What Uchiha Yuan didn't expect was that this gray magpie was both the first and the last animal to show any changes.
The animals afterward showed no signs of "revival" and, naturally, no enhancement in ability.
But this gray magpie, after absorbing the Dragon Vein chakra, actually gained the ability to refine chakra on its own, and its body gradually grew larger.
Only three days had passed since it was revived, yet the magpie had grown from the size of a palm to that of a crow.
Its transformation wasn't just physical size—the shape of its claws and beak also changed, looking sharper and more aggressive. Its feathers started to molt, and new feathers grew in a silvery-gray color.
The fundamental cause of its evolution was the Dragon Vein chakra. A few days ago, after noticing that Uchiha Yuan was injecting dying animals with this chakra, the magpie persistently hovered around him, asking for more.
Yuan was initially reluctant to share more, but Hyuga Asana suggested he give it a larger amount, as it might lead to new changes.
So Uchiha Yuan relented and gave it nearly all the remaining Dragon Vein chakra from the scroll.
After receiving more chakra, the magpie grew significantly again. Its wingspan now nearly reached one meter, and it had changed so much that anyone would mistake it for a young hawk.
"Yuan, this bird is quite intelligent and now has chakra. Its size will probably continue to grow. I think it could become a flying summoning beast. Do you want to try forming a contract with it?" Hyuga Asana suggested.
"Form a summoning contract with it?"
"Yeah, I remember Orochimaru-sensei once said that flying-type summoning beasts are still quite rare in the ninja world."
"But I don't have a summoning contract scroll."
"There are spare scrolls in Ryūchidō (Dragon Cave). We can borrow one." After speaking, Hyuga Asana formed hand seals and summoned a gray snake. After a brief exchange, the snake coughed up a brand-new scroll.
"Thanks, Little Gray. I'll bring you something delicious next time."
The gray snake flicked its tongue, then vanished in a puff of smoke.
"All done. Now we just need a bit of this little guy's blood." Asana held the magpie still and used a kunai to cut its wing slightly, letting a drop of blood drip onto the summoning scroll.
The magpie's blood gradually merged with the scroll. Once it was fully absorbed, Hyuga Asana said, "Yuan, this scroll is an unused backup contract from Ryūchidō. The magpie has now marked it with its blood. Next, you just need to sign your name and add your blood to be able to summon it with the Summoning Technique."
She handed the scroll to Uchiha Yuan.
Yuan accepted it and marked the scroll with his blood and name.
Then he deliberately released the magpie and let it fly off into the distance.
Once it had flown far enough, Yuan formed hand seals and performed the Summoning Technique to call it back.
The experiment was a success—the magpie appeared from a puff of white smoke and flew out.
"Indeed, this little guy has the potential to be a summoning beast. Congratulations, Yuan, you've got your own flying summoning beast now," Hyuga Asana said with a smile.
"Asana, aren't you going to form a contract with it too?" Yuan asked.
He remembered that in the original story, Sasuke had signed with both Ryūchidō and the hawk from the Taka Squad. Asana should be able to sign a contract with the magpie too.
"I'll pass for now. The Ryūchidō summons are enough for me. If I ever need more, I'll come find you."
Yuan nodded and didn't press further.
Over the next few days, Uchiha Yuan and Hyuga Asana began training the magpie to use chakra.
A qualified summoned beast must be able to use chakra in combat.
During the training, Asana gave the magpie a name—Lightning—to make it easier to refer to.
Lightning's intelligence developed quickly; it now had the mental age of a 10-year-old child.
Because of that, it also learned to use chakra relatively easily.
After learning chakra control, Lightning awakened its own unique attack technique—just like Manda had venom and Katsuyu had acid.
Lightning's elemental affinity was wind. After learning to use chakra, it could unleash wind blades simply by flapping its wings.
At first, the wind blades weren't very powerful, comparable to a C-rank Wind Release jutsu.
But as it became more proficient, Lightning could fire more than ten blades in succession.
The wind blades were strong enough to leave visible white gouges on large stones.
Combined with its ability to fly, Lightning was now stronger than a typical Genin.
Of course, Lightning wasn't created for combat alone. Most flying summoning beasts are meant to support their summoner in battle.
"By the way, Yuan, have you tested Lightning's chakra nature?" Asana asked.
"No. Isn't its element wind?"
"That's probably a natural skill, like how snakes from Ryūchidō use venom. Its chakra nature might not be wind—or might not be just wind."
Yuan nodded and pulled out a chakra paper strip, letting Lightning inject chakra into it. The paper first crinkled, then split in two.
"Wind and lightning? That's a fitting combination for a bird," Asana commented after seeing the result.
Yuan nodded. "True. Wind and lightning are ideal for birds. Wind and Lightning Release techniques are much more effective in the air than on land. And Lightning Release stimulates cells and enhances speed, which is very useful for flying. Maybe later I can…"
"Yuan! Asana! There you are! Hurry—Lord Hokage is looking for us!" Yamanaka Kagetsu rushed over and interrupted their conversation.
Yuan and Asana exchanged a glance, both realizing a new mission was likely coming.
They had already stayed in the village for about 20 days. It was about time to set out again.
(To Be Continued...)