The Summoning Contract and the First Hokage's Wood Release

Rikuto chuckled and once again performed hand seals with one hand.

The Rikuto-brand helicopter, which had originally been oak-colored on the outside,

transformed into the color of the sky at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Unless one looked carefully, it was impossible to make out.

And although the helicopter kicked up a powerful blast of wind, the sunflowers serving as its propellers made none of the loud rumbling of a machine.

If it flew high enough, it would attract no attention at all.

Secret Technique: Camouflage Technique.

It was a low-level Ninjutsu he had learned from the Uchiha Clan's collection.

Simple and practical.

"Then, let's go!"

Under Tsunade's guidance,

Rikuto piloted the helicopter, which had risen hundreds of meters above the ground without him noticing and blended into the sky.

The sunflowers on its tail also began to spin, blasting out a powerful current of air.

They propelled the Rikuto-brand helicopter into the distance, carrying the three of them away at great speed.

Chapter 44: The Summoning Contract and the First Hokage's Wood Release

"Woo-hoo..."

The wind howled.

The giant sunflowers spun ceaselessly.

Powerful gusts of wind swiftly propelled the Rikuto-brand helicopter straight into the distance.

"That really is a convenient technique..."

Gazing at the clouds as they swept past,

Tsunade looked intently at Rikuto, who was only eight years old but outrageously monstrous in his talent.

As though she had come to a decision, she suddenly said to her disciple, "Come to think of it, I haven't given you a welcoming gift yet, have I, Rikuto?"

"A welcoming gift?"

Rikuto was taken aback.

He couldn't help smiling as he said, "There's no need for that. I'm already happy enough to have become your disciple and to study Medical Ninjutsu under you, Sister Tsunade!"

He really didn't care about a welcoming gift.

Even if Tsunade gave him the crystal necklace around her neck, which contained the First Hokage's Wood Release Chakra,

it wouldn't be of much use to Rikuto.

He was already a user of the Logia-type Woods-Woods Fruit.

If he really wanted to, he might well be able to use Wood Release Chakra to create a similar crystal.

Of course, those two hefty pendants were another matter altogether!

"Huh?"

Rikuto watched as Tsunade closed her eyes,

bit her finger, and quickly performed hand seals.

"Lady Tsunade, are you going to...?"

Shizune's eyes narrowed, and she couldn't help guessing what Tsunade intended.

"Summoning Technique!" Forced to close her eyes while performing the hand seals because of her fear of blood, Tsunade pressed both hands against the floor.

Before Rikuto and Shizune's astonished eyes,

summoning formulas spread across a large area of the floor.

Poof!

Smoke billowed.

A slug half the height of a person, with an entirely light blue body,

appeared there.

"So this is the Summoning Technique?"

Rikuto looked on curiously, full of interest.

Using a technique like this to summon a summoning beast directly from a great distance away

was truly somewhat incredible.

"Lady Katsuyu, hello... Lady Tsunade, let me heal you!"

Shizune, having recovered her senses, politely greeted Katsuyu.

She hurried forward to treat Tsunade, who feared blood, and wipe away the blood for her.

As Tsunade's disciple,

Shizune naturally knew the name of her summoning beast.

Slug was her species; Katsuyu was her real name.

She was a fragment split off from the body of Katsuyu the Sage, the founder of Shikkotsu Forest.

According to legend, the true Katsuyu the Sage's main body was unimaginably enormous.

Even if Lady Tsunade exerted all her strength, she couldn't directly summon a tenth of her main body.

"Lady Tsunade, Shizune, it's been a long time..."

The slug spoke softly.

"Katsuyu, this is Chiya Rikuto, the disciple I just took on. I'd like him to sign Shikkotsu Forest's Summoning Scroll!" Tsunade said directly to the slug.

"Your new disciple, Lady Tsunade?" Katsuyu looked at Rikuto in surprise.

"Lady Katsuyu, Rikuto is a descendant of the Senju, and he has Lord Hashirama's Wood Release!" Shizune added.

"The First Hokage's Wood Release? That's amazing..."

The slug was somewhat shocked.

She hadn't expected the child before her, who was only eight or nine years old,

to have awakened the First Hokage's Wood Release.

"Is this your summoning beast, Sister Tsunade?" Rikuto looked Katsuyu over.

He understood what Tsunade meant.

Although he preferred imposing, awe-inspiring summoning beasts, he didn't reject his new teacher's kindness.

After all, there was no rule saying one could only sign a Summoning Contract with one kind.

As one of the Shinobi World's three great summoning beast sage lands,

Katsuyu's outstanding healing and combat abilities

were quite good.

Besides, he also wanted to see for himself someday

what was so special about Shikkotsu Forest's Senjutsu.

His Sage Mode was something he had figured out on his own, after all, and differed from the Senjutsu of all Three Great Sage Lands.

Perhaps he could learn something from it.

That made it even harder to refuse her to her face.

"Since it's your request, Lady Tsunade, we naturally won't refuse..."

With that,

the half-person-sized Katsuyu's belly wriggled.

She spat out a wet scroll.

It rolled to a stop before Rikuto and unfurled there.

It bore a dazzlingly long list of names.

At the very end was Tsunade's name.

"Lord Chiya Rikuto, please write your name on it and leave your handprint!" the slug said to Rikuto.

"Sister Tsunade, this..."

"You don't want to?"

Tsunade asked with a smile, "Slugs might not look all that impressive, but whether in healing or combat, they're outstanding among summoning beasts!"

There was one thing she didn't mention.

The reason she truly wanted Rikuto to sign it

was that Shikkotsu Forest, which was as renowned as the two great sage lands of Mount Myōboku and Ryūchi Cave, possessed a long heritage of Senjutsu.

Even she had yet to master Shikkotsu Forest's Senjutsu.

But she believed Rikuto would surely be able to do so someday.

"No, I'll sign it... but please close your eyes first, Sister Tsunade!"

Rikuto smiled.

Without fussing, he decisively bit his finger.

He wrote his full name on the Summoning Contract and left his fingerprint.

In the blink of an eye, by the time he wiped away the blood,

the small wound had already disappeared.

"I look forward to working with you, Lady Katsuyu!" Seeing how modest and courteous her new contractor Rikuto was,

Katsuyu was delighted. "Hello, Rikuto!"

Tsunade, who had turned her head away early on to avoid seeing the blood, turned back when Shizune told her it was safe.

She said frankly, "Katsuyu, I didn't summon you just to have Rikuto sign the contract..."

"I also want that special Secret Techniques scroll I left with you before!"

"Understood, Lady Tsunade..."

Katsuyu nodded.

Her belly wriggled again.

She spat out a scroll half a meter tall.

"What's this?" Rikuto was utterly astonished.

"Mm, my grandfather gave this to me when he was alive. It records the Wood Release Ninjutsu he developed over his lifetime..."

Tsunade took the scroll.

Reminiscence showed on her face, and her gaze was complicated. "The one left in Konoha is only a copy. This is the original, and it's more comprehensive!"

"But unfortunately, neither I nor anyone else in the Senju Clan has managed to awaken the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai!"

Tsunade's words

left even Rikuto somewhat shocked.

As it turned out, the Wood Release Ninjutsu in the hands of the Third Hokage and Shimura Danzō were incomplete.

And to think he had been considering whether to get the Wood Release Ninjutsu the First Hokage had developed during his lifetime from Danzo first.

"Now I'm entrusting it to you, Rikuto!" Tsunade said solemnly, holding the half-meter-tall scroll out to him.