Chapter 18: Yata and Sanshu
The two dark - gray fluffy creatures tucked in their necks and huddled closely on either side of Ling's neck, squatting in the crooks of his neck. At first glance, it looked like Ling had somehow gotten himself a short furry collar.
Ling had tidied himself up by now. Tapping his [blind stick], he followed Uchiha Yugu. "Does the [summoning contract] have to be made right now?"
"My training is at a crucial moment..."
Uchiha Yugu still had his eternal ice-cold face. Hearing this, he just tilted his head and glanced at Ling. "Training? All I see is a moving sandbag."
"Calling me a moving sandbag is going too far..."
"Then should I call them sandbags eager for a beating? Competing with you in Gitai..." Uchiha Yugu's tone never seemed to waver. "You're a real oddball who can go toe-to-toe in Gitai with the Senju clan and the Kaguya clan."
Ling said helplessly. "But I can't see right now. The battle situation isn't as exaggerated as you claim."
"You're blind, not disabled. At least the habitual movements from your previous training are still there, right? Those thick-headed guys have no chance of winning if they only compete with you in Gitai. They'd better wait patiently for your training to end and fight you with all their might, just like Hiro."
Ling: ... Well, there's no way to refute that.
Letting out a soft sigh, Ling shifted his neck, which was a bit itchy from being rubbed by two fluffy balls. "What should I pay attention to when making a summoning contract?"
"The only thing you need to pay attention to is the cultivation direction you want," Uchiha Yugu opened the door of his house and stepped aside to let Ling in. "As you know, summoning a summoned beast requires a contract, and making a contract requires a price. Moreover, after making the contract, it only establishes a connection between you, which doesn't mean that the summoned beast must serve its master."
"But these two ninja crows were born after being subjected to your Shibuki of channeling chakra. So there's a natural trust and connection between you, which is of great benefit for establishing the contract.
First of all, they'll unconditionally get close to you because of the same source of chakra. Secondly, after establishing the contract, you don't need to pay too much of a price, and they'll serve you. Finally, since they're newly born beasts, you can cultivate them according to your own ideas to make them more suitable for your fighting style. That's the benefit of cultivating a summoned beast by yourself.
But the drawback is also obvious. That is, this kind of self - cultivated summoned beast lacks inheritance and accumulation, so unless there's a fortuitous encounter, it's hard for them to help you in terms of combat power."
Hearing this, Ling couldn't help but raise his hand and gently rub the young crow curled up in the crook of his neck. His expression softened a lot. "That's enough. I don't need them to fight for me."
Hearing Ling's way of referring to the crows, Uchiha Yugu's expression finally showed some change, but he didn't say anything. He just walked over with a blank [Scroll]. "Since this is a summoning contract with you as the main party, you need to first give the beasts names to form a connection... Have you thought of any names?"
"Naming... I'm not very good at it."
"It's okay. It'll take me some time to make the summoning [Scroll]. You can take your time to think."
Ling tilted his head and rubbed the fluffy ball in the crook of his neck. "The names will follow you for a lifetime, so they can't be too casual. Ravens are considered auspicious birds (in some specific cultural beliefs)... What should I call you?"
The fluffy balls didn't understand Ling's thoughts. They just squinted their beady eyes, looking half - asleep. Ling just sat there upright until Uchiha Yugu walked over with a small knife. "Hand."
"
"Do you need blood?"
"Yeah. Have you thought of names?" Uchiha Yugu used a small knife to cut Ling's arm. After filling a porcelain bottle with blood, he threw a cloth towel and walked back. "Stop the bleeding by yourself."
"Let's name them Yata and Sanshu," Ling said with a smile, tensing his arm and then pressing the cut wound with the cloth towel. "It's for good luck."
...
When he left Uchiha Yugu, it was already dark. Although the darkness didn't affect him and he could have gone back to the simple camp he built in the back mountain, he'd been away from home for more than half a month for training. If he hadn't gone down the mountain, it would have been okay, but since he was down, there was no way he wouldn't go home.
Of course, it also had something to do with the fact that he'd had enough of sleeping in the wild and was increasingly dissatisfied with the food.
Izuna was extremely happy the moment he saw Ling. He practically flung himself at him. "Big brother!"
"Long time no see, Izuna." Ling smiled and ruffled Izuna's hair, then looked towards the house. "Father, I'm back."
Tajima Uchiha nodded slightly, with a faint smile on his lips. "It seems you've gained a lot."
"Yeah, but it was a bit tough to deduce a new jutsu... Isn't Madara here?"
"Brother Madara hasn't come back from his mission yet," Izuna said, clutching the hem of Ling's outer robe. "Are you leaving again this time, big brother?"
"Well... probably. I'm still far from good enough... Sorry, Izuna. I can't stay and practice with you."
Izuna puffed out his cheeks and mumbled, "Why am I still not grown up..."
Tajima Uchiha couldn't help but shake his head and smile at Izuna's appearance. "Since you're home, take a good rest. Although the war is intense, there's no need to rush."
"Yes." Ling leaned his blind stick against one side, bent down to pick up Izuna and walked towards the house. "I'll pay attention to balancing work and rest."
Izuna, being carried by Ling, stared at the two fluffy lumps squatting in Ling's neck with great curiosity. But before he'd stared for long, he met two pairs of beady eyes that were sizing him up, and he stared back even more intently.
As a sensory ninja, Ling naturally felt something when being stared at his vital parts so directly - even if the gaze was without hostility.
But he also understood what Izuna was looking at, so he smiled and said, "These are Yata and Sanshu, my summoned beast. In terms of age, they are around the same age as you, Izuna. You should get along well with them."
As Ling's voice fell, the two baby birds chirped respectively, as if echoing his words.
Izuna blinked his eyes and reached out to poke the fluffy bodies of the baby birds. He seemed a bit confused. "… So I'm also an older brother?"
After a brief silence, both Tajima Uchiha and Ling burst into laughter. Ling ruffled Izuna's hair affectionately. "Yes, they are also part of the family. Our Izuna is an older brother now."