Yashiro Comes Calling

After eating and drinking their fill, Uchiha Yu took Miwa Masayo on a tour of the Inuzuka Clan's compound, as she had requested.

The Tabby Cat heard the listless wails of the dogs and saw soapy wastewater spilling out from the Inuzuka estate. Seeing those hated dogs in even worse shape than herself put her in an exceptionally wonderful mood.

"Hahaha, stupid dogs! This time, you really stink!"

The Tabby Cat covered her nose with a paw and shouted loudly enough to be heard through the courtyard wall, "Kuromaru, are you still alive? Did last night's stench choke you to death? Huh?"

A feeble voice came from inside the wall. "Stupid cat, if you're not dead, how could Lord Kuromaru possibly die?"

"Oh my, meow. I don't stink at all now, meow. I'm nice and fragrant, meow. What about you? What about you? What about you?"

"You stinking dog, how do you have the nerve to call me stinky?"

"Woof! Damn cat, stinking cat! Your body might not stink, but your heart does!"

"You stole my meat, you thief cat! Woof!"

"Oh dear, that happened so many years ago, and you still remember it? You're so petty."

"Besides, meow, didn't my poop-scooper compensate your master? We settled that debt ages ago."

"Woof! Don't think I don't know it was you who came to steal meat again that night!"

"Meow! Stupid dog! Without evidence, you can't just slander a good cat!"

"It was you! Every brother in the Inuzuka Clan smelled your scent."

"..."

Disturbed by the commotion, Inuzuka Tsume came out into the yard. Seeing Uchiha Yu's innocent expression, she could only shake her head and sigh helplessly.

Cats and dogs had been natural enemies since ancient times. Even when Ninja Cats and Ninja Dogs could speak, not only did it fail to change their hostile relationship, it only made their arguments fiercer.

That was proof enough that the conflict between cats and dogs was not caused by misunderstandings in cat and dog language. They simply disliked each other by nature.

Miwa Masayo got carried away with the argument, jumped down from Uchiha Yu's body, stretched lazily, rolled her neck, then struck a pose and began fiercely bickering with the Ninja Dogs.

She had followed Uchiha Yu for three years and learned all sorts of strange knowledge. She was especially skilled at arguing, with a rich vocabulary and a collection of bizarre sayings.

One Ninja Cat was enough to drive an entire courtyard of Ninja Dogs into a rage. In the end, they were so angry they lost the power of speech and could only bark wildly to vent their frustration.

Inuzuka Tsume tilted her head toward the guilty-looking Uchiha Yu. Her eyes seemed to be asking, "Why did you teach Miwa Masayo such filthy language again?"

Uchiha Yu innocently pursed his lips and gave a soulful explanation with his eyes. I didn't teach her. It wasn't me. I don't know.

The two ninjas had been born in the same year, so naturally they had been classmates at the Ninja Academy. Their relationship in school had been ordinary. Mainly because Uchiha Yu had always ranked first and never paid attention to anyone, making him seem especially aloof.

At the time, the unhealthy trend of graduating early had already begun spreading through the academy. Yet Uchiha Yu, the undisputed top student, refused to graduate early, preventing the entire grade from following the trend.

Inuzuka Tsume had been one of the students who hated him for it.

But two years after graduation, when Uchiha Yu joined the Military Police Force, his classmates' attitudes had changed dramatically. Everyone secretly thanked the former top student. His obstruction had allowed them to survive.

Those who graduated early had unfortunately plunged into the whirlpool at the end of the war. Their casualties could not be described as severe—they had been wiped out completely.

Furthermore, Uchiha Yu now always wore a smile, spoke politely, treated people warmly, and enthusiastically helped everyone. It was as though he had become a completely different person.

Other than Uchiha Obito, who had graduated last year, everyone liked Uchiha Yu very much.

Naturally, Inuzuka Tsume and Uchiha Yu grew close, but their ninja beasts became mortal enemies, arguing every time they met.

Fortunately, the war between the Ninja Dogs and Ninja Cats was limited to verbal sparring. Even if they were insulted into shutting down, they would never break into a direct conflict. The loser would go home to stew over it, then try to win back face next time.

Thus, the two classmates squatted beneath the wall and exchanged information about last night's fireworks.

"Have you still not found any clues?"

"None at all. The entire village reeks, and the smell is way too overpowering. The Aburame Clan and I got smoked badly."

Inuzuka Tsume pointed at her bright-red nose and said nasally, "Look at this. My nose is swollen this badly—I can't smell anything anymore."

"Huh? If something goes wrong with your sense of smell, what will you do in the future?"

"It's fine. The doctors said it'll recover in a few days. Kuromaru and the others have it worse. They might not recover for a month."

"We need to find a way to solve this problem. Otherwise, if we encounter this kind of attack on the battlefield, it'll cause huge trouble."

"You're right. My clan is already trying to figure something out."

"..."

By the time the battle between Miwa Masayo and Kuromaru ended, the Tabby Cat had utterly crushed the Ninja Dogs with an overwhelming advantage, and the two of them had finished their conversation to their satisfaction.

On the way home, Miwa Masayo lay on Uchiha Yu's shoulder and asked beside his ear, "Did you learn anything? Did the village find anything?"

"The village found only one clue. They discovered traces of Natural Energy."

"Meow? They could discover that too?"

"Yeah, I didn't expect it either. Even though Senior Jiraiya isn't in the village, it was still recognized."

"Will there be danger, meow?"

"There's no danger. At least, not this time."

"But in the future, I'll have to be careful when using Natural Energy. I can't let anyone discover it."

"Tch. One moment of recklessness actually sealed off my strongest method. The loss is too great."

After a long while, Miwa Masayo said hesitantly, "Yu, I... this cat has mastered Natural Energy too. Will there be a problem, meow?"

"Huh?"

Inside the small training ground at his home, Uchiha Yu carefully observed the fireball and wind sphere the Tabby Cat had condensed, then let out a long sigh of relief.

"How is it, meow?"

"Don't worry. It's Sage Chakra, not pure Natural Energy."

"Meow?"

"Congratulations, Miwa Masayo. You successfully completed Senjutsu training and became the first Cat Sage."

"No, meow. Maoyu of Cat Castle was the first Cat Sage. I'm the second."

"How did it master Sage Chakra?"

"I don't know, meow. Maoyu doesn't know how it learned it either, so we had no way to learn from it."

"Then what about you? Miwa Masayo, how did you master Sage Chakra?"

"It was the day you said you became an immortal. I was in your... um, um, arms. I fell asleep, and when I woke up, I knew how to do it, meow."

"So you don't know how you learned it either?"

"I don't know, meow. But it's okay. You'll know."

"Huh?"

"You're so smart. If you don't know now, you'll definitely know in the future."

"So it all depends on me?"

"Poop-scooper, this is your honor, meow!"

"Haha, leave it all to me. But..."

"Meow! Don't touch my ears!"

Suddenly, someone knocked on Uchiha Yu's courtyard gate. The knocking was steady, loud, and crisp. The visitor was clearly powerful, calm by nature, and decisive in action.

Uchiha Yu flashed to the gate, opened it, and saw a familiar face.

"Captain Yashiro?"