Having Kakashi help out made things much easier for Takeshi. While he couldn't completely step away and do his own thing just yet, the time spent watching Might Guy and the others was reduced significantly, from watching them all day to just half a day or less.
For example, fetching water in the morning was now handled, and Takeshi didn't need to be present at all.
He casually made an excuse to leave.
After arriving at a deserted place, Takeshi used the Flying Thunder God to visit the Ninja Cat Fortress. He'd originally just planned to stop by tonight to check on the things he'd asked about yesterday, but upon arriving at the fortress...
"Meow!"
"Catch him, meow!"
"Chase!"
It was a real commotion. Complete pandemonium.
Takeshi looked down and found the white cat, Nekomata, squatting inside, fast asleep. Clearly, after giving him the luxury cat food yesterday, that stupid cat had immediately eaten it all and crashed.
'Truly an impatient, stupid cat.' Takeshi muttered in his heart.
He then jumped down from her head and walked out of the room. He saw a group of cats scurrying around inside the fortress, seemingly searching for something.
After a moment, a cat darted out.
It was one of the Four Ninja Cats Nekomata had selected some time ago. his name, Amakusa, was easy to remember, especially since he was a blue-furred kitten with Wind and Water Natures, just like Takeshi himself.
"Amakusa."
The blue-furred kitten running ahead quickly stopped and turned back towards Takeshi. Seeing the black cat, he immediately lowered his head slightly, ready to approach and show deference.
Takeshi held up a paw. "What's going on?"
"Meow, members of the Uchiha clan are here again. We don't know what they want. Nekomata hasn't woken up yet, so we planned to catch him first." Amakusa replied respectfully.
'Uchiha clansmen?' Takeshi thought. Most of the Uchiha were stationed outside Konoha. 'Must be kids, but to think they couldn't handle children...'
His gaze sharpened on Amakusa. "Meow?"
"Meow! No, we tried hard to chase him, but this guy is very slippery! He's already very skilled in Genjutsu and Body Flicker at a young age..." Amakusa quickly defended himself.
'Genjutsu... Shunshin... young age...'
Combining those conditions, the only person Takeshi could think of was Shisui Uchiha.
'That kid's here?' Takeshi mused.
"Meow~ Keep chasing, but don't forget to train." Takeshi briefly considered chasing after him to take a look, but on second thought, he was too lazy to get mixed up in whatever these idiots were doing. It felt... beneath him.
Besides, he was just a kid. Even if it was Shisui, he was still small now. Takeshi wouldn't gain much points by picking on him.
After hearing Takeshi's words, Amakusa immediately darted out to continue the chase.
Takeshi went to the Ninja Cat Fortress's main hall.
Kanna Uzumaki had gradually adapted to life here. Yesterday, her living quarters had been moved to a room near the balcony overlooking the fortress. Takeshi knew the location, so he went there directly.
He paused at the door. Just as he hesitated, it swung open.
"Takeshi-sama, what brings you here tonight?" Kanna Uzumaki gave a small bow.
"Meow~ I came to take a look and ask about the things I asked you to do yesterday." Takeshi walked in.
He half-expected to see some kind of mess, but Kanna had kept her room remarkably tidy. It wasn't cluttered at all, with no clothes lying around.
'Oh, a little disappointing,' he sighed inwardly. 'What's wrong with me?'
Kanna was different. At fourteen years old, she was entering the age of rapid growth. Having wandered for so long without much to eat, her health had been poor. But after living in the fortress for a while, her nutrition had clearly improved.
"Regarding what Takeshi-sama asked me to do, I've already had Asui handle it. she doesn't mind rainwater and has a gentle nature, making her suitable for tracking and monitoring." Kanna replied.
"Tonight, word came from the other cats that it has already arrived in Amegakure."
'Well... sounds reliable,' he thought.
He'd had Kanna sign the summoning blood contract yesterday, so there was nothing else pressing for him tonight. If there wasn't anything else, Takeshi planned to go back, but as he took a few steps...
"Hmm? Takeshi-sama, be careful, someone is approaching!"
"Meow~ Let's see." Takeshi moved slowly towards the balcony. He'd vaguely heard someone climbing the wall, but Kanna had sensed them with her perception, while he'd relied on his hearing.
When he reached the edge of the balcony, a hand happened to reach the edge just below.
The black cat jumped onto the railing and looked down, making eye contact with the little boy.
Looking at his appearance, it was indeed Shisui.
"Uh, kitty, I... I'm not a bad guy," Shisui stammered, sweat beading on his forehead. He tried to reassure the cat while struggling to climb, but then he saw the cat's paw slowly reaching towards his hand.
'No! Don't!' The young boy's heart hammered with fear. If that paw came down, he'd surely be grabbed and thrown off. Normally, he might have managed, but with so little chakra left...
"Meow~ Bye-bye." The black cat waved at him.
Then, with his fleshy paw, he carefully pried Shisui's fingers outward, one... two...
"Please, don't, don't! I'm not a bad person! I just want to see what the legendary Neko King looks like, please..." the little boy pleaded with tears welling up.
Kanna watched with concern, but didn't interfere.
Takeshi wouldn't let him die. 'Just a little scare.'
"Ahhh!"
When Takeshi pried off the third finger, Shisui could no longer hold on to the railing and fell. The scream was so shrill it was heartbreaking. Kanna was startled and quickly ran to the railing.
But Takeshi's tail fur hair were already shooting down.
Moments later, Shisui was snared by the tail fur in mid-air. At this point, he was no longer screaming. Takeshi immediately pulled him up and placed him in front of Kanna.
Kanna checked him, then breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Takeshi-sama, he's just frightened into unconsciousness."
"Meow~" Takeshi thought for a while, then took Shisui to the main hall. Meanwhile, Amakusa and the others heard the scream and rushed over. Seeing Takeshi carrying Shisui back to the main hall wrapped in his tail, they stopped behind him, watching in awe.
"You all retreat, he's fine," Kanna said.
Amakusa lowered his head slightly and led the other cats away.
Takeshi placed Shisui in the center of the main hall, then transformed into a strange-looking white cat. To Kanna, he looked particularly odd, his eyes narrowed almost to slits.
But he seemed to be looking for something.
"Meow~ Kanna, get me a Wooden Staff."
"A wooden staff?" Kanna looked puzzled. She searched in her room. Where would she get a wooden staff? In the end, she had no choice but to detach the handle from her mop and bring it over.
'Broom handle? Hmm. Barely usable,' Takeshi thought.
Takeshi used the Transformation Jutsu to transform the broom handle into the Neko Sage's Staff, which looked like a small hammer. Then, he settled into a chair and waited for Shisui to wake up.
Shisui had been terrified. His chakra was almost exhausted, and Takeshi had pried his fingers free one by one, leaving him in a state of extreme fear just before he fell.
Therefore, when he woke up, he felt a painful soreness in his eyes.
'What's going on?'
'Am I dead?' Shisui recalled falling. When he opened his eyes and saw only darkness, he instantly thought he was dead, but it wasn't long before he realized something was wrong. He seemed to be in a room instead.
He opened his eyes properly and looked up.
The next second, he saw a cat with a strange appearance.
'White... a little chubby... holding some weird staff... Doesn't look like too scary...'
Just as he thought this, the cat's paw seemed to stretch and grow larger. Then he raised the staff and smacked him on the head. Each hit stung.
"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!"
"Meow~ I am the Neko Sage living in the Ninja Cat Fortress, kid. This is punishment for climbing the fortress without permission. So, why did you come to the Ninja Cat Fortress?" Takeshi lay on the chair. He knew Shisui was just mentally slandering his appearance, so he deserved a few taps.
'Neko Sage?' Shisui was shocked. He'd never heard of a Neko Sage in the Ninja Cat Fortress, only the Ninja Cat King...
'Could he be... an existence even Nekobaa doesn't know about?'
Children loved to imagine. Shisui immediately decided Takeshi was a Sage from Ninja Cat Clan hidden in Ninja Cat Fortress. He didn't know what "Sage" meant, but he deserved respect.
So the little boy respectfully said, "Hello, Neko Sage. I am Shisui from the Uchiha clan. I heard the Ninja Cat King was here, so I wanted to come to the Ninja Cat Fortress to train and perhaps catch a glimpse of the Neko King." He touched his hair, a little embarrassed.
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