Training in the Summoning Technique

The next morning, Issui woke to find Hinata sleeping soundly beside him and smiled. It looks like I didn't take advantage of her at all last night. Still, this is wonderful. Hinata chose to sleep beside me, which means she trusts me completely now. We've reached the point where we can talk about anything. This is what I wanted. If Hinata were just a puppet I controlled, my body might feel pleasure, but my soul would still be empty. This is the life I want, rather than those lewd scenes in dirty novels. This is what true love is like.

Hearing movement beside her, Hinata sat up groggily and rubbed her eyes with her smooth, delicate little hands. "Mmm, I slept so well. I really do sleep especially soundly next to you, Issui-kun."

Seeing how adorably dazed Hinata looked, Issui couldn't resist pinching her nose. "You little sleepyhead, get up," he said affectionately. "Haku's probably been up for ages. Get up and eat. We're going out to train in a little while, silly."

Hinata blushed and lifted her little head. "Hmph, you're one to talk, Issui-kun. Didn't you get up late yourself? And I'm not silly. I'm really strong."

As she spoke, Hinata raised a clenched little fist in a show of defiance, expressing her displeasure.

Issui felt even more affection for her. She really is a child who never grows up. Then again, she really hasn't grown up yet. She'll definitely be charming when she does.

The two dawdled as they got up. Only then did Hinata realize she had come to Issui's place in her pajamas the night before, while her regular clothes were still back in her little house. Issui noticed her awkward predicament and went straight over to fetch her clothes. Of course, he saw some of her private little garments too, and exclaimed that doing a good deed had felt great this time.

After breakfast, Issui had something else to do, while Hinata continued her training, with Haku taking over as her instructor. This made Hinata very unhappy, though she only threw a little tantrum. She still had to train as usual.

Issui headed straight out of the village and ran to a quiet forest where there was absolutely no one around. It was dozens of li from Konoha, so even if he made a great deal of noise, it wouldn't matter. If things got out of control, he would have time to deal with them.

What was Issui going to do? He was going to summon his ninja beast, a flying dragon. Flying dragons were powerful ninja beasts with formidable strength and extremely arrogant personalities, making them difficult to subdue as ninja beasts. So, if he had no other choice, he would have to fight a fierce battle before the other party would acknowledge his strength and willingly become his ninja beast.

Issui had not practiced this Ninjutsu before for two reasons: first, he lacked strength and experience; second, he lacked Chakra, so he couldn't summon a powerful flying dragon. The first time he used the Summoning Technique, he had summoned Laxus, that fire dragon. Though Laxus was reasonably strong, he wasn't particularly formidable. His body was only a little over ten meters long, far inferior to the nine tailed beasts.

Once he was ready, Issui officially began practicing the Summoning Technique.

"Boar-dog-bird-monkey-ram, Summoning Technique!!!"

"Poof..."

It was a gigantic white dragon, more than a hundred meters long. Her enormous body blotted out heaven and earth, and a gentle swing of her tail produced a tremendous blast of air. Every beat of her two immense wings uprooted swathes of trees and sent them flying.

"Roar!!! Who is it? Who summoned the great Christina!" Her booming voice shook the air.

What? A female dragon? Laxus is simply worlds apart from her. I haven't summoned one of his ancestors, have I?

"Hey, Christina, or whatever your name is, I'm the one who summoned you." Issui had no choice but to stand on the branch of a gigantic tree in front of the female dragon's eyes.

"You! You're a descendant of Lord Demon God. I can feel the power of your bloodline, but the contract left from ancient times is hardly binding anymore. And Lord Demon God is already dead, so the contract has even less power to constrain us. You need to show me your strength, little one." Christina looked at Issui before her, somewhat surprised. A large part of the bloodline power in this child's body has already awakened. But the further it goes, the harder it is to awaken. I wonder how far he can take it. Judging by his talent, reaching the final stage shouldn't be difficult. The last time I heard from that little Laxus, he had already awakened the Flame Stage. He should have advanced further now. Has he reached the Frost Stage? What a remarkably gifted descendant.

Issui looked at the female dragon. In that case, let's fight. I'm more likely to lose than win, but I should still show her my strength when the time is right.

"Your primary attribute should be water, so I'll use fire. Eye of Heaven-flame-Flame Body!!!" Issui brought out his prized Secret Technique.

Christina was startled as she watched Issui turn into flames. As expected, he's awakened the Flame Stage's second Secret Technique. He's already very formidable. Even so, I have to show him the Flying Dragon Clan's great strength. Not just anyone can command us. If I don't teach him a lesson, he probably won't give up.

"Lightning Release-Sixteen Pillar Bind Technique!!! Fire Style-Earthenware Technique!!!" Issui used the combined Ninjutsu the Anbu had used in the original story against the multiplying dog summoned by Pain's Animal Path. Issui hadn't imagined he could defeat Christina so easily; he only wanted to test her.

"Roar, you bastard! You've angered the great Christina! I originally only meant to teach you a little lesson today, but now, you lowly creature, I've changed my mind. I'm going to kill you!" Christina had originally thought the brat wouldn't be able to use any powerful Ninjutsu, and probably couldn't even hurt her lovely, smooth skin. She had never expected a patch of that smooth skin to be scorched black, ruining her beautiful dragon body. It was unforgivable.

Issui felt a surge of contempt. Tch, that little injury didn't really hurt you, did it? And you call that skin? Those dragon scales of yours would be fine even if I burned them a few more times. They're just a little blackened, that's all. Besides, this female dragon really has a temper. And no matter how good her skin is, she's still a beast. How can it compare to the skin of a pretty human girl?

"Water Release Profound Mystery—Water World!!!" Christina used her prized Ninjutsu. It could turn everything within a five-li radius into a world containing only water-attribute Chakra. Water Release would be strengthened tenfold in this world, while using Issui's paltry Fire Style here would be no different from courting death.

What? I can't use my Fire Style? No, it's not that I can't use it; it's neutralized the moment I do. With this much water-attribute Chakra in the surroundings, any Fire Style would be neutralized as soon as it appeared. Damn it, this female dragon really is capable. No wonder she called it a water-release Profound Mystery. If a Ninjutsu like this doesn't count as a Profound Mystery, what does that make other Ninjutsu? Still, I have a water-attribute constitution too. But in this Water World, since Christina is a water dragon, the more water there is, the better it probably is for her. She lives in water. Wouldn't using Water Release just be giving her a meal? Lightning Release might work, though. Water Release and Lightning Release don't counter each other, and water can't conduct electricity. Under these circumstances, Lightning Release will probably be strengthened somewhat. Let's try it.

"Well, little bug? Give me a little pleasure. You're really useless, you know. At this rate, you're hardly worth anything. Some damn Eye of Heaven. Here with me, you're just as helpless as an insect." Seeing Issui standing there in a daze, Christina thought he had been scared witless. How pitiful.

"Lightning Release-Thundercloud Technique!!!" Issui used this Lightning Release Ninjutsu of his own creation. Normally, its power was only C-rank, but with the support of Water Release, its strength would rise sharply. In this Water World, its effect would reach S-rank.

A mass of dark, roiling thunderclouds gathered above Christina. Every water ion in the air seemed to have taken on a lightning attribute.

"Rumble... rumble..."

The thunderclouds, concentrated with enormous energy, suddenly erupted. Every part of the Water World was dyed blue-black by lightning, a scene like the end of the world. Who could have imagined that a mere C-rank Ninjutsu could become so powerful in conditions so abundant in the water attribute? This time, it should count as a Lightning Release Profound Mystery. Christina had brought it entirely upon herself. There was nothing particularly remarkable about Issui's Ninjutsu; under normal circumstances, it couldn't even compare with Kakashi's Chidori. But its most notable feature was that it could form thunderclouds in the sky, and in this world, where water ions were exceptionally abundant, the thunderclouds it formed were ten, a hundred, a thousand times larger than usual!!!

"Aah~ roar... aah... roar!!!" Christina must have suffered considerable damage. Her heartrending roars were terrifying, filled with pain and astonishing killing intent. Christina, the white dragon, had gone completely berserk. What kind of mauling would poor Issui receive? Time would tell.

The chain reaction of lightning throughout the world continued for nearly five minutes! Even afterward, lightning still darted about in small areas, but that was of little consequence, nothing compared with the lightning that had filled the world moments before. Christina's figure finally emerged. The formerly white dragon had now become a charred dragon. Her scales had burst apart and vanished, exposing the tender pink flesh beneath. Surprisingly, the blackened parts of her body were slowly recovering beneath the flowing water. She had probably used some kind of Water Release healing technique. Though she looked listless now, anyone who thought she was no threat would be gravely mistaken.

Issui's heart was still pounding a little too. "Are you all right?" he asked carefully. "Weren't you trying to test my strength? Besides, I only used a little C-rank Ninjutsu just now. I didn't think this would happen. How about I just leave? You don't have to be my ninja beast, all right? Ahaha..."