Fulfilling the Summoning Contract
Five weeks after the Hotate-Hatake wedding, the Chunin exam was held. The first part of the examinations, the written test, was over. The genin teams who cleared the first part were given a week-long preparation for the next stage.
Keiji and Keichi and the temporary tech team they formed just finished walking the five village leaders through the process of supervising the second stage of the exam. The weather was nice that day so Shirainee invited the Kages and their envoys to have tea in the Hotate Main House while enjoying the view in their courtyard garden.
They just exited the Hokage Tower when an arrow was shot piercing the outer wall of the red building. A note written on parchment was attached to it. The paw-print signature on the bottom of the page caught Shirainee's attention. There's no doubt that whoever was the owner of the paw print has a dominant attitude, otherwise, she/he will not be too bold to leave his or her scent.
Shirainee's complexion turned pasty when she read what was written.
Summon your master. Let's settle the score once and for all. Let's meet 7000 meters southwest from here. Reclaim your feline pet.
Without pause, she cut her finger using a fingernail sharpened and made pointed by her chakra. She performed combinations of seals and placed her palms on the ground. Lady Raisetsumi appeared.
The queen of the Snowcat Tribe stood regally. Without asking Shirainee the reason for the summon she snapped her head to the direction where a faint unpleasant scent was coming.
"Raisetsuko! She disregarded the rules. She dares challenge us outside the Cat Tribes' territories.
Shirainee's knees weakened. She was not scared of Lady Raisetsuko's challenge or her possible revenge on Shirainee for injuring her granddaughter Sayaka and many of the Desert cats. She involuntarily knelt as she imagined Kuroshin's current situation.
"SHIRAINEE! Snap out of it and prepare to battle."
Lady Raisetsumi flipped her snow-white tail in annoyance.
Shirainee swayed as she stood abruptly. Kakashi was quick to assist her, letting her lean on him. She nodded slowly and stood straighter as she realized that the slower she moves, the longer Kuroshin stays in the hands - or paws - of their feline enemies.
"Where are you going? What's happening?" Kakashi asked in a collected tone.
"They took Kuroshin."
Kakashi deduced that "they" pertains to the ones who caused Shirainee's injuries when she was staying in Gintora.
She felt Shirainee shaking. He was puzzled by how terrified she was. Based on what he heard about what took place in the Snowcat Tribe's home, Shirainee can hold her own in a fight against dozens of desert cats.
He squeezed Shirainee's shoulders slightly.
"Calm down."
His wife shook off his hands. "I must bring Kuroshin back. He's old and his health is frail. He won't be able to stand any harsh treatment." As she spoke, her tone sounded more hysterical sentence after sentence.
"Calm down," Lady Raisetsumi repeated what Kakashi said. Her tone was calmer than Kakashi and yet Shirainee flinched as if she was whipped by the Snowcat leader. "I trained you. As your master, I expect better from you."
Her facial expression changed after hearing Raisetsumi's slight reprimand. She moved away from Kakashi and walked down the steps of the Hokage Tower entrance. Her index fingernail grew longer resembling a talon. She pierced the same finger she cut minutes ago and formed the same combinations of seals. She raised her palms toward the sky. A gust of wind disturbed the dust on the ground.
Before Kakashi and the other kages could clear the dust in their eyes, Shirainee had already hopped on Roc's back.
"What the hell is going on, Rokudaime?" Lord Ei, the Raikage, asked in his usual gruff tone.
Lady Raisetsumi answered instead. The current situation concerned her sister's tribe after all. Raisetsuko had broken the rules of the war between the two feline tribes and trespassed a human territory. Not only that, but she had also taken away Kuroshin, an innocent cat who has nothing to do with their war.
"I presume Raisetsuko, my sister had risen from the dead. Well not really from the dead but I am guessing she had fully recovered from her almost fatal injuries from our fight nine years ago. She wants another beating." Lady Raisetsumi flipped her tail in irritation. "It was Fuyu, Shirainee's grandmother who used to fight with me. Shirainee had taken over her grandmother's role years ago so as part of our summoning contract, she must assist me in the fight."
Kakashi understood what the underlying meaning in Lady Raisetsumi's statements. Even if Kakashi is Shirainee's husband and the village leader of Konoha, the nearest place where their battle will take place, he could not stop his wife from fulfilling the duties she had signed up for before they met.
"I'm joining your fight," he announced with finality.
The other Kages expressed their desire to join the fight as well. It has been relatively peaceful for more than a year. Though there were little problems and disturbances of peace here and there, compared to the situation years ago, the world could still be considered peaceful. The envoys of the village leaders also expressed their desire to fight if not to just watch and witness the battle. They must be itching to fight and test whether their skills got rusty.
Naruto came running towards them.
"I felt unfamiliar and sinister chakra," he informed the group.
Kakashi gave him an update on what was going on. Kakashi felt his head pulsing when Naruto expressed his wish to join the fight too.
"I have a suggestion," Keichi spoke in the middle of the discussion on whether they will be allowed to join the battle or not. "We should stay out of it since this is a private matter among the cat tribes members. Oneesama, as Lady Raisetsumi's disciple and Kuroshin's owner, without a question has the obligation to join. We can use this opportunity instead to test the camera birds in the actual field of combat."
"Keichi!" Keiji snapped at his brother's callousness. He could not believe that this idea was suggested by his tactful brother. He understood the practicality of his suggestion but it still sounds insensitive considering there was a life at stake.
"Finally, the only human who spoke with sense," Lady Raisetsumi spoke while glaring at the high-ranking ninjas who were acting like a bunch of genins thirsty for an A-rank mission. "I don't want to sound ungrateful but we can manage without your assistance."
She performed the summoning technique and seven white lion-sized cats appeared.
Lady Raisetsumi briefed her tribe members on the situation.
"Your desperate Aunt has trespassed on human territories, kidnapped an innocent feline, and sent a challenge to fight outside the cat tribe territories. How desperate is she? This can be a distraction though. One of you stays in Gintora, supervise, and protect our base. We still don't know if there is a traitor among us Snowcats. The rest of you, watch Shirainee's and my back and take over just in case."
"Just in case what?" Naruto interrupted.
"Just in case one of us or both of us dies," Lady Raisetsumi answered calmly as if she was talking about something trivial.
"I'm joining the fight!" Kakashi insisted this time he's determined to have his way.
"CERTAINLY NOT! You-" the snowcat tribe leader looked at him from head to toe and back. "You summon dogs. Raisetsuko would think that we are too desperate to win that we have to ask for assistance from dogs."
What does she mean by that? I summon dogs for tracking but it doesn't mean I smell or look like a dog!
It might not be Lady Raisetsumi's intention to aggravate him but he snapped and unintentionally activated his purple lightning.
The summoned ninja cats surrounded their leader to protect her.
He had no intention of attacking Lady Raisetsumi, he just wanted to vent his frustration. Lady Raisetsumi and her disciples were not aware of what he was feeling and blocked him from stepping closer. Their eyes locked on Kakashi warning him that they will not hesitate to retaliate if he hurt their master.
Their stare-down was cut short when a huge shadow from above blocked them. Kakashi deactivated his purple lightning before the figure in a black hooded skin-tight bodysuit landed from the eagle's back. It was a slightly different outfit from what she wore during their journey to Suna. She was wearing a multi-pocket padded vest and golden yellow and blue belt-bag. It was not the assortment of scrolls on her belt bag that made her looked geared up for battle. It was the two curved swords sheathed on her back.
"Shirainee!" Lady Raisetsumi's alarmed voice broke their silence. "I think you should stay behind." The cat ninjas who were forming a protective wall around their leader separated. The regal cat moved forward and approached Shirainee while assessing her from head to toe.
Shirainee, instead of answering, pulled out a roll-up canvas from her belt bag. She knelt and opened the bag to reveal its contents. It contained several small vials containing different colored liquids that were secured by elastic bands. She got the vials with colorless liquid and distributed them to members of the Snowcat tribes.
They seemed to know what the color-less liquid does because they drank it without questions. Shirainee waited for everyone to finish drinking and after a few seconds, she fished something from underneath her collar. She blew the whistle and a passing stray cat suddenly hissed as if agitated by the sound. The snowcat tribes members, however, did not react.
"Shirainee, stop being stubborn and just stay here. We will retrieve your cat for you."
"Raisetsumi-sama, Kuroshin is not just my cat. He is a member of my family."
"Shirainee Uzumaki! You inherited your family's bad traits of not listening to reason!"
"Thank you!"
"I was not complimenting you."
Kakashi silently watched Lady Raisetsumi and Shirainee's exchange of words. He was puzzled why the snowcats' leader changed her mind about Shirainee joining the fight against her sister.
His wife seemed to have made up her mind and there was nothing any one of them could say that would sway her decision.
"I assume that since Raisetsuko broke the cat tribes' rules and brought trouble in humans' territory, all the other rules of war set before are now irrelevant."
"Rules?" Gaara asked in puzzlement. It sounded fascinating to him that the cat tribes had sets of rules to follow in war. The humans only follow one simple rule during the war: Conquer the enemies.
"Well, we are not some common lowly animals," one of the cat guards scoffed. "We fight according to the rules."
"Well apparently, Raisetsuko-sama and her tribe can now be classified with lawless lowly animals," says the silver tabby cat.
Shirainee summoned the members of the Eight Royal Eagle Guards after confirming her assumption.
"This war ends today," she declared before jumping back on Roc's back.
Kakashi knew that there was no guarantee she would live but this agreement between the Snowcat tribe and Shirainee took place before they even crossed paths. Being married to him doesn't supersede the summoning contract. As shinobis, they both have their own responsibilities to fulfill. He must trust and be confident in his wife's skills.
"SHIRAI!"
Kakashi was shocked to hear the panic in his voice. He cleared his throat and breathe deeply before calling his wife again.
"Shirai! Don't be late for dinner."
She smiled at him before pulling up the mask that was on her neck.
Never mind missing the afternoon tea. You should come back before dinner.