Naruto: Paws and Whiskers

The stillness in the clearing felt almost oppressive. Kono Osamu and the Kusagakure ninjas stood motionless, their sharp eyes scanning the area. Yet, Gekko Naoki, hiding in the shadows, could sense the hesitation in their movements. 'They weren't just cautious—they were terrified.'

'But...I am still stuck here!' Naoki adjusted his stance, suppressing a grimace. The Transparency Jutsu concealed his body and masked his breath, but his silent steps depended entirely on his skill and experience. Normally, he moved with the grace of a prowling cat, silent and untraceable. 'But tonight was different. The terrain worked against him, and he was painfully aware of how vulnerable he was. One wrong move, one snapped twig, and everything would unravel.

"Sir, why don't you head back?" one of the Kusagakure ninjas suggested, his voice breaking the silence. "We can handle the clean-up here."

'Knowing Danzo, the corpse might be booby trapped with explosive seal when body is lifted. But Danzo wouldn't come to such small village, it cannot be him!', Osamu shook his head, his gaze sharp and unyielding. "No. I need a closer look at the area. You! bring the body here. Let me take a look."

Naoki's jaw clenched. 'Bad timing, bad terrain, and now bad leadership.' Osamu was dragging this out, and Naoki had no cover nearby. His only option was to remain perfectly still, blending into the shadows under the moonless sky. 

High above, perched in a tree, Takeshi watched the scene with barely suppressed glee. His feline form quivered as he stifled a laugh, 'This is hilarious!'

Naoki, the usually smug and capable ninja, was now stuck in a silent standoff, frozen in place like a startled deer. 

Although Takeshi couldn't see Naoki, he could sense him easily thanks to the Flying Thunder God's spatial mark. Takeshi's whiskers twitched in amusement.

Still, Takeshi wasn't heartless. Naoki had been useful in the past, earning enough points in their mutual dealings to warrant some goodwill. And, as Takeshi reasoned, If he didn't save him, what was the difference between him and Kakashi?

Making his decision, Takeshi bounded through the forest, deliberately rustling branches and leaves. The sound was faint but enough to draw the attention of Osamu and his squad. Their heads snapped toward the noise, weapons at the ready. 

Naoki seized the opportunity. In the split second when all eyes were elsewhere, he slipped away, with swift precision. 

"My lord…" one of the ninjas began nervously, glancing at Osamu.

"I'm not feeling well," Osamu interrupted, his voice calm despite the paleness of his face. "I'll return to the village. You clean up here. I'll discuss with the elders tomorrow." With deliberate composure, Osamu turned and strode away, though the tension in his shoulders betrayed his unease.

Outside the Kusagakure Village, Takeshi and Naoki met up smoothly. At that moment, the older Special Jonin was in a conflicted mood.

Naoki met Takeshi outside Kusagakure's borders, his expression a mix of relief and irritation. For several moments, the older Special Jonin said nothing, clearly gathering his thoughts. Then, in a low voice, he muttered, "I didn't need your help, you know. If I'd wanted, I could've gathered more intel. Osamu wouldn't have been able to catch me, let alone stop me. I could've killed him."

Takeshi tilted his head, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "Sure, of course. Meow~"

The casual response made Naoki bristle, but he knew better than to argue. Takeshi's whiskers twitched as he tried, unsuccessfully to suppress another laugh. 

"You're too slow," Takeshi teased, waving a paw dismissively. "I'm hurry to return, I'll leave first. Meow~" And with that, he leapt into the forest, disappearing without a trace.

"Huh? Wait, I really could've have killed him …" Naoki sighed.

Naoki sighed, shaking his head. 'If Takeshi hadn't intervened, I'd probably still be stuck there, waiting for Osamu to leave.' But the mission was complete, and the results were gratifying, 'Forget it, let's return.' A chuckle escaped his lips. Osamu likely wouldn't sleep peacefully after tonight. 

As he prepared to return, Naoki's mind wandered. With Jiraiya-sama's intervention and a combination of diplomacy and pressure, Kusagakure would undoubtedly fall back in line with Konoha.

Naoki started preparing to leave as well.

After Takeshi ran away, he looked back to confirm that Naoki was far away, and then used Flying Thunder God with Kanna Uzumaki as the target.

Since he already killed the Genin who had likely targeted Kanna in canon, so Kanna was safe.

The little girl lay curled up under a tattered blanket, her breathing soft and even. In her sleep, strands of red hair peeked out from beneath her hat, a stark reminder of her Uzumaki heritage.

Takeshi sighed, his paw brushing her head gently. 'She can't afford to be careless like this.' he murmured. 

Kanna stirred, her eyes fluttering open. The moment she saw Takeshi, now in his Kusagakure ninja disguise, her instincts kicked in. Her hands formed seals under her wide robe, and her hair instantly shifted to a soft pink hue. 

Kanna woke up immediately and, after seeing "Takeshi," made a seal in her wide robe, and her hair instantly turned pink.

"Meow~" Takeshi reverted to his true form, satisfied with her quick reaction. If she'd been too careless, he wouldn't have bothered bringing her to the Nekomata. But her reflexes earned her a passing grade, barely.

"I'm sorry," Kanna mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "I was just too tired…

"Meow~ Constant Vigilance! In front of strangers, you must be vigilant, understood?"

Takeshi took out a packet of special cat food, to help her replenish her chakra, and prepared to send her to Nekomata, "Eat this. We're leaving soon."

It's been many days, the Nekomata should have woken up by now.

"Yeah, yeah."

Kanna nodded obediently.

Before teleporting her to the Nekomata's castle, he paused, realizing he needed to send a warning. The Nekomata could be... temperamental. 'A note would suffice.'

There was no need to leave any words on the note, just a paw print would be enough. The only problem was that it had no paper and no ink.

Lacking paper or ink, Takeshi tore a piece of Kanna's worn clothing and pressed a paw into some nearby mud, leaving an unmistakable print. Satisfied he gave it to Kanna.

"Alright," he said, his tail flicking. "Hold on tight."

Then... 'Flying Thunder God'

In the attic of the Ninja Cat Castle, Nekomata had just woken up after sleeping for long time and now observed at his body, falling into deep thought, his body, which had stuck in stagnation for many years, began to grow sharply again, and this power seemed to be gradually transforming his body.

'What a powerful cat food!' Just as it was thinking, he suddenly felt something on his head. He grabbed it and found that it was a piece of rag covered with mud.

"Meow! Who dares-"

Then, the top of his head sank, as if there was another person sitting on his head.

His protest died in his throat when he recognized the scent. 'It's him again.' Nekomata sighed, his annoyance tempered by resignation. 

Sending food and cat food is fine, but throwing garbage and people at him. 'What do I do with this human ?'

The Nekomata had a blank expression on his face and was too embarrassed to use his claws to slap Kanna off his head.

Kanna, meanwhile, clung to his fur, trembling from the disorienting teleportation. The giant cat poked her lightly with a claw. "Human. Off my head." 

However Kanna frightened even more by Nekomata's voice, curled up on his head and shivered.

"Meow~ The woman sent by the Takeshi, I am already very generous not to hurt you for dirtying my pristine fur. Now, are you going to get off my head?"

The Nekomata raised his paw and poked. Kanna reacted immediately and rolled down from the cat's head, almost falling.

After she climbed down, her body was still shaking, especially after seeing this giant white cat.

"Why did Takeshi send you here?"

"He- he said I could stay here."

The Nekomata stood up again while tilting his head in confusion. Although he has a cat face, his confused expression was obvious.

He thought this girl was sent here to save time for travel to somewhere else, but he never expected that the Takeshi would be more excessive than he imagined and actually send a human to stay over.

Doesn't Takeshi know that this is the Ninja Cat Castle? This is where the ninja cat live...

"He said…" Kanna hesitated, then held out a packet of cat food. "He also sent this as reward."

Kanna took out a packet of cat food worth three hundred points from her clothes and carefully placed it in front of the white cat.

"Meow~ You can stay," he muttered, his voice tinged with reluctant acceptance. "But you'll earn your keep. Clean the castle every day. That should keep you busy."

The castle is quite spacious. Nekomata used to be the only one living here, but now there is a girl too. In the near future, maybe the owner of the Castle will become a Takeshi...

'I had some good moments here as boss of this castle!' The Nekomata tried not to weep, but when he saw the bag of cat food, he couldn't suppress himself from rolling around in joy.

The food is quite irresistible!

"Yes...yes!"

Kanna looked at the white cat with a skeptical expression, and she no longer had the awe of this giant cat she had at the beginning, because she found that this cat was acting abit foolish, and was far less powerful than the Takeshi.

Although this cat's body is large, the Takeshi's chakra is stronger and thicker.

This white cat is just acting strong, there is gravitas of the king of this Castle at all...

"Meow? Why are you still here? Find a room to go to sleep, And pick up some of my fallen fur, it'll keep other cats from bothering you."

"Yes, thank you." Kanna bowed and left, leaving Nekomata to focus back on his delicious cat food.

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