How weak. That was Aoshi's first thought.
Wasn't this thing supposed to be the Ultimate Summoning Beast?
Was this really all it amounted to?
At first, when it took a Water Dragon head-on without a single scratch, Aoshi had assumed its defenses were exceptional.
He never expected it to crumble so easily under the Water Severing Wave.
If it couldn't even withstand that attack, then it was absolutely impossible for it to endure the power of the Seven-Tails' wings.
Just as disappointment began to surface—
Honoka stepped forward, her eyes filled with reverence.
"Judging by your forehead protector, you're a Konoha ninja, aren't you?"
Having received ninja education from the Uzumaki clan in the past, she had a basic understanding of Konoha ninja.
"That's right," Aoshi replied, nodding lightly. "I'm from Konoha. You can just call me Aoshi."
"My name is Honoka. Thank you—for saving me, and for avenging everyone at the research facility."
She had lived on Summoning Island for a long time. During that time, she had formed genuine bonds with the researchers who treated her kindly.
To her, they were no different from family.
"Honoka," Aoshi said, his tone gentle, "you're an Uzumaki, right? What are you planning to do now? Would you like to come with me to Konoha Village?"
His words made Honoka hesitate. Since the destruction of the Uzumaki clan, she had personally witnessed the darkness of the ninja world.
She was deeply grateful to Aoshi for saving her life. But Konoha was different.
When the Land of Whirlpools was besieged by countless enemies, Konoha—its sworn ally—had chosen to stand by and do nothing.
No matter the reasons, that fact could not be erased.
That was why, even though some Uzumaki survived across the ninja world, none of them actively sought refuge in Konoha.
In their hearts, Konoha was no longer the ally it once had been.
Sensing her hesitation, Aoshi added calmly, "There are two other Uzumaki in Konoha—Kushina and Mai. If you come, you can live with them."
In truth, he genuinely hoped Honoka would agree. At the very least, she could keep Kushina company.
After all, Mai was already half carried away by Minato. In a few years, it wouldn't be surprising if she left the Senju compound altogether.
Roar!
Before Honoka could give her answer, the Ultimate Summoning Beast—whose body had been severed moments earlier—suddenly let out a furious roar.
Honoka's expression changed instantly. "How is that possible?! It's still alive?"
Compared to before, the creature had undergone a drastic transformation.
Its once-bloated body had slimmed down considerably. Multiple tentacles now wriggled from its mouth, and a strange, jagged horn protruded from its forehead.
Though altered, its appearance remained grotesque. Feeling the oppressive aura radiating from it, Aoshi finally understood.
When he severed its body earlier, the creature had seized that moment to undergo a metamorphosis—
Like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon.
"Honoka, step back," Aoshi said calmly, moving forward. "I'll take care of this thing."
As he spoke, he placed himself squarely in front of her.
Honoka felt a warm surge of emotion at his instinctive protection.
Still, she wasn't reckless. Knowing that staying close would only distract him, she nodded quickly.
"Aoshi—be careful!" Then she retreated without hesitation, leaving the battlefield entirely to him.
Crackle!
The horn on the Ultimate Summoning Beast's forehead suddenly burst with dazzling silver-white light.
A bolt of lightning shot straight toward Aoshi.
It could actually use Lightning Release!
"Show me everything else you've got," Aoshi said, blocking the attack with a defensive jutsu, his eyes gleaming with interest.
He wasn't afraid of the creature being strong. He was only afraid it wouldn't be strong enough.
Though it lacked speech, the Ultimate Summoning Beast was far from unintelligent.
Aoshi's words clearly provoked it.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!
The tentacles surrounding its mouth suddenly elongated, snapping toward him at terrifying speed.
But they were still too slow.
Aoshi sidestepped effortlessly, avoiding every strike. Then the beast's eyes began to glow with a dazzling spectrum of colors.
A surge of chakra washed over the area.
Genjutsu.
"Not bad," Aoshi remarked calmly. "It even knows illusions."
"But this level won't work on me." Before the words fully left his mouth, the Genjutsu shattered.
What followed was a wave of thick, purple liquid surging toward him like a tide.
Venom.
Aoshi used Body Flicker, narrowly avoiding it.
Where the liquid struck the ground and trees, it hissed violently, corroding everything it touched.
The poison was extremely potent.
Seeing that neither its Genjutsu nor venom could harm Aoshi, the Ultimate Summoning Beast roared in frustration.
At the same time, Aoshi formed a hand sign.
"Let me show you what real power looks like." He opened his mouth and unleashed a high-pressure, straight stream of water.
Water Release: Water Severing Wave.
Recognizing the attack, the Ultimate Summoning Beast roared again.
A pair of massive wings suddenly burst from its back. With a powerful flap, it shot into the air, narrowly evading the strike.
"It can fly, too," Aoshi said, a smile forming. "I'm becoming more and more satisfied with you."
Based on the abilities it had displayed so far, Aoshi could already tell this creature possessed tremendous potential.
The only reason it hadn't injured him yet was simple.
Aoshi himself was far stronger.
If it were anyone else, they would have been turned into food long ago.
Roar!
Hovering in midair, the Ultimate Summoning Beast beat its wings violently, generating an overwhelming surge of wind.
It even knew Wind Release!
Aoshi immediately formed hand seals and countered with a Wind Release jutsu of his own.
When the two techniques collided, a terrifying explosion erupted.
The shockwave alone was powerful enough to uproot nearby trees and snap them clean in half.
Honoka, witnessing the battle from a distance, couldn't help but gasp. The scale of this fight was far beyond anything she could comprehend.
Roar!
Suspended in the air, the Ultimate Summoning Beast finally realized the situation.
It had exhausted every method at its disposal yet still couldn't harm Aoshi in the slightest.
With no other option, it chose to flee, turning its body and attempting to escape to hunt other summoning beasts instead.
Seeing it try to run, Aoshi naturally wouldn't allow it.
Banshō Ten'in(Universal Pull)!
A terrifying gravitational force seized the Ultimate Summoning Beast. No matter how frantically it flapped its wings, it couldn't break free.
Pulled violently from the sky, the panicking creature slammed straight into the ground.
"Settle down." Seeing that it still intended to resist, Aoshi stopped holding back.
He stepped forward and unleashed Heavenly Foot of Pain, driving his foot squarely into the creature's abdomen and sending it crashing across the ground.
Seizing the opening, Aoshi summoned Black Receivers and plunged them directly into the Ultimate Summoning Beast's body.
This time, it couldn't move at all.
Feeling Aoshi's absolute, overwhelming strength, the Ultimate Summoning Beast finally gave up all resistance.
What followed was simple. The creature cooperated fully, signing a Summoning Contract with Aoshi and becoming one of his summoned beasts.
Moments later, far away in the secret base, Animal Path Hiruko used Summoning Jutsu to summon it over.
Poof! With a burst of white smoke, the Ultimate Summoning Beast vanished from the island.
Only then did Honoka walk forward.
"Where did it go?"
"It signed a summoning contract with me and has been sent somewhere else," Aoshi explained calmly.
After a brief pause, he looked at her again. "So, are you coming with me to Konoha Village, or will you leave on your own?"
This time, Honoka didn't hesitate at all. "I'll go with you to Konoha Village!"
She felt an instinctive sense of safety around Aoshi and believed, without doubt, that he was someone she could trust.
"You won't regret this decision," Aoshi said with a faint smile.
Honoka didn't comment on that. Instead, her eyes lit up with anticipation.
"Can I learn ninjutsu from you?" Today's events had ignited a fierce desire for strength within her.
She never wanted to feel that helpless again.
Aoshi smiled and nodded. "Of course. You also have excellent talent in sealing jutsu—which I know as well—so I can teach you that too."
Hearing this, Honoka bowed repeatedly, thanking him with barely contained excitement.
My instincts were right. Aoshi really is a kind and gentle person.
Aoshi didn't leave immediately.
First, he went to the ruined research facility and collected the documents left behind by the deceased researchers.
Those materials were valuable and might prove useful in the future.
After securing everything, he searched Summoning Island once more, hoping to find additional summoned beasts that met his requirements.
The result was disappointing.
Although the island housed many summoned creatures, none surpassed the Fusion Beast created earlier.
Still, having secured the Ultimate Summoning Beast, the trip was far from wasted. Soon after, Aoshi prepared to depart with Honoka.
"By the way, do you know how to walk on water?" he asked.
Honoka shook her head.
Even the Ninja Academy in Konoha didn't teach tree climbing or water walking, and someone like her—whose clan had been destroyed long ago—certainly hadn't received such training.
"In that case, I'll have to carry you." Aoshi had crossed the sea by running across its surface and had no boat.
The research facility once had one, but it had been destroyed by the Ultimate Summoning Beast.
"Come on." The red-haired, barefoot girl climbed onto Aoshi's back, her pretty face unconsciously flushing pink.
She had never been this close to a man before.
Aoshi, of course, was completely unaware of her thoughts.
After settling her securely on his back, he burst forward, sprinting across the sea toward the uninhabited island where Kurenai and the others were waiting.
By the time they arrived, Kurenai, Rin, and Shizune had just finished gathering enough medicinal herbs.
"Huh? Big Brother Aoshi, who is she?" Seeing the suddenly appearing red-haired girl, Kurenai asked curiously.
"Her name is Honoka. She was shipwrecked and washed ashore here," Aoshi replied smoothly.
Kurenai and the others didn't doubt his explanation and quickly accepted Honoka's presence.
"Honoka–older sister, where is your family?"
Honoka was about the same age as Kushina and Mai, which was why Kurenai naturally addressed her as "older sister."