Illegal Encounters After Running Away (6)

The Splitting Dog alone could transform from three heads on one body into six heads on six bodies. Hagoromo already liked that trait very much.

On that basis alone, it could become a powerful Summoning Beast.

These Chakra beasts that acted entirely on instinct were no smarter than ordinary beasts. They certainly could not compare to the toads of Mount Myōboku. They had violence but no intelligence, which was the main reason Hagoromo had been able to capture the Yata Crow, Bicorn Rhinoceros, and Even-Toed Cattle.

It had to be said, brains were a good thing.

But Hagoromo happened to like creatures like this. If this dog really opened its mouth and spoke, who knew what his reaction would be?

After hearing Hagoromo's words, Minato Namikaze, wearing a helpless expression, dashed to each individual Splitting Dog with astonishing speed. Then, using the Flying Thunder God teleportation, he stacked them one atop another like bricks.

Before they could split apart again, Minato tossed a Flying Thunder God kunai into the air. The moment it appeared directly above the Splitting Dogs, Minato teleported himself there.

Then, while suspended in midair, Minato used the Summoning Technique.

With a loud BANG, Gamabunta's enormous body suddenly appeared in the air. Before the eight dogs could react at all, the falling object from above smashed them viciously into the ground.

Yes, this was called Summoning: Vendor-Crushing Technique.

Minato had only heard Hagoromo briefly explain the Splitting Dog's traits. Naturally, he did not know its deeper nature, nor did he know the proper method of making them merge again. So, Minato chose the conventional approach.

Stack a pile of things together, then smash them hard with a hammer or something. If they were sticky, surely they would stick together, right?

As one could see, even the most elite ninja sometimes had thoughts that were utterly un-ninja-like.

Sticking together was only one possibility. The more likely possibility was that they would shatter into a pile of pieces...

Fortunately, the Splitting Dogs were not so easily crushed to death. Moreover, Minato's guess had turned out to be right. After struggling fruitlessly beneath Gamabunta's rear, the Splitting Dogs finally chose to merge back together.

"Finally trapped this thing," Hagoromo said with a sigh from the air.

The Yellow Flash worked with such effortless grace. Even if an uninjured Hagoromo had handled this, he could never have done it to this extent. At most, he would have knocked the six dogs unconscious one by one.

With the Splitting Dog sprawled on the ground, its limbs unable to gain leverage, and with Gamabunta's weight on top of it, it could not possibly struggle free from the earth.

Hagoromo let out a long breath. He had racked his brains these past few days to deal with this splitting creature.

He guided the Yata Crow lower, then jumped down from its head.

After walking over to the Splitting Dog's three enormous heads, Hagoromo stepped on its nose and climbed onto its face... literally stepping on its nose and climbing onto its face.

Faced with such hostile behavior, the Splitting Dog could not move, but it still let out low growls.

Hagoromo was not about to cater to a little dog's feelings. He took a kunai from his Ninja Tool Pouch. Tied to its handle was a strip of paper covered in complex formulas—the Uzumaki Clan's unique Summoning Contract Sealing formula, perfectly suited for dealing with powerful but mindless Chakra monsters like this.

Hagoromo lightly stabbed the kunai into the Splitting Dog's middle head. Blood immediately flowed down its forehead.

Of course, this was not to stab it to death. Otherwise, wouldn't all their earlier effort have been wasted?

Hagoromo began rapidly forming hand seals. This was a lengthy sequence of more than a hundred seals. Once he had finished, the kunai and the sealing formula talisman slowly sank into the Splitting Dog's head.

Hagoromo did not hesitate at any point during the process. His movements were skilled; after all, he had already done this three times before. The fourth time was familiar territory.

Like a stone dropped into a lake, once the technique was complete, no wound remained on the Splitting Dog's forehead.

Then, the six eyes on the three-headed Splitting Dog blinked almost simultaneously. When it looked at Hagoromo again, it became extraordinarily docile, its gaze no longer carrying the same fierce savagery as before.

Minato realized that Hagoromo had completed the contract formula, so he released Gamabunta's summoning.

After Gamabunta disappeared, the Splitting Dog could move freely again. However, it did not move, because Hagoromo had ordered it not to.

After patting the Splitting Dog's head, Hagoromo jumped down from it.

For a Summoning Beast like Gamabunta, merely signing a contract was not particularly useful. The contract was only the first step. If you did not have a heart-to-heart with him and build a relationship, he would not even bother with you. It took time for a master and such a Summoning Beast to become familiar with each other. Otherwise, even if you summoned him, it would be useless. What could you do if he simply refused to work?

Besides, between a ninja and a Summoning Beast, it was not always clear who was whose master.

Powerful, intelligent Summoning Beasts possessed human-like personalities and dignity. Naruto's experiences were one example, as was Orochimaru's arrogant Manda.

But the Splitting Dog was not like that. Once the special contract ritual had been completed, it immediately changed from a savage beast that bit anyone it saw into a gentle pet.

If Hagoromo had not kept giving it orders, its three long tongues would have licked him several times over by now.

"Thank you, Senior Minato."

Hagoromo did not forget to thank Minato.

"I only helped out a little," Minato said, signaling Hagoromo not to worry about it. His usual gentle smile hung on his face. "But more importantly, are your injuries really all right?"

Minato stood beside Hagoromo now and could clearly sense that the other's physical condition was not good. Although Hagoromo's wounds had been bandaged, the treatment did not seem very effective.

"I'm fine," Hagoromo said, shaking his head. In truth, by now, what affected him most was no longer his injuries, but exhaustion.

Still, compared to what he had gained, Hagoromo felt that certain costs had been worth it...

As he thought about it, he could no longer suppress his happiness and burst into loud laughter.

Please forgive him for not having spoken properly for three days. His voice was hoarse, and his laughter sounded rather unpleasant.

Kushina could no longer endure it. At her fastest speed, she rushed in front of Hagoromo and viciously struck him on the head.

Was this really something worth being so happy about? Powerful Summoning Beasts were indeed hard to come by, but Hagoromo had clearly chosen a terrible time to catch a pet—or at least, that was what Kushina thought.

Sometimes she wanted to hit people, and whenever she did, she could simply do so. But she had never beaten anyone to death... so she had held back against Hagoromo. Aside from being somewhat angry and worried, she had no other feelings.

But unexpectedly, after taking her punch, Hagoromo rolled his eyes and swayed as he fainted.