Shikigami Summoning in Konoha

Chapter 71: Tengu Swallowed

"Obtained SSR Shikigami Summoning Charm."

Although Katsuragi really wanted to enter the courtyard right away to check the updates and summon the SSR, he knew this wasn't the time. He had to resolve things with Kakashi first.

With an excited heart, Katsuragi asked on behalf of the three wide-eyed individuals next to him, "Kakashi-sensei, what do you mean by this?"

"Ninjas must make calm and collected judgments. Those who break the rules and laws of the ninja world, we call trash," Kakashi looked up, reminiscing about his father, then looked down and continued, "However, those who do not care about their comrades are worse than trash, so in my eyes, you are qualified."

Watching the moved group, Kakashi smiled again and said, "Alright, the exercise is over, everyone passed. Team Seven will start missions tomorrow."

"What about my test, Kakashi-sensei?" Katsuragi quickly asked. If nothing else was coming up, he needed to hurry home to summon the SSR and study what exactly the bounty seal had become.

"Well, although you've passed, to motivate them for the future, let's have a sparring session," Kakashi said after thinking for a bit, his eyes crinkling in a smile as he looked at Naruto and the others.

"Uh," Katsuragi was startled, then glanced at Naruto and Sasuke. Although he had initially told the Third Hokage he was afraid of demoralizing the two, he knew in his heart that witnessing his strength would only spur them to chase after him more fervently.

They stood face to face in an open field, with Naruto and Sasuke's eyes wide, wondering what Kakashi meant by his words, and feeling a bit defiant inside.

Of course, they didn't realize this cautious behavior from Kakashi was because Katsuragi had almost defeated him, which is why Kakashi treated him so seriously now. After all, purely in terms of physical skills, Katsuragi was almost stronger than him.

"Then, let's begin."

At Kakashi's command, Katsuragi's fox ears and tails appeared instantly, and he left a trail of afterimages as he dashed towards Kakashi. Without the ability to reveal the powers of Yuki-onna and Enenra, he chose close combat.

"Wow, wow, Sasuke, look, Katsuragi has three tails!" Naruto shouted excitedly as Katsuragi charged, grabbing Sasuke's clothes with a thrilled expression.

"Let go, idiot, I can see," Sasuke, annoyed by Naruto's shaking, scolded him, then clenched his fists and watched Katsuragi and Kakashi's battle with a serious expression, murmuring, "Does he also have a bloodline limit?"

"Darn, I didn't expect his strength to have reached this level."

Sasuke gritted his teeth. In school, he had always aimed to surpass Katsuragi. He had thought the gap between them wasn't large, but seeing the current battle between Katsuragi and Kakashi, he realized just how wide the gap was.

"It's okay, I still have the Sharingan," Sasuke tightly clenched his fists, internally voicing a sentiment similar to what he had said during his initial appearance.

Though the Sharingan and Byakugan are quite different, the Byakugan needs to evolve into the Tenseigan to surpass Katsuragi, while the Sharingan reaches a substantial upgrade when it develops into the Mangekyo. Plus, Sasuke is apparently Indra's reincarnation, one of the future powerhouses of Konoha in the original story.

If Katsuragi's power increases slowly, Sasuke might indeed catch up, provided, of course, that Katsuragi himself slows down.

The fight heated up without them realizing. Although Katsuragi was faster and more responsive than Kakashi, his release of ninjutsu and combat experience was far behind Kakashi's.

Thus, even though it seemed like Katsuragi was continuously in an advantageous position, Kakashi remained uninjured, and Katsuragi might lose at any moment due to only being able to reveal his three-tailed fox's abilities.

"Furious Beauty Blast"

At a weak moment for Kakashi, Katsuragi seized the opportunity to use his killer move. Unfortunately, with a loud "bang," the Kakashi in front of him turned into a log—it was a substitution technique.

Simultaneously, Kakashi reappeared behind Katsuragi, his hands combined but leaving only the index and middle fingers extended, seeming like he wanted to deliver a normal Thousand Years of Death to Katsuragi as he had with Naruto.

He forgot, however, that unlike Naruto, Katsuragi wasn't just strong but also had three tails. Thus, when the sharp fox tails lashed towards Kakashi in mid-air, Kakashi inwardly cursed, "Oh no."

Katsuragi had not been very agile with controlling his tails previously, just to catch Kakashi off guard. To his surprise, it actually worked.

Seeing Kakashi flung against a tree by the tail, Katsuragi did not pursue further. After all, it was just a sparring session, and there was no need to be so harsh. Plus, the primary advantage of the three-tailed fox was speed enhancement; the ordinary attacks with the tails were not particularly strong, at least not enough to injure an elite jounin.

"Alright, let's stop here."

Kakashi stood up, rubbing the spot hit by the tail, and first addressed Katsuragi, then turned to the silently impressed Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura in the distance and said:

"Don't be too discouraged. Katsuragi's level of strength would be considered genius in any era. I let you watch the battle to give you a goal to strive towards. With a comrade reaching such heights, you can't lag behind, can you?"

"Katsuragi, I will definitely catch up to you," Naruto shouted, the first to recover. His declaration also awoke Sasuke, who stared at Katsuragi with burning eyes and declared, "I will surpass you someday."

"Hey, yeah, I'll surpass you too, Katsuragi!" Naruto, after a moment's pause, decided that surpassing sounded more impressive than catching up and quickly corrected himself. Sakura didn't speak; after watching the battle, she had no confidence in catching up or surpassing Katsuragi.

Though Kakashi noticed Sakura's demeanor, he said nothing and asked Katsuragi, "Are you going to join Team Seven on their missions tomorrow, or will you join another group?"

"Kakashi-sensei, I'd like to learn some genjutsu from Lady Kurenai first," Katsuragi scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed. Of course, while learning genjutsu was important, spending time with Hinata was equally significant. His plan was to join Naruto's group when they encountered Zabuza.

"Alright," Kakashi nodded, not minding at all. It was also a good time for him to think carefully about how to train Katsuragi and the others, as being a teacher meant being responsible for his students.

After dismissing the group, Katsuragi didn't even wait to address Naruto's questions about his transformation, rushing home at top speed, then immediately lying on his bed and entering the courtyard.

"What's up, Katsuragi?"

Seeing Katsuragi's rushed demeanor, the three-tailed fox, lounging lazily under the cherry tree, curiously asked.

"Fox sis, call out Smoke Sis and Snow Woman Sis. I'm going to summon," Katsuragi explained excitedly to the three-tailed fox, then started to check the so-called SSR Shikigami summoning charm, which surprisingly didn't require use of the summoning array in the cabin.

"Who could it be?"

As the three women gathered, watching with curiosity and anticipation, Katsuragi couldn't wait to begin the summoning.

A man with blood-red hair cascading upwards, a bare muscular chest, and carrying a gourd almost as tall as Katsuragi himself—with a mouth full of sharp teeth, a disdainful look, and an air of madness about him—made Katsuragi blurt out the opponent's nickname from back in the gaming days:

"Tengu Swallowed."

End of Chapter 71