How could Jiraiya not recognize what Naruto was holding?
It was the blank summoning contract Naruto had asked for after Jiraiya took him to sign the Mount Myoboku's Summoning Contract.
His gaze shifted between Naruto and Karin, who had transformed into Garuda. Naruto's idea naturally appeared in Jiraiya's mind.
'This kid, does he want to make a summoning contract with a human?'
'No, no… is Karin still considered human now?'
Jiraiya was dumbfounded. On one hand, he was marveling at how his own thinking wasn't as open as the younger generation's, and on the other hand, he was trying to recall if similar situations existed in the Ninja World.
The answer is no.
At least, Jiraiya had never heard of such a case.
Over there, Naruto had already started plucking Karin's feathers, cutting his finger to draw blood.
The process of signing a summoning contract required the signatory to write their name in blood and press a handprint. One summoning scroll generally corresponded to one or one type of summoned creature.
Naruto had gotten several blank scrolls from Jiraiya before. He gave one to Gyumaru, and this one would go to Karin.
As for the rest-
At that moment, Sasuke, who is still on his way to Konoha, suddenly shivered.
"What's wrong, Sasuke?" Kakashi put down his book and looked over with concern.
"Nothing." Sasuke naturally couldn't tell anyone he 'felt a sense of foreboding'.
"It actually really worked-"
Jiraiya watched as Naruto, having completed the Summoning Contract, immediately tested it out. Taking advantage of the cut on his finger that hadn't fully healed yet, he used the Summoning Technique.
After a puff of smoke dispersed, Karin's figure moved from the left to the right.
Clearly, the Summoning Technique also worked on people who had eaten Zoan-type Devil Fruits.
Moreover, Karin could even use the [Reverse Summoning Technique] to summon Naruto in reverse.
However, whether it was the Summoning Technique or the Reverse Summoning Technique, the Chakra consumed was proportional to the summoned object's strength and the summoning distance.
Summoning Garuda was a breeze for Naruto, but conversely, it would be very strenuous for Karin to summon the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki.
Even though Karin also possessed the Uzumaki Clan's vast Chakra Reserves, summoning Naruto over long distances was almost impossible.
The young girl still needed time to grow.
Besides the beast form, Zoan-type Devil Fruits also allowed transformation into a [Hybrid] form.
This was no exception for Mythical Zoan-types.
Following Naruto's guidance, Karin began to familiarize herself with this transformative power and manipulated her form to change in another direction.
Soon, the originally over-ten-meter-tall giant bird shrank to only two or three meters tall.
Two wings spread out behind her, her hands separated out, and her feet remained in the shape of sharp bird claws.
Due to the animal fruit's enhancement of the body, Karin's previously somewhat malnourished frame immediately became stronger.
The lines of abdominal muscles were clearly visible, and even her chest became fuller.
The only pity was that her head still retained some avian elements. The upper half of her face was still covered with a mask-like beak, but this was actually part of her body.
She was like a bird-headed, human-bodied deity from mythology. Even without flapping her wings, her entire body was lifted into the air by a gentle breeze. The golden light emanating from her made the surrounding villagers feel an urge to worship.
Controlling wind.
This was also one of Garuda's abilities.
In this form, Karin seemed to have improved significantly in speed and agility. At the very least, with Jiraiya's dynamic vision, he could only barely make out her movement trajectory.
But keeping up was wishful thinking.
Seeing how a young girl who previously could barely handle an ordinary Genin now suddenly possessed such powerful strength, Jiraiya gained a deeper understanding of the Devil Fruits Naruto had spoken of.
Immediately, he raised the Inku Inku no Mi in his hand and asked Naruto.
"Naruto, does my fruit also have such power?"
"No, Jiraiya-sensei."
"Yours is the Paramecia-type [Inku Inku no Mi]. Based on my personal experience, it should grant you the ability to manipulate ink."
"Eh…"
Hearing this, Jiraiya felt somewhat disappointed.
This old kid couldn't help but feel envious seeing Karin's cool transformation.
But the ability he ended up with was just manipulating ink?
'Well… at least I wouldn't have to worry about running out of ink while writing.'
Jiraiya had a good attitude. After being envious for a while, he quickly calmed down.
After all, as Naruto said, that Devil Fruit was given to Karin so she could have enough power to protect herself.
As the Sage from Mount Myoboku, his demands for this are naturally not that high.
"Oh, right!"
Naruto seemed to remember something again and added, "Besides being able to manipulate ink, it might also allow the things you write to briefly become 'real'."
"Huh?!"
Jiraiya, worthy of being a veteran artist with both virtue and skill, understood the implication immediately and looked up to meet Naruto's gaze.
And Naruto returned a confirming look.
One was the author of [Icha Icha Paradise], while the other is its loyal reader. Their thoughts instantly connected.
This scene left Karin, watching from the side, completely baffled.
"Then I'll eat it now..."
Jiraiya solemnly picked up the Inku Inku no Mi, holding it as reverently as if it were some precious sacred object.
Naruto also showed a serious and earnest expression, watching silently without a word.
This instead made Karin feel like she had missed part of the plot.
The fruit entered his mouth, tasting like chewed excrement, but fueled by a great sense of mission, Jiraiya managed to keep a straight face.
His unwavering will is admirable.
"Quick, try it, try it-"
Seeing Jiraiya had eaten the Inku Inku no Mi, Naruto immediately became excited and urged him to test the ability.
He was even more excited than when testing Karin's abilities.
"Hmm-"
Jiraiya let out a long hum, then suddenly struck his signature pose, one hand in front, one behind, and shouted, "Come forth!"
His palms instantly turned into ink and scattered. Words naturally appeared on the surrounding ground and walls according to the great literary master Jiraiya's will.
[Sword], [Dagger], [Spear]… the first to materialize were these inanimate objects.
They extended directly from the ink. Pitch-black weapons moved on their own, shooting forward according to Jiraiya's thoughts.
'Hmm, it really worked!'
'This fruit indeed possessed the ability to realize written things.'
'So next-'
Two names were written by Jiraiya… they were the male and female protagonists from his famous work, [Icha Icha Paradise].
Plak-
The good news was, their figures quickly appeared and could indeed move autonomously.
The bad news was, these two looked like they had been dragged back from inside the sun… completely pitch black, their features indistinguishable.
"No…!!!!!"
On the empty ground, two men let out despairing cries.