"It's my turn."
A flush of excitement rose on Hyuga Hinata's fair, tender face, as if it had been dyed with a faint rosy glow.
She took a deep breath, took out a Kunai, and gently sliced her fair little palm.
A sharp pain followed.
Bright red blood welled up from the wound and flowed slowly down her palm.
With a mix of nervousness and immense anticipation, she pressed her small hand onto the contract stele.
Hum—!
A faint golden light lit up from the stele, enveloping her entirely.
An invisible brand was quietly carved deep into her soul.
The incantations of the Summoning Jutsu, the sensation of Human-Wolf Resonance... countless pieces of information flooded into her mind, yet they were all perfectly clear.
Hinata closed her eyes, quietly sensing that wondrous connection.
A moment later, she opened her eyes.
Her fair, tender face was filled with eager excitement.
"Ninja Art—Summoning Jutsu!"
She formed hand seals and slammed her hands onto the ground!
Bang—!
A huge puff of white smoke exploded in front of her!
"Awooo~?"
A low, puzzled howl emerged from the white smoke, carrying a hint of sleepy impatience.
Hinata stared expectantly and nervously at the slowly dissipating smoke, her small hand unconsciously clutching the corner of her clothes.
The smoke cleared.
A massive gray shadow appeared in the spot.
Two and a half meters in length, a body as sturdy as an ox, muscles bulging beneath gray-black fur, and a pair of amber eyes flickering with a cold, eerie light in the sunlight.
—Great Remnant.
Having been forcibly summoned from his afternoon nap, he was shaking his head with an unhappy expression.
"Who summoned me?"
He muttered in wolf language, lowered his head, and looked at the small figure in front of him.
When he saw that it was Hyuga Hinata, Great Remnant raised an eyebrow.
"Tsk, so it's you, little one."
Hinata was stunned.
She widened her eyes, looking at the huge gray wolf before her, her small mouth slightly agape.
As a "long-term resident" who had lived here for half a month, she naturally knew who Great Remnant was.
One of the three great leaders of the wolf clan, second only to the Wolf King Yang Jiu, a terrifying giant wolf whose strength was close to a Special Jonin (previously).
She had originally thought that being able to summon a Ninja Wolves at the elite Genin level like Kiba and the others would be enough.
She didn't expect... to have actually summoned Great Remnant?
"I... I..."
Hinata opened her mouth, somewhat incoherent.
But she quickly regained her composure.
She took a deep breath, trying hard to look less nervous, and then earnestly introduced herself to Great Remnant:
"Hello, I am Hyuga Hinata!"
"Please take care of me from now on!"
That earnest little appearance, paired with her fair, tender face, looked quite adorable no matter how one looked at it.
Great Remnant looked at her, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.
"Got it, little one."
He hummed, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness, but no impatience.
"My name is Great Remnant."
"Mm-hmm! I'll remember that!"
Hinata nodded her little head vigorously, her white eyes looking at Great Remnant with a sparkle.
Her hands were itching to move, cautiously reaching forward and then pulling back, as if hesitating about something.
Great Remnant raised an eyebrow.
He knew this look all too well.
Every human child who saw him for the first time wanted to pet his fur.
He sighed, took a step forward, and brought his massive body close to Hinata.
"Get on."
He hummed, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness, yet also a touch of indulgence.
"We're going to practice combat coordination."
"Lest you be unable to coordinate even when you summon me the next time you encounter danger."
Hinata's eyes instantly lit up amazingly.
"Thank you!"
She nodded vigorously, then waved at Kurenai Yuhi and the others:
"Teacher Kurenai, Kiba-kun, Shino-kun, I'm going first!"
After saying that, she leaped lightly, jumped onto Great Remnant's broad back, and grabbed the thick gray fur with her small hands.
Great Remnant glanced back at her, and after confirming she was seated firmly, his four paws exerted force suddenly—
Whoosh—!
A gray shadow shot out like an arrow from a bow, disappearing into the depths of Wolf Valley in the blink of an eye.
Leaving only faint dust in the air and the faintly audible, excited laughter of Hinata.
—
Inuzuka Kiba stood on the spot, watching the direction they left in, his face revealing intense envy.
He looked down at the gray wolf he had just summoned beside him—elite Genin level, its size a circle smaller than Great Remnant, and its aura also significantly weaker.
He looked again at the direction Hinata had disappeared.
The gap was too large.
He bit his lip.
However—
He raised his head and looked at the massive, silver-white figure not far away.
One day, he would also be able to train Stone into such a powerful Ninja Wolves.
Definitely.
Next was Kurenai Yuhi.
She walked to the contract stele, took a deep breath, sliced her palm, and pressed her hand onto it.
Hum—!
The golden light lit up.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Bang!
A puff of white smoke exploded.
Within the smoke, a massive, pitch-black figure slowly emerged.
Two and a half meters in length, pure black fur gleaming with a cold luster in the sunlight, and a pair of amber eyes looking at the red-haired woman in front of it with scrutiny.
—Black Fiend.
One of the three great leaders of the wolf clan, an existence on par with Great Remnant, its strength also reaching the Special Jonin level.
Kurenai Yuhi was taken aback for a moment.
Immediately, a smile of surprise blossomed on her beautiful face.
"Hello, I am Kurenai Yuhi."
She said softly, her red eyes filled with sincere friendliness.
Black Fiend stared at her for a few seconds.
Then, it nodded slightly.
"Black Fiend."
A low voice came from the wolf's mouth.
Kurenai Yuhi smiled.
She reached out and gently stroked Black Fiend's head.
Black Fiend did not dodge, only narrowed its eyes and let out a low purr.
Immediately after, Kurenai Yuhi led Shino Aburame and Inuzuka Kiba to Yang Jiu.
The three stood still, their expressions earnest.
"Wolf King."
Kurenai Yuhi looked up, her red eyes full of sincerity.
"Thank you for letting us contract with them."
She paused, her voice becoming more solemn:
"We will definitely treat them well, just like family."
Behind her, Shino pushed up his sunglasses and nodded slightly.
Kiba held Akamaru and gave a forceful "Mm."
Yang Jiu looked at their appearance, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.
"I hope so."
His tone was flat, yet carried a trace of an elusive smile.
Kurenai Yuhi was silent for a second.
Then, she asked softly:
"Wolf King, is there anything you need us to do?"
She looked at the silver-white giant wolf in front of her, feeling somewhat uneasy in her heart.
To so easily obtain a powerful summoning beast, as well as that secret technique called "Human-Wolf Resonance"...
If she didn't take the initiative to do something, she felt that this gift was too heavy.
Yang Jiu raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
"What do I need?"
He thought for a moment.
A glint of contemplation flashed in his golden eyes.
A moment later, he spoke slowly:
"I need population."
Kurenai Yuhi was stunned for a moment.
"To be precise, Wolf Ninja Village needs population right now."
Yang Jiu's voice was calm and direct.
"If you encounter suitable people while you are out executing missions—"
He paused.
"You can lead them to Wolf Ninja Village."
"Mm—"
He added another sentence:
"Preferably Ninjas."
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