Sasuke was a little angry at Red Cat for acting like that.
That morning, he had fed Red Cat about five jin of beef, enough to leave him completely full. He'd calculated that this was the ideal amount of food for Red Cat.
Sasuke hadn't slept much the night before, either. He'd spent the whole time poring over a manual on raising Ninja Beasts.
Red Cat was a gift from Yu, so Sasuke was determined to raise him well. That morning, he'd even solemnly told Red Cat, "Don't eat random things you find outside."
The manual said that raising a Ninja Beast required the right combination of foods, especially when it came to young beasts. Red Cat was not yet two years old, so he still counted as a young beast.
Just as Sasuke was about to lose his temper, Red Cat spat out the little bird.
The terrified bird shot into the sky as soon as Red Cat spat him out. In no time, he had disappeared above the village.
Then Red Cat padded over to Sasuke and rubbed his body and head against Sasuke's leg, looking utterly obedient.
Sasuke wasn't very resistant to Red Cat's adorable flattery. The anger on his face quickly faded, though he kept a stern expression. He patted Red Cat's head and said, "I'll tell you again: from now on, don't eat things you find outside, especially live animals."
Red Cat obediently nodded, showing that he would follow his master's orders.
Watching this heartwarming scene, Yu knew he'd made the right choice. Sasuke was smiling, though Sasuke himself might not have even realized it.
Sasuke never hid his feelings around Yu.
The moment the two of them stepped through the Ninja Academy gates, the class bell rang. They immediately broke into a sprint toward their classrooms.
It was the first time Yu had ever run so fast at the Ninja Academy. His body was no longer held back by its former limitations. The Chakra Conducting Metal Skeleton was complete, and the strength it gave him far exceeded his expectations.
Yu slipped into his seat through the back door. His classmates barely noticed him.
Hoshino Reiyuki was teaching again. She was explaining some mathematical concepts that, in Yu's previous life, he would probably have encountered in high school or college. Yet at the Ninja Academy, students around ten years old were already learning them.
Thanks to Chakra, ninjas had much better memories than ordinary people and were far more capable of absorbing new knowledge.
Of course, understanding it was another matter. The Ninja Academy trained ninjas, not technically skilled scholars. Anyone interested in that sort of thing could teach themselves. Yu himself had started out as an experimental Akamaru who knew nothing, but after studying on his own, he'd become a mid-level research talent.
Hoshino Reiyuki naturally noticed Yu from the lectern.
When their eyes met, Yu smiled at her, then rested his head on his desk. He still needed to catch up on sleep.
In both his previous life and this one, he'd never been interested in math. If his earlier experiments hadn't required some mathematical knowledge, he wouldn't have picked up another book on the subject.
He slept straight through until the afternoon Ninjutsu class. Sleeping was one of Yu's favorite things to do. Lying in bed or somewhere else, clearing his mind of all thoughts, and drifting off was wonderful.
Yu's fondness for sleep probably came from his Slime bloodline. After absorbing enough energy, Slimes would settle down somewhere and sleep. Unless they ran low on energy or sensed danger, they wouldn't wake up.
But Yu wasn't quite like an ordinary Slime. Even while asleep, he remained highly alert, aware of everything around him. At the slightest disturbance, he'd wake up at once.
Yu didn't take part in the Ninjutsu class, either. Before, his physical condition had been too poor to join in. Now he was in better shape, but these make-believe training exercises were practically useless to him.
There was no point in participating. Besides, he had a gift to give Naruto.
When Yu arrived at the training ground where Sasuke's class was gathered, it was packed with people again.
But this time, neither Sasuke nor another person was the star of the match. The main attraction was two Ninja Beasts.
"Go, Red Cat! Go, Red Cat!"
The girls nearby were all chanting the same thing. Their enthusiasm was naturally fueled by Red Cat's owner, Sasuke-kun.
Sasuke stood at the front of the crowd, arms folded, coldly watching his opponent.
"Hmph! Don't be scared, Akamaru. He's only a little bigger than you. If you win this time, I'll buy you ten big meaty bones!" Kiba Inuzuka said to his Ninja Dog, Akamaru.
But Akamaru was still just a half-grown puppy, less than half Red Cat's size.
Even so, nobody watching thought Red Cat could beat Akamaru. Akamaru was a Ninja Dog of the Inuzuka Clan. Many ninjas in Konoha raised Ninja Beasts, but the Inuzuka Clan was the only one to build a great family tradition around Ninja Dogs.
The Inuzuka Clan wasn't as powerful as the Hyuga or Uchiha families, but it was still a central pillar of Konoha.
The Inuzuka Clan's Ninja Dogs were specially bred and trained. Every one of them was strong, and their abilities couldn't be judged by their size.
So even though Akamaru was smaller than Red Cat, everyone there believed the odds favored him.
Ever since Sasuke brought Red Cat to class, Akamaru had been worked up. After all, cats and dogs were natural enemies. The first time they met, they were bound to bristle at each other.
Akamaru was worked up, but Red Cat barely even glanced at him. That dealt a serious blow to Akamaru's confidence. He considered Red Cat his rival, but Red Cat didn't take him seriously at all. Anyone would have felt awful in his place.
As Akamaru's owner, Kiba Inuzuka could sense how he felt. Many people in class couldn't stand Sasuke, and most of them were boys.
Kiba Inuzuka was one of them. Seeing Red Cat act that way reminded him of Sasuke, and it immediately made his blood boil.
So when Ninjutsu class started, Kiba Inuzuka approached Sasuke and challenged him to a match.
Of course, he wasn't asking to fight Sasuke himself. Kiba Inuzuka knew perfectly well that he wasn't Sasuke's match.
He meant a fight between Akamaru and Red Cat.
Sasuke hadn't wanted to accept the challenge, but Red Cat was interested, so Sasuke agreed.
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