Medical Department, Dog Veterinarian, and Lady Cat! (Please Bookmark and Recommend)

[You speedran the [B-Rank Mission: Bounty Hunter]!]

[You obtained a C-Rank [Ninja Scroll]!]

Nara Kaikei stood beneath the Hokage Building, calmly closing the panel.

He turned, paused, raised his head, and gazed ahead.

Twelve years old, standing beneath the Hokage Building like some lowly lackey.

There was no need for wild joy, nor, conversely, any need for profound despair. A peaceful life had always been my goal.

Nara Kaikei stared at the red building before him, the symbol of Konohagakure's highest seat of power.

But even so, I still know... the ones who create a new era will not be the old!

[Your resolve has strengthened. Your Mental Energy has grown, and your [Wisdom] attribute has been enhanced!]

[Wisdom: C+ → B-]

Is a person's growth the act of overcoming their immature past self?

Nara Kaikei's eyes gained a firmness they had previously lacked. After getting his bearings, he set off.

First, set a small goal! Raise my overall strength to the level of a B-Rank jonin as soon as possible!

The virtual panel did not react at all.

Fine. Looks like a ninja can't issue a mission request to himself.

As he gradually moved farther away from the Hokage Building, Nara Kaikei took out the black scroll Tsunade had given him as a parting gift.

The Pitch-Black Scroll was exceptionally clean. Its straight, slender surface bore not a trace of any other color, and the whole thing gave off a faint scent of disinfectant.

A gift from Big Fat Sheep? How generous.

Rather than immediately inspect the scroll's contents, Nara Kaikei solemnly placed it into the ninja tool pouch at his lower back.

But just now, why did that Root Danzo look at me?

That old Root said he had received intelligence relayed from Iwagakure. Could it be...

Was that why Sister Nonou returned to the village?

Yakushi Nonō had never revealed her identity as a Root Ninja to Nara Kaikei.

But Nara Kaikei not only knew that fact, he also knew the course her life would take in the future.

Yakushi Nonō, Root, Shimura Danzō...

Just as Nara Kaikei was constantly considering how he could free Yakushi Nonō from Root—

He finally arrived at his destination—

"Welcome! This is Manten Hall!"

The polite, enthusiastic greeting came from the young black-haired proprietor.

"The ninja tools we sell here cover everything under the sun. We have it all!"

Nara Kaikei glanced at the grinning owner and asked tentatively, "Really? Everything?"

The owner swore confidently, "There's only what customers can't think of, never anything we don't sell!"

"Hmm. Then I won't make things difficult for you. Forget the really high-end stuff. Start with a Basho Fan."

The Basho Fan was one of the ninja tools wielded by the Sage of Six Paths. It could disregard the user's Chakra nature and unleash Combined Ninjutsu containing all five major Nature Transformations—water, fire, wind, earth, and lightning—in a single burst.

"...Sorry, customer, but this is only a small business. We don't sell the Sage of Six Paths' legendary ninja tools."

"Then I'll lower the bar. Do you have the Uchiha Clan's Flame Fan?"

The Flame Fan was a weapon passed down through the Uchiha Clan for generations. Made from a portion of the Divine Tree, it could use Wind Style to control Fire Style Ninjutsu and reflect ninjutsu attacks.

"...Sorry, customer, but how could our little shop have an Uchiha Clan heirloom for sale?"

"Then lower it again. One of Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swordsmen's seven ninja blades—the great sword Samehada."

Samehada was a special ninja sword with its own consciousness that could absorb Chakra.

"...Sorry, customer, but we're just an ordinary ninja tool shop in Konoha."

"The Kusanagi Sword—"

"Customer! Manten Hall is an affordable department store for the general public. We sell large quantities of standard ninja tools and daily necessities!"

"Oh, you should've said so earlier!"

Nara Kaikei shrugged. The frustration he had swallowed at the Hokage Building had finally been vented.

"I need a pair of single-lens tactical Sunglasses, a sheet of Chakra Paper, and one Soldier Pill."

Sunglasses?

An Aburame Clan ninja, huh? No wonder he was such a long-winded chatterbox!

From today onward, I'm blacklisting every last one of you! Don't dream of buying insect feed from me at low prices again!

The black-haired owner, who seemed to have aged several years in an instant, swiftly retrieved the three items from behind the counter and sent off the "Aburame plague god" in his eyes at the lowest price and fastest speed.

The tactical Sunglasses and Chakra Paper were expensive, sure, but one Soldier Pill costs a thousand ryō... Could there be some secret technique hidden inside that I don't know about?

Nara Kaikei put away the Chakra Paper, planning to test his Chakra nature once he was alone.

The thousand-ryō Soldier Pill was the same.

Although there might be higher-quality Soldier Pills at home, Nara Kaikei did not particularly want to face that nauseatingly lovey-dovey couple yet. He could only buy one outside first and test its effects.

Of the three items, only the last remained.

It was a pair of frameless tactical Sunglasses. Two dark-blue rounded rectangular lenses were set into slender, pitch-black metal temples, and they looked quite high-quality.

This owner has pretty good taste and temperament after all!

Nara Kaikei took out an Alcohol Cotton Pad from his ninja tool pouch, gave the glasses a simple wipe and disinfection, then put them on directly.

First time wearing them. They're a little tight...

After straightening himself up a bit, Nara Kaikei set off again.

Although Tsunade had temporarily recruited Nara Kaikei, a mere intern, to carry out a B-Rank Mission in her capacity as head of the Medical Department—

The "department head" currently had other matters to attend to.

Nara Kaikei felt that he should report to the Medical Department first.

Next stop.

Beast Taming and Rehabilitation Class.

"Why are you touching him there?"

"He's lying right here. What else am I supposed to do?"

"You should be performing an autopsy now! An autopsy!!"

"You don't need to tell me how to do my job!"

"You're the worst veterinarian I've ever seen!"

Nara Kaikei stood outside the Beast Taming and Rehabilitation Class, listening to the two incredibly shrill female voices coming from inside.

For a moment, he did not know whether he should step in with his left foot, his right foot, or simply come back to report in a few days.

But at that moment, a greeting suddenly came from inside, a rough voice brimming with wildness.

"Who's outside? Come in!"

Nara Kaikei gritted his teeth and pushed the door open.

Before him was a spacious room resembling a hospital ward.

Two women stood facing each other, separated only by a narrow bed. On it lay a creature covered in thick fur.

Nara Kaikei gave the bed the quickest possible glance.

So they were talking about a cat. Then it's fine—wait?!

"Wearing Sunglasses?"

The female ninja on the left had a hedgehog-like explosive hairstyle that made people instinctively keep their distance. She was presumably the veterinarian here, and she had been the one to call Nara Kaikei inside.

"An Aburame Clan ninja? The Beast Taming and Rehabilitation Class can't treat your bugs!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the female veterinarian sniffed.

"Wait! Such a heavy deer scent and medicinal scent... and a Soldier Pill made by Manten Hall? You're not one of those Aburame Clan bug players. You're a Nara Clan kid?"

Do you have a dog's nose or something?

Nara Kaikei's eyes widened slightly, but when he saw the ninja clan emblem she wore, he understood.

An Inuzuka Clan ninja!

Even though a ninja's five senses far surpassed those of ordinary people—

Through their unique clan secret techniques, the Inuzuka Clan could enhance their sense of smell to tens of thousands of times that of a normal person!

No wonder she could sniff out his identity at once.

But smelling a Soldier Pill, and even identifying it as a Manten Hall Soldier Pill... Isn't that a little absurd?

Nara Kaikei first nodded to the Inuzuka Clan female veterinarian, then shifted his Line of Sight toward the other woman.

Nestled among her striking long golden waves was a pair of lively purple triangular cat ears. Beneath arched willow-leaf brows sat a pair of clear purple eyes as exquisite as works of art. Her whole body radiated a bewitching, flamboyant, delicate beauty.

She looked just like a golden cat demon that had cultivated herself into human form.

"A Nara Clan member?"

The bewitching female ninja's eyes immediately lit up. She did not approve of the veterinarian's character or hobbies, but she did acknowledge that the woman had a dog's nose.

"That deer clan with extremely advanced medical skills and a lot of money?"

"Yes."

Nara Kaikei adjusted his glasses and briefly introduced himself to the two female ninjas. They then introduced themselves as well.

Inuzuka Tsume.

Lady Cat.

"Actually, this girl's real name is Nekamura Hikari, a member of the Black Market Merchant Clan, the Nekamura Clan..."

Inuzuka Tsume walked over to Nara Kaikei's side and casually slapped his shoulder.

"But now she claims she's left the Black Market Merchant Clan and abandoned her original surname, calling herself 'Lady Cat'... Though if you ask me, 'Kitten' would suit her better."

The Black Market Merchant Clan?

A trace of confusion flashed through Nara Kaikei's eyes.

Inuzuka Tsume added, "I doubt you've heard of them... After all, they're far too distant from genin who've just graduated from the Ninja Academy like you."

"Just because you haven't heard of us doesn't mean the Nekamura Clan—ptui, ptui!"

Lady Cat lightly patted her rosy lips, as though giving herself a slap across the mouth.

"I'm not like those people! I'm an honest merchant!"

As she spoke, Lady Cat pulled an incense stick from her pocket and handed it to Nara Kaikei.

"Little brother Nara, this is a token from my Ninja Cat. If there's anything you want to trade for, just light this incense anywhere within Konoha, and a Ninja Cat will answer your summons.

"But remember one thing: cats are very picky."

Nara Kaikei accepted the incense stick without quite understanding.

Lady Cat gave him a light nod, then vanished like a ghost, leaving behind only a fragrant breeze.

"That troublesome woman finally left!"

Inuzuka Tsume stretched lazily and pinched her nose as she walked toward the bed.

"Bringing a dead Ninja Cat right in front of me is seriously rude!

"So, little Nara, what are you doing at the Beast Taming and Rehabilitation Class?"

Lady Cat could be considered a semi-original character.

Her character prototype was based on the "Cat Hag" from manga chapter 354. Her surname was original. She appeared before Sasuke and Itachi's battle, in Konoha Year 68—twenty years after this chapter's time period.

(For the specific Naruto timeline, refer to the earlier work-related notes.)

According to the Book of the Deceased, Cat Hag was an honest black-market merchant who had "left the Black Market Merchant Clan" and maintained a contractual relationship with the Ninja Cat Clan.

Anime episode 409 also mentioned the good cooperative relationship between the Uchiha Clan and Cat Hag, creating an anime-original plot in which Team 7 captured a giant cat.

Anime episode 673 also created a scene from the past in which Uchiha Itachi's team carried out a mission at Cat Hag's place.

Interested readers can look through those episodes for characters such as "cat-eared Uchiha Itachi."