Ninja Beasts Can Actually Talk

Kamiya Keiyun had just finished eating and was training in the practice room when Ruri returned.

She sprawled on the windowsill, gazing at the moon outside with a desolate look in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Kamiya Keiyun asked curiously.

"My mother and brothers have become strange cats." Ruri's tone was deeply wistful. "I was reflecting on the unpredictability of a cat's life."

Kamiya Keiyun was speechless. "You're barely old enough to call yourself a cat, and you're already lamenting life?"

"I may not have been intelligent before, but I could still feel things. A group of girls chattered around me every day. It would have been hard not to understand!" Ruri stretched lazily, then looked at Kamiya Keiyun. "Let's be clear first. I'm not your cat. I'm only temporarily following you to thank you for helping me. If you dare mistreat me, I'll leave immediately!"

"Fine, but in exchange, let me pet you first!" Kamiya Keiyun said. "Mutual help, mutual benefit, a win-win situation, right?"

"Meow!" Ruri struggled briefly, but quickly went limp. There was no resisting that warm little hand on the back of her neck.

"Ruri, do you know that this world has the Five Great Nations, along with countless smaller countries? Nations attack and wage war against one another, and hatred never ends." Kamiya Keiyun said, "I've been thinking: is there some way to make everyone stop fighting?"

"Mm, what are you talking about? I don't understand. I'm just a cat, meow." Ruri shook her head.

"Take it slowly. I'll teach you writing and language first. You'll understand gradually!" Kamiya Keiyun said.

He decided to teach Ruri Chinese, just as he had taught Kamiya Sanyō.

As for whether the appearance of Chinese would seem too abrupt, it actually would not. After all, Japanese already had 1,900 Kanji. If others saw Kamiya Keiyun using Chinese, they would only think he had abandoned hiragana and katakana and communicated solely with Kanji.

Or they might assume he was speaking some regional dialect.

"May I come in?" Sanyō knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Kamiya Keiyun turned around, while Ruri found a comfortable position and lay back down.

"I just asked. Father says we won't notify the other relatives!" Sanyō came before Kamiya Keiyun and said, "He's afraid that the other relatives will enter Konoha through us. Then we won't be the only Kamiya Family in Konoha anymore."

After all, the Shimura Clan had said they wanted to cooperate with the Kamiya Family. Naturally, the benefits were greatest when there was only one Kamiya Family.

"I see!" Kamiya Keiyun frowned. This was troublesome.

If he could not leave the village, he could not buy materials. If he could not make the poison, then Ruri gaining intelligence would be useless!

"If only you could turn into a human. Then you could leave the village and buy things." Kamiya Keiyun looked at Ruri.

"Little brother, have you gone stupid from training? She's just a cat," Sanyō said.

Ruri shot Sanyō an irritated glance. Stupid woman. I can't be bothered arguing with you.

She was no ordinary cat. She was a talking cat. If Sanyō was not afraid of being harassed while she slept at night, then she could keep talking.

Sigh, I'm in a bad mood. Better pet the cat.

Kamiya Keiyun picked Ruri up again. She was only a tiny kitten, small and short-haired, but she already felt very nice to pet.

Ruri rolled her eyes. There was an outsider here!

Yet warmth spread across the back of her neck and along her back.

Then her entire body immediately went limp.

Fine. Since I'm your master, there's nothing I can do if my servant insists on giving me a massage. I can only enjoy it.

All night long, Kamiya Keiyun failed to come up with any good solution. He could only head to school with a helpless expression.

Before leaving, Kamiya Keiyun gave Sanyō another task.

"You have to teach her to read at home. Teach her both the national language and Chinese. Even if she's a cat, she must become a cat with knowledge, thoughts, culture, and morals!"

As long as she learned his way of thinking, she would naturally become one of his people—unless she was the sort of stubborn reactionary who refused all reform.

But Ruri was still young. If she was educated from childhood, she definitely would not go astray.

"But she's just a cat," Kamiya Sanyō said helplessly. Teaching a cat Kanji was far too strange!

"Woman, I've put up with you for a long time!" Ruri finally could not endure it anymore. Opening her mouth, she said in a childish voice, "I have a name. My name is Wuhu Ruri! Besides, I'm very smart. You might not even learn the same things as quickly as I do!"

"Ah, huh?"

The moment Kamiya Keiyun entered the classroom, he felt someone staring fixedly at him.

Kakashi? Why were you looking at me?

But Kakashi was no longer useful to him, so Kamiya Keiyun naturally had no need to approach him.

Besides, with that sour face and explosive temper, if this had been back when he had a bad temper himself, he would have cornered Kakashi in the woods more than a dozen times already.

Kamiya Keiyun went to the back row and, under Inuzuka Hana's excited gaze, knocked on her deskmate's desk.

"What?" The boy in sunglasses, his entire body wrapped in a jacket, asked unhappily.

He still remembered Kamiya Keiyun's self-introduction at the beginning of school. He hated insects!

You dared hate insects? Then you were his Lifelong Rival!

"I want to switch seats with you. You can sit over there!" Kamiya Keiyun pointed at the seat beside Kakashi.

"You think I'll switch just because you told me to? Who do you think you are?" The boy slammed a hand on the desk and stood up. "I heard you defeated Kakashi yesterday? Other people might fear you, but I don't! Come on, Aburame Shiji challenges you!!"

What the hell? Who started the rumor that I defeated Kakashi?

Kamiya Keiyun immediately looked toward Uchiha Obito in the front row. Obito had always loved watching excitement and was already looking this way. When he saw Kamiya Keiyun staring at him, he immediately said righteously, "It wasn't me! I only said that you and Kakashi came out of the school's backyard without a scratch!"

"Fine. You heard that, right? You, Aburame Shiji?" Kamiya Keiyun's expression turned strange, but he would get fined for making a homophone joke, so he let it go.

"I didn't defeat Kakashi. Someone was spreading rumors!"

"I don't care. Since you earned Kakashi's recognition, you must be strong too!" Aburame Shiji said.

"Then go fight Kakashi!"

"I can't beat him."

"Fine, you're ruthless!" Kamiya Keiyun gave him a thumbs-up, then returned to his own seat.

He had originally wanted to ask Inuzuka Hana about Ninja Dogs, but on second thought, Kakashi's father was a Jonin. With such family training, Kakashi should be quite knowledgeable.

Maybe asking Kakashi would work.

"Tch! Coward!" Aburame Shiji said disdainfully. Then he turned and asked, "Inuzuka Hana, this is the guy you like?"

"That's right!" Inuzuka Hana smiled. "As expected, my judgment is good. If he had really accepted your challenge—"

"What then?"

"I'd still like him just the same!"

Aburame Shiji's face darkened. "What do you even like about him? I don't see anything special about him at all!"

"That just means your judgment is bad!" Inuzuka Hana said with a smile. "At the very least, he's handsome!"

"I'm handsome too." Aburame Shiji touched his face. So, was this high-collared jacket and these sunglasses hiding his handsomeness?

But this was his clan's attire. He could not simply refuse to wear it!

"Kakashi, let me ask you something!" After returning to his seat, Kamiya Keiyun spoke quietly.

"What is it?" Kakashi's tone was much gentler.

He still did not think highly of Kamiya Keiyun, but at least he had begun to take him seriously.

"Have you ever seen a Ninja Beast that can talk?" Kamiya Keiyun gestured. "That kind of thing."

"I have!"

"Oh, that kind of... Hm?" Kamiya Keiyun froze. "You've seen one?"

Kakashi looked at Kamiya Keiyun with disdain. So there were things he did not know after all. Hah!

Thinking of yesterday, Kamiya Keiyun had actually overestimated himself enough to challenge his father. So he was an idiot when it came to ninjutsu knowledge, right?

But then again, he seemed to come from a civilian family?

"Our Hatake Clan has signed contracts with the Ninja Dog clan for generations. The Ninja Dogs I summon can talk!" Kakashi said casually.

But Keiyun felt like Kakashi was showing off.

(No surnames from here on. Typing four characters is too tiring.)

"Are they the Ninja Dogs from the Inuzuka Clan? But Gumaru can't talk!" Keiyun asked.

"Uh..." Kakashi froze. Right, they were both Ninja Dogs. Why could the Eight Ninja Dogs talk while Gumaru could not?

"I don't know the specifics either. Ninja Beasts come in all kinds. Some can talk, some can't. As for why exactly, I don't know," Kakashi answered.

"I see!" Keiyun nodded. So Ruri's situation was actually normal.

Then could he raise cats on a massive scale, gather thousands or tens of thousands of Ninja Beasts, and sweep across the world?

"But Ninja Beasts like the Eight Ninja Dogs are only good at reconnaissance. Their sense of smell is powerful, but their combat strength is somewhat weak. Large Ninja Beasts that excel in battle are extremely rare," Kakashi said, actually showing off. See? His Eight Ninja Dogs had incredibly strong reconnaissance abilities. Jealous?

"I see!" Kamiya Keiyun nodded. Large?

How large?

If it was a large animal skilled in battle, could it be something like a tiger or an elephant?

Still, summoning a tiger would not be bad. He could lie on the tiger's back. Felines had a strong sense of balance, so lying on a tiger's back would probably feel like lying on a cloud bed.

"Do you have any more questions?" Kakashi continued. "If not, I'm going to read!"

"Yes, yes. Can Ninja Beasts turn into humans?"

"Hm?"