"Ha-ji-mi-oh-nan-bei-lü-dou~ A-xi-ga-ha-ya-ha-ya-ku..."
In the jungle, Kou hummed a cheerful tune, looking pleased with himself.
He held Inazuma in his right hand. The silver-white Thunder Sword gleamed coldly in the sunlight, and each swing precisely cut through the vines and branches blocking the way.
The blade flashed at his side. A glint of lightning, and a thick branch snapped cleanly in two, landing neatly to one side without even kicking up much dust.
Ahead of him, the black cat Cook used its small body to weave slowly through the dense jungle, leading the way.
It slipped nimbly between the vines, each movement perfectly timed to avoid the dense undergrowth.
Cook's feline face was full of resentment:
"Guh... What a disgrace."
As it weaved through the jungle, it murmured dejectedly, "venting its feelings":
"To think that I, this noble Haji-mi, have succumbed to vulgar, primitive desires and been toyed with by the lowly creature behind me. How utterly undignified..."
"What are you mumbling about? Do your job properly, damn it!"
Kou's merciless voice came from behind.
As he spoke, he casually snapped off a branch.
Thanks to the Uchiha Clan's superb shuriken-throwing skills, Kou didn't even need to look at his target before tossing the branch at the black cat's backside.
"Smack!"
The branch hit its mark, bounced off that soft, springy bottom, flipped twice in the air, and landed in a pile of leaves nearby.
"Ow! What are you doing?!"
Cook sprang upright in pain, balancing on its hind legs and covering its rear with both front paws.
It turned around and glared fiercely at Kou with its golden, slit-pupil eyes:
"How dare you humiliate me again and again... A cat that doesn't get angry is no sick tiger! Hah—"
It arched its back, its fur standing on end. Then it