After saying goodbye to Namikaze Minato, Yamanaka Shinno wandered back home at a leisurely pace.
Once inside, he discreetly activated the Yamanaka Clan's secret technique, connecting through the backdoor to the sensory barrier that covered all of Konoha.
Tracking the chakra signatures of Might Guy, Yūhi Kurenai, and Shiranui Genma, he easily found the trio sitting under the awning outside a sweet shop, eating yokan while watching the rain.
He formed the hand seals for the Summoning Jutsu, intending to summon the crow he had raised in Konoha's avian summoning beast shelter—the one most familiar with the village's layout—to go fetch the three of them.
This crow was different from the 'swift-type' crow he had summoned back in Tea Country and the Summoning Island.
It was noticeably more intelligent than its peers.
With just a few casual training sessions, it had already learned to say simple greetings like "Wishing you prosperity" and "May you always smile."
It could also understand and follow some basic commands.
Its favorite pastime was roaming around Konoha during the shelter's free-flight hours, spotting people with food in their hands and using its little phrases to charm a few bites out of them.
As a result, it had grown nearly twice the size of an average crow, round and plump, but significantly slower in flight.
Shinno, amused by its wit rather than bothered by its laziness, had given it a fitting name—Gailuo.
"What the hell—where's my Gailuo?!"
Shinno stared dumbfounded at the vanished summoning array.
Refusing to believe it, he dipped his finger in the stored blood and performed the Summoning Jutsu again.
Still, the sweet-talking, chubby black crow was nowhere to be seen.
A sinking feeling settled in his gut.
Just to be sure, Shinno attempted summoning other crows.
A chorus of caws immediately echoed through the residence.
Shinno abruptly canceled the summoning, staring blankly at the ground as he stood up.
If it wasn't an issue on his end, then the problem had to be with the summon itself.
And there were only two possibilities when a summon didn't respond:
It was trapped inside a sealing barrier or otherwise restrained.
Who the hell would go out of their way to seal a fat crow?
How the hell did his Gailuo just die?!
When he had returned to Konoha yesterday, he had taken his falcon to the avian summoning shelter.
The staff hadn't mentioned anything then!
That meant something had happened between yesterday noon and now?
A flood of images flashed through Shinno's mind, zooming in on the subtle expressions of the shelter staff from yesterday.
He had been in a hurry to report his mission with Minato and hadn't paid much attention at the time.
But now that he thought about it—
Their eyes had been dodging his gaze.
One or two people acting shifty could be a coincidence, but every single one of them avoiding eye contact?
If that wasn't suspicious, what was?!
"Oh, for fuck's sake! I pay that damn shelter a fortune every year, and they couldn't even tell me my bird died?! (╬◣д◢)"
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.
He was starting to suspect that whatever killed Gailuo was the shelter's fault.
Screw making breakfast—Shinno bolted straight out the door, heading northeast.
Konoha's avian summoning beast shelter was built at the northeastern edge of the village, nestled against the cliffs of the Hokage Rock.
On clear days, flocks of summoned birds could be seen soaring through the sky, either stretching their wings freely or perching on the rocky ledges to rest.
Today, due to the rainy weather, most birds had taken shelter inside.
From a distance, the sound of chirping and cawing filled the air.
The moment Shinno stepped through the entrance—
Before he could even ask a question, the shelter staff spotted him and, without a word, bowed ninety degrees in perfect unison.
The shelter manager rushed forward, bowing so deeply his head nearly touched his knees, and immediately launched into an apology.
"Yamanaka Jōnin! We sincerely apologize! Your summoned beast, Gailuo, encountered an unfortunate accident twelve days ago during its free-flight hours! I was taken in by the Anbu for questioning at the time, and all staff were given confidentiality orders, preventing us from informing you earlier. This was a serious failure on our part, and we deeply regret your loss. Please believe that—"
He finished his string of apologies and hurriedly retrieved an envelope from beneath a nearby desk, offering it respectfully with both hands.
Judging by its thickness, it contained about fifty thousand ryō.
Shinno had ten crows housed in the shelter, paying around eighty thousand ryō per year in total.
That meant one crow's annual upkeep cost him eight thousand ryō.
Which, to put into perspective, was more than the monthly living expenses of Konoha's war orphans.
Gailuo had been with him for three years—
In total, he had spent about twenty-four thousand ryō on its upkeep.
Adding in the hatching and training costs, his total investment came to around thirty thousand ryō.
By normal standards, the fifty-thousand-ryō compensation was more than fair.
"...The Anbu? What happened?"
Shinno eyed the bowing staff, noticing their hesitations before sighing.
He had come here furious.
But their explanation was reasonable, their attitude was sincere, and if the Anbu had intervened, it really wasn't their fault.
So what was he supposed to do now?
"Your summoned beast was flying outside the Hokage Tower just before free-flight hours ended... when it collided midair with the Hokage Advisor, who was jumping out of a window. It did not survive."
The manager's expression was both fearful and pained.
He had already suffered immensely for this incident.
The Anbu had interrogated him under reverse hypnosis and memory extraction techniques to confirm it was an accident.
If they had found even a shred of intent to harm a Konoha high-ranking official, he wouldn't be standing here now.
And even though it was an accident, the shelter had still paid Danzo a massive compensation.
But really, whose fault was this?!
The crow for flying too low?
Or the Hokage Advisor for jumping out of a damn window wearing a steel helmet?!
"Twelve days ago? Danzo?! You mean, right after I left the Hokage's office, he headbutted my summoned beast to death?! Are you sure it was an accident and not a kunai stab?!"
Shinno's anger flared right back up.
That old bastard was definitely targeting him!
There was no way a bird as slow as Gailuo could hit someone hard enough to die from impact alone!
"According to reports, the Hokage Advisor was in a hurry for a classified mission and used Body Flicker Technique to leave... while wearing a combat helmet. Your summoned beast just happened to..."
"Crash into the helmet?"
"Yes, sir. Please accept our condolences. Also, the shelter has already settled all compensation fees with the Hokage Advisor, so you do not need to pay anything."
"...Wait, Danzo had the gall to demand compensation?!"
His summoned beast got obliterated by Danzo's steel head, and that shameless old bastard actually took money for it?!
"Ahem... Yamanaka Jōnin, here is your summoned beast's remains. Would you like to take them, or should we bury them in the shelter's memorial ground?"
Shinno stared at the tiny white urn—barely larger than a cigarette box—feeling a mix of rage, helplessness, and sheer disbelief.
He had been the one to give Danzo the 'Open-Minded' trait.
And he had also been the one to lose his summoned beast because of it.
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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