I sat alone in the library, it took me a good thirty minutes to find the technique I wanted. 'Why do we need this again?' Summons can be suuuper useful! And they're fun to have around. 'I see you've moved on from me' The summoning realm is kind of dangerous, it's basically where all the summons reside when they're not being used or they don't have a contract. I doubt anyone would give me access to a summoning scroll, so we're going to get one from the animals themselves. 'So are we just going to disappear out of the library? Won't someone notice?' The librarian is asleep and we're the only ones here. 'Touché' I was oddly comforted by the smell of aged parchment, it helped me concentrate on the seal. Pen ink was a little harder to work with, but I hadn't thought to buy any proper stuff before hand, so I carefully dotted each finger down on the paper. 'Having fun with your finger painting?' Your going to make me mess up!
The seal wasn't perfect, but it looked close enough to the example. I waited for it to dry before snatching it up and walking behind two sets of bookshelves. I let two books act as paper weights so that the paper would lie flat. 'What if it doesn't work?' I'll redraw it. My hands pressed against the paper. How do I press chakra into it? 'Same thing you did with the hand signs.' I focused on the weird tingling in my veins, trying to gather it all in one spot. My eyes closed and I shoved what I thought was chakra into the ground. 'Oi! Idiot! We're falling!' My eyes crack open, sure enough, we were falling. It worked! 'Are you kidding me?!' Nope! Below me was a small lake surrounded by forest and plains. I know how to swim we'll be fine. 'We're gonna die!' My hands pressed together into a diving position. I held my breath as my body connected with the water. The cold gave me a slight shock but I was soon swimming towards the surface. My head broke through the water and I took a long breath before looking around. 'Pinky, look down, slowly.' My eyes gazed into the mostly clear water. My pulse quickened at the sight. That's a lot of sharks! 'I've read a book on this, be really quiet. Don't splash around to much.' We just dove into a lake of sharks! Surely that made enough noise! 'They haven't tried to kill you yet.' Fair point. I swam breaststroke towards the shore, trying to make my movements as fluid as possible.
I was within 20 meters of the shore when I noticed the shark behind behind me. A tiger shark. Fish aren't really my speciality, but I know for a fact that they're aggressive. 'Well fuck' That's ladylike. 'Not the time! Swim!' I took a breath before kicking my legs like a motor boat. My hands cut through the water, I forced myself to swim faster and faster. Feeling sand beneath me was like passing finals. I sloppily ran onto the shore, I got a good ten feet from the water before turning around. There, stretched across the majority of the lake, were shark fins. Welp! I'm checking that off my bucket list! 'What else is on your bucket list?' You don't wanna know. 'They look pretty agitated.' I nodded before falling into a 90' degree bow. "I'm sorry for disturbing you with my landing as well as my swimming." One of the larger sharks rose their head from the water, a cigar hanging from the teeth. "A respectful brat! We appreciate the apology, continue on, try not to die!" The sharks turned and swam back to the depths of the lake. That one shark sounded like he was from Jersey. 'Where's Jersey?' It's a state in my old country. 'I don't get it' You never will.
I turned to the plains, the forest looked a little dark and the trees would be inconvenient if I needed to run. 'But there's less cover is the plains!' Let's hope we don't need it then. I walked for awhile, there weren't any animals aside from the occasional vulture. 'Ah yes, the perfect summon. It will really suit your personality.' Fuck you. I kicked a tumble weed in frustration.
'Wow, look at the sky!' My head tilted up, five vultures circled around, occasionally swooping down. Should we check it out? 'There's nothing better to do.' I sped up my pace to a run, vultures are scavengers, they pick off carcasses or anything close to death. I ran at the two vultures already on the ground, the first flew off while the other was stubborn. 'Kick the bird' My thoughts exactly. My foot connected with the greasy ball of feathers, it squawked indignantly before flying off to join the others. 'Is that a dog?' I looked over to where the birds used to be. Tan fur stood out against the dry grass. With hesitation I ran forward and checked the pulse. Alive. 'So is it a dog or not?' No! It's a lion! 'It doesn't have a mane though?' It's a cub, a child. A long gash ran up the side of the lion, most likely the work of the vulture. I grabbed my medical supplies, I need to disinfect the wound before I do anything. I poured the alcohol substance onto a towel before pressing it against the gash. '...Is it going to be ok?' I sure hope so, I grabbed a gauze pad from my pack, I positioned it before securing it with bandages. Done. 'Now what?' It probably needs water, the heat won't help the situation. I cracked open my water bottle, carefully pouring the substances into the open mouth of the cub. I smiled as the tongue moved to swallow it.
My unzipped vest worked as shelter from the sun. The lion's breathing had become consistently steadier. 'It's getting better right?' Yeah, we just have to wait for it to wake up. My eyes darted to the cub as it's tail flicked forward. 'It moved!' That's a good thing. I waited another ten minutes with a lion sitting on my lap. Let me tell you, I almost cried when I heard it yawn. 'You saved a life dummy!' I did! The eyes crinkled open slowly, the cub blinked before the pupils darted around, it was clearly confused. They moved their head slightly, trying to get a better look around. Then it tried to move it's legs, I gently pushed the cub back down. Over exertion is bad. "Don't move so much, you'll hurt yourself." The cub stared at me, confused. "W-who are you? What happened? Where am I?" I smoothed out the fur on top of the cubs head. "My name is Sakura, I saved you from some vultures, but they managed to scratch your side. Don't worry, I cleaned up the wound and it has a bandage so you'll be just fine. As for where we are? I don't really know." The cub licked its paw, relaxing slightly. "M-my name is Kaizo, I was chasing this really pretty butterfly, but I lost my momma and I didn't know where I was. I remember getting really thirsty after a while, but I don't remember anything after that." This poor child, I shall protect it! "It sounds like you passed out from dehydration, you should drink some more water before we start looking for your mom." I poured some water into my hands and let Kaizo drink his fill. The cub blinked up at me, I think he was smiling? "My family lives under this suuuper big rock. It makes a lot of shade." 'So we're looking for a rock?' Bingo. I scooped up Kaizo and slipped on my vest. We headed out into the vast savanna.
An hour and a half of walking with water breaks every 15 minutes. 'This is hell.' I nodded in agreement. Kaizo was currently stuffed in my vest. The cub squirmed around with alarm. "Wait! I know that tree! My cousin fell out of it awhile ago!" I snorted shamelessly. "So do you know the way from here?" Kaizo nodded. "See that shrub over there? Go in that direction!" 'Follow the shrub." Sounds like a treasure hunt.
Another half an hour of walking brought our total to 2 hours. I squinted at the horizon. "What's that big lump coming out of the ground?" Kaizo almost jumped out of my shirt. "That's the rock! That's my family!" I chuckled and sped up to a jog. 'How are you running?' Stamina training pays off. I listened to Kaizo's cries of excitement as we approached an entire pride of lions. 'We're so dead.' Deep breathes Inner. I stopped around ten meters from the first lion. Kaizo licked my face. "Put me down, I'm gonna talk to them." I shrugged and gently placed the cub on the ground. 'This is the end! I never kissed Sasuke! I never went on a mission! My host is crazy." I gulped. You're not helping. Kaizo was having a conversation with one of the larger females. Is that his mother? I waited in awkward silence as the rest of the pride watched my every move. After a minute, Kaizo trotted back with the lioness behind him. "Sakura! This is my momma! She wants to meet you!" I nodded cautiously. Kaizo's mother was a stunning she-cat, intimidating as well. Rippling muscles were visible as she stalked towards me. It occurred to me, as she grew closer, that Kaizo's mother was taller than me, by a lot. She stood at least 3 feet above me. Her head ducked slightly to make eye contact. "So this is the human who has saved my cub. You may call me Akani. Follow me." 'They're going to hide us from Kaizo, and then eat us! Run while you can!' I followed the lioness, choosing to ignore a frantic inner. Lions surrounded the great rock, some of natural coloring, some not. Either way, I had hundreds of pairs of eyes trying to burn a hole in my back. We approached the rock, it was large and jagged, I couldn't see the top. Akani turned to me. "My father suns on top of the great rock, I hope you have climbing experience. Refer to him as Lord Darasa if you plan on living." I blinked in confusion, Akani grumbled slightly. "Think of it as a favor for saving my son." With that, she picked Kaizo up by the scruff. I stared up at the rock, this would be a rough climb, not impossible though. A kunai rested in each of my hands, I plunged the first into the hard surface, pulling my body up as I did so. Thus began one hell of a climb.
I was halfway up the rock, my legs were just about ready to give up. I dug a kunai into the rock before climbing up to stand on it. Carefully, I grabbed my water bottle taking a long sip before grabbing my kunai and continuing to climb. My weights had kept my forearms and shins free from scratches, so I wouldn't have to clean any wounds when I got to the top. On the other hand, I was carrying an extra 36 pounds as I climbed. I'll consider it training. 'You're a masochist. That or suicidal. Maybe both.' If Mebuki finds out I did this I'm so screwed. So if Kaizo is Lord Darasa's grandson, do you think I'll get on his good books because I saved him? 'You might, I still think you're gonna die.'
Three fourths of the way up, my kunai slipped out of its position and I dropped it. I grabbed a replacement and rested for a minute to calm my nerves. 'That was terrifying.' Indeed. So how do you feel about a summoning contract with the lions? 'If we don't die, sure why not.'
I grabbed onto the top of the rock, finally, I'd lost count of the time awhile ago. I stabbed the level surface with a kunai, hoisting myself up. I sat at the top for awhile, catching my breath. 'Idiot! Look forward!' There, sitting in front of me. Was a lion. A lion the size of a building. Orange eyes stared at me expectantly. I fell into a kneeling position. "Lord Darasa, may I have a moment of your time?" I focused on keeping my voice steady, I was pulling a poker face for this one. The great white lion dipped his face towards my small frame. "Rise young human, I must thank you for saving my grandson. Without him, we have no successor. I grant your request." I stood up shakily, my legs still numb from the climb up. "Lord Darasa, I, Sakura Haruno wish to be tested for the honor of becoming a lion summoner." My voice was a hair away from cracking. I waited a few moments for a response. Darasa cleared his voice. "Well, I suppose sense you saved my grandson, you may. What is your ninja rank child?" I swallowed. "Genin, Lord Darasa." To my surprise he nodded and stood from his position. He gazed down at me. "Turn around human." I did so without question. Teeth delicately gripped the back of my vest, holding me above the ground. 'HE'S GONNA EAT US!' No, he won't.., I hope. It took a lot of will power to keep from screaming as Darasa leapt from the rock, my body hung from his jaws.
The other lions cleared away from him, bowing to their leader. Darasa was two times larger than even the largest lion among them. I was placed back on my feet. Darasa returned to a sitting position. "Sakura, to become our summoner, you must survive ten minutes in a fight-" A chorus of groans let out amongst the crowd, "- against Milo." The booing stopped. A dark grey lion stepped away from the crowd. Red eyes glared down at me. He was a tad taller than me, his mane was pitch black and a bit shorter than some of the other males, I could tell he wasn't full grown. Darasa gazed at the two of us. "Everything goes, only Milo will be allowed to attack her. Don't hold back. 3" I tossed back my water bottle "2" I unstrapped my weights. "1" I tightened my ponytail.
"Go"
I leapt back as Milo lunged forward, claws out. I sent a kick for his nose, he dodged and ran at me, teeth bared. I ran right back, kunai in hand. I jumped last second as he dove for my leg. My arms pressed off his back like a spring board, I landed and swung my foot for his side. I grazed him, immediately jumping back as Milo snapped his teeth. He circled me, ever so slowly closing in. I pulled a kunai as he jumped towards me, last time I went over so, I slid under him, kicking his stomach. My hands quickly forming the three hand signs for a clone. I was behind Milo, my clone was under him. The lion snarled. "Not so great now are you?" His claws slashed the clone's neck, only for it to poof away in a small cloud of smoke. He didn't have time to react, I was on top of him with a kunai. I held his mouth back with the knife while we rolled around, he eventually threw me off. I skidded against the ground, my shoulder hit a rock. 'That's gonna leave a bruise.' Not the time. I threw a kunai at his feet as a distraction. My foot aimed for his face, his jaws locked around my shoe. I worked desperately to work my foot out of the sandal, eventually I was free. Milo spit out the shoe as I stood back up. Inner, hows my time? '2:03 left' That's not so bad. I was distracted, Milo brought his claws down on me, I managed to step back, but he got my arm. My undershirt was torn, blood slowly soaking the fabric. I hissed in pain before throwing another kunai, this time I aimed my kick at his jaw. My one covered foot connected with his mouth. Milo let out a yelp before pausing to spit out blood. "You b'rat! Yo mae me bigh my tone!" 'What was that?' He bit his tongue. 'Oooh' Milo rushed towards me, a paw swinging towards my face. I did a backbend into a back handspring, ignoring the pain in my arm. My moment of victory was short lived, I felt fangs dig into my calf. I screamed. Milo dug his claws into my limbs. "We lions have never had a summoner! And we never wi-" "Time!" I let out a sigh of relief.
Lord Darasa stared down at us, he sent a pointed look to Milo. The lion got off of me, sulking over to join the crowd. Darasa looked down at me. "Congratulations, not only did you manage to find our pride, you didn't die." He spasmed slightly before coughing up a scroll... like a hair ball. "You are the first to sign this scroll, use blood in the first column." I crawled over to the scroll, laying it out in front of me. I reached to the wound on my shoulder, taking the blood on my fingers. I drew my name out. The scroll disappeared with the final stroke. I gave Darasa a confused look. "How will I summon you without the scroll?" He reached down and licked my fore head. I closed my eyes at the feel of the saliva. "You'll see."
I opened my eyes to see the library. 'Whaaaat?' I rubbed my temples. "I swear if that was just a dream." "It wasn't." I jumped, turned around and pulled out a kunai. There sat an unimpressed Milo. He sighed and looked down at me. "Lord Darasa has ordered me to be your personal summon, to summon me or any other lions, swipe some blood across the tattoo on your hand." 'Tattoo?!' I frantically removed my glove, a black swirl with three dots adorned the back of my hand. Milo sighed at my antics. "Your glove covers it, it's not a bid deal." I shook my head in disbelief, my attention shifted to the clock on the wall. 7:38. "How has only been like two hours?" Milo turned to me. "Time passes faster in the summoning realm, I'm going now, summon me whenever." With that, he poofed away. So there I was. In a library. 'Those lions must have healed you up, I can't see any of the major scratches.' That's true. I grabbed all the papers I used to access the summoning realm, and tore them apart before shoving them in the recycling bin. No evidence will be discovered. 'Shall we head back?' Mm, I thing you mean run back. 'No!' Training wooo!
...
That took forever to write, I hope you enjoyed the longest charter yet. Have a nice day and leave a comment if you feel like it!