Third left now, the team arrangement would be set in stone. He then released his aura in a burst, causing the Third's expression to finally change.

"This..."

The Third was inwardly surprised. Although he often kept tabs on Katsuragi and Naruto, he wasn't watching them 24/7, so his understanding of Katsuragi's strength was limited to what Katsuragi chose to show and what the school evaluations and exams reported.

Seeing Katsuragi now, even without engaging in combat, just the sheer aura was enough to make the Third realize that Katsuragi's current strength was far beyond that of a typical Genin.

"You little rascal, you've kept your strength so well hidden!"

The Third gave Katsuragi a deep look, feeling the need to reassess Katsuragi's character, despite having watched him grow up almost from infancy.

Nevertheless, his suspicions about Katsuragi's intentions weren't overly serious, as he knew everything about Katsuragi's background and daily life; hiding his true strength was not the same as committing acts harmful to the Leaf.

"Heh heh!"

Katsuragi chuckled, noticing the Third's gaze but not taking it too seriously since the Third was not Danzo. Katsuragi's attachment to the Leaf was deep, after all, since all his friends and Hinata were here.

"What do you want to show me to prove it?"

The Third was no longer in a hurry to leave, now genuinely interested in finding out just what level Katsuragi was at. Could he really be a threat to Naruto and Sasuke's growth?

"If Lord Third doesn't mind, how about a spar in the training room?" Katsuragi proposed, full of fighting spirit. He was curious about his own level too. Although he couldn't use the powers of Yuki-onna or Enenra in front of the Third, the awakened form of the Three-Tailed Fox was more than sufficient.

"Then let me stretch these old bones!" Seeing as there was no one else available to test Katsuragi, and faced with Katsuragi's challenging look, the Third laughed and removed his coat, rubbing his shoulders. "I've been sitting for so long, I'm nearly rusted through."

"This way, Lord Third!"

Katsuragi excitedly led the Third to the training room. This time, besides wanting to demonstrate his strength, he also planned to "deceive" the Third by creating a backstory for his powers, inventing a "bloodline limit."

Of course, this was only a temporary measure. Once his true strength was undeniable, he wouldn't need to worry about such things anymore. At the moment, he was just taking advantage of the Third's tenure as Hokage to seek some protection.

After awakening the Three-Tailed Fox, he could transform features like fox ears and a tail. Although vastly different from Naruto's later Nine-Tails form, the Third wouldn't know that. Katsuragi planned to use this to his advantage by posing as a "Jinchuriki."

In the training area, the two stood facing each other. Katsuragi took a deep breath and said, "Lord Third, there's something I've never told you."

"What is it?" The Third smiled at Katsuragi, still not overly cautious despite his advanced age.

"Here goes!"

Katsuragi exhaled and then transformed, revealing fox ears and a tail. His handsome face took on a charming quality, which immediately tightened the Third's body, who instinctively prepared hand seals.

Seeing the tail, the Third's first thought was of the Nine-Tails. Fortunately, Katsuragi did not emit the malicious, frenzied aura of the Nine-Tails, and his transformation was white, prompting the Third to hold back.

"Katsuragi, what's this about?"

Observing Katsuragi, who was now playfully swishing his three tails, the Third asked sternly, his face serious. Although Katsuragi didn't seem to be a Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, something was clearly unusual.

"I don't know myself!" Katsuragi spread his hands and gave a "confused" expression, explaining, "But it seems to have started after I came into contact with Naruto. I don't know how it happened."

"Naruto! It's the Nine-Tails then?"

The Third's gaze sharpened. Although the village commonly referred to Naruto as a monster or the Kyuubi, the fact that Naruto was a Jinchuriki was never widely publicized, so the Third thought Katsuragi shouldn't know about the Nine-Tails.

"Come here, let me take a look."

At this point, the Third was no longer thinking about team arrangements. What mattered now was understanding what was happening with Katsuragi.

Seeing the Third's serious look, Katsuragi felt he might have miscalculated how seriously the Third took the Nine-Tails. However, since he had already shown his form, he couldn't take it back and obediently approached the Third.

"Strange, seems genuine?"

After touching Katsuragi's fox ears and tail, the Third looked puzzled. If he didn't know Katsuragi was otherwise a normal human, he might have doubted Katsuragi's origins.

"Katsuragi, tell me everything, how did this happen?"

The Third looked intently at Katsuragi, known as 'the Professor,' yet he was clueless about the current situation.

"Uh..."

Katsuragi nodded and then organized his thoughts before responding, "Well, it might have been when I was six or seven years old. I accidentally hit Naruto, and some red chakra burst out from him and mysteriously entered my body. After that, it turned into this."

"Are you sure it was red chakra?"

The Third narrowed his eyes at Katsuragi.

"Yes, it should be!" Katsuragi nodded. After decades of acting as a child, he would be embarrassed if he was caught lying now.

Seeing Katsuragi's confident expression, the Third nodded, thinking to himself, "It must be chakra leaking from the Nine-Tails' seal, but how can he absorb the Nine-Tails' chakra? Does this child have a special constitution?"

"Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"

The Third frowned, wondering why this hadn't been addressed earlier when immediate investigation might have uncovered something.

"Because there was no issue at the time, I only discovered a few years ago that I could transform like this." Katsuragi scratched his head, appearing somewhat sheepish. Seeing the Third's frowning face, he asked worriedly, "Lord Third, is there a problem?"

"I don't feel any discomfort, and my strength significantly increases in this state."

The Third looked again at the white fox ears and tail on Katsuragi, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Let's have a battle first; I want to see your strength."

"Okay!"

Katsuragi nodded and exhaled deeply. Despite the Third's age, he was still among the top powers in the ninja world, making him a sufficient benchmark to test Katsuragi's years of effort.

End of Chapter 59