The Hokage motioned Kuma to follow him back to the village as he started to explain to his young student the specifics of his next technique.
“There is no doubt in my mind that you have learned how to summon? Is that correct?”
Kuma thought about it in his head and nodded, but realized that he was behind his teacher and he couldn’t see him, he pipped up.
“Yes sir, from my former clan I learned how to summon minor beasts. It was a simple palm slap on the ground and an underling appeared.”
The Third Hokage put his hands on his chin as he seemed to be rethinking something in his head but quickly shrugged it off.
“Ok then, so you’ve never actually entered into a blood contract with a animal god?” He said this as he stopped walking and turned around to look in his pupil’s eyes.
(King Enma Summon-1/30)
Kuma stopped short of his master’s serious face as he ran through the thoughts in his own mind. “No sir,” he began, “I’ve never heard of or participated in a blood contract with an animal god. How does it work?” The Hokage turned back around and continued walking. Kuma stepped up to catch up as his teacher spoke.
“A blood contract is exactly as its name implies. You are signing a contract with the ruler of an animal species to get them to fight with you when you summon them. Most ninja can summon one of 3 races: The snake, the toad, or the slug. Each of them has their own strengths and weaknesses and are very popular and accessible in our world.”
Kumas face lit at the prospect of riding high on a giant toad or commanding a giant slug to squash his enemies. He spoke up and interrupted.
(2/30)
“So who are you going to teach me to summon? The toads? Slugs?”
The Hokage shook his head and continued to walk.
“None of them.”
This response was lost on Kuma as he jogged up side to side with his teacher.
“So if not those three, then who.”
The Hokage smiled at his pupil’s curious face. “There are many kinds of animals in the world, and for each animal there is one who rules over their species. I am going to teach you how to summon Enma. He is the Monkey King.”
He watched Kumas face jump to pure enjoyment. If there was anything a boy wanted, no matter what his age was, it was to have a monkey to call his own. The Hokage quickly shattered his dream as he continued.
“He is a rare summon because he is very fickle about who he enters a contract with. First you must prove yourself competent enough in combat when you fight him. If you can prove that to him, then he will enter a contract with you. But if you lack any of the qualities he wants, he can destroy the contract and thus destroy your soul.”
(3/30)
Kuma involuntarily gulped as his voice quivered.
“My soul…which means I don’t come back here when I die?”
The Hokage shook his head in response. Kuma involuntarily yelled, “You mean all that you just laid a whole schpiel about live and loving it and what not… and NOW your going to try and enter me into a contract with a high strung monkey who could kill me in combat and then utterly destroy me if he doesn’t think I’m fit to summon him!?”
“That is about the gist of it.”
The pair stopped as Kuma was utterly fuming from his head in fear and anger. The Hokage merely smiled.
“I do this because I think you are strong enough to prove to have Enma’s allegiance. I wouldn’t trust his power to anyone else if they could not prove themselves to me.”
(4/30)
Kuma took some deep breaths as he slowly calmed himself down. The Hokage waited patiently because there really wasn’t anything else to do in this realm but wait.
He watched his student close his eyes and use his hands to imaginarily push down any aggression. Slowly, Kuma opened his eyes and looked straight into his teachers.
“…Ok…. lets do this…. I mean…I could lose my soul…. but what else is there to lose?”
“That’s the spirit of a true ninja” The hokage said as the resumed their walk.
Under his breath Kuma said, “Yes…the spirit of a dead ninja if this doesn’t work
As they made their way through the homely buildings and mixture of orbs and people, Kuma’s mind wandered as he realized something.
(5/30)
“My parents are dead!” He said as he slammed his fist into his other hand like a judges gavel.
The hokage and passers by stopped what they were doing as the all thought the obvious.
AND SO ARE WE! The hokage cleared his throat as he spoke.
“Yes, I remember you telling me so. Why are you bringing this up again?”
Kuma ran up to his teacher and jumped up and down like an enthusiastic kid who realized Christmas came early, he then proceeded to give the description of his parent to the Hokage in excruciating detail.
“Is there any chance at all that you would have happened to see two people like that anywhere here in the Afterlife?” Kuma seemed to please as the hokage searched his brain intently. Realizing he did not see anyone like that he shook his head and sighed heavily.
“I’m sorry. But I haven’t seen anyone like that in all of my time here in the Afterlife.”
(6/30)
Kuma hung his head low as he sulked for a moment.
“I thought so…. with all the people that possibly come here daily, I could see how its almost impossible to meet them….” His face suddenly became white as he realized something. He turned to his teacher in despair, “What if they are just orbs in this place? What if they weren’t as strong as I thought they were? That means that I would NEVER be able to meet them! Crap!”
The Hokage looked at his downtrodden student and tried to cheer him up.
“Think about it Kuma, there are almost 5 times as many people here in the Afterlife than you can begin to think of down in the real world. Yes, it’s possible that your parents are just orbs unable to keep their true forms…but who said that the form you saw them in is a their true form. You are a young soul while I am old. We age slowly here than back there. Here we show our true age.”
(7/30)
“It is entirely possible they might be still here in a way you never realized…but who knows Kuma. At the moment though, we have work to do in summoning Enma. You must steel your nerve and prepare for a quick but brutal fight ahead.”
With that, the Hokage continued to walk to his own cottage as his student followed along. Kuma tried his best to psyche himself out in order to prepare for this unorthodox summoning procedure.
This should be nothing… Kuma thought as he ran through the procedure in his mind. Ok, first we summon Enma for me to enter the blood contract with. If I can defeat of equal him in combat then I will be able to summon in his battle. At this point I can no longer slack off in any kind of training because if I show I cannot keep his trust…this monkey kind could destroy my..Soul…ok nothing big…just a soul…
(8/30)
As the pair rounded the corner, the Hokage waved hello to people that Kuma had never seen before. Their clothing made Kuma believe that they could be over 100 years old from the point when they died. He was lost in his own thought as he barely noticed his teacher stop. The young ninja hopped on one foot as he teetered, attempting to not run over his teacher, as he was about to show him one of the most rare summons a shinobi could pull off.
“Ok Kuma, welcome to my home here in the Afterlife.”
The hokage said happily as he slid open the door and let his apprentice inside first.
The interior looked like an ancient temple, littered with artifacts and remnants from other peoples exploits while on earth. As Hokage entered the house he waved to some people in the corner.
“Well hello First, Kazekage!” He said happily as Kuma dropped his jaw in surprise. Here he was in the same room with the Third Hokage, watching the First Hokage and one of the Kazekages playing shogi!
(9/30)
Kuma could barely speak as he heard the Kazekage speak aloud.
“So Third, who is the whelp you have with you?” He said as the first and another person who peered out the door way wondered the same thing. Kuma noticed it was the Second Hokage peering out the doorway. He gave him a quick nod and dissapered again through the wall as the Third spoke for him.
“This young one I have before me is Kuma. He came to us not to long ago, but I have the feeling he won’t be staying here too long. He came here from Konohagakure.” He said, seeming to boast about his new student. The Kazekage snorted in response.
“So many of your former village people have been coming to us lately, just like in the wars. Tell me young one, is there trouble brewing in the real world or are you Leaf Ninja becoming more and more pathetic?”
Kuma bowed to his elder and retorted back.
(10/30)