Chapter 88: The Might of Kurama.
Hearing that the fellow inside was bound by iron chains, Tatsuro became even more fearless; anyway, it couldn't reach him. He cursed it as "trash" and then ignored it, letting it rage however it pleased.
He then began to study how to open this large iron gate. According to the hints given by the system, this place contained all the summoning beasts from the ninja world, but each summon was random, and they wouldn't necessarily obey.
He didn't know if it was an illusion, but a voice saying "someone's here" echoed through this seemingly endless space.
As if awakened by the creature inside the iron gate, more and more voices began to emanate from all directions. Then, one by one, crimson iron gates appeared.
The originally pitch-black space seemed to come alive. Tatsuro just stood there blankly, looking at this "endless" corridor formed by crimson iron gates.
He now knew that this scroll might not be as simple as he had thought. It wasn't about opening a gate to connect with the ninja world. Rather, this scroll connected to an alternate dimension that contained all summoning beasts.
So, as their master, should he introduce himself first?
Tatsuro cleared his throat lightly and shouted, "Hello everyone, my name is Tatsuro. I am your master!"
Silence—
There had been some sounds coming from within the iron gates, but after Tatsuro's shout, it became utterly silent.
A voice first came from a nearby iron gate, "Hahaha, this old man is laughing to death! Although I don't know why I suddenly appeared here, you think you're worthy of being my master? This old man is Manda! Wait until I break these damn iron chains, then I'll come out and eat you!"
As it spoke, the sound of rattling iron chains came from within the gate.
Tatsuro didn't pay it any mind but began to ponder Manda's words, "although I don't know why I suddenly arrived here."
The more he thought, the more alarmed he became, muttering under his breath, "This system didn't just copy those things from the ninja world and then dump them here and leave, did it?"
It was similar to so-called soul transmigration, where memories are copied and backed up like data, then transferred to another person, making that person believe they have transmigrated.
But the original body still possessed self-awareness, living on in the sight of others.
"If that's the case, it's not unacceptable. This also means that the 'me' from before didn't die."
Thinking this, Tatsuro felt much more at ease. After all, if he had truly died and transmigrated, his sister would have cried so much.
After pondering, Tatsuro shouted again, "If you want to get out, then obey my words! Otherwise, stay here for a lifetime!"
"Hoo...!"
He didn't know if it was an illusion, but an inexplicable sense of pressure assaulted him from a distance. Manda, who had been barking next to him, instantly whimpered and fell silent. The space, which had been noisy with Manda's clamor, now became quiet.
"So noisy! Don't disturb this old man's long slumber!!"
A roaring sound came, and Tatsuro's vision instantly went black. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself back in the real world.
"What the hell!?"
Tatsuro was so scared that cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He didn't seem to understand what had just happened. One roar and he was gone?
What kind of world-destroying summoning beast...
Closing the scroll, Tatsuro got up and washed his face to clear his head. His frightened brain also began to calm down. That voice was undoubtedly Kurama's.
If a random summon brought him out, wouldn't he be slapped to death with a single paw?
"Hiss... why does my head hurt?"
Tatsuro clutched his forehead. Some memories that didn't originally exist suddenly appeared in his mind.
"This is... the hand seal sequence for the Universal Summoning Scroll? And... specific summons... require a blood contract..."
After digesting the memories that suddenly appeared in his mind, Tatsuro felt somewhat fatigued. He then began to organize the new information.
This blood contract didn't conflict with Shura's blood contract; they used completely different hand seal sequences, and this one required the 'Universal Summoning Scroll' to activate.
But the trouble was the need for a blood contract. Never mind Kurama, who had ejected him from the alternate space with a single roar; even Manda looked down on him.
A bit troublesome... It seems I'm still too weak.
After calming down, Tatsuro decided to go for a walk and try out the ninjutsu he had drawn from the system.
He returned to his bedside, placed the scroll into its red cloth wrapping, and then slung it onto his back. After all, this wasn't his school, and although he felt they wouldn't touch this thing, it was currently his lifeline. Only when he himself was in charge of it would he feel at ease.
Putting on his shoes, he walked out the door. Looking at the empty training ground, Tatsuro sat for a while, then got up and left. After all, tomorrow was likely the end of this exchange event. He had learned many things and also made some pretty good memories.
He had only taken two steps when he encountered a girl who looked similar to Maki. He just glanced a couple more times, and the woman pulled a revolver from her pocket, aimed it at him, and said, "Haven't you seen a woman before?"
"Don't be like that, Mai. It's not good to hurt people," the blue-haired girl beside her quickly stood in front of Mai.
"Mai?"
Tatsuro touched his cheek with his left hand, then thought of the possibility of twins and asked, "Do you know Zenin Maki?"
"I know her. Why? Are you her classmate?" Zenin Mai asked curiously.
"Yes, I'm a fir—"
Bang!
Before Tatsuro could finish speaking, Mai, before him, directly pulled the trigger of the revolver in her hand.
And Tatsuro himself, his cursed energy subconsciously enveloping his body, directly blocked the bullet. He himself hadn't even reacted; it was like an instinct.
Looking at the bullet blocked by cursed energy on his chest, he asked, "What is the meaning of this?"
"Pretty fast reaction." Zenin Mai retracted her revolver and said, "It's nothing. That bullet I shot at you was special; apart from being painful, it can't kill anyone. I was just testing your reaction time, wanted to see what kind of teammates that failure Maki has."
"..."
Tatsuro's face darkened at this moment. He also knew who this person was to Maki – either her older sister or her younger sister.
Zenin Mai continued, "It must be tiring teaming up with a failure who has no cursed energy at all, right? She's like that at home too, ostracized everywhere because she has no cursed energy. What? You, a fellow first-year, came, but she's too embarrassed to come over? That's right, someone like her..."
"Stop talking, Mai! He's getting angry!" Kasumi Miwa screamed internally but didn't know how to speak up at that moment.
"Have you said enough? If you haven't, I'll make sure you take that mouth to your grave to say your fill."
Tatsuro instantly moved, clamping his hand over her mouth, and continued, "I don't know if you're Maki's older or younger sister, but she's not as worthless as you say. She has always been the most hardworking among us. If you dare to tarnish her again, I'll slaughter you!"
"You!"
Zenin Mai frowned. Before she could finish speaking, a flash of a blade appeared, and the hand clamping her mouth instantly disappeared.
Kasumi Miwa, holding her sword hilt, said, "Sorry. Although I know Mai is in the wrong, I won't allow you to touch her."