AnnouncementWe are going to try a new publish strategy. 5-7 chapters each Saturday morning. 7 to celebrate the first!

  Kaya sat across from Hiro in their home, her expression thoughtful as she regarded him. After weeks of adjusting to Academy life and additional training, she gently reminded him that he shouldn’t neglect his summons. While his personal combat skills were essential, his unique summoning affinity would eventually need to be revealed to the vilge. But not yet. They needed to be cautious, ensuring his safety before the full extent of his ability became known. Until then, he needed to train with his summons just as much as he trained himself.

  She suggested that he begin developing new training exercises for Chūta and Yamiha, ensuring they remained as sharp and adaptable as he was. She also promised to look for any books she could find on summoning beasts, though she acknowledged that true summoning specialists were rare. Some, like the Sannin, were famous for their battle-ready summons, but Hiro would need to chart his own path in how he used his unique connection.

  The clearing where Hiro trained had slowly become a home for his summons. Chūta had cimed a higher perch, using tree hollows and outcroppings as his vantage points, while Yamiha had woven webs along the edges of the training area, her presence almost unseen in the shaded spots of the forest.

  Understanding the importance of coordination between himself and his summons, Hiro devised a new set of training exercises that would allow both Chūta and Yamiha to improve their strengths while complementing each other.

  One of the primary drills involved Yamiha spinning her webs into intricate aerial barriers, creating shifting patterns midair that Chūta had to navigate while flying. Hiro would instruct Yamiha to alter the web structures unpredictably, forcing Chūta to adjust mid-flight, improving his reaction time, agility, and aerial maneuverability. To make it more challenging, Hiro occasionally threw small objects, such as leaves or kunai, through the air to simute real battlefield hazards.

  Another exercise focused on Chūta’s wind-based abilities. Hiro positioned light-weighted targets around the clearingand instructed Chūta to generate small bursts of wind to propel them into specific nding points. The goal was to improve Chūta’s accuracy in controlling air currents, making him a more effective long-range support in combat.

  Meanwhile, Yamiha’s drills concentrated on her stealth and trapping techniques. Hiro challenged her to set up a series of near-invisible web snares throughout the training area, with the objective of capturing specific objects that Hiro tossed at random locations. This trained her ability to rapidly create tactical traps, useful for both offense and defense.

  To test their combined effectiveness, Hiro introduced a coordinated attack simution. He pced targets that represented enemy shinobi in various locations within the clearing. Chūta had to flush them out with precise wind bursts, while Yamiha deployed her web traps strategically to immobilize the targets. This required Hiro to issue clear and calcuted commands, reinforcing his ability to act as both a summoner and a battlefield strategist.

  Other drills focused on Hiro’s own ability to seamlessly integrate his summons into his fighting style. He practiced using his whip in close-quarters combat, combining it with Yamiha’s sticky webbing to create unexpected counterattacks, or coordinating with Chūta’s aerial mobility to set up combination strikes.

  As the sun set over the clearing, the bonds between summoner and summon grew stronger, setting the stage for the next phase of Hiro’s development. The intensity of the exercises left Hiro exhausted, but he could feel the progress being made. Chūta and Yamiha were not just summons; they were teammates, and together they would continue to evolve into a formidable force.