How could Jiraiya not recognize what Naruto was holding?
That was the blank summoning contract that Naruto had requested after Jiraiya had helped him sign the Mount Myōboku summoning contract.
His gaze swept back and forth between Naruto and Karin, who had transformed into Garuda. Naruto's intention naturally became clear in Jiraiya's mind.
This kid... was he planning to make a summoning contract with a human?
No, no. Could Karin even be considered human anymore?
Jiraiya was dumbstruck, partly amazed that his thinking wasn't as broad as young people's, and partly trying to recall whether similar situations existed in the ninja world.
The answer was no.
At least Jiraiya had never heard of such a case.
Over there, Naruto had already started plucking one of Karin's feathers to cut his finger and draw blood.
The process of signing a summoning contract required the contractor to write their name in blood and leave a handprint. One summoning scroll generally corresponded to one or one type of summoning creature.
Previously, Naruto had obtained several blank scrolls from Jiraiya. He had given one to Gamabunta, so he'd give this one to Karin.
As for the remaining ones...
At this moment, Sasuke, who was still traveling toward Konoha Village, suddenly shuddered.
"What's wrong, Sasuke?" Kakashi put down his book and looked over with concern.
"Nothing." Sasuke naturally couldn't tell others he had "felt a chill."
"So it actually worked..." Jiraiya watched as Naruto, having completed the summoning contract, immediately began field testing. Taking advantage of his recently cut finger that hadn't completely healed yet, he used the Summoning Technique.
After a puff of smoke cleared, Karin's figure had moved from the left side to the right side.
Obviously, summoning techniques worked for people who had eaten Zoan Devil Fruits as well.
Karin could even use the "Reverse Summoning Technique" to summon Naruto in return.
However, whether using summoning or reverse summoning, the chakra consumed was proportional to the summoned object's strength and summoning distance.
Naruto could summon Garuda easily, but conversely, Karin trying to summon the Nine-Tails jinchūriki was very taxing.
Even though Karin also possessed the Uzumaki clan's vast chakra reserves, long-distance summoning of Naruto was nearly impossible.
The little girl still needed time to grow.
Besides full beast form, Zoan Devil Fruits also had the ability to transform into "half-human, half-beast" form.
Mythical Zoan types were no exception.
Following Naruto's guidance, Karin began familiarizing herself with this transformative power, controlling her form to change toward another direction.
Soon, the giant bird that had originally been over ten meters tall shrank to only two to three meters in height.
Two wings spread behind her back, her hands were separated out, while her feet remained sharp bird talons.
Due to the Zoan fruit's physical enhancement, Karin's previously somewhat malnourished body immediately became strong and well-developed.
Her abdominal muscle definition was clearly visible, and even her chest became fuller.
The only unusual feature was that her head still retained some avian elements. The upper half of her face wore what looked like a mask-like beak, but this was actually part of her transformed body.
She resembled a bird-headed, human-bodied deity from mythology. Even without flapping her wings, her entire form was still supported in midair by a gentle breeze, and the golden light emanating from her body made the surrounding villagers feel an almost religious awe.
Controlling wind. This was also one of Garuda's abilities.
In this form, Karin seemed to have greatly improved in speed and agility. At least with Jiraiya's dynamic vision, he could barely make out her movement trajectory.
But keeping up would be wishful thinking.
Seeing this little girl, who previously couldn't even handle ordinary genin, suddenly possess such powerful strength, Jiraiya gained deeper understanding of the "Devil Fruits" Naruto spoke of.
Then he held up his Ink-Ink Fruit and asked Naruto:
"Naruto, does my fruit also possess this kind of power?"
"No, Jiraiya-sensei. Yours is a Paramecia-type 'Ink-Ink Fruit.' Based on my personal experience, it should grant you the ability to control ink."
"Eh..." Hearing this, Jiraiya felt somewhat disappointed.
This old child, seeing Karin's cool transformation, couldn't possibly not be envious.
But his fruit only gave him ink control abilities?
Well... at least he wouldn't have to worry about running out of ink when writing.
Jiraiya had a good mindset. After being envious for a while, he quickly calmed down.
After all, Naruto had said that the Devil Fruit was given to Karin so she could have sufficient self-protection ability.
As a sage of Mount Myōboku, his need for this wasn't as urgent.
"Oh right!" Naruto seemed to suddenly remember something and added:
"Besides controlling ink, it might also let you briefly 'materialize' things you write!"
"Hmm?!" Jiraiya, truly a versatile old artist, immediately understood the implications and looked up to meet Naruto's gaze.
Naruto returned an affirmative look.
One was the author of "Make-Out Paradise," the other its devoted reader. Their thoughts instantly connected.
This scene left Karin nearby somewhat confused.
"Then I'll eat it now..." Jiraiya solemnly picked up the Ink-Ink Fruit, holding it as if it were some precious divine object.
Naruto also showed a serious, earnest expression, silently watching without a word.
This made Karin feel like she had missed part of the plot.
The fruit entered his mouth. It tasted terrible, but Jiraiya, bolstered by a tremendous sense of mission, maintained his composure.
His unwavering determination was admirable.
"Quick, try it, try it!" After seeing Jiraiya eat the Ink-Ink Fruit, Naruto immediately became excited, urging Jiraiya-sensei to quickly test his abilities.
He looked far more excited than when he had Karin test her abilities.
"Hmm..." Jiraiya hummed loudly, then suddenly struck his signature pose with one hand forward and one back, and shouted:
"Come on!"
His palms immediately turned to ink and scattered, and lines of text naturally appeared on the surrounding ground and walls according to literary master Jiraiya's will.
"Sword," "Blade," "Spear." The first things that materialized were these inanimate objects.
They extended directly from the ink, and these pitch-black weapons moved by themselves, shooting toward the front according to Jiraiya's thoughts.
Indeed, it worked!
The Ink-Ink Fruit truly possessed the ability to materialize written things.
Then next...
Two names were written by Jiraiya. The male and female protagonists from his masterwork "Make-Out Paradise."
SPLAT...
The good news was that both figures quickly appeared and could indeed move independently.
The bad news was that these two looked like they'd been dragged through a coal mine. They were completely black all over, their faces completely indiscernible.
On the ground, two grown men let out sounds of utter despair.