After bidding farewell to Inuboshi and his kin, the three of them returned to Eagle's Head Peak in high spirits.
They eagerly recounted their journey to the others, filling everyone with excitement and pride. Uchiha Kairen persuaded his teammates, after much convincing, that it would be far more fitting to hold the summoning ceremony back in the village — imagine how magnificent and awe-inspiring that would be!
Everyone agreed without hesitation. The earlier plan to visit the Land of Craftsmen was postponed for another time — all they wanted now was to return home. Their journey back was swift and uneventful. Upon entering the Land of Fire, they avoided the main road, heading directly toward Konoha. The Uzumaki father and daughter took turns being carried; their pace was too slow otherwise, and walking the entire way would have taken weeks.
Eventually, they reached a remote mountain village. After observing for a while and confirming that the villagers were honest and kind, they led the Uzumaki father and daughter inside. Kairen handed Uzumaki Chuta a token bearing the Uchiha clan crest and said, "If any shinobi troubles you, show them this."
He also built them a simple wooden house and left them a sum of money. Before leaving, he spoke with the village chief, explaining that these were important guests temporarily taking refuge here.
With everything settled, the team immediately set off again, sprinting toward Konoha at full speed — anyone watching would have thought they were being chased.
From afar, their clanmates stationed at the village gates spotted them and quickly raised the alarm. When the dusty, travel-worn group finally arrived, one of the guards asked anxiously, "What happened? Were you being pursued?"
The group burst into laughter instead of answering, leaving the others utterly confused.
Uchiha Honō grinned and said, "Brothers, I think it's time to hold a clan meeting this week." With that, the group strode away without another word.
At the fork leading to the clan compound and the Konoha Police Force, they split up. Uchiha Honō and Uchiha Retsu went to inform the elders and Uchiha Sa, while Uchiha Danten went to notify Uchiha Ze. Uchiha Gorou went to find his captain, Uchiha Ankoku. As for Uchiha Kairen, he headed straight to the Police Headquarters to see his uncle — the clan head. They agreed to reconvene at the Naka Shrine afterward.
Kairen practically burst through his uncle's office door. The guard, Uchiha Hoshi, blinked in surprise — what on earth had gotten into the kid?
Uchiha Nobunaga was watering his flowers when he saw his nephew rush in. Thinking something terrible had happened, he immediately asked, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"
Kairen laughed joyfully. "Good news, Uncle! Great news! Hurry, come with me back to the compound — everyone else is already gathering!"
As they walked, Kairen excitedly explained everything that had happened on their mission.
Before long, someone called out behind them — it was the suave uncle, Uchiha Kirito.
"Kairen, you didn't get into trouble again, did you? Gorou told me you all left in a rush — nothing went wrong, right?" Kirito asked suspiciously.
Kairen muttered under his breath, When have I ever caused trouble?
Nobunaga waved a hand dismissively. "You'll understand when we reach the compound."
They hurried on to Naka Shrine, where the others were already waiting.
Kairen stepped forward and, without any preamble, performed a hand sign — "Summoning Technique!"
With a loud boom, a huge dog materialized in a cloud of smoke. The massive black hound opened its mouth and spoke: "Master, do you require something of me?"
The sight of the talking beast instantly drew everyone's attention.
"What's your name? Where's Inuboshi?" Kairen asked, expecting to summon the three-headed hellhound — but instead, only one large black dog appeared.
"I'm called Kurokiba," the hound replied. "You didn't use enough chakra to summon Inuboshi-sama himself. But since you called for him by name, he sent me instead. I'm the strongest of my rank!" It bared its teeth proudly.
"Kurokiba, introduce your clan to my people. Tell them about your species and how we can form contracts. Also, explain your abilities," said Kairen.
"Understood. We are the Hellhound Clan — a branch descended long ago from the main bloodline, intermingled with the nin-dogs of this realm.
Our great leader is Rossi-sama, while Inuboshi-sama rules the branch that dwells in this world. Only with your permission, Master, can members of your clan form individual equal contracts with ours.
Because our contracts are bound by the soul, only those who possess eyes like yours can sign them — otherwise, the contract will backfire and kill both parties.
Our kind are all wind-affinity creatures. There are two types of awakening: those who evolve into three-headed hounds like the clan chiefs, and those who undergo partial awakening — growing in size and gaining the ability to use Wind Release ninjutsu.
The unawakened ones can still speak and are much stronger than ordinary dogs, but they cannot form contracts," Kurokiba explained patiently.
"Thank you, Kurokiba. You can return now — and please give Inuboshi-sama my regards. I'll soon invite your clan to Konoha to begin the summoning ceremony," Kairen said, scratching the hound affectionately.
Kurokiba licked Kairen's face and vanished in a puff of smoke.
"The situation is just as he described," Kairen announced. "Not only did we obtain a powerful sword, but we also secured a summoning contract. I've already negotiated with the Hellhound Clan leader — our clan can now form individual equal contracts with them.
Most of us have fire-based chakra; paired with their wind nature, our combined strength will multiply. Our reconnaissance capabilities will also grow immensely. However, only those who have awakened the Sharingan can make the contract."
The elders' faces flushed with excitement. Uchiha Nobunaga's eyes gleamed, and Kirito burst into hearty laughter, slapping his son on the shoulder. "We could use this opportunity to build good relations with the Inuzuka Clan — after all, we're in the same village."
Kairen added with a grin, "Never mind politics — imagine this: every Sharingan user paired with a battle hound. Together they could perform combined ninjutsu — reconnaissance, tracking, genjutsu-breaking, assassination — like Konoha's very own special forces!
And if a skilled three-tomoe user contracts a high-ranking hellhound, they'd become the Wolf Riders of the Shinobi World! A unit of Uchiha wolf cavalry charging a thousand miles, cutting off enemy heads amid millions — as easy as reaching into a bag!"
No one scolded the boy for interrupting. Instead, they were captivated by his vision — the image was simply too glorious to resist.
"Elders, uncles — I think the most urgent thing now is to convene a full clan meeting and hold the Great Summoning Ceremony immediately," Kairen suggested.
"You're right," one elder declared. "Summon all clan members at once!"
"Tomorrow morning, we shall hold the Great Summoning Ceremony. By dawn, the Uchiha name will shine brilliantly across Konoha!" another elder said with passion.
"Contact the other side, Kairen. If all goes well, the ceremony begins at sunrise."
Everyone was thrilled, voices overlapping as plans took shape. Through his soul link, Kairen confirmed the number of Uchiha who had awakened the Sharingan — nearly a hundred. They would need at least one hundred hounds, preferably with several powerful ones like Kurokiba among them.
Once he received confirmation from Inuboshi that this was feasible, they began preparing scrolls for the contracts. The Uchiha raided every shop in Konoha for blank scrolls, gathering hundreds, even saying, "We should stockpile extras for future generations — who knows when we'll get another chance?"
Kairen summoned Kurokiba again and sent him back with several scrolls to finalize the contracts. By morning, the Hellhound Clan would be ready.
Many Uchiha barely slept that night. Those with Sharingan were too excited to close their eyes, and even those without them stayed up until dawn, eyes red from anticipation.
At sunrise, they gathered at Naka Shrine. The Sharingan users stepped forward, unrolled their summoning scrolls, and signed their names.
The elders and clan leaders gave speeches about the unity and pride of the Uchiha, declaring their eternal alliance with the Hellhound Clan — to live and die together, never to abandon one another.
Then Kairen took the stage, performing the ceremony himself.
"My clansmen," he said, "today is a historic day. The Uchiha have finally gained faithful and powerful comrades we can trust.
These are not pets — each hound you summon will be your equal, your companion in life and death, a part of your very strength. We are one. Together, we will share in glory!"
"Before summoning, connect with your partner through your soul. Exchange names, feel each other's presence. Once the bond is formed, we shall begin."
The awakened Uchiha closed their eyes and focused, forming spiritual links across the realms.
After a long moment, Kairen raised his hand. "Prepare yourselves — Summoning Technique!"
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
A rapid succession of explosions echoed as clouds of smoke filled the shrine grounds. When the mist cleared, the entire area was filled with towering hellhounds.
They howled in unison — "Awoooooo!" — their voices shaking the air. The largest stood taller than houses; even the smallest were over two meters long.
"AAAAAHHHHH!!!" The entire clan roared back in pride and triumph.
For the first time in Uchiha history, the clan had gained a new legion — a bond of blood, soul, and fire.