Right, I think that's enough context for what's coming up, so it's time to pick up the pace a bit and get straight to the point.
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Today marked the start of a new year at the ninja academy.
Naruto, Hikari, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, Kiba, Hinata, Shino, and a certain pink-haired girl were walking in to begin their ninja training—or at least, some were starting from scratch, while others already had some prior training or a foundation to build upon.
Yami, already a genin, didn't pay much mind to it. For a moment, he considered going to check on his two siblings, but he remembered his own first day and his mother's speech, so he decided against it.
That left him with no choice but to... take on a D-rank mission.
While painting a wall, he noticed a problem: his height made it hard to reach certain key spots, and at his current pace, he'd be stuck painting all day long.
The half-Senju glanced sideways at Shisui, who was busy writing on a scroll with absolutely no intention of helping Yami out.
Regarding missions, the young man had actually asked for a C-rank assignment—specifically, a bodyguard job for a noble traveling to the border—which he and the pure-blooded Uchiha had successfully completed together.
Having successfully pulled off a C-rank mission, Yami felt a boost in satisfaction and ego; Miyu noticed this, so when he asked for another one, she immediately assigned him a D-rank task.
She justified it by explaining that D-rank missions were important because they remained one of the village's major sources of income, given the sheer volume of them available. In the end, he finished it off—after all, missions of this rank were the ones assigned to recent academy graduates.
Although at least two months had passed since his graduation, he still fell into that category, even if he didn't particularly like it.
"Can't you help me with this mission, Shisui-san?" Yami couldn't help but ask.
The man in question looked at him and smiled.
This Rank-D mission is all yours—that's what the Hokage said, so you have to complete it on your own," he replied with a radiant smile.
That dampened Yami's spirits, leaving him to grumble inwardly about the fact that he still hadn't mastered the Shadow Clone technique.
"But to be honest, missions like this are usually handled by a three-man Genin squad, so I'd understand if you didn't manage to see this one through to the end," the Uchiha admitted, before forming a specific hand seal.
The very next instant, three copies of Shisui appeared around the original.
"I'll help you out this time; I want to teach you something that will come in handy later on, since you might need immediate assistance during a mission in the future."
...
In the forest, Yami and Shisui were looking at a summoning contract scroll.
"So, I sign in blood and leave my prints on the scroll?" the half-Senju asked, looking at his mentor with a raised eyebrow.
"Exactly," the Uchiha encouraged. "This is the crow contract; both Itachi and I are crow summoners. They have a strong affinity for genjutsu and surveillance. It tends to favor the Uchiha, but there won't be a problem for you because... well... you already know."
At Shisui's explanation, Yami looked at the scroll and then at his own finger.
"What if I don't want the crow contract?"
At that question, the jonin froze, stunned; it had never crossed his mind that his pupil might reject the contract.
"Why would you reject the crows?" Shisui couldn't help but ask.
"I don't know; the benefits they offer don't really interest me. I feel like there might be other summons that could help me more than the one you're offering," the young half-Senju explained.
Hearing this, the Uchiha could only grumble inwardly while offering an awkward smile.
"Well, that's fine," he said, rolling up the crow contract. "There is another way to obtain a contract, and that's by performing hand signs; doing so will teleport you to the realm of the beasts with which you share the greatest affinity."
Yami nodded at this information.
"How does that work?" he asked, performing the hand signs—sequences he already knew and had practiced long ago. "No, wait!" Shisui exclaimed, but he couldn't stop him in time; in the blink of an eye, his pupil—who had been standing right in front of him—vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving him all alone. "Oh no, the bonfire is going to kill me," he said, clutching his head in a panic, as there was a chance Yami might never return.
The Uchiha had never expected Yami to know the hand signs for the Summoning Jutsu.
...
Somewhere on the planet, Yami appeared in a forest filled with trees and bamboo.
He immediately leaned against a large rock; having never experienced space-time ninjutsu before, the sensation of traveling instantly from one point to another left him needing a moment to recover.
But the very next second, he noticed a great deal of noise in the surrounding area.
This put him on alert, and he also took note of the forest's unique features—the trees and bamboo, as well as the cold wind blowing despite the presence of sunlight.
His analysis was cut short when he heard a roar behind him; without a second thought, he leaped upward, landing on a tree branch.
Turning around, he saw a brown bear strike the spot where he had just been standing. However, his focus was broken again when a black-and-white bear nearly landed on top of him; fortunately, he managed to move out of the way just in time.
Yami dropped toward a lake, but sensing danger, he leaped back onto land just as an all-white bear lunged at him from the water.
Upon hitting the ground, he was simultaneously attacked by three bears—one black and two brown—forcing him to dodge and flee as an ever-growing number of bears began to chase him.
After the chase, he found himself surrounded by several bears that were much larger than Yami himself.
The half-Senju didn't want to fight, as he wasn't sure how to get back home, but if left with no other choice, he was prepared to use his Wood Style to deal with the threat.
"What kind of bear is this?" a deep, gravelly voice asked.
Everyone turned toward the source of the sound, leaving Yami looking completely bewildered.
Standing there was a grizzly bear wearing boxing gloves designed to allow its claws to protrude without tearing the gear. "I think he's a human—one of those who have chakra." A lone panda appeared beside him, similar in build but with a softer voice. He wore a straw samurai hat and carried a katana with a bamboo hilt.
"Confirmed." Another polar bear appeared beside the all-white grizzly, carrying a giant two-handed axe on its back and with several shuriken strapped to its shoulders.
No one moved; Yami was processing the appearance of these three bears capable of speech.
"I see," the polar bear said, clearing its throat. "I assume you're here about the summoning contract—or at least, that's what our ancestors' writings say, right?" it asked the half-Senju.
"W-well... you could say that," he replied, still not lowering his guard. He had come for a summoning contract, but not the one belonging to this group; he could only accept what fate itself had ordained.
"Even though we'd like to hand you the summoning scroll, it is our duty to administer a test to see if you are worthy of summoning us," said the brown bear, conjuring a scroll and displaying it to everyone. "Any questions?"
Yami stood there, deep in thought.
"Yes, actually," the black-haired youth admitted. "How long do the tests take? Today is my two little siblings' first day at the academy, and they were planning a party at home; I wouldn't want to miss it."
"Well, I..." the brown bear began. He glanced at the grizzly, who looked away, while the polar bear simply shrugged. "We've got a bit of a dilemma."
The bears surrounding the half-Senju were no longer in an attack stance, but they didn't leave either; they simply sat down right where they were, watching to see what would happen.
"So, I can just leave and go back home?" Yami suggested.
"But what about the test?" the grizzly asked, sounding somewhat disheartened.
The black-haired youth couldn't tell if the bear wanted a new summoner or simply wanted someone to take their tests.
"How about we do this?" Yami offered. "I'll sign the contract temporarily... he gave me a window of time—based on where he lived—to summon him, and you can summon me back so I can take the test and prove I'm worthy."
"That... isn't a bad idea," the brown bear said.
The half-Senju could only keep his disbelief and sense of irony to himself—amazed that the bear had accepted the idea without a second thought.
At that moment, the bear wearing boxing gloves placed the scroll on the ground and unrolled it.
Yami looked at the contents, noting that it resembled the crow contract, except there was only one name and signature on the scroll.
"Who is Kashimo Satou?" he couldn't help but ask.
"No idea; my father hadn't even been born yet when that summoner passed away," the brown bear confessed.
Without overthinking it, he bit his finger to draw a little blood, signed his name, and then pressed his fingerprints over it.
"Good," the brown bear said, closing the scroll. "Once you're free, you can summon one of us to let us know you're ready; then we'll perform the reverse summoning so you can take the test."
"Understood. Can I go back now?" Yami asked.
"No problem," said the brown bear, forming a hand seal; the black-haired figure vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving the place silent.
"Hey," the panda bear spoke up.
"What is it?" asked the brown bear.
"What if he never calls us?" the ninja bear wondered, causing his companion to look at him in disbelief—or at least with the sort of facial expression a bear can manage.
"Why didn't you say anything?" the brown bear exclaimed, sounding somewhat annoyed.
"You looked so comfortable steering the conversation that I didn't want to interrupt the negotiation," said the panda bear, though his voice held a hint of mockery.
The brown bear simply placed a paw on the boxer bear's shoulder.
"Idiot," the ninja bear declared.
...
The first day at the academy had ended, and all the first-year students had already left, except for three young ones.
Sasuke, Hikari, and Naruto were waiting at the school gates for someone to come pick them up. Had they not been told someone was coming, they would have already gone home on their own.
"Why do you think they're taking so long?" Naruto complained.
"No idea," Sasuke said listlessly.
Hikari was quietly eating all of Choji's snacks—which she had won in a bet, making the Akimichi heir suffer that day—and, as usual, she didn't share any with the two beside her.
That only made Naruto and Sasuke hungrier, making them impatient for their ride to arrive so they could go home and eat.
"I think I see them," the raven-haired girl said, squinting to see better.
"About time," the blond boy complained again.
"Hmm, I see someone coming with them in a wheelchair," the redhead remarked, noticing that the woman had crimson hair just like her—something that caught her attention.
"Do you know who she is?" Sasuke asked the other two, but he realized Naruto had gone completely still and expressionless; he had recognized the woman in the wheelchair.
Kushina, seeing her son for the first time, couldn't help but weep as Miyu wheeled her toward the academy entrance, accompanied by Mikoto.
Once they arrived, Hikari and Sasuke stepped forward to get a better look, but Naruto didn't dare.
The three women noticed this.
"Hey, blond brat, aren't you going to say hello to your real mother, who just woke up?" the blue-haired woman asked in a somewhat serious tone. "A real mother?" Hikari wondered to herself.
"Mother?" Naruto asked, sounding somewhat doubtful.
"Yes, I'm your mother, sweetheart," Kushina declared, already in tears.
(Note: As I understand it, Kushina says "sochi" or something similar; however, upon investigation, I believe this originated in fanfiction rather than the anime or manga—much like the "Civilian Council." While it generally means "you" or serves as a way to address someone, it was used here to convey affection or endearment toward her son, so I chose to use "sweetheart" instead of "sochi.")
"MOTHER!!" Naruto exclaimed, already in tears, as he ran into the older redhead's arms.
Miyu watched the touching reunion between mother and son, hoping this happiness would last forever, yet she knew dark times were approaching—and one of them was headed for the very place where she lived.
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Hi there; I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Although I said I'd start picking up the pace, I really wanted to write the moment where Yami obtains his summoning contract.
I drew inspiration from a fic where the protagonist has a contract with the *Madagascar* penguins; that got me thinking about what other animals from the series or movies could be used. I came up with the bear trio—adapted to the *Naruto* world, of course, rather than just bringing the originals over directly.
Originally, they were going to be Miyu's second summon, but I ended up preferring the idea of the malevolent reliquary. Still, I didn't want to waste the bear concept, so I gave it to Yami instead.
That's all I wanted to say. Signing off now!