"Kazuyama! Don't mess with me, kid!"
"You're not going to tell me that you've been missing for half a month because of this scroll, are you?"
"What? Can this scroll send you to Kirigakure?"
Shinnosuke's face was so dark it looked like it might start dripping.
But Kazuyama shook his head seriously and turned to Pakura and Ebisami.
"I don't know, I've never seen this scroll before."
"Kazuyama, what is this scroll?"
Pakura and Ebisami both insisted they had never seen it before.
Kazuyama frowned. It wasn't them?
Without hesitation, he untied the strings binding the scroll and opened it. In an instant, the characters inside became visible.
"Dragon? Wait… this isn't a summoning contract, is it?"
The scroll had been so tightly wrapped that it was hard to make out, but now that it was open, Shinnosuke suddenly felt a sense of familiarity.
It looked just like the one he had at home.
"Yes, this is the Summoning Contract my sensei, Orochimaru, gave me."
"The reason I disappeared was because I signed the contract and used Reverse Summoning to summon my beast."
"When I tried to return, I found the original contract channel had been closed."
"That prevented me from returning smoothly…"
Kazuyama's frustration grew as he spoke.
Pakura and Ebisami couldn't help but laugh. Even Shinnosuke, who had been fuming just moments ago, cracked a grin.
"You're kidding me. Orochimaru's summoning beast? So, a snake?"
"So, you spent half a month in a snake cave? Hahahaha!"
"I can't take it anymore, hahahaha!"
As Shinnosuke burst into laughter, the whole room followed suit. Laughter echoed throughout the Gekkō residence.
Just as Kazuyama was feeling utterly helpless, a small voice came from the entrance.
"Ahem, ahem… What are you all laughing at?"
A sleepy-eyed Hayate, only three years old, rubbed his eyes as he slowly walked into the courtyard.
"This is your younger brother?"
"Yes, Hayate, come here."
Seeing his little brother, Kazuyama's irritation melted away. This brat was his only younger brother in this world.
"Brother, you're back…"
"Huh? That scroll? I tied it up with string, didn't I?"
"Why did you take it out again? It's not pretty at all—it's full of snakes."
Kazuyama's smiling face instantly stiffened.
Pakura, Ebisami, and the others all froze, staring wide-eyed at the little figure in front of them.
"Hayate… what did you say? What did you do to this scroll?"
Kazuyama asked, his voice tight as he struggled to suppress the anger rising within him.
"This scroll is terrifying! When I saw it open, I looked inside, and all I saw were snakes!"
"I was so scared that I closed it immediately and tied it up with a bunch of strings!"
"And in the end, I even threw it onto the bookshelf!"
"Brother, I'm awesome, right?"
Hayate had no idea what was happening. He was just a three-year-old—what did he know?
Great! Kazuyama thought, his eye twitching. So it was you who did this!
Because of Hayate, the scroll had been tied up, leaving him stranded with no way back. In the end, if not for Orochimaru's Summoning Technique, he wouldn't have escaped at all!
This kid is done for! Today, I'm gonna make him cry for mercy!
Furious, Kazuyama realized that his own little brother had been the cause of all his suffering. What a wonderful sibling—learning how to sabotage his brother at such a young age!
Determined to teach him a lesson, Kazuyama glanced around for something to use. His eyes landed on a broom near the door. Without hesitation, he grabbed it, ready to deal out some well-earned punishment.
"Whoa!!! Brother Kazuyama is going to hit someone!"
"Sister Pakura, help!"
"Aunt Ebisami, help!"
Though only three, Hayate could tell things had taken a very bad turn. Panicking, he quickly darted behind Pakura, yelling for help.
Pakura and Ebisami couldn't stop laughing, but when they saw Kazuyama actually holding the broom, they quickly stepped in.
"Kazuyama, what are you doing?"
"He didn't do it on purpose. Just scold him, don't hit him. What if you break the broom?"
Pakura blocked Kazuyama's path and turned to Hayate, lecturing him seriously.
"Don't ever touch other people's things again, do you hear me?"
"Especially things like scrolls."
"Your brother is always collecting all sorts of strange things. What if you got hurt?"
Kazuyama had expected Pakura to scold Hayate. Instead, she was scolding him!
He was so frustrated that he nearly coughed up blood.
"That's enough, Kazuyama. You just said that Orochimaru used the Summoning Technique to save you?"
"Then… doesn't that mean you returned to the battlefield in the Land of Rivers?"
Shinnosuke suddenly spoke up, his tone carrying a hint of doubt.
Kazuyama put down the broom and nodded.
"Well, yeah. I just came back from the battlefield in the Land of Rivers. The situation there is relatively stable."
"With my Sensei there, Sunagakure won't be able to gain the upper hand for a while."
"But the casualties among our forces were high. I originally planned to report to the Hokage."
Shinnosuke nodded, then grabbed Kazuyama and started walking.
"Let's go. We're heading to the Hokage Building now."
"The ANBU already had a mission, and most of our personnel are deployed."
"Iwa and Kumo just fought a large-scale battle in the Land of Rice Fields."
"Right now, both sides are in a ceasefire."
"Come on, let's go see Lord Hokage."
Kazuyama nodded but left a quick comment behind, "I'll be back for dinner tonight."
With that, he followed Shinnosuke straight to the Hokage Building.
Hokage Building
"So, you've gained a Summoning Beast."
"Very good. You've completely inherited your sensei's will."
After hearing Kazuyama's report, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in satisfaction. But his expression quickly turned serious.
"Although Iwa and Kumo are at war in the Land of Rice Fields, Kumo's forces in the Land of Hot Water have yet to withdraw."
"In fact, they're showing signs of further movement."
"I've already assigned Jiraiya to garrison in Iwa."
"But we still need a strong leader for the Land of Hot Water."
"Shinnosuke, now that Kazuyama has returned to the team, you'll take charge of the Land of Hot Water."
Shinnosuke nodded.
For days, he had wanted to head to the battlefield, but Kazuyama's unexpected disappearance had forced him to stay behind and investigate.
Now that Kazuyama was back, he could finally go without worry.
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