Wok Shadow Ninja

Chapter 107: Summoning Beast

The Land of Fire is one of the foremost great nations in the world today. Between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth lies the Land of Waterfalls, a nation composed of numerous cascading waterfalls. Due to its geographical location, this country has seen countless shinobi perish in battle, leading to its decline. However, the Land of Waterfalls has a relatively glorious history, and its Hidden Waterfall Village has always possessed a Tailed Beast, making it a mid-tier nation beneath the great powers. Below these mid-tier nations, of course, lie the small countries.

The Land of Fillings is one such small country that trembles at the mere mention of the Land of Waterfalls.

Small nations with sparse populations and scarce resources struggle to survive. A single large-scale ninjutsu from either side of a conflict could annihilate them. Over time, the small countries located at strategic crossroads have vanished, leaving only those established in remote corners of the world.

Ino, flipping through the Yamanaka clan's records, came across legends of ghostly activity in the mountains near the Land of Fillings. Combining these with older rumors, she estimated a fifty to sixty percent chance of finding something worthwhile and decided to investigate while she was in the area.

Before the arrival of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, this world was a place where demons and spirits roamed freely. After her arrival, she swept through the land, toppling all opposition and eradicating nearly all the "demons" and "gods" in the literal sense. Only a few, such as the toads, snakes, and slugs of the Three Great Sage Regions, as well as entities like the Shinigami, the King of Hell, and the Evil God, managed to survive to this day. Even the Flower God, an old friend of the Yamanaka clan, managed to hold on for a dozen years before meeting its end.

The remaining mystical beasts are mostly descendants of those ancient "demons" and "gods." Those with spiritual intelligence can become summoning beasts, while those driven solely by instinct to kill are often harvested as materials for various weapons.

The Steam Impersonation Technique, due to its separation of a large amount of chakra, leaves the user in a weakened state for a period after use. This is unavoidable. The Second Mizukage used genjutsu to conceal his presence during this vulnerable time.

Although Ino could leverage her relationship with Kurenai Yūhi and Asuma to learn some genjutsu, she truly didn't have the time or desire to invest heavily in it. Her solution was to find a large summoning beast capable of using genjutsu. Following various clues, she was eventually led to the Land of Fillings.

Shinobi are not limited to a single summoning beast, nor are summoning beasts limited to a single shinobi.

After Sasuke formed a summoning contract with Ryūchi Cave, he was still able to summon the ninja hawk, Garuda. No matter how one thinks about it, Shikkotsu Forest shouldn't be more domineering than Ryūchi Cave, right?

The Land of Fillings is nestled deep within the mountains.

The people here live their entire lives without ever leaving their country. They are born here, die here, and have no contact with the outside world, let alone the Hidden Leaf Village.

Despite this, Ino was still concerned about leaving traces. Transforming into Kakashi, she found an inn and approached the kindly-looking owner.

"Old man, can I ask you something? Do you know how to get to Shukibi Ridge?"

The old man first examined "Kakashi's" shinobi headband before cautiously replying, "Shinobi-sama, are you looking for Shukibi Ridge? The former capital of the Land of Shuki from fifty years ago?"

Despite being warned about man-eating demons at Shukibi Ridge, Ino still set out on a mountain path that night, heading toward the ruins known as Shukibi Ridge.

It was said that this haunted place only appeared at night. Having trained in Yin Release extensively, Ino didn't find nighttime travel to be an issue. After checking her ninja tools, she followed the directions given by the innkeeper and ventured deeper into the mountains.

Ino had already beaten the future Seventh Hokage and the Sixth Mizukage, and in a few days, she might even fight the Fifth Kazekage. At this point, she was brimming with confidence.

After walking for two hours, just as she sat down to drink some water, she suddenly spotted a rather ancient Japanese-style castle at the foot of the mountain.

The castle had three stories and stood about ten meters tall. Faint candlelight flickered from within, and a subtle voice seemed to call out to her, urging her to enter.

"Perception!"

Ino used her sensory abilities to scan the area at the foot of the mountain. After patiently searching for about five minutes, she finally detected an extremely faint heartbeat.

This stealth ability was impressive, and she felt a surge of excitement.

She walked toward the castle, and as she approached the gate, the two wooden doors seemed to sense her presence and slowly opened.

She wasn't foolish enough to walk in blindly that would be too reckless.

"I think we can be friends!" Her fingers quickly formed hand seals, leaving afterimages in their wake. Like a certain mustachioed ninja, she aimed her hands toward the castle gates.

"Ninja Art: Mind Disturbance Technique!"

The castle was a living entity with its own physical form and spiritual energy. In terms of life level, it was far superior to the residual chakra of the Second Mizukage.

However, this peculiar life form seemed to be in a state of dormancy, with a slow heartbeat and a sluggish consciousness. Ino's technique easily penetrated its mental world, allowing her to make slight alterations.

Regardless of what had happened before, they were now friends!

After ensuring a certain level of goodwill between them, Ino cautiously entered the castle. Before long, she found what she was looking for on the third floor, in what was once the lord's chamber a summoning scroll.

This summoning scroll was ancient and had passed through many hands. Its most recent owner was a man named Gousa Kubisaki, likely the lord of Shukibi Ridge.

Before Gousa Kubisaki, there was someone named Saishi, though Ino didn't pay much attention to that detail.

Before his death, Gousa Kubisaki had issued some kind of command, causing the summoning beast to remain in the ruins of Shukibi Ridge for fifty years.

"Are you a chameleon or a lizard? Strictly speaking, you're a chameleon, right?" Ino muttered to herself, though the empty surroundings offered no response.

"From now on, we'll be companions, okay?" The chameleon, influenced by the "Mind Disturbance Technique," had developed a slight affinity for her. Though most of its consciousness was still dormant, it vaguely transmitted a signal of agreement.

Ino bit her finger and wrote her name on the summoning scroll, becoming its new owner.

"I'll still call you Shiromari. You've been away from your kind for so long; you must want to return, right? Go back. If I need you, I'll summon you."

Ino spoke with understanding.

In battle, it could help her remain hidden. During missions in the wild, the summoning beast could transform, and a castle capable of housing a hundred people would appear out of nowhere, complete with various supplies. She could take a bath inside, or even have Chōji come in to cook. Wasn't that far superior to Yamato's Three-Bedroom-Two-Living-Room Technique?

The chameleon named Shiromari transmitted another "yes," and Ino could sense that it was much happier than before.

It was finally free.

After storing the summoning scroll, the summoning beast Shiromari vanished in a puff of white smoke, and Ino left Shukibi Ridge.

Five days later, a shinobi from the Fūma clan, who had been turned into the Animal Path of the Six Paths of Pain after his death, arrived at Shukibi Ridge.

The male shinobi wandered the ridge three times, utterly baffled.

Where had that massive castle gone? And where was the summoning scroll of the chameleon clan?

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