Chapter 22: Summoning Technique
Sakumo and Nayuki treated the unfolding events as if they were listening to some juicy gossip, their expressions distant yet intrigued, their ears sharply attuned to every word.
"And what is this one called?" Katsuyu inquired, her gaze steady as she examined Kawakaze. An odd energy radiated from him—something she had only encountered in Hashirama's Cells before.
Tsunade stepped forward, her cheeks tinged with pink as she introduced him. "His name is Kawakaze Hatake. He's my... well, close friend," she said, hesitating just long enough to suggest there was more to the relationship than she admitted. The blush on her face deepened until it looked as though it had been painted on.
"What advice might Katsuyu have for someone like him?" she added, eager to steer the focus away from herself.
Kawakaze, meanwhile, was both fascinated and wary. This was his first time meeting Katsuyu, one of the three legendary Summoning Beasts, a mystical creature capable of both combat and miraculous healing.
"I sense in you the same potent cell activity as Hashirama," Katsuyu remarked. Her tone carried a hint of curiosity, as though uncovering a mystery. "If you're willing, I might be able to help you learn the Senjutsu of the Shikkotsu Forest."
"Then learn it," Tsunade interjected before Kawakaze could respond, summoning a massive scroll seemingly out of thin air. She unrolled it with a practiced motion, revealing a scroll several meters long, its surface crowded with the signatures of previous contract holders. Near the bottom was Tsunade's name, written in bold, unmistakable strokes.
"Sign your name, Kawakaze, with your blood," Tsunade instructed confidently. Her voice carried the weight of decision. With the Senju Clan diminished, she seemed eager to share this familial bond with the Hatake Clan.
Katsuyu watched without interference. This decision belonged to Tsunade, and it wasn't something so trivial as to warrant her intervention.
"Then, I won't be rude." Kawakaze bit his finger, allowing a bead of blood to form. With precise movements, he inscribed his name next to Tsunade's, forming the contract. As the blood sealed his commitment, he felt a faint stirring in his soul—a new connection being forged with a distant, enigmatic realm.
"Initially, you'll need to form hand seals," Tsunade explained, deftly rolling up the scroll and making it vanish with a spell. "But once you become familiar with Katsuyu, those will no longer be necessary."