"How is it? Good, right?"
Kagetsu leaned closer with a smile as Natsume crouched by the fire, head lowered, completely absorbed in devouring her grilled fish. Grease glistened at the corner of her lips, and her cheeks bulged adorably as she chewed.
"Mhm! Mhm!" she nodded vigorously, not even bothering to look up.
"Then…" he continued casually, though his tone carried a subtle edge of anticipation, "does that mean you'll agree to sign the Summoning Contract?"
Natsume froze mid-bite.
Her red eyes shifted slowly to the half-eaten fish in her hands. A visible struggle passed over her face.
"…No!" she burst out. "I'm not giving up my freedom!"
Kagetsu nearly laughed.
"Relax. Signing a contract with me doesn't mean you become my servant. I'll only use the Summoning Jutsu when I need help in battle."
He explained patiently, raising a hand in reassurance.
"Once the fight is over, you can return immediately. It won't interfere with your daily life at all."
"Huh?" She looked up sharply, eyes wide and round. "You're not tricking me?"
"I swear I'm not." He lifted his hand solemnly. "And the contract is mutual. If you're ever in danger, you can summon me too. I'll fight for you."
"Really?"
She tilted her head, studying his face carefully.
After a long moment of hesitation, she gritted her teeth.
"…Fine! I'll agree. But,"
Her gaze drifted back to the grilled fish in her hand, and her voice softened.
"Next time we meet, you have to make grilled fish for me again."
Kagetsu's eyes gleamed.
"Deal. From now on, whenever I summon you, I'll bring fresh fish. As much as you can eat."
That seemed to seal it.
He took down the scroll he had been carrying across his back,a summoning contract he had prepared in advance. Clearly, he had been planning this for some time.
"Let's complete it now. Once we're done, I'll teach you how to use the technique."
He unrolled the scroll across the ground.
"I've already prepared the contract. You just need to write your name in blood, then press a five-finger blood seal."
He pointed to one side.
"You sign here as the summoned party. I'll sign on the other side as the contractor."
As he spoke, he bit his thumb and pressed it to the scroll, writing his name in blood.
Interestingly, although an Edo Tensei body did not bleed under normal injury, it could produce blood for certain techniques,like summoning contracts.
Such was the absurdity of forbidden ninjutsu.
He finished signing and pressed his blood handprint firmly onto the parchment before handing it to Natsume.
She extended a sharp claw and nicked her fingertip. Carefully, she wrote her name in flowing crimson strokes.
She hesitated.
Then pressed her bloodied fingers onto the scroll.
"Is… that it?"
"Perfect."
Kagetsu examined the contract briefly. The chakra signature responded smoothly. The bond had formed.
He rolled the scroll back up and secured it behind him.
"Shall we test it?"
"Yeah!" Natsume's tail swayed eagerly.
"Stay here. I'll move further away."
He stepped into an open clearing about ten meters off. Biting his thumb again, he smeared blood across his palm and formed hand seals rapidly.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
He slammed his palm against the ground.
A black summoning circle spread outward beneath him, chakra rippling across its surface.
Back by the campfire, Natsume felt something tug at her consciousness,a strange, instinctive prompt.
Agree.
Before she could fully process it,
Poof!
White smoke burst at her feet.
At the same moment, smoke erupted within the summoning circle.
When it cleared, Natsume stood directly in front of Kagetsu.
"It worked," he murmured, a grin spreading across his face.
"Whoa!"
Natsume stared at her hands, then at the distant campfire.
Her tail shot straight up in excitement.
"I just moved instantly! That's amazing!"
"Try releasing it," he suggested. "Focus on the connection and will yourself back."
She closed her eyes, concentrating on the contract's link.
Poof!
Her body dissolved into smoke.
A second later, she reappeared by the campfire.
"This is so fun!" she shouted, tail whipping back and forth. "Way better than those smoke bombs I used before!"
She dashed back to him and grabbed his sleeve.
"Quick! Teach me how to summon you! I want to try!"
"Easy," he laughed. "One thing at a time."
While explaining the method, he casually reached out and patted her head.
Her short red hair was surprisingly soft.
She didn't even notice,too absorbed in her excitement.
"Come on, come on!" she urged, dragging him toward the wooden house.
Kagetsu extinguished the campfire with a quick Earth Release technique and followed her.
Soon, they stood before the wooden building.
"Eh? There's a house here?" Natsume circled it in surprise, tapping the wall curiously. "You built this?"
"Temporary residence," he replied, pushing open the door. "Come inside. I'll teach you properly."
"Oh!"
She followed eagerly, shutting the door behind her. Together they climbed the stairs to the second floor.
He opened a door beside the master bedroom.
"This room is yours for now. Stay here until you've learned the Reverse Summoning Technique. After that, you can come and go freely."
When he built the house, he had intentionally prepared an extra room.
As for whether she would cooperate,
He hadn't worried much.
He still had catnip, feather teasers, and yarn balls sealed away in Kamui space. Compared to those, grilled fish had only been the opening move.
Though, admittedly, things had gone smoother than expected.
Natsume stepped toward the doorway,
Then suddenly froze.
Her eyes widened.
"Wait!"
She smacked her forehead.
"I can't just stay here! Big Sister Leader sent me to gather information about the Shikon Jewel shards!"
Her tail stiffened in panic.
"I completely forgot about the mission!"
The earlier excitement drained from her face, replaced by a mix of guilt and frustration.
She had nearly allowed herself to be distracted by grilled fish and new techniques.
And somewhere in the Western Lands,
Her clan was still waiting.