Ninken—a special class of summoned beasts, distinct from typical summons. Their strength varied wildly.
In the anime, summoned creatures always looked powerful and useful. But that was because their users were strong to begin with.
A regular Genin summoning a crow wouldn't suddenly get Uchiha Itachi-level results.
In most cases, ninken were just the cherry on top. Some powerful shinobi had incorporated their ninken into their fighting style in such a way that it altered their battlefield presence entirely.
The clearest example? Hanzo of the Salamander.
At his peak, Hanzo was called a Demi-God of the shinobi world. Even the Legendary Sannin only gained their titles because he praised them in battle.
That said, the man's reputation was real—he was terrifying in his prime.
"There are all kinds—dogs, cats, crows, turtles... you name it," Kakashi explained between bites of ramen. "But the really powerful ones require a special summoning contract."
He might've summoned his own ninja hounds right there in Ichiraku Ramen if they weren't in a restaurant.
Kazuki slurped a strip of chicken and mumbled, "What about... humanoid ones? Like, same figure, face, and proportions as a woman?"
Kakashi narrowed his eye. He stared at Kazuki like he was seconds away from calling Konoha's Military Police Force.
After some counseling from Kakashi, Kazuki accepted the harsh truth: there were no ninken that looked convincingly human.
"You're not... seriously considering this, are you?" Kakashi asked, suspicious.
Ever since Kazuki had talked with Jiraiya about that "young gatekeeper" tale, Kakashi had started doubting the purity of Kazuki's soul.
If anyone would pull something , it'd be him.
"Don't overthink it," Kazuki rolled his eyes. "I just wanted to raise a summon beast that could mess with a certain psycho."
Yes, Kazuki had joined the ANBU. No, he was not into furries.
Maybe San-ge from his previous world would be. But not him.
"Which psycho?" Kakashi asked, curious.
Kazuki didn't elaborate. Kakashi didn't push.
After finishing his bowl, Kazuki returned home.
"If I had to pick... crows might be best. I could train one to mimic Rin's voice. Have it fly around and whisper Obito's name..." he mused aloud while practicing in the courtyard.
His shadow whipped and twisted along the ground, as if eager to hunt.
But with nothing nearby to bind, it soon went still.
He scratched the idea, though. A single crow wouldn't do much to Obito.
But then—a better plan emerged.
Everyone knew: Uchiha Obito was a walking contradiction. Infamous, polarizing, but one truth united both his fans and haters—he loved Rin more than his own life.
Enough to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan from sheer grief.
Uchiha's patron saint of devotion, basically.
So maybe... just maybe... if Kazuki could use that obsession to bait him...
The sky dimmed. Kazuki left in a hurry.
Outside his house, Uncle Suzaku had been on his way to chat about ANBU procedures. He caught sight of Kazuki darting off, but didn't stop him—just waited.
Konoha's streets were still lively, though a little less so in the evening.
Kazuki scanned around, then spotted a building with a red sign and glowing pink lights. The words "Minors Prohibited" hung beside the entrance.
He performed a Transformation Jutsu, turned into a random adult man, and slipped inside.
"Evening, hun. Looking for anything in particular?" the shopkeeper—a wrinkled old woman—asked lazily.
Kazuki looked around.
Primitive toys. Weird novelty items. But none of that was his target.
Then his gaze landed on a life-sized inflatable doll.
"Can this be customized?" he asked eagerly.
"What kinda specs you lookin' for?" she yawned.
"Realistic. As close to a living human as possible."
Kazuki was honestly stunned. Was shinobi world tech really that advanced?
He knew the technology tree here was bizarre—but still, customizable models?
Back in his past life, those high-end dolls had been insanely expensive.
"Don't worry. Real enough," the old lady smirked.
Kazuki paused. That smile didn't inspire confidence.
After describing his specific needs, the shopkeeper shook her head.
"No dice. We don't carry ones that realistic. If you want that kind of lifelike build and face... you'd have to ask the puppet masters from Sunagakure."
Those weirdos specialized in lifelike dolls. The real pros could probably meet his insane criteria.
And just like that, Kazuki's "Rin-Doll Obito Distraction Masterplan" crumbled before it began.
When he got home, Uncle Suzaku was waiting. They sat for ten minutes while Suzaku dumped a bunch of ANBU knowledge into Kazuki's brain. Consider it an early orientation.
"If joining ANBU came with some kind of 'achievement reward,' that'd be amazing..." Kazuki sighed.
No response from his system.
Apparently, aside from sacrifices and grinding through repetition, there were no shortcuts to gaining proficiency.
Kazuki suited up in his ANBU gear, mask and all, and arrived at the designated location.
He climbed the stairs and stopped outside Room 212—only to find Kakashi already there.
Even with a mask, that silver hair was unmistakable.
"Yo, Kakashi. Why haven't you gone in yet?" Kazuki asked, grinning.
Kakashi twitched. This guy...
Does he not know that in ANBU, you're supposed to use code names?
"See for yourself," Kakashi stepped aside.
Kazuki looked at the door.
A note was stuck to it, complete with a riddle.
Beneath it, a sentence:
"Solve the riddle to receive the correct location."
Kazuki stared in silence.
"This is like... putting your pants down just to fart."
Why the hell do I have to solve riddles to join the ANBU?!
Riddlers, get out of Konoha!