It's All Kishimoto's Fault

"Tsk, what a piece of trash cat."

"Forget it. Once I capture Matatabi later and make Daju the cat-jinchuriki, I really look forward to seeing how Ayan will react."

Uchiha Ren let his thoughts wander for a moment before a plan formed. He then cast a glance toward the Silver-spotted Cat.

"Ayan, what is the intelligence from the front lines?"

The silver-white cat was in no hurry to answer.

Instead, she stepped forward, lowered her head to pick up a berry that Daju had carefully selected, tasted it delicately, and only then replied with elegance.

"Young Master, the situation is developing much as you anticipated."

"Sunagakure has fallen into chaos due to the disappearance of the Third Kazekage. Several elders and high-ranking officials of Sunagakure intend to use this opportunity to plunder resources from smaller nations, turning internal conflicts into shared interests."

"They are even attempting to incite a major war, luring other nations to send troops into the Land of Fire to grab a piece of the pie within Konohagakure's borders."

"Currently, small squads of Sunagakure ninja have already entered the borders of the Land of Fire to raid villages."

Uchiha Ren nodded slightly.

In the original Naruto anime, the main storyline was about love, justice, passion, and bonds, but real ninja were professional killers.

Even the Konohagakure ninja, who lived in more affluent conditions, would kill civilians from other nations for a few bites of food—take the parents of Nagato Uzumaki, for instance.

As for the moral bottom line of ninja from other villages?

It wasn't that they didn't have one; it was just pitifully low. The elderly, the weak, women, and children who lacked the ability to resist were "favorites" for many a ninja.

Seeing that Ren had no intention of speaking, the little cat continued, "Kumogakure wants to take advantage of the situation while Sunagakure is leaderless, choosing to invade the Land of Wind."

At this point, a look of extreme, human-like bewilderment and confusion appeared on Ayan's feline face.

"The Land of Wind and the Land of Lightning are separated by more than a thousand miles."

"In between lie the Land of Moon, the Land of Hot Water, and the vast Land of Fire, followed by the Land of Rain. To launch such an exhausting and thankless expedition—aren't they afraid of having their supply lines cut?"

"Or perhaps they are stupid enough to take an even longer route, passing through seven small nations, risking a pincer attack from the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire just to invade the Land of Wind... I simply cannot fathom it."

"Even Daju wouldn't commit to such an inexplicable war of aggression."

Ayan paused, flicked her tail lightly, and her tone carried a hint of mockery and dissatisfaction, "The ninja of Kumogakure are all idiots; they are not worthy of serving Lady Matatabi!"

Her emerald slit pupils contracted, and sharp claws popped out from between her paw pads as she said angrily.

"To imprison such a noble existence and use her as a tool for a jinchuriki—I am at irreconcilable odds with them!"

Watching Ayan grit her teeth, Ren used his wet finger to flick the cat on the forehead with lightning speed.

The pain made the little cat let out a "meow" as she recoiled, wobbling on the edge of the bathtub. She thrashed her tail in an attempt to regain her balance, but ultimately fell onto the floor with a "thud."

"When you are working, you must not let personal emotions interfere. If there is a next time..."

"If you offend again..."

Ren deliberately drew out his tone, watching the ball of fur on the floor perk up its ears, "...I will shave off all your cat fur."

Ayan, who had been about to cry out in pain, instantly bristled. She nimbly flipped over to sit upright, her tail nervously wrapping around her front paws.

"Young Master! That is too cruel!"

"If it's cruel, then behave yourself."

To be honest, most ninja cats had a habit of pushing their luck.

Under normal circumstances, Ren could treat Ayan's occasional willfulness as cute.

But sometimes, this cat, who had many admirers, still failed to recognize her own status and needed to be properly disciplined.

Seeing her master's stern attitude, Ayan quieted down and gracefully leaped back onto the edge of the bathtub.

She tilted her head slightly, her emerald eyes shimmering with ripples of light, and a soft, lingering "meow" emanated from her throat.

This call seemed soaked in honey and carried just the right amount of nasal tone. The soft, bone-melting timbre made Ren shiver all over, as if a tiny electric current were racing down his spine.

This sensation was a thousand times more intoxicating than any "ear therapy" he had experienced in his previous life.

Daju had heard it once before and had collapsed on the spot, the besotted expression on his face truly beyond description.

"Truly, everyone has their own specialty. You are worthy of being the Liu Ruyan of the cat world."

"Besides, the stupidity of Kumogakure is all Kishimoto's fault. He's just a manga artist; what does he know about ninja warfare?"

Ren muttered to himself, then hummed, "And then?"

Ayan blinked, watching her master relax. As her own tension eased, her voice became even softer.

"Young Master, according to your instructions, Lord Kakuzu disguised himself as a Konohagakure ninja and ambushed many Kumogakure ninja, causing Kumogakure to point their spears at Konohagakure."

She tilted her head, the fluff on her ear tips trembling slightly, and asked in confusion.

"But, Young Master, why do this? Isn't the Uchiha clan also in Konohagakure?"

"Now Kumogakure is heading south to attack the Land of Fire, along with the treacherous Sunagakure."

"Not to mention Iwagakure, which is dying to take a bite out of Konohagakure, and the restless Kirigakure."

Ayan elegantly raised her front paw, counting off the situation with a hint of worry in her voice.

"Is it really okay to be besieged by the four great ninja villages, meow?"

"The survival of Konohagakure is something for the person sitting in the Hokage office to worry about."

Ren chuckled as he stood up from the bathtub, water droplets rolling down his muscular contours and tracing crystalline paths through the swirling steam.

"What does that have to do with my Uchiha Clan?"

He reached out to take the bath towel Ayan handed him, nonchalantly drying his black hair.

"If I don't turn up the pressure on the Hokage, how can our clan secure more autonomy?"

Ayan nodded as if she half-understood, then nimbly leaped onto the shelf to fetch a dark-colored yukata.

Ren draped it over his shoulders, and as the fabric fluttered, the bathroom door was pushed open by the kitten's paw.

The silver-white figure leaped through the air, landing precisely in her young master's arms.

"But what if Konohagakure can't hold on?" Ayan asked, looking up.

"The foundations of Konohagakure are far deeper than they appear; it won't fall so easily."

Ren stroked the kitten's soft ear tips, a cold sneer playing on his lips.

"Furthermore, the survival of Konohagakure concerns the dignity of the Land of Fire, given the intricate web of intermarriages between the daimyo and the nobility."

"The daimyo of the countries behind the four great ninja villages will never truly let Konohagakure disappear."

He pushed open the veranda door, and the night breeze swept through the courtyard, carrying fallen leaves.

"Because if Konohagakure is gone, the Land of Fire is gone, and if the Land of Fire is gone, the sacred and inviolable bloodline theory of the daimyo and nobles will be trampled into the mud by lowly ninjas."

Ren tapped the kitten's damp nose with his fingertip, his voice deepening.

"Therefore, this so-called ninja world war, aside from being driven by profit, is also, to a certain extent, a way to reduce the number of ninjas."

Ayan listened to this "outrageous theory" with a shocked expression and couldn't help but say.

"Even if you want to reduce the number of ninjas, you don't have to be as cruel as starting a war!"

"Having a sword and not using it versus not having a sword at all—those are two completely different things."

Ren smiled, his gaze fixed on the night sky, "The daimyo aren't exactly on friendly terms with each other, either!"