Naruto: Paws and Whiskers

Takeshi crouched motionless in the shadows, his eyes glinting as he watched his prey. As a seasoned ninja cat, patience came as naturally to him as breathing. 

This target was no ordinary opponent, this was the Jonin who had once been present at Obito's supposed death. That single fact alone made Takeshi's blood simmer with anticipation.

At this time, Takeshi feeling quite lucky that he had left his mark on the tree next to this hideout couple days back.

A few days earlier, Takeshi had left a faint chakra mark on a tree close to this hideout, a cautious preparation that now felt like a stroke of fortune. 

Had he marked a more obvious spot, like the rooftop, it would have been far easier for any keen-eyed opponent to notice. His planning, careful and subtle, had paved the way for the ambush that was about to unfold.

To remain undetected, Takeshi had used a combination of his naturally dark fur and a minor genjutsu, blending seamlessly into the landscape, and there was still some lingering scent left here by the enemy, so he didn't have difficulty finding the enemy.

But finding his target was only part of the mission. The real challenge lay in executing the kill—cleanly, silently, and with the deadly efficiency expected of his rank.

He took out his auto-returning iron ball, but wondered whether the hearing of the jonin was good, and it might be more reliable to throw the iron ball slowly.

He hesitated, weighing the likelihood that this Jonin's senses would pick up the faint whizz of metal cutting through air. It might be safer to deploy it slowly, methodically. 

Fortunately his silent paw pads, however, gave him an edge: he could move soundlessly, every step ghosting over leaves and twigs without a single crack or crunch.

The Jonin, sensing something amiss, suddenly turned his head. His eyes swept over the surrounding darkness, narrowing as he caught sight of Takeshi's gleaming red orbs camouflaged within thick fur. 

Realization dawned on the man's face—too late. While surprised at being suddenly discovered his instincts kicked in, and Takeshi activated the Hell Viewing Jutsu, sending a surge of paralyzing fear into his target's mind.

The Jonin's body stiffened, his muscles tensing in terror as his mind scrambled with illusory horrors. In that moment of vulnerability, Takeshi's fur tightened around the man's throat, each strand like steel wire, constricting until the Jonin's breath came in shallow, panicked gasps. His struggles faded swiftly as Takeshi's grip remained unyielding, soon he joined the pure lands.

'How weak,' Takeshi thought, his sharp gaze never wavering as he observed the dying Jonin's spasms slowing. 'To be slain by a lowly canon two-tomoe Uchiha like Obito... you hardly deserve the title of Jonin.'

When the man finally went limp, Takeshi held his grip for a few extra beats, ensuring there was no chance of survival. 

With deft, practiced movements, he dragged the body into a cluster of bushes nearby, concealing it while he continued to scan the area for potential witnesses, while still holding him tightly with his fur, in case he needs to throw the body at his enemies.

He waited, silent and still, until he was certain no reinforcements were coming. Only then did he melt back into the shadows, resuming his hidden vantage point. 

It wasn't long before he completed the rest of his task, dispatching two additional guards—Chunin, nothing more—in silence.

He over-relied on his Chameleon Jutsu, and using the secret jutsu reduced the threat of being detected.

He felt a strange satisfaction at how easily the job had gone, though he knew tougher foes were on the way. These were just the fodder. 

The real challenge awaited with the returning Iwa ninjas, experienced ninjas who were likely returning from a clandestine meeting.

They wouldn't fall as easily; Iwa ninjas were notorious for their defenses, often employing Earth Release techniques that made them near-impervious to conventional attacks.

'Earth Release: Hardening Jutsu alone could give even Naoki Gekko a headache,' Takeshi mused. 'And Naoki isn't capable enough to handle all of them—if he were, he'd be more than just a Special Jonin.'

Takeshi knew that he needed to pick his targets strategically. If he could eliminate the weaker ones first, he might reduce the likelihood of them alerting others. 

The stronger ones would undoubtedly respond to any sign of combat. A cautious approach was essential.

With that in mind, Takeshi set about preparing the battleground. First, he meticulously placed a Flying Thunder God seal in a concealed spot, granting him an instant escape route if the situation demanded it.

Explosion Release techniques, though devastating, were out of the question; the last thing he needed was for the loud detonations to draw unwanted attention. 

Besides, he harbored a nagging suspicion that his opponents might exploit such explosions to their own advantage, using the distraction to stage a counterattack.

The Iwa ninja were notorious for their resilience, their defensive tactics so tenacious that Takeshi often likened them to cockroaches.

If he didn't finish them swiftly, they would likely vanish into the earth, ready to reemerge at the worst possible moment.

After days spent lurking in the vicinity, the weight of the mission was starting to wear on him. He missed his team.

Naoki, his current partner, was skilled but had grown somewhat numb, and is not as fun to play with as before, barely giving any points. Ofcourse that's not the reason for missing his team.

Truthfully, Takeshi missed Obito more than anyone else and can't wait to play with him.

Once he had completed his setup, Takeshi sharpened his claws in anticipation, disposed of the lifeless bodies to avoid detection, and then slipped into the hideout, assuming the guise of one of the fallen ninjas. 

His natural poise and disguise allowed him to pass as an ordinary guard, adding an extra layer of deception to his plan.

A half-hour passed before Takeshi sensed an unfamiliar surge of chakra in the area. He tensed, his instincts sharpening as three figures rose from the earth just outside the hideout. 

They paused, eyes narrowing as they took in his presence, a flicker of suspicion flashing across their faces.

'Three returned,' Takeshi counted inwardly, noting their formations and body language. 'the rest are likely taken by Naoki. Judging from their body language, one of them is on high alert. This might complicate things.

The Iwa ninjas exchanged glances before one of them cautiously stepped forward, while the other two held back, their attention sweeping over the landscape with practiced vigilance. 

Takeshi's lips curled in a sly smile. 'Think you're safe out there just because you didn't step inside? Little do you know, I've marked every potential exit with Flying Thunder God. Tonight, your paranoia won't save you.'

As the lead ninja moved to take his position, Takeshi stood up and began to speak, feigning familiarity, "He..."

Before he could finish, the surrounding rocks erupted, creating an airtight dome around the hideout. "Earth Style Barrier: Earth Dome Prison Jutsu! Formation Three!" the lead ninja barked, his voice echoing within the enclosed space.

But Takeshi had anticipated this, slipping through the smallest shadow with the speed and grace of a wraith. In an instant, he was on the outside, concealed by the thick night air and his naturally dark fur, which rendered him almost invisible against the moonless sky.

"Ahh!?" A startled scream pierced the air as Takeshi launched his ambush. Within seconds, the Earth Dome Prison began to shudder, cracks webbing across its surface until it finally shattered. 

The two ninjas who had remained outside wasted no time, casting defensive Earth Release jutsus in a desperate attempt to shield themselves.

One of them, evidently more seasoned, attempted to sink into the earth using Earth Release: Underground Projection Fish Jutsu, but Takeshi was faster. A blur of motion, a flash of claws, and the ninja's escape plan was abruptly terminated.

Had the situation allowed, Takeshi might have unleashed his Rasengan to finish them off. But he couldn't risk revealing his identity.

Within ten swift heartbeats, he employed his own custom jutsu, 'Wind Release: Needle Jizo!' a technique that sent needles slicing through the air with surgical precision, piercing through the weakened defenses of his remaining targets. Both collapsed, lifeless, their defenses shattered.

(E/N: Wind Release Needle Jizo is created by Takeshi, patent pending! XD)

After that he only had one target left which he dispatched quickly.

At that moment, Naoki arrived, having dispatched the group of Kusagakure ninja he had been tasked with handling. 

The sight before him, however, gave him pause: three corpses of Iwa ninjas lay sprawled around the hideout, two of which bore gruesome needle wounds courtesy of Takeshi's jutsu.

Just looking at the scene sent shivers down his spine, as he couldn't think of a good method to defend against that and survive.

Fortunately, they were covered in blood, so the Needle holes could not be seen clearly, otherwise, he would have intensive phobia of needles.

Though sheer efficiency with which Takeshi had dismantled the enemy was chilling. The fallen Jonin and his companions hadn't stood a chance.

"Aren't these two Jonin's, is this cat so strong?" Naoki mumbled to himself. He wanted to come to help, but he only found bodies to deal with. The difference in strength was too much. They are supposed to be same rank!

As Naoki inspected the scene, he heard a faint rustling nearby and swiftly cloaked himself using the Transparency Jutsu, blending seamlessly into the background.

Emerging from the shadows were the Kusagakure reinforcements, led by none other than their leader, Kono Osamu, a man notorious for his recent alliance with Iwa leading him to rise in power three years ago. 

His arrival wasn't entirely unexpected—Takeshi had surmised that Kono's agenda would eventually bring him to this battlefield.

It was also after he came to power that the attitude and trends of Kusagakure Village changed slightly.

Initially, this was a normal phenomenon. Each leader has different means of governing and policy making, but now it seems that the mastermind behind the joining Iwa Ninja is most likely Osamu.

The Kusagakure ninjas cautiously approached, their faces reflecting the tension in the air. One knelt down beside a corpse, his expression grim as he examined the wounds.

"Sir," the ninja reported solemnly, "these two died within moments of each other. Whoever did this was immensely powerful—likely a high-ranking shinobi. They were killed less than a minute apart."

Osamu and the other Kusagakure ninjas increased their alertness after hearing this.

Not to mention them, even Naoki was shocked. 'Less than a minute apart?'

It seemed so. When he came over, the body was still warm. The Takeshi was quite powerful. Not to mention the Special Jonin, even the Jonin would find it difficult to do this.

'This is quite amazing!' He doesn't mind being playing assistant for the mission anymore. He would happily do them.

Since he is not skilled as this cat, there is no point in denying it, ego and pride don't play such important role for a shinobi.

But the one facing the greatest pressure is not Naoki, but Osamu.

As the leader of the Kusagakure, he knows very well what the Kusa Ninjas and Iwa Ninjas are doing recently.

He specially lured the patrolling Kusa Ninja away tonight so that the Iwa Ninjas can move safely. Unexpectedly, the Iwa Ninjas was wiped out... No, there is still one body missing.

"Sir, we found body of an Iwa Ninja couple miles away."

"Is he alive?"

Osamu found it difficult to control his expressions.

"No, he's dead, there was a large pit where the body was, and even the body was in unrecognizable shape. I picked up a forehead protector of an Iwa ninja and then confirmed that it was from the Iwagakure."

"Can you tell what ninjutsu killed him?"

"I can't tell, it looks like he was hit by something, oh yes, there are also traces of Wind Release... He died suffering, and the one who did it may be the same person."

The person who recounted the story trembled when he said this, and Osamu's face turned pale.

Fortunately, it was night, otherwise, his expression would be seen by others and his reputation would be badly affected.

'All of these Jonin's dead at hands of only one person, and it was Wind Release... Who could've done this?'

At this moment, there was only this question in his mind. In the end, Osamu had only one answer - Konoha Village.

Maybe it was the Shadow of Konoha himself that did this, he was quite skilled with Wind Release... Danzo is here and he killed so many Iwa Jonins! 

Apart from him, Osamu couldn't think of anyone else in the world who had such strength and ruthlessness to wipe out so many Iwa Jonin in a short period of time.

Osamu's body stiffened in terror, he was confused what could lead Danzo to visit here.

Naoki, who was watching from the side, saw this scene and felt amused.

This group was almost scared to death, and they are probably still guessing who did it. The clues they have is limited with Wind Release and high strength might point to the root, who could've guessed this was done by a one year old ninja cat.

Maybe humans really cannot compete with superior species like cats.

-------------------

Dear Readers and Fans,

For those eager to dive into next chapters earlier before others, I invite you to join us on Patreon. By becoming our Patron, you not only gain access to exclusive advanced chapters but also help us continue this endeavour and expand it further. 

https://www.pat reon.com/8Ashes8

(no space)

You can read upto 7 Chapters in advance.