Even though they possess chakra, crows still shed feathers—just like ninjas lose their hair.
There are nearly a thousand crows living here. Even if only a small number of them shed feathers, a large amount will accumulate on the ground.
So now… should Katsumi Kei go pick up the crow feathers on the ground?
Katsumi Kei looked at Uchiha Shisui.
Uchiha Shisui was watching quietly, his gaze flickering with something unreadable as Kei and Shadow completed the Summoning Contract. The boy was calm—too calm. As the contract finalized, Shisui's expression faltered ever so slightly.
He could feel it.
Shadow's chakra spiked, his aura sharpened, and the clarity in his gaze deepened.
A crow, even one with chakra, shouldn't change this dramatically from a basic summoning pact.
Stealth and breath-holding were modest talents at best. Underwhelming. So why did the bird suddenly seem... dangerous?
It wasn't the crow.
It was Katsumi Kei.
The way Shadow's chakra was reacting, it was being fed—empowered—from the other side of the link. As if Kei was passing something more abstract than just chakra.
Shisui's jaw tightened slightly, but his smile remained unchanged.
"What kind of bloodline limit is this...? No, more than that... what is he?"
Shadow gave an excited cry, full of vigor and clarity, and hopped onto Kei's shoulder. He nuzzled his head affectionately against the boy, practically purring in avian delight.
'My new master didn't lie to me! So much power! So much Chakra! I was lucky to meet my new master!'
Kei observed him quietly, a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes. Then he turned to Shisui without hesitation.
"Senior Shisui. I need some crow feathers. These on the ground will do."
Straightforward. No wasted breath.
Shisui blinked. He looked at the forest floor, then back at Kei. A pause.
"Alright," he said, voice even. "Take what you need."
As Kei knelt to gather the feathers, Shisui watched in silence.
'No hesitation. No questions. Will just any feathers do? Why does he need them? Is this part of the ability that made that crow so strong all of the sudden? Evolution just through signing the contract? Can the bird... no, Shadow evolve again?'
In only a few seconds, Kei had gathered what he needed. One hundred crow feathers. Exactly.
[Evolve]
Kei tucked them away and bowed slightly.
"Thank you, Senior Shisui. That's all I needed. I'll be taking my leave now."
"Alright. Take care."
Shisui kept watching as the boy left with Hayate and Shadow. Left side, right side. Balance. Precision.
His eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
"If Katsumi Kei grows up... he might become one of Konoha's guardians. Or one of its biggest threats. As for the Uchiha Clan..."
Back home
Kei wasted no time. He sat in his room, placed the 100 crow feathers beside Shadow, and opened the attribute page.
[Summoning Beast: Shadow]
[Race: Crow]
[Talents: Stealth, Breath Retention]
[Evolvable]
[Evolution Requirement: Crow Feather (100)]
[Evolve?]
Without pause, Kei gave the command.
"Evolve."
From the void, chaotic gray light surged, engulfing the feathers.
They turned to motes of dark light and sank into Shadow's wings.
A rich, ink-black glow bloomed from within the crow's body. It was no longer the dull black of a wild bird, but a radiant, metallic sheen like sharpened obsidian under moonlight.
"Ka! Ka!!"
His voice rang with clarity as he flapped his wings and leapt into the air. The wind carried the sound:
"Dinglingdang! Dinglingdang! Dinglingdang!!!"
Each beat of his wings rang like metal clashing.
[Ding!]
[Evolution complete]
[Opening Summoning Beast attribute page...]
[Summoning Beast: Shadow]
[Race: Black Feather Crow]
[Talents: Black Hidden, Steel Black Feather, Black Feather Rush, Black Feather Regeneration]
[Shared Talent: Intelligence]
[Evolvable]
[Next Evolution Requirement: Nara Hair (10 strands)]
[Ding!]
[Power and talent shared]
A warm current surged into Kei's body. He closed his eyes as it passed through him.
Physical enhancements. Mental clarity. Sharper chakra.
And...
A sudden tingling across his scalp.
"Three of Shadow's new talents are feather-based... so the change on my end is... hair enhancement? This is getting absurd."
The tingling spread for a full minute before settling. Kei breathed deeply, testing the edge of his power.
He clenched his fist once, then relaxed.
No immediate outward change. But inside?
Sharper. Stronger. Clearer.
He stared at his palm.
That familiar feeling was back.
The rush of evolution.
The sensation of climbing forward.
A flicker of quiet obsession passed through his eyes.
'Getting stronger really is... addictive.'