Konoha’s White Fang Shines

Chapter 71: The Giant Heron

As Genma and Kurenai watched Rō and Tsurubime laughing and running around with childlike innocence, the sky suddenly darkened, and strong winds began to howl. A whirlwind of dust and debris instantly blurred their vision.

The commotion was so intense that Genma and Kurenai immediately flashed to Rō and Tsurubime's side, bracing themselves against the gale.

"Brother, it's the Great Heron! It's the Great Heron!"

Before Kurenai could scoop up Tsurubime and carry her away, the little girl excitedly shouted.

"Wow! It really is! It's finally here!" Rō's eyes lit up, gleaming with pure excitement as he gazed at the shadow overhead.

The Great Heron?

Genma and Kurenai had never heard of it.

Although Genma had read extensively since childhood, his focus had always been on improving his ninja skills. He had never studied much about animals.

After all, in his mind, animals—even if used as summoning beasts—were merely external aids. Summoning one would only become relevant if he ever reached a bottleneck in his own strength.

That being said, he had considered what kind of summoning beast he would choose. Given the rate at which his chakra was growing, a large, flashy, flying summon would be ideal.

If strength wasn't enough, then size would have to compensate. And in worst-case scenarios, being able to flee quickly was the highest priority.

Now, looking up at the enormous bird blotting out the sky, its massive wings generating terrifying gusts of wind, Genma felt uneasy.

Even a jōnin would struggle to handle this thing.

This was a flying creature—more than that, it was a waterfowl. That meant it could fly, dive, hunt in water, and—judging by its long legs—probably run on land as well.

A true all-terrain beast.

While Genma's thoughts ran wild, the air currents suddenly calmed, and the oppressive force dissipated. The dust settled, allowing Genma and Kurenai to finally get a good look at the so-called Great Heron.

The first thing that caught their eyes was its wingspan—over thirty meters wide.

The massive bird occupied a huge portion of the marshland. Its talons were long and thick, resembling the gnarled roots of a centuries-old tree.

The Great Heron was currently facing away from them, giving them a full view of its immense form. It had a long white neck, transitioning into a slate-gray body, with darker gray tail feathers. Its wings were predominantly gray, but the tips were stark white.

Interestingly, though this area was full of herons, most of them were pure white. If anything, this bird should have been called the "Gray Heron" instead of the "Great Heron."

But names were the least of Genma's concerns.

What truly mattered was whether this bird could be his summoning beast.

He turned to Rō, who was still staring in awe at the giant bird, and waved a hand in front of his face.

"Hey, Rō, where did this heron come from? Is it the only one?"

"Oh, Genma-niisan! Actually, I was planning to bring you here to see it! I don't know if there are others, but it's always been this one coming here—never any others."

Rō glanced back and forth between the heron and Genma as he spoke, clearly too excited to focus.

Hearing this, Genma felt a pang of disappointment.

As he turned toward Kurenai, he noticed that Tsurubime—the little purple-haired girl—was staring at him with her large, blinking eyes.

Before he could ask anything, she spoke first.

"Big brother, are you curious about the heron's origins?"

Genma was surprised by her perceptiveness but quickly reasoned that, as a princess, she was bound to be more mature than other children her age.

Still, if she knew the bird's history, why didn't Rō?

Genma approached Kurenai, who was still mesmerized by the Great Heron's sheer size. As he walked closer, she immediately sensed him.

Their eyes met.

Kurenai wasn't sure why Genma was coming toward her—perhaps he was looking for reassurance? But his gaze never wavered, and her heart started pounding.

"Hey, Kurenai~"

Genma grinned as he walked up to her.

Caught off guard, Kurenai flinched and quickly responded, "What?"

"Let's get a family summoning beast."

Just as the atmosphere was growing strangely intimate, Genma casually dropped such a crude and blunt statement that Kurenai momentarily blue-screened.

But when she snapped back to reality, her face flushed deep red.

She still remembered when Genma had been developing his own jutsu—he had said something similar back then, but she had dismissed it as teasing.

Now he was saying it again—this time about a giant bird.

And yet… a part of her couldn't help but imagine it.

Flying on a massive heron, soaring through the sky together…

It sounded incredibly romantic.

Seeing the hint of longing in Kurenai's eyes, Genma was pleased. He crouched down and smiled at Tsurubime.

"You're Tsurubime, right? Would you be willing to tell big brother what you know about the heron?"

Unexpectedly, Tsurubime shook her head, looking dejected.

"I don't know. Only Father does."

Genma frowned slightly.

The little girl seemed eager to help, so he continued, "Is it a state secret? Would your father be unwilling to tell me?"

Before Tsurubime could answer, Rō suddenly pulled on Genma's sleeve.

"Big brother, you really like this giant bird, don't you? I knew you'd like it!"

Genma was taken aback by Rō's enthusiasm.

Was this because of the food I treated him to in Konoha?

It felt as though Rō saw him as a childhood friend—someone he trusted enough to share his secrets with.

Whatever the reason, Rō seemed genuinely eager to help.

Genma nodded.

"Yes. Not just me—your sister Kurenai likes it too."

Behind him, Kurenai's breath hitched.

Dragging her into this again?

Too shameless!

Sure, she did want a massive summoning beast, and the thought of flying excited her—but that didn't mean she had no principles!

While she was still fuming, Rō turned to the heron and said,

"My father once told me the story of these birds. But he also said… this might be the last one."

"The last one?"

Everyone gasped.

Even Tsurubime covered her mouth in shock, while Chishima blinked in confusion.

"Mhm, the last one.

Father said there used to be many of them. There was even a place called Heron Valley in Bird Country, where they all lived.

But then something happened. The valley was destroyed, and most of the herons were captured.

Now, this is the only one left."

Hearing this, everyone's eyes softened as they gazed at the lonely creature.

Its home was gone, its kind taken—this heron had survived against all odds.

The marshland was full of white herons, yet this gray giant kept its distance from them, as if knowing it didn't belong.

Seeing this, Genma fell into deep thought.

He didn't even want to ask Rō what had caused the herons' downfall—he just wanted to do something.

He looked at Rō, who was watching him expectantly, his head lowered like a child who had done something wrong.

"…You want us to help find its kin?"

Rō's eyes lit up.

"Yes! But I won't ask you to do it for free. If I become Daimyō, I'll pay you to search for them."

Genma realized Rō had always wanted to do this—he simply lacked the money and connections.

Now he was paying for ninja protection—was that a coincidence, or was it planned?

Either way, Genma had his answer.

He patted Rō's head.

"Leave it to us."

End of chapter 71