"Meow~ Neko King? Go out the door, turn left, and check the Small Room. He's sleeping like a log right now."
Takeshi tapped his back lightly with the wooden stick.
'Neko King?' Shisui thought.
The lazy furball probably wouldn't wake up for a day or two after that luxury cat food binge. Shisui could poke around all he wanted.
But Shisui clearly had no interest in the Neko King. 'So what if he's the King of Cats?' he thought. 'Could he be more powerful than a Sage? Obviously not.'
He carefully gazed up at the "white cat." The longer he looked, the more awe he felt. Sure, it looked ordinary enough, but the closer he examined, the more unfathomable Neko King seemed, far beyond any ninja cat he'd encountered.
Looking at this cat... it felt like standing before the clan head.
No, it was more like the pressure he felt facing the Third Hokage.
"Neko Sage," Shisui began, looking up, "can I tell the clan about you... living here in the Fortress?"
He had curly hair at the moment, looking much cuter than his usual appearance in Naruto. For some reason, though, seeing him like this reminded Takeshi of Mirai Sarutobi.
It was a strange thought.
Takeshi sized Shisui up, then swayed his wooden stick. "You can't, meow. But since you found your way here, perhaps it was fate. If you run into problems with your training in the future, you can come to the castle to ask for guidance."
He was using this form to observe Shisui, naturally, intending to eventually spread word of the ninja cat world's Sage. But the time wasn't right. Takeshi wasn't strong enough yet.
At least, he didn't think he was.
One day, when he'd dealt with Danzo and was powerful enough for the ninja cats to stand independently in the world, then he could reveal the truth about their world through Shisui.
"Really?" Shisui's eyes lit up.
"Meow! But everything comes at a price. To seek me out here, you must bring Fresh Fish, or whatever food you believe is the most delicious. Understand?"
Takeshi leaned back against the chair and waved his wooden stick dismissively. "If there's nothing else, you may leave."
"Yes, Neko Sage."
Filled with a deep respect for the Neko Sage, Shisui didn't hesitate to retreat from the Great Hall. As soon as he stepped outside, he saw a crowd of ninja cats surrounding the back entrance.
"Meow!"
Pairs upon pairs of feline eyes fixed on him.
Shisui swallowed nervously. He knew how tough these cats were. 'I'm dead!' The large, burly blue cat at the front flexed his claws and charged, and the rest of the ninja cats surged forward, eager for payback. This kid had given them the slip multiple times during the earlier chase.
But just then, a soft *tap-tap* sound echoed from inside the hall. All the cats froze instantly.
Then, the Neko Sage's voice drifted out.
"Let him go."
Amakusa lowered his head, then smacked a nearby mixed-fur cat, who was still poised to attack, sending it flying with a single paw swipe. He cleared a path for Shisui to leave.
Shisui swallowed hard again.
'Incredible... just as expected of the Neko Sage.'
With a single sentence, these wild, restless cats obeyed without question. The one who didn't was immediately put in its place by the large blue cat.
To ensure his safe passage, Amakusa personally escorted Shisui away from the fortress grounds.
Inside the Great Hall.
Kanna emerged from her room, peering curiously toward the entrance. "If he starts coming here often," she said worriedly, "won't I be discovered?"
"It'll be fine, meow. Are you really planning to hide in here forever? Help me keep an eye on Amegakure. If anything happens, use the Summoning Jutsu to call me."
Takeshi glanced around, finally spotting a leaf that had blown in. He picked it up and used the Flying Thunder God to send it instantly to Rin.
He and Rin had an agreement.
If he actively sent something to her like this, she would use the Summoning Jutsu to pull him to her location.
He needed to see Rin about the Sage Mode.
Sage Mode carried risks, even the version provided by the system. The advantage of the system's version was that it could be used alongside special cat food to minimize those dangers.
If it were someone he didn't know well, he might just give them the Sage Mode technique and the cat food and let fate decide. But Rin was different. She was one of his own, his family. He couldn't risk her safety like that.
Takeshi decided to set her up with the luxury cat food first.
He didn't need it himself anymore. By carefully managing the dosage of Senjutsu chakra daily, he could achieve the same effect as the luxury cat food in just three or four days.
Plus, it was free.
To prevent Rin from accidentally consuming too much at once, Takeshi decided to go there himself and teach her how to eat the stuff properly. That way, she wouldn't run into trouble just by eating the luxury cat food when she felt like it.
**-**
Eastern Border Camp.
Rin Nohara was practicing advanced medical ninjutsu on a fish. As she moved her shoulder slightly, a single leaf fluttered down, landing right inside the fish's opened belly.
'...What the hell?'
Rin quickly stopped her work and carefully removed the leaf. But the delay had cost precious time, the fish was past the optimal window for treatment. Worse, with bacteria from the leaf introduced, even following standard procedure wouldn't save it now.
'This damned leaf.'
'Wait, where did a leaf come from in the operating room?'
Rin pondered for a few seconds, a sense of unease washing over her. Then she remembered her agreement with Takeshi. Ignoring the fish, she hurriedly stripped off her gloves, bit her finger, and began weaving hand seals.
A moment later, the black cat appeared before her.
"Takeshi! Are you hurt?"
Rin felt slightly dizzy, a sign of heavy chakra drain. Takeshi was growing stronger, and summoning him all the way from Konoha took a significant toll.
"No, I'm fine, meow. Were you practicing medical ninjutsu?"
Takeshi took in the surroundings and immediately understood. He felt a pang of guilt mixed with relief.
'Good thing she wasn't performing actual surgery.'
"It's alright. I'll just take a soldier pill." Rin popped a ration pill into her mouth.
Takeshi didn't stop her. The luxury cat food was essentially natural energy combined with ingredients that helped the body process it. However, merging it with the body to form Senjutsu chakra still required a certain amount of personal chakra.
Besides, who knew how luxury cat food would affect a human? If something went wrong... Takeshi shuddered at the thought. That's why he needed to give her not just the food, but also teach her the Sage Mode method, so Rin would know how to handle any abnormal surges of natural energy.
After a moment, some of Rin's strength returned.
"If you're not injured, what did you need?"
"Meow! I want to teach you Sage Mode. But it carries risks, so first, you should eat my clan's secret Sage Art Food."
Takeshi produced the cat food he had prepared earlier.
He then explained the Sage Mode technique and the effects of the cat food. He also mentioned, casually, that cats were his "distant relatives," which conveniently cleared up any questions Rin might have had about Nekomata, the two-tailed cat.
"So," Rin pieced it together, "you were in a coma before because you ate this?"
The black cat nodded slightly.
"While the recipe has worked before, but you still need to test it carefully! How could you just eat it randomly? Don't ever do that again." Rin sounded worried, a touch of distress in her voice.
Takeshi had been so young back then, figuring things out on his own. Rin didn't know he'd already "claimed kinship" with Nekomata.
This cat food was supposedly made by Takeshi and Nekomata.
Nekomata took the credit, something Takeshi had planned for. How else could he explain the steady supply of luxury cat food? Nekomata's unusual size also lent credibility to Takeshi's story.
Rin didn't seem overly suspicious. She opened the package, eyed the contents, and carefully took out about a quarter of the portion.
As soon as she swallowed it, she felt an intense pressure in her stomach, like she might burst...
"Meow?"
"It's nothing," Rin managed, looking slightly uncomfortable. "Just... a little full. Very full, actually."
She was incredibly grateful Takeshi had warned her not to eat it all at once. She couldn't imagine what state she'd be in otherwise, probably passed out cold, only to wake up bloated like Takeshi described happening to him the first time.
'How could I face anyone then!' Rin was very grateful.
"Meow, do you feel anything strange?" Takeshi tilted his head, watching her closely.
This was the first time he'd given luxury cat food to a human, and he was admittedly nervous. But he'd given her the special cat food before without issue, so hopefully, any problems wouldn't be too severe.
Rin focused inward for a moment, then gently shook her head. "No abnormalities right now. I just feel incredibly full."
"Mrow! Then do you feel a kind of power slowly building up?" Takeshi pressed.
Rin concentrated again. "Maybe? It's hard to tell," she said vaguely. "Perhaps it digests slowly. I'm really, really full right now..."
"Okay, let me hold onto the rest for now," Takeshi decided. "Summon me again when you feel like this portion has fully digested. We'll observe."
This wasn't something to rush.
Out of caution, Takeshi took back the remaining three-quarters of the cat food. He'd wait until Rin had processed the first dose before giving her more.
"Okay." Rin Nohara nodded seriously.
She remembered Tsunade mentioning Sage Mode before, and knew Takeshi had been researching Water Release and Sage techniques recently. Honestly, she hadn't expected him to figure it out so quickly, let alone want her to practice it with him.
Rin trusted Takeshi wouldn't lead her wrong.
After that, Rin chatted with Takeshi for a little while. She'd been cooped up practicing medical ninjutsu lately and hadn't gotten out much. She seemed a bit bored, becoming quite talkative now that Takeshi was there to listen.
After chatting for a while, Takeshi said goodbye and returned to the ninja cat fortress.
===============
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