The Ninja Cat Clan

Watching Yan prepare to leave the clan grounds, Shisui suddenly called out to him.

"Yan, where are you going? Do you need me to come with you?"

"No need!" Yan shook his head. "I'm going to bring in some investment. You go with Yashiro and the others!"

"While you're at it, get to know the civilian shinobi in the area. I've got more things for you to do later!"

"All right!" Seeing that Yan had refused, Shisui could only nod.

With Yan already gone, Uchiha Fugaku, Tekka, Yashiro, Shisui, and the others who had been there also rose to their feet and prepared to get to work.

Only the three elderly elders remained, standing there in a daze and exchanging glances.

"Yan, he..." The First Elder looked puzzled. "Did he forget about us?"

The Third Elder snorted. "I think he did it on purpose. He thinks we're too old to be of any use."

"What about that old bastard Uchiha Setsuna?"

"Him? He's sitting comfortably at home, completely unruffled."

"Of course he's unruffled! He supported Uchiha Yan with everything he had back then. Now that Uchiha Yan has succeeded, he's bound to get a share of the benefits."

At that, the Second Elder hurried to his feet, ready to catch up with Fugaku and the others, who had already left.

"No way. I can't miss out on a historic moment like this. I wouldn't rest in peace even if I died!"

The First Elder and the Third Elder exchanged a glance. They felt the same way as the Second Elder.

They quickly got up and followed after him.

They were ready to swallow their pride and ask for a task, just so they could feel involved.

After returning to his room, Yan swiftly formed hand seals and slammed his palm down on the floor.

Bang!

A cloud of smoke billowed up, then quickly dissipated.

In its place stood a bright yellow-orange cat with a pouch hanging around its neck.

Everyone knew that the Uchiha Clan were all cat lovers.

Yan's predecessor had been no exception.

The cat was enormous. Even without standing upright, it came up to Yan's waist.

It was the summoning beast his predecessor had chosen.

Yan simply hadn't summoned it since coming to this world.

After all, the Ninja Cat Clan wasn't much good in a fight. At best, they could be cute or help gather intelligence.

They weren't of much use to him.

"Yan, you haven't summoned me in ages! Is something going on, meow?" The orange cat came over and rubbed against him.

"Maoda!" Yan took a small step back and said solemnly, "I want to meet Granny Cat."

Maoda didn't mind Yan stepping away. He licked a paw and said, "You want to see Granny Cat? I can't promise that on her behalf."

"I know. That's why I want you to talk to Granny Cat for me. Tell her I want to discuss a business deal with her."

Yan took a scroll from inside his robes and handed it to Maoda.

"Give her this. If she still isn't willing after reading it, then forget it."

Maoda took the scroll in his mouth.

Then he looked at Yan with his big, adorable eyes, blinking at him.

Yan smiled faintly and ruffled Maoda's soft head. "I understand!"

Then he took out ten thousand ryo and put it in the pouch around Maoda's neck.

Maoda grinned. "I'll take the money, and I'll make sure the job gets done."

"If Granny Cat is willing to meet you, I'll summon you with reverse summoning."

"Wait here. It won't take long!"

"Okay!" Yan nodded.

As soon as he finished speaking, Maoda vanished.

About half an hour passed.

Yan, who had been waiting in the same spot, suddenly felt a call from the void.

In the next instant, the scenery around him shifted rapidly. He felt as if he had been swept into a space-time tunnel spinning at incredible speed.

His body floated weightlessly.

Before he could react, he had already reached his destination.

Ruined walls stood all around, and weeds grew unchecked in neglected corners.

Moss covered the ancient stone walls, and Ninja Cats darted past from time to time.

A short distance away, an old woman with a slightly hunched back sat on a broad stone chair.

She held a pipe in one hand and stroked several kittens beside her with the other.

That must be Granny Cat.

Yan walked over with a smile and stopped in front of her.

"Granny Cat, I assume you already know why I'm here?"

Granny Cat puffed on her pipe, her brow furrowed.

After a long while, she finally spoke.

"Young man, you're now the head of the Uchiha Clan, and you've secured a self-governing area from Konoha."

"My Ninja Cat Clan shouldn't be of much use to you anymore, should we?"

Granny Cat didn't say it outright, but her meaning was clear.

Her Ninja Cat Clan didn't want to get mixed up in this.

Yan smiled faintly and shook his head.

"That's not true. Self-governance is one thing, but the bond between the Uchiha Clan and the Ninja Cat Clan after all these years is real."

"Now that the Uchiha Clan is prospering, we naturally won't forget the Ninja Cat Clan."

"Heh!" Granny Cat blew out a cloud of smoke and teased him. "Young man, I've lived for almost a hundred years. I can see through a little scheme like yours."

As she spoke, she tossed over the scroll she had set aside.

"This is yours. Take it back."

"My Ninja Cat Clan won't get involved in Konoha's power struggles."

Yan caught the scroll. Seeing the faint marks on it, he curled his lips into a slight smile.

"Granny Cat, are you really not going to reconsider?"

"There aren't many chances in this world for a clan to rise to greatness. Is your Ninja Cat Clan really content to stay in these ruins forever?"

"Then why do you think we're staying here?" Granny Cat asked.

"What else could it be? Your clan deals in weapons and has amassed a great deal of wealth, but you don't have the strength to protect it. So you can only hide here."

Yan's fingers twitched. Faint ripples of energy appeared at his fingertips, then vanished without drawing the attention of anyone—or any cat. He continued, "Back in the day, the Ninja Cat Clan formed a Summoning Contract with the Uchiha Clan precisely because you wanted protection."

"In the eyes of outsiders, our two clans are already one and the same."

"If we really ended the contract, my Uchiha Clan has a Special Zone of its own. One day, we might even turn the tables and become the ones in control."

"And what about your Ninja Cat Clan? Without the protection of my clan, you'll probably face extinction before long."

At that, Granny Cat fell silent and lowered her eyes. The pipe in her hand slowly dropped, as if Yan had hit upon the truth.

Her cloudy eyes dimmed beneath her wrinkled brow.

Just as Yan had said, the Ninja Cat Clan lacked strength but had plenty of money.

Their relationship with the Uchiha Clan might be one of equals.

But they all knew the truth.

If the Uchiha Clan's reputation hadn't kept the greedy, selfish powers of the Ninja World at bay, the Ninja Cat Clan might have met with disaster long ago.

But if she fully joined forces with the Uchiha Clan and got dragged into their conflict with the Hokage's faction, Granny Cat couldn't make up her mind.

After all, Uchiha Yan had seized the opportunity while the war between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning was still ongoing and forced Sarutobi Hiruzen to give up a piece of his power.

He would surely pay a price for it someday.

In a struggle where it was kill or be killed, the Ninja Cat Clan might not come out of it unscathed, either.