The shimmering sea reflected the sunlight as a three-masted sailing ship, its sails billowing, steadily made its way toward the borders of the Land of Fire.
Standing at the ship's bow, Minato and Honoka held hands, enjoying each other's company. They laughed and thought about their childhood memories and personal growth.
Even though they had been talking for three days straight, it still felt like they had endless things to share.
On the ship's aft deck.
Two crows were cawing wildly at a falcon, which was chained to the mast.
From time to time, they would scavenge scraps of cloth, broken wood, and rusty nails from various corners of the ship, then drop them onto the restrained falcon from the air.
Had it not been for Kei forbidding them from going too far, those two troublemakers would have probably already dropped something much worse on the falcon's head.
The falcon, shackled by chains around its legs and unable to fly or fight back, had been tormented for three days and had completely given up resisting.
Its struggle and anger were not only futile but also seemed to encourage the crows to mock it even more.
What else could it do but surrender to its fate?
"What's the point of being so stubborn? Wouldn't it be better to follow me? You'd get good food and a comfortable life."
Kei, wearing sunglasses and a pair of brightly colored beach shorts, lounged lazily on a beach chair. He glanced sideways at the falcon, which remained silent on the deck.
Speaking in a gentle, coaxing tone, he tried to persuade this fierce yet incredibly proud creature.
A weak cry came from the falcon.
Kei's eyes lit up. This was the first time in three days that the falcon had responded to him.
He immediately jumped up from his chair, formed a hand seal, and used the Mind Body Transmission Technique, linking his emotions with the falcon's.
Repeating his words again, he waited for its response.
The falcon lifted its gaze to meet his for a moment but then tucked its head beneath its wing, clearly in no mood to interact.
However, through the technique, its emotions transmitted clearly.
Sadness? Grief? A desire to die?
Wait a second, buddy.
All I'm asking is for you to be my summon and occasionally serve as a flying mount. Is that really such a tragic fate?
"Wouldn't you rather have free food, a roof over your head, and the chance to flirt with some female falcons in the breeding house? Why are you so dead set against this?"
Kei squatted beside the falcon and gave its wing a light pat.
The falcon suddenly lifted its head and let out a furious cry. This time, the emotions that accompanied it were much stronger and clearer.
"You… You think I killed your wives?! Wives?! Plural?!"
Kei was momentarily stunned, then smacked the bird on the head.
Even as a transmigrator, he hadn't dared to start a harem, yet this falcon had managed to do it first?
Where was the justice?
Where were the rules?!
Did summoning creatures even have laws governing things like that? And weren't falcons supposed to be monogamous? Hawks too, right?
So what the hell was going on here?
In the animal kingdom, opposites attract—but how did this falcon manage to flip the rules and make "same same equals different"?
Hold up… aren't falcons and hawks supposed to have reproductive barriers? How messed up is your bloodline?!
The Naruto world really is full of weird stuff.
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Kei looked at the falcon, whose eyes were blazing with anger, as if it wanted to tear a chunk of flesh off him.
With an exasperated sigh, he used the False Surroundings Technique.
There were only a handful of raptors on the Summoning Island. He wasn't an idiot—why would he kill them? Those creatures were rare resources for Konoha. Some even had a market value.
Besides, once they returned to Konoha, wouldn't the clans who had purchased the female falcons be happy to have more baby falcons?
As for this particular falcon he had chosen, while its size was a little lacking, it was still the undisputed ruler of the raptors on the island.
Which ninja wouldn't be envious of such a magnificent beast?
The old foxes in the ninja clans were all shrewd. If they didn't try to capture it and drug it into submission, that would already be considered quite ethical.
There was no way they would stand in the way of a reunion between mates.
The C-rank genjutsu could wrap a layer of illusion over whatever the eyes perceived.
Using this technique, Kei extracted scenes from his memory palace—specifically, from the summoning beast breeding house.
He reconstructed the environment where contracted summoning beasts lived after being taken in and, with precise detail, replicated the female falcons he had seen that day inside the illusionary breeding house.
The falcon tilted its head, staring dumbfounded at the shifting scene before it.
Ten minutes later, after watching the illusionary reenactment he had conjured, the falcon finally understood—its mates were all in another place, living comfortably.
And as long as it became his summoning beast, it would soon be able to join them.
"Screech~ Chirp? Screech!"
Gone was its despairing, defeated demeanor. Its sharp gaze swept over the two crows before it cried out repeatedly at Kei.
Animals with great power in the ninja world often had higher intelligence than ordinary creatures. Even though this falcon hadn't undergone specialized training as a summoning beast, its intelligence was roughly that of a ten-year-old child.
Now that it believed Kei's words, it no longer resisted the idea of becoming a summoning beast. In fact, it even found the deal quite appealing.
After all, raising multiple mates wasn't easy!
Food and shelter provided, no need to worry about feeding its mates or future offspring—how could it refuse such a bargain?
Still, that didn't mean it had forgotten how it had been tormented for three days!
The two crows, who had been casually preening each other while enjoying the show, suddenly stiffened under the falcon's piercing glare.
Feeling the weight of its gaze, they shuddered and huddled together, pitifully looking to Kei for help.
"Ahem… They were just scared of you before. A little emotional outburst is normal, right?"
Kei patted the falcon's wing, trying to smooth things over.
Those crows had been in the breeding house for years—he really didn't want to see them get bullied.
"Screech screech~ Chirp chirp~"
"Exactly! They're so tiny, not even enough to fill the gap between your teeth. Why not keep them around to serve you tea and carry your things instead?"
"Of course, of course! From now on, they're your little underlings. They have to listen to you."
"Alright, alright! Now, let's sign this contract—mutual consent, fair and square."
After a bit more persuasion, the falcon finally, though reluctantly, nodded in agreement.
Without hesitation, Kei pulled out a blank scroll from his jonin vest and used his own blood to inscribe the summoning contract.
He guided the falcon to drop a single bead of blood onto the scroll and press its talon onto the paper, completing the contract.
"Alright! Let's go—time to feast and enjoy life!"
Kei clapped the falcon's wing, grinning from ear to ear.
Flying mount, unlocked!