We sat on the ground while the giant bear crashed down into a sitting position, looming over us like a mountain of white fur as we started to dig in. Naruto sat closest to him, amazed by the unnatural presence and his royal white coat. The bear, still visibly pleased with Naruto's naming skills, allowed the boy to stay close without complaint.
Genta shot his hand out toward the biggest grilled fish, but suddenly the world went dark. He looked up to find a towering figure with two crimson eyes glaring down at him immensely.
"Why are you getting between me and my catch?" Snowball growled, his deep voice rattling the plates.
Genta chuckled nervously, but when it came to food, he was fiercely defensive. "What catch? Noa bought those! He cried for thirty minutes because of how much he paid for the spread. I thought he was having a panic attack."
The bear looked at me for a moment before deadpanning a single word. "Weak."
He then turned his heavy head back to Genta. "That is my catch. Take your hand away, or lose it." The bear's oppressive aura left no room for discussion. He raised a colossal paw, his claws gleaming ominously in the light. They were the size of butcher's meat hooks, thick and sharp enough to carve through solid rock with ease.
Genta noticed how monstrous they were and chuckled nervously again, immediately retracting his hand. "Boss Snowball, you are our guest! Why not have the biggest fish? It is only good manners, after all."
The bear snorted in amusement before delicately piercing the large fish with the very tip of his sharp claw. He tossed the whole thing into his mouth. His powerful jaws crushed the food effortlessly, bones and all, producing a powerful crunching sound while he stared at Genta, almost as if imagining he was chewing on him instead.
Genta broke out in a cold sweat. He stood up, sat back down next to me, and leaned in to whisper. "Noa... can you change summons? Choose something friendly! Like a dog, a monkey, a horse... even a turtle would be better than this... Snowball."
The food almost got stuck in my throat. I coughed, choking slightly, and looked at Genta with teary eyes. "He is actually the most sane summon I have met."
I grabbed Genta's shoulder, my tone dropping into something grim and entirely serious. "Genta. Never do what I did. Never use the summoning jutsu without having a contract first. You will die, or even worse, you will go completely crazy... and then you will die."
Genta dropped his head, his shoulders slumping. "It is not like we have any summons in the clan anymore. The only one who has any is Lady Tsunade, but she is never around. My father is simply holding the fort under her name, but it seems like she doesn't care. If she were here, I would have asked her to help me obtain a summon."
A sad look washed over Genta's face. I patted his back lightly and handed him another grilled fish. "I am sure she will come back at some point." Knowing the changes I had already made to the timeline, I honestly was not sure of that, so I decided to just pay Genta back with food to cheer him up.
Meanwhile, Naruto kept stuffing his face, chattering away to the bear. Surprisingly, the towering beast was actively engaging with him. Naruto was especially eager to show off his notebook. "Look, Boss Snowball! I drew the Hokage monument, and I added some stuff to make them look silly!"
The bear let out a booming, rumbling laugh. "Well done. I am not familiar with art, but humans generally look silly to me. This looks good, kid. You have talent."
Naruto beamed with pure joy at the feedback. He practically threw himself at the bear, hugging his side and patting the incredibly thick white fur. The giant bear extended one of his claws, and Genta and I instantly felt the blood freeze in our veins, expecting the worst. However, to our immense relief, the bear just tapped the soft, heavy bottom of his paw lightly against Naruto's head, being incredibly careful not to squash the boy.
By the time Genta, Naruto, and I had eaten our fill, there was still plenty of food left. The bear, however, destroyed the entire spread without so much as a struggle.
Naruto was completely out of it by the end. He was snoring softly, lying comfortably against the bear's side, clearly enjoying the cool chakra and the deep, rhythmic vibration of the beast's powerful body.
For now, the bear was casually eating sweets by the dozen. Genta, after looking at the sleeping Naruto and smiling, turned to the giant summon. "Mr. Bear..."
The bear glared aggressively at him.
Genta coughed quickly and rephrased. "Boss Snowball... why are you treating Naruto so well?"
The bear paused. He stopped chewing the sweets. A heavy, frosty sigh escaped his wide jaws, chilling the air around the table. He stared off into the distance, his crimson eyes losing their sharp edge, replaced by a deep, haunting weariness.
"Although we bears are not usually pack animals," he began, his rumbling voice unusually soft, "we operated differently. As a clan, we held a vast territory of our own, giving each other space but standing united. We were proud. We were untouchable."
He closed his eyes for a brief moment, the silence stretching out between them.
"Then, one day, a monster of unimaginable power attacked our territory. Because we were proud animals, running away and abandoning our territory was simply not an option. We believed that fighting was our ultimate purpose. Dying in the heat of battle was our greatest form of glory. And so, we struck back."
The chill in the air deepened, carrying the crushing weight of his grief. "But the monster was devastatingly powerful. It was a horrific bloodbath. We managed to bring the beast down, but it took all of us with it. Males, females, and even the cubs. When the blood finally froze and the dust settled... I was the last animal standing atop a mountain of corpses."
He slowly lowered his huge head to look at the sleeping Naruto, a profound, sad nostalgia swirling in his crimson eyes.
"He reminds me of them," Snowball whispered, his tone barely more than a muted rumble. "He reminds me of those brave little cubs who always challenged me to a fight, even when they barely reached my ankles. He has the exact same fire in his eyes that they once did."
Beside me, Genta was sniffling, with tears threatening to escape his eyes.
I looked up at the giant bear. "I will make sure Naruto is always here when I summon you."
An appreciative look appeared on the bear's face as I continued. "Also, I have something humans make that you will love. Tea sweetened with honey."
Although the bear had just eaten tons of sweets, his eyes shone with joy. I brought out the drink and filled a giant cup I had acquired to fit him, then poured small cups for me and Genta as we started drinking.
Sitting, the bear moved with absolute finesse. He extended a single claw and hooked the handle of the large cup, mimicking us as he took a sip. He nodded his heavy head. 'That is the life. Cold water is great, do not get me wrong. However, human foods and drinks are a notch above."
I sensed Takemura and Shisui walking toward the door and knocking. I trusted both with my life, so letting them know about my summon wouldn't be such a bad idea, especially in a peaceful environment like this rather than during a battle, so I replied, "Come in."
The door opened as they walked in, mid-discussion regarding Naruto and compound security. The moment they stepped inside, they both froze entirely. I instantly engraved the moment into my memory, eager to draw the priceless look of shock on their faces later.
Their minds stalled as they took in the impossible sight, for right in front of them sat a titanic polar bear with piercing crimson eyes and a body full of battle scars. He radiated a freezing chakra and an aura of absolute dominance, yet there he was, delicately sipping honeyed tea with a satisfied smile on his face.