The Dog-Cat Conflict (Conclusion)

The old and weak Dog Clan in the camp returned to their territory in the afternoon.

Gray Ridge sent a few young dogs to fetch them, and they walked very slowly along the way.

As they entered the ancestral land, several dogs at the village entrance raised their heads, their gazes lingered on them for a moment, then they lowered their heads again and continued licking their paws.

This matter should have just been left over.

But...

"When His Highness stood in front of the Cat Clan," Gray Ridge said, standing in the open space surrounded by many young Dog Clan, "There were at least dozens of cats, and he, a single canine, just stepped forward."

The Dog Clan lying down all had their ears perked up.

"Black Fang ran away, leaving the old and weak to die in the camp," Gray Ridge's voice was full of passion. "It was His Highness the Prince who stayed behind, along with those human cubs."

"Humans?"

"Humans helped us," Gray Ridge said, "But standing at the very front is His Highness the Prince."

The news spread faster than Gray Ridge had anticipated.

By evening, some of the Dog Clan had begun to gather in front of the wooden house where Shiro lived.

A greyhound ran over from a distance, carrying something in its mouth, and placed it on the doorstep in front of Shiro.

It's a piece of dried meat.

Shiro looked down at the jerky, then looked up at the gray dog.

The greyhound took a step back, bent its front legs, and touched its forehead to the ground, bowing in a gesture of respect.

Then there was a white and gray mother dog with two puppies, each with a small bone in its mouth.

"They insisted on coming," the mother dog said somewhat shyly, "Saying she wanted to give her favorite bone to His Highness."

The two puppies placed the small bone next to the pile of things, then knelt down like adults, their foreheads touching the ground.

Shiro was completely frozen, looking at the ever-growing pile of things in front of him, and then at the kneeling dogs, utterly at a loss for what to do.

It's just an ordinary white puppy whose daily routine consists of following Shin-chan around, eating when it's hungry, and sleeping when it's tired.

Shin-chan was sitting cross-legged inside the wooden house, his chin resting on his hands.

"Shiro, they like you very much."

Shiro's ears twitched.

"Really?" Shin-chan leaned closer. "Look, so many delicious things! I've never received so many gifts before."

Gray Ridge stood outside the wooden house, watching more and more tribesmen gather around, and gently wagged its tail.

It calculated the time in its mind.

If all goes well, the news should have already reached Black Fang's ears.

What we need to do now is to give this matter another push.

"Tonight," Gray Ridge turned to face the gathered Dog Clan, "The tribe is holding a banquet to welcome His Highness back to the tribe."

Soon the entire clan territory was abuzz with activity.

A dog brought back dry branches from the woods outside the village and piled them in the middle of an open space.

The Kakkō illuminated the entire open space.

The Dog Clan emerged from their respective wooden huts, each carrying various objects in their mouths.

They placed these things beside the fire, then stepped back, lay down, and formed a circle.

Gray Ridge walked to the fire, the Kakkō illuminating half of his face.

"The Dog Clan," it declared in a high-pitched voice, "The prince who had been wandering far from home has returned today."

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A low growl came from the group of dogs lying down, as if in agreement.

"From this day forward, Your Highness will lead us to glory."

Gray Ridge turned his head and looked in the direction of the wooden house.

Your Highness.

All the dogs looked in that direction.

Shiro came out, its white fur illuminated by the Kakkō.

The dogs that were lying down automatically made way for them.

Shiro walked to the fire, turned around, and faced all the Dog Clan.

Kakkō danced in its eye.

"Woof."

There was a moment of silence among the dogs.

Then the older dog was the first to raise its head and let out a long bark.

The three puppies also tilted their heads back and started whimpering in their baby voices.

Then came the second one, the third one...

The dogs throughout the entire territory were barking, their sounds merging together and echoing across the open space.

Gray Ridge patted the ground with its front paws, and only spoke again after the sound gradually subsided.

"The banquet begins."

The dogs dispersed a bit, each going to retrieve some food.

Gray Ridge walked to the fire, took a bone from the highest pile of food, and then walked to Shiro and put the bone down.

"This is a wild boar's leg bone," Gray Ridge said. "Wild boars have thick skin and tough flesh, making them the most difficult to hunt. The leg bone of an adult wild boar is something the Dog Clan only offers to their most honored dogs."

Shiro Bai looked down at the bone, then looked up at Gray Ridge.

Gray Ridge turned around, took another bone, walked up to Shin-chan, and put it down.

Shin-chan sat cross-legged on the ground, looking down at the bone in front of him that was thicker than his arm.

The bones still bore the marks of roasting and emitted an indescribable aroma.

Shin-chan tried taking a bite.

The teeth struck the bone surface with a dull thud.

The bones remained completely still.

Shin-chan's mouth was still open, in the position of biting down, and his eyes blinked.

He put the bone down and poked the surface with his finger.

Hard.

"This..." Shin-chan turned to look at Gray Ridge, "How do we eat it?"

Gray Ridge was looking at Shiro when he heard this, so he turned around and his ears twitched.

"Use your teeth."

Shin-chan looked down at the bone again, then at the neat row of teeth in Gray Ridge's mouth.

I don't have those teeth.

Gray Ridge fell silent for a moment.

It looked down at Shin-chan's mouth, then at the bone in his hand.

Human teeth...

"It's useless," Shin-chan said frankly.

Gray Ridge opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

"Let me see if there are any others." Shin-chan put the bone down.

He stood up and walked toward the pile of food next to the fire.

Rabbits, pheasants, fish...

His eyes lit up.

"That's fine."

He picked up the roasted rabbit and sat down next to Shiro.

It tastes better than I expected.

Uchiha Toru leaned against the wall of the wooden house, holding a fruit in his hand. The sourness made him frown.

Gray Ridge watched from the side, its tail lightly brushing the ground.

The fire burned until late into the night, leaving only a pile of dark red charcoal.

Most of the dogs dispersed; some went back to the cabin, while others lay down by the fire, burying their noses in their tails.

The sound of hurried footsteps could be heard on the dirt road at the village entrance.

Gray Ridge's ears perked up.

The dogs by the fire also woke up, raised their heads, their nostrils flaring, and then stood up one by one.

Black Fang walked up to the fire and stopped. "It's lively here."

"You're back earlier than expected." Gray Ridge stood up.

"I heard that His Highness the Prince has returned." Black Fang's gaze shifted to Shiro.

Shin-chan, who had fallen asleep while hugging Shiro, sat up straight, rubbing his eyes, upon hearing the noise. "So many dogs!"

Black Fang walked up to Shiro, then bent his front legs and sank down.

Your Highness.

The dogs that had followed it back also knelt down one after another.

Gray Ridge's pupils contracted slightly.

It had considered many possibilities: Black Fang might return with its main force and launch a direct attack, or it might use the lives of the old and weak Dog Clan to force it to give in.

But it chose to give in for the time being.

When Black Fang raised his head, his gaze met Gray Ridge's.

Those eyes held everything, except submission.

"Your Highness has just returned and is still unfamiliar with many things in the clan." Black Fang stood up. "The survival of the Dog Clan is not easy. If it weren't for me holding the line all these years, the clan's territory would have been trampled to pieces by the Cat Clan long ago."

It turned to Gray Ridge: "Gray Ridge, don't you think so?"

Gray Ridge did not respond.

"Your Highness needs my assistance." Black Fang glanced around.

Gray Ridge understood.

Black Fang wasn't submitting; he was using Shiro to command the rest of the dogs.

However, this also shows that Black Fang is not entirely confident. As long as Shiro is still a prince, Black Fang cannot openly make a move against him.

If Shiro can learn the Gigantification Technique, then everything will be fine, and those dogs that followed Black Fang will naturally choose to switch sides.

Even if they can't learn it, as long as the Dog Clan has a prince, Gray Ridge can stabilize the situation.

Black Fang wanted a flag, and Gray Ridge wanted the same flag.

It doesn't matter who holds the flag; what matters is that the flag is raised so that the tribe's territory won't fall apart.

When Shin-chan woke up, the sun was already high in the sky above the roof of the wooden house.

Shiro was lying next to him. When it saw that he was awake, it wagged its tail rapidly.

Good morning, Shiro.

Shiro's tail wagged even faster.

"Did you remember that technique from yesterday that made it grow as big as a mountain?"

Shiro's ears perked up, and it nodded.

"Really?" Shin-chan leaned closer. "I didn't understand a single word, all that Chakra running around..."

Shiro tilted its head. "Woof."

"But it's okay if you can't learn it." Shin-chan reached out and patted its head. "You're already the best Shiro in the world, even if you can't turn big."

Shiro's tail was wagging so fast it was practically a blur.

Gray Ridge stood at the door of the wooden house. "It's time to take you back."

How do we get back? Do we walk back?

"No need." Gray Ridge shook his head. "The Dog Clan has its own special techniques."

It walked to the open space outside the cabin and pressed its front paws on the ground, as if confirming something.

Several young dogs ran over from the side and formed a circle around Gray Ridge.

"Step to the middle."

Shin-chan pulled Uchiha Toru to stand next to him.

Gray Ridge lowered its head, and the dogs that had formed a circle simultaneously pressed their front paws to the ground.

A faint glow appeared on the ground beneath their feet, spreading along the front paws of the dogs.

Shin-chan- chan looked down at the light patterns beneath his feet. "Wow."

As the light patterns converged at their feet, the surrounding scenery began to blur.

The last thing Shin-chan saw was Gray Ridge standing outside the circle of light, bowing his head slightly towards them.

Then everything seemed to be stretched out, and when I finally stepped onto solid ground, I was already inside a cave.

Several people were standing at the entrance of the cave.

Shin-chan blinked, his gaze sweeping over each of the people.

They were all wearing Konoha Forehead Protector.

His self-illumination stopped on a blond-haired man.

The person visibly relaxed the moment they saw them.

"Ah." Shin-chan tilted his head and thought for two seconds, "You're that—"

Minato Namikaze knelt down in front of Shin-chan: "It's good that you're alright."

What are you doing here?

"Hokage-sama received news of your disappearance." Minato Namikaze stood up. "He sent us to investigate."

His senses have always been keen, especially his perception of spatial fluctuations.

Just a moment ago, the space inside the cave rippled like a stone being thrown into water, as if something had been pulled from Faraway Place and then reformed here.

Footsteps sounded again at the cave entrance, and two figures appeared one after the other.

Kakashi's gaze first fell on Shin-chan, then shifted to Uchiha Toru, and he relaxed completely.

"Found it."

Shin-chan- chan waved to him. "Kakashi, you're here too!"

"Um.

Kakashi responded with a sound of agreement, saying nothing more, as long as everyone was alright.

Maruboshi Kosuke's lips moved, his eyes churning with unspoken emotions.

Self-blame, lingering fear, relief, and many other indescribable emotions were mixed together.

"Uncle," Shin-chan's voice came from inside the cave.

Maruboshi Kosuke looked up.

"I'm hungry." Shin-chan- chan ran towards him. "Do you have any rice balls?"

"Have."

His voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible.

"Several?"

You can have as many as you want.

"Then I want three." Shin-chan's eyes sparkled.

Maruboshi Kosuke looked at him, his eyes reddening. "Okay."

Minato Namikaze turned around and glanced outside the cave.

"Let's go back first. The Hokage-sama is still waiting for news."

Maruboshi Kosuke walked at the back of the group, his gaze fixed on Shin-chan's back.

Konoha is still the same Konoha.

The shops on both sides of the street were as bustling as ever, and Ninja were jumping around on the rooftops, busy with something.

A tabby cat was perched on the wall licking its paws. When it saw them pass by, its ears twitched, then it continued licking.

Shin-chan Xin waved to the cat.

The tabby cat glanced at him and then turned its head away.

The Hokage Office.

When Minato Namikaze pushed open the door, there were already several people standing inside.

The Third Hokage sat behind a table, a pipe dangling from his mouth.

"You're back."

His gaze passed over Minato Namikaze and landed on the three children who came in behind him. He then took his pipe out of his mouth and tapped it on the edge of the table.

"Grandpa Hokage." Shin-chan peeked out from behind Minato Namikaze.

The Third Hokage placed his pipe on the table. "Don't run around like that again next time."

"Mm." Shin-chan- chan nodded.

Minato Namikaze gave a brief report on the situation.

After listening, the Third Hokage didn't ask any further questions, but simply nodded.

"You should all get some rest for the next while."

He paused, then said, "Don't leave the village again for a while."

"Yes." Maruboshi Kosuke lowered his head.

Shin-chan's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Real."

"Can I sleep in?"

The Third Hokage's lips twitched slightly. "Alright."

Shin-chan clenched his fist tightly, his face beaming with joy.

Maruboshi Kosuke led the children outside.

As Shin-chan reached the door, the Third Hokage's voice came from behind him.

"Shin-chan."

Shin-chan turned around.

The Third Hokage looked at him, as if he was thinking about something.

I haven't given you your graduation gift yet.

Shin-chan's eyes widened, and then he turned around completely. "A graduation gift?"

The Third Hokage did not mention the matter of Shouye Bell.

He reached into the drawer of the table, took out a scroll, and handed it to him.

"What's this?" Shin-chan reached out and caught it. "Is it one of those magic spells that can make green peppers disappear?"

"There's no such technique." The Third Hokage shook his head helplessly. "It's the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique."

"Is it that impressive?"

The Third Hokage chuckled. "This is a forbidden technique; ordinary people can't learn it."

"Are forbidden techniques difficult?" Shin-chan's eyes lit up.

"Not difficult." The Third Hokage knew about Shin-chan's extraordinary Chakra reserves and physique, "And it suits you perfectly."

Shin-chan- chan nodded.

The Third Hokage added, "Starting tomorrow, you'll learn another technique from Minato."

Minato Namikaze stood to the side, his gaze shifting slightly.

Shin-chan's face immediately fell.

Didn't we say we were going to rest?

"Learn more Ninjutsu so you can protect what you want to protect."

Shin-chan opened his mouth, and a picture suddenly flashed through his mind.

Shiro squatted in front of the wooden house in the tribe's territory. Gray Ridge said, "If you become as big as a mountain, you can protect the people you want to protect."

Shin-chan looked down at the scroll in his hand and remained silent for a few seconds.

Then he raised his head, looked at the Third Hokage, and nodded very seriously.

"All right."

"Alright, go back." The Third Hokage picked up his pipe from the table.