The Cat Country

After receiving a lifesaving sponsorship from the merchant Ando, the Akatsuki Organization's finances had improved considerably in a short time. Shiba Seika could still afford dried fish.

At worst, he could go fishing. The Land of Rain had plenty of rain, rivers, and lakes.

After a few days of feeding her, the Bond between the Ninja Cat Tama and Shiba Seika deepened quickly.

Three days later, while Shiba Seika was handling official business, Tama was even willing to curl up quietly on his lap and let him pet her, letting him enjoy the pleasure of petting a cat.

The other members of the Akatsuki Organization were terribly envious.

After Shiba Seika, many people tried signing their names on the Summoning Scroll from the Cat Country. Unfortunately, no one else earned the Ninja Cats' approval as he had.

Even Ajisai, who was skilled in the Summoning Technique, failed.

After she signed her name, she summoned a plump Big Orange.

Who could have guessed that the seemingly chubby Big Orange would be incredibly agile in battle, using a pair of short Wakizashi to beat Ajisai so badly she questioned her whole life.

In the end, Big Orange left her with, "Your Taijutsu is weak, your Ninja Tools skills are poor, your footwork is sloppy, and your reactions are slow. Not a single move of yours is any good!

"You think a ninja like you can be my master? Keep dreaming!"

Then, with a "poof," Big Orange vanished, erasing the name Ajisai had written on the scroll.

Ajisai could only collapse onto the training ground, heartbroken and questioning her whole life.

By the time a week had passed, Shiba Seika was still the only member of the Akatsuki Organization who had successfully contracted with a Ninja Cat.

Everyone was both envious and impressed.

In the end, all they could do was sigh, "As expected of Captain Seika."

Eventually, no one had the courage to try anymore. Only then did Tama suggest to Shiba Seika, "Master, why don't you take the scroll and look after it?"

Shiba Seika was a little curious. "I've already signed my name. Is there anything else this scroll can do?"

Tama explained, "Whether you have the scroll or not doesn't affect your ability to summon me, meow. But if you ever want to visit the Cat Country, the cats there might not be willing to welcome you without the Contract Scroll, meow."

Shiba Seika finally understood. Then he asked, "You've mentioned the Cat Country several times. What kind of place is it?"

Could it be a Sage Land, too? But as far as he remembered, the original story had never mentioned a Sage Land connected to Ninja Cats.

The only Three Great Sage Lands Shiba Seika knew of were Shikkotsu Forest, Ryūchi Cave, and Myoboku Mountain.

Tama replied, "The Cat Country is our cats' homeland, meow~ We've been welcoming the ninjas we approve of there for many years, meow~"

Tama had piqued Shiba Seika's curiosity. "Can I go take a look?"

"Of course, meow~ You can get there with the Reverse Summoning Technique, meow~"

Shiba Seika went to the storeroom and asked for the Summoning Scroll.

Since almost everyone in the organization had already tried and failed, Yahiko didn't stop him. He readily handed the scroll over to Shiba Seika.

Then Shiba Seika formed the hand seals for the Reverse Summoning Technique.

"Poof!"

He vanished from where he stood.

When the white smoke in front of him cleared, he found himself in a quiet little mountain village.

It looked like a beautiful paradise, with green mountains, fertile fields, crisscrossing paths, and rows of little houses.

There were two kinds of houses here. The ones the Ninja Cats lived in themselves were tiny and low, lined up like cardboard boxes stacked together.

Shiba Seika even saw some Ninja Cats curled up comfortably in discarded cardboard boxes nestled in tree branches, dozing contentedly.

It reminded Shiba Seika of his own experience raising cats in his previous life: the expensive cat bed he'd bought was ignored, while the cardboard box left over from unpacking a delivery became the cat's favorite cozy hideaway.

The other kind of house was clearly meant to host humans. They were about the same height and size as houses in the outside world.

"This is the Cat Country, meow~ We provide everything you ninjas need here, meow~"

Following Tama's introduction, Shiba Seika looked around. Sure enough, the shops nearby seemed to cover almost all of a ninja's needs.

There was a Ninja Tools shop, a pharmacy, a tailor selling ninja vests, and a food shop that sold Soldier Pills.

There was even a mission brokerage. It seemed to find mission assignments for ninjas, though Shiba Seika didn't go in to take a closer look.

"You cats sure have a wide range of businesses," he remarked, then casually picked the nearest Ninja Tools shop and went inside.

The shopkeeper was a fierce-looking gray cat, one eye hidden beneath a scar. Its remaining eye fixed sharply on Shiba Seika as he entered.

But when the shopkeeper noticed the Summoning Contract Scroll at Shiba Seika's waist, its expression softened noticeably.

"Feel free to look around, customer. We accept currency from the Shinobi World, including banknotes."

"Can I pay with dried fish?"

The Gray Cat Shopkeeper gave him a look that said, "Are you messing with me?"

All right. Only then did Shiba Seika realize that his gluttonous Tama was probably an exception in the Cat Country.

Shiba Seika picked up a few Ninja Tools to examine them.

To his surprise, the Ninja Tools here were all excellent quality, in no way inferior to the spoils they'd taken from ninjas of the great ninja villages.

Shiba Seika instantly realized: He might have found another treasure trove!

This place could become an important source of logistical supplies for the Land of Rain in the future—a key factor in Amegakure's rise!

He held back his excitement, then asked the Gray Cat Shopkeeper, "Are there any shops around here that sell ninjutsu scrolls?"

Ninja Tools and supplies were certainly important, but they weren't what the Akatsuki Organization needed most right now.

As ninjas from a small country, what they truly lacked was a stockpile of ninjutsu—in other words, a foundation!

Nagato and Konan's abilities were "innate" and couldn't be taught to others, while Shiba Seika's insights weren't easy to pass on either.

Improving his own strength was certainly important, but if he had the means, Shiba Seika was also willing to build up his own team and forces.

The Gray Cat Shopkeeper narrowed its one eye and was silent for quite a while before speaking.

"You're quite a bold contractor. The Cat Country wouldn't dare take on a request like that lightly. You should know that many ninja clans take the secrecy and inheritance of their ninjutsu very seriously."

Shiba Seika wasn't in a hurry.

He could tell from the shopkeeper's tone that there was probably more to come.

Sure enough, the Gray Cat Shopkeeper changed tack in its next sentence.

"However, though we can't sell you ninjutsu directly, we can introduce you to other contractors from the Cat Country. You can negotiate any deals with them yourselves afterward. We only charge a basic brokerage fee."

"No problem. You've been a huge help, Shopkeeper."

Shiba Seika thoughtfully offered it some dried fish.

To his surprise, the shopkeeper looked disgusted.

It didn't like them? Shiba Seika had no choice but to hand the dried fish over to his own Tama instead.

Even though she'd just eaten lunch, Tama took every piece without hesitation, wolfing them down with evident delight and letting out satisfied meows.

The Gray Cat Shopkeeper's whiskers twitched. Its face was full of the helplessness of someone thinking, "How did this kid turn out so hopeless?"

"Come with me."

The Gray Cat Shopkeeper led them toward the back of the shop.

As soon as they turned a corner, Shiba Seika sensed someone in the room ahead.

The person noticed him at almost the same time and called out, "Huh? Shopkeeper, do we have another customer today?"

The Gray Cat Shopkeeper opened the door and said to the person inside, "A-Shui, there's someone I'd like you to meet."

The moment the door opened, Shiba Seika froze in surprise.

Today's surprises just kept coming!

He recognized the ninja in the room at a glance.

It was—Uchiha Shisui!