Chapter 39 : Weakest Tailed Beast?

[The 26th place on the pet list: Ibuse, owner: Hanzo]

This ranking is certainly well-deserved, as part of Hanzo of the Salamander's fame stems from his Summoning beast, the venomous salamander (Ibuse).

In the beginning, Hanzo of the Salamander earned a formidable reputation by relying on the Ibuse.

  At the zenith of his power, he bore the title of a demigod. Single-handedly, he transformed the humble Rain Shinobi Village into a formidable ninja village, second only to the Five Great Ninja Villages.

Even the title of the Konoha's Sannin Title was granted by Hanzo of the Salamander himself, underscoring his strength and renown. 

As a Summoning beast belonging to such a powerhouse, venomous salamander's ranking surpassed that of even the famous Manda, and no one raised objections.

[The 25th place on the pet list: Enma, owner: Third Hokage]

[Enma: Hahaha, I made it onto the list! Seems like my Adamantine Staff form has nothing to do with this ranking after all!]

[Third Hokage: Enma, this ranking suits you well.]

[Orochimaru: Enma's strength is indeed remarkable, and this ranking is well-deserved.]

[Fourth Raikage: Our Land of Lightning boasts the Ancient Giant Tortoise, a colossal creature forming Turtle Island. It wields immense power. Can it be considered a pet?]

[Third Hokage: It should not be considered. I've observed that the pets on this list are all beasts that either once had an owner or currently have one, but the Ancient Giant Tortoise has never been owned by anyone and has no contractual ties. It's not a pet by definition.]

[Third Tsuchikage: Third Hokage is correct, that seems plausible. That's why they're called "pets." The Ancient Giant Tortoise is simply a gentle creature, not a contract Summoning beast of your Land of Lightning, and it hasn't submitted to your country either. There's no contractual connection between you and it, so it's naturally not a pet.]

[Fourth Raikage: If that's the case, it's a missed opportunity. Otherwise, I'd have sought a reward!]

[Terumi Mei: Hehe, Fourth Raikage, do you really think the Ancient Giant Tortoise would accept the reward and become the property of the Land of Thunder?]

[Fourth Raikage: Well, you never know!]

...

Ryūchi Cave.

"Tagorihime, Ichikishimahime, Tagitsuhime, none of you have ever been summoned by others. Does that mean you won't make it onto the list?" The White Snake Sage furrowed its serpentine brow.

If that were the case, Ryūchi Cave would suffer a great loss.

At this moment, the rankings were not yet finalized, and there was still hope.

So, the White Snake Sage urgently summoned the Three Great Snakes of Ryūchi Cave.

"White Snake Sage!"

Tagorihime, Ichikishimahime, and Tagitsuhime approached the White Snake Sage respectfully.

"You must be aware of the pet list, but it's possible that none of you will make it onto the list since you've never been summoned by anyone before. Thus, you aren't considered pets. 

The rewards from the Gold List are incredibly rich, and for Ryūchi Cave, it could reshape our destiny. Therefore, you must secure a place on the list," the White Snake Sage declared solemnly.

Tagitsuhime asked with urgency, "White Snake Sage, what must we do, then?"

"Form a contract with me and become my summons!" the White Snake Sage commanded.

"This...?" Tagitsuhime was taken aback. Could this really work?

The Three Great Snakes exchanged glances and found the idea quite appealing.

So, they nodded in unison, "White Snake Sage, we accept your proposal!"

Without hesitation, the White Snake Sage had the Three Great Snakes sign the contract, effectively making them its pets.

However, whether this strategy would succeed remained uncertain for the White Snake Sage.

Just after the Three Great Snakes entered into the contract, the rankings on the pet list underwent changes.

The first to notice the alteration in the list was Might Guy's Ninja Turtles.

[Ninja Turtle: Guy, this is incredible! I've vanished from the pet list!]

[Might Guy: Weren't you ranked 100th? What happened?]

[Ninja Turtle: See for yourself!]

[Might Guy: Damn, you've really disappeared. What's going on?]

[Kakashi: Many Summoning beasts have seen their rankings drop. It appears that three new Summoning beasts have appeared out of nowhere.]

Soon, everyone discovered the sudden appearance of three new pets.

[The 28th place on the pet list: Tagorihime, owner: White Snake Sage!]

[The 29th place on the pet list: Ichikishimahime, owner: White Snake Sage!]

[The 30th place on the pet list: Tagitsuhime, owner: White Snake Sage!]

[Gamabunta: What kind of scheme is this? Is it even allowed?]

[Fourth Raikage: These rankings didn't exist before. The Three Great Snakes of Ryūchi Cave have suddenly emerged, and their owner is the White Snake Sage. Could it be that the White Snake Sage just recently entered in the summoning contract with them?]

[Great Toad Sage: Old White Snake, you are truly cunning, temporarily contracting the Three Great Snakes of Ryūchi Cave.]

[Senju Hashirama: Can such a strategy even work? It's rather bold!]

[Uchiha Madara: The White Snake Sage is quite astute to have devised this plan.]

[Fourth Raikage: Does this mean I should seek out the Ancient Giant Tortoise and persuade it to become my summon? Would that secure its place on the list?]

[Killer Bee: Big Brother, that might be feasible!]

[Fourth Raikage: Say no more, I'm off to find it right away!]

[Hidan: Can a human contract be considered a pet?]

[Kakuzu: Hidan, your idea is amusing, but forming a contract with a human is exceptionally difficult, not to mention that a Summoning beast contract doesn't apply.]

[Hidan: What if we establish a direct oath of allegiance?]

[Kakuzu: That wouldn't make them a pet; it would make them a servant. Hidan, don't even think about it.]

[Hidan: Hey, I was just trying to make a deal with you, Kakuzu. Perhaps it could work, and we'd split the rewards evenly, one and a half each!]

[Kakuzu: Get lost!]

With Ryūchi Cave securing a place on the list, the last three Summoning beasts were pushed out, leaving Ninja Turtle and other Summoning beasts disheartened, as they had lost their rewards.

Might Guy, however, remained in high spirits. He had already reaped ample benefits, and missing out on this list was of no concern to him. 

Additionally, the Ninja Turtle also didn't care about it too much, and he was content with that.

Soon after, the 24th place on the pet list was announced.

[The 24th place on the pet list: Seven Tails Chōmei, owner: Fu]

As soon as the list was revealed, the Seven Tails, Chōmei, erupted with anger in the live broadcast room.

[Seven Tails: Impossible! Absolutely impossible! How can I be the weakest?]

[One Tail: Well, Chōmei, it appears you are the weakest. Did you think the Golden List made a mistake?]

[Eight Tails: Hahaha, Chōmei always boasted about having many tails, so it seemed like he wouldn't be weak. But it turns out he's the weakest among us, the tail-beasts!]

[One Tail: Chōmei, you scoundrel! From now on, we'll call you the weakest tail-beast!]

[Fu: Chōmei, don't be disheartened. This ranking may not necessarily reflect your true strength. It's possible that it takes other factors into account.]

[Seven Tails: Fu, you're right. Perhaps this list isn't solely based on strength. Some auxiliary Summoning beasts may not have made the cut, even if they're strong.]

[One Tail: Chōmei, are you an auxiliary Summoning beast? Apart from my sealing abilities, which can provide support, which one of us isn't primarily focused on combat? You're the weakest, so accept it.]

[Seven Tails: I refuse to accept it, got a problem with that?]

Despite Seven Tails Chōmei's refusal to accept being the weakest, the ranking remained unchanged.

At this point, many began to ponder a significant question: One of the Nine Tailed Beasts, Seven Tails Chōmei, had only secured the 24th spot on the pet list!

**********

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