Chapter 90: Nine-tailed Summoned Beast

"Of course," Sakura said, raising her arms.

Lavia folded its wings and snaked up her arm. Its smooth scales were unexpectedly warm, touching her skin and conveying a comfortable temperature. The summoned beast climbed over her shoulder and hovered over her other arm for a while. Sakura could feel a soft and subtle chakra surging under its scales.

Lavia hummed softly, her forked tongue rapidly retracting and retracting.

"You are powerful, my lord. Is this a trait of your family?"

Sakura shook her head, surprised that the summoned beast thought she had a chakra gift.

"No, my parents are ordinary people."

The summoned beast blinked, its emerald pupils dilating slightly, its curiosity growing even more intense.

"You're saying that you're a natural chakra owner? You're the first in your family to have this power?"

"Yeah." She whispered. "My parents are just ordinary businessmen, and I don't have any brothers or sisters."

"It's incredible." Lavia exclaimed. "I am honored to be your summoned beast, my master."

A sense of pride rose up and filled Sakura's chest.

"I'd be honored to have you, too, Lavia," she responded. "Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?"

"Of course." The little snake made a crisp cry, and the feathers on its head shook a few times.

"I am a male Teng Snake. Our race is mainly divided into two tribes. Although there are some other small tribes within the range you can summon, the Ocean Tribe and the Mountain Tribe are the main body of our race. As a member of the Ocean Tribe, I am good at using venom and enhancing chakra. I admit that I am still young for a summoned beast, but I believe that with your help, I will grow up quickly."

Sakura stroked Lavia's scales happily.

"I'm really glad you said that."

The little snake hummed comfortably, greedily enjoying the warmth of her body, and gently flapped its wings, letting the breeze brush across her shoulders.

"Can I stay here for a while?" it asked. "Your body temperature makes me feel comfortable."

Sakura couldn't help but laugh.

"Of course, you can stay as long as you want."

Inuzuka Kiba stood beside Shikamaru and teased:

"This party is getting more and more interesting, isn't it? Hey, Naruto, should we keep this a secret from others for a while? If my mom knew that I summoned a beast that's cooler than my sister's bag, she would definitely ask for the truth."

Naruto turned around, having just fed Sasuke's summon a piece of raw steak. He shook his head.

"No need, Kakashi-sensei has already told Hokage-sama that I went to Whirlpool Country, so you don't have to keep it a secret anymore."

"I'm not sure if he told me everything." Sasuke retorted. "But it shouldn't be a problem. Even if I tell your parents about the summoning scroll, it shouldn't arouse any suspicion."

"That's good." Shikamaru whispered, gently stroking the skin between Vilan's horns. "I don't know how I'm going to explain this if I have to keep it a secret from my father."

"Teacher Kakashi is indeed a little overprotective of us sometimes." Sakura took over Sasuke's words.

She didn't say "we" or "especially Naruto" because Sasuke already knew it, even if Naruto himself might not realize it yet.

Kakashi was of course loyal to the village, but in order to protect Naruto, he was willing to hide the truth from the Hokage. Sakura was very sure of this.

"Alright, kid." Kurama yawned, not trying to hide his tiredness. "Your summoning ritual is complete."

Naruto smiled bright as the sun, leaned back, and placed his hands on Kurama's huge chakra wings, letting its shadow wrap around him.

"Well, old man, what do you think?"

Jiu Lama snorted proudly.

"As my Jinchūriki, you deserve to have my summoned beast."

"You have a summoned beast?" Naruto asked in confusion.

"I guess so. You see, each tailed beast was created based on the image of the nine most powerful monsters."

"Monster? Do you mean creatures like elves?" Shikamaru asked.

"Whether they are spirits or demons, they are the same thing." Kurama nodded, confirming Shikamaru's statement. "We were created to represent the greatest ancient spirits, namely: raccoons, cat demons, turtle spirits, monkeys, water horses, slugs, beetles, bull demons, and the nine-tailed demon fox."

Naruto counted on his fingers as he repeated, "So, Shukaku is a raccoon dog, Matatabi is a cat demon, Isobu is a turtle spirit, Son Goku is the Monkey King, Mu Wang is a water horse, Rhino Dog is a sacred slug, Chongming is a beetle, Ushioki is a bull demon, and you are the nine-tailed demon fox. Are you saying that there is some connection between these spirits and you?"

"We are both highly respected within our respective races, even worshipped as gods. I am not sure if that respect still exists, as I have had little contact with the outside world over the past century. However, I can still make a contract between you and the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox clan, just like the other tailed beasts and their respective spirits."

"So, you want me to summon a nine-tailed demon fox?" Naruto confirmed.

Kurama nodded and brought his huge head closer to Naruto's abdomen. It was an unexpected gesture, full of tenderness and vulnerability, which made Sakura realize that the scene before her meant much more than she had imagined.

When Naruto told her that he had become friends with this giant chakra demon that nearly destroyed the entire village, her first thought was: well, that's very Naruto.

But there must be a deeper meaning behind this, because the way Kurama snuggled up to Naruto and his undisguised concern for him moved her.

She thought about Sasuke's transformation.

She remembered how Sasuke would disappear into the after-school hours, and when he returned the next morning, his eyes would be filled with anger instead of a dead, hollow look.

She remembered that he no longer avoided people, his face was no longer pale, and he no longer spoke harshly when others tried to talk to him.

She also remembered that whenever someone mentioned Sasuke, Naruto was always the first to come to his defense, even if Sasuke never acknowledged his efforts.

She also remembered how Sasuke had opened up to her little by little.

He would leave the door unlocked and wait for her to come over; he would prepare an extra dinner for her; he would silently care for her and take care of her.

She also remembered how Naruto and Sasuke accepted her without any reservations when she ran away from home in anger and ran to the only safe haven that made her feel safe.

She would never forget Sasuke handing her a cup of rich, creamy coffee and holding her in his warm arms as she sat between them.

As those images came to mind, Sakura suddenly thought that it wasn't so strange that Naruto was able to gain the friendship, acceptance and love of a creature filled with anger and hatred.

"I would feel much more at ease if you could support me." Jiu Lama admitted. "We fox demons are very proud and stubborn, but as long as you win their loyalty, they will follow you forever."