Shikigami Summoning in Konoha

Chapter 72: The Pinnacle of the Ghost Clan

"Tengu Swallowed"

Shuten-doji furrowed his brows and with a domineering look, glanced at Katsuragi, declaring loudly, "Remember this, my name is Shuten-doji, and I am known to all in this world."

"The Ghost Clan"

Enenra's expression changed slightly. Although her memory was incomplete, the moment she saw Shuten-doji, she somehow recognized his identity instinctively.

The three-tailed fox and Yuki-onna reacted similarly, both looking at Shuten-doji as if facing a formidable opponent. From his words, it was clear that Shuten-doji was not the type to be easily handled.

"Is it you who summoned me?"

Shuten-doji stepped up to Katsuragi, sizing him up, and stated blandly, "So, it's a human."

"Hello, my name is Katsuragi."

Katsuragi greeted him with a smile. Although Shuten-doji wasn't considered very strong in the game, this was the world of Naruto now, not the game. Anyhow, he was the pinnacle of the ghost clan, a man pursued by Ibaraki-doji.

"You three, if you keep looking at me with those eyes, be careful, I might kill you."

Noticing the wary looks from the three women, Shuten-doji seemed somewhat displeased and, tilting his head, issued a threat, his wild nature fully displayed.

"You, this guy..."

Hearing Shuten's words, the hot-tempered three-tailed fox couldn't hold back and blurted out without thinking, "Come on then, let's see who teaches whom a lesson."

As a Demon King, Shuten-doji could not stand the three-tailed fox, a mere little fox, stepping on his dignity. It would be more fitting if Tamamo-no-Mae were to speak to him in such a manner. Thus, without wasting words, the gourd on his back floated above his head.

"Stop!"

Katsuragi, seeing the situation escalating unexpectedly, quickly stepped in front of the three-tailed fox and shouted at Shuten-doji, frowning as he saw Shuten-doji halt his actions. It seemed he hadn't expected Shuten-doji to be so obedient.

"Damn it."

However, as he saw Shuten-doji glaring at him with a face full of rage, he realized it wasn't as he thought. Experimentally, he commanded again, "Sit down."

Shuten-doji obediently retracted his gourd and sat down, as docile as a dog, though one shouldn't look at the almost explosive fury in his eyes.

"Fox sis, you sit down too."

Katsuragi, ignoring Shuten-doji for the moment, turned and also instructed the three-tailed fox. Watching her sit down with a stunned face, he then understood why Shuten-doji had stopped earlier.

"It seems I have the ability to command them directly."

Because the three women had always had pleasant temperaments, Katsuragi hadn't realized this authority before. If not for Shuten-doji's appearance, it might have taken him a long time to discover this.

However, the most pressing issue now was to deal with the figure before him, the most powerful Shikigami in his possession to date. Not getting the relationships right within the courtyard would definitely lead to trouble later.

Seeing Shuten-doji still sitting under command yet looking at him coldly, Katsuragi felt a bit of a headache. He pondered for a moment and then said, "First of all, Shuten-doji, everyone here is equal, so I hope you can understand that."

"Also, I want to know how much you understand about being here."

Shuten was silent for a long while. Just as Katsuragi considered whether to enforce the command, Shuten-doji coldly stated, "I only know that I was summoned by you. I don't know anything else."

"And, lift your command."

"If you promise not to act again," Katsuragi looked at Shuten-doji, still somewhat uneasy, and added, "Fox sis didn't mean it, you are the leader of the ghost clan, don't stoop to her level."

"Katsuragi," from behind him, the three-tailed fox called out in displeasure, about to speak, but Katsuragi turned and silenced her, "Fox sis, don't speak for now."

Now aware of his commanding ability, Katsuragi naturally understood how to use it. It was about the tone; his usual interactions with the three-tailed fox and others were casual, but a command required compliance.

The three-tailed fox obediently closed her mouth, scowling at Shuten-doji before turning to bury her head in Yuki-onna's arms, sulking.

"Katsuragi is right, you are a man at the pinnacle of the ghost clan. I've heard of your great name, and you shouldn't be bickering with a small demon," Enenra approached, smiling at Shuten-doji.

"Otherwise, it would seem like you are bullying the weak."

Shuten-doji looked at Enenra, then back at Katsuragi, and finally with a grudging tone said, "Hmph, dare to put me under a human's command, if I find out who it was..."

"I won't hold it against her anymore, just lift the command."

Seeing Shuten-doji concede, Katsuragi wasn't sure if this was influenced by the courtyard itself, but fortunately, the outcome was positive. If Shuten-doji had really wanted to fight the three-tailed fox, he would have considered imposing stricter commands within the courtyard.

"Alright," but just to be cautious, Katsuragi first addressed the three-tailed fox and Yuki-onna, "Fox sis, you can speak now. Why don't you and Yuki-onna go back to the house first?"

"Hmph," apparently dissatisfied with Katsuragi's earlier actions, the three-tailed fox snorted and allowed Yuki-onna to pull her back to the house.

Then, Katsuragi finally lifted the restriction on Shuten-doji and took him to his room. There was still much he hadn't checked yet, like the upgraded bounty seal and Shuten-doji's abilities.

Before that, Katsuragi had one more question, "Shuten-doji, do you know about Abe no Seimei?"

"Abe no Seimei?" Shuten-doji paused, a flicker of confusion crossing his eyes before he answered, "Do I need to know who that is?"

"What about the demoness Red Maple and Ibaraki-doji?" Katsuragi asked again, thinking to himself that in the game storyline, Shuten-doji seemed to know Seimei.

"Red Maple?" A subtle flush crossed Shuten-doji's normally stoic face before he frowned and asked, "How do you know about her?"

"Ah," Katsuragi didn't answer. From Shuten-doji

End of Chapter 72