"Come on, can you talk?" Kamiya Keiyun first injected Chakra into the rat's brain.
"Squeak, squeak." The black rat had clearly become much smarter, but it did not display any ability to speak.
"Was it because it was too small?" This rat was only six centimeters long. One look was enough to tell that it was not yet an adult; perhaps it had only been born a month or two ago.
It seemed normal enough that it could not talk.
Besides, Kakashi had said that not all Ninja Beasts could speak. Some could, some could not. That was normal.
"But I want a rat I can communicate with. If it can't communicate, that'll be troublesome. I can't exactly rely on gestures." Kamiya Keiyun muttered, then turned to Ruri. "Ruri, wait a moment. I'll wash this rat before giving it to you."
"No!" The rat in Kamiya Keiyun's hand hurriedly spoke.
No matter how many times he heard it, Keiyun still found it unbelievable. He had only injected a little Chakra—how could that make it talk?
In xianxia novels, demons had to refine their transverse bones before they could speak!
Then again, not necessarily. Some worlds had very low power levels, yet every demon in them could talk without taking human form, like Sky-Swallowing Pythons and such.
I wonder if there are research institutions specifically studying the mysteries of Chakra. But even if there are, given this world's attitude toward restricting knowledge, I might not be qualified to study there. I might as well establish one myself.
It did not matter if he had no scientists. He could cultivate them himself. Kamiya Keiyun was only five years old this year. If he began training them now, then by the time he came of age, the scientists he had cultivated would be ready to put to use.
"Can we communicate now?" Kamiya Keiyun asked.
"Y-yes. Don't kill me," the black rat said tremblingly.
"Since we can communicate, I won't kill you. I'll even teach you the Chakra Refining Technique. But in exchange, you must work for me from now on!" Kamiya Keiyun said.
"This..." The black rat hesitated. How should he put it? He still yearned for freedom.
"Food and lodging included. Eight hours of work a day, with up to three hours of overtime. Your work can earn you all kinds of ninjutsu and make you stronger!" Kamiya Keiyun said temptingly. "Or do you want to return to that muddleheaded life you used to live?"
He was certain that no living creature could resist the temptation of intelligence. Beautiful women and money were nothing compared to superpowers like photographic memory and an overclocked brain.
The black rat hurriedly shook his head. How could that be possible?
He had originally been nothing more than an ordinary rat. Before this, he had lived in a muddled haze, knowing nothing, living only for food and survival.
But now he was different. He could think. He could understand this world. At last, he could contemplate the meaning of life!
It was like escaping a cage and returning to nature.
Once he had felt that way, who would be willing to return to the days of digging through dirt for food, living in constant fear of being caught at any moment?
"May I ask what work I'll have to do?" the black rat asked. "After all, I'm only a rat. If it's too difficult, I might not be able to keep at it."
"Can you dig tunnels?" Kamiya Keiyun asked.
"Of course! It's my trade!" The black rat nodded rapidly. Although he was a Roof Rat, houses in the past had all been made of earth. Did they not still dig through them?
Though they were not as professional as moles, they were still quite skilled at digging tunnels.
"Then your current job is to dig an underground tunnel leading outside Konoha!" Kamiya Keiyun thought for a moment before saying, "Konoha's ninjas seem very perceptive. To keep them from noticing it, the tunnel needs to be deeper. Start by digging one a hundred meters deep!"
The black rat fell silent for a long while before asking, "How high is one hundred meters?"
"About a hundred times my height!" Kamiya Keiyun said. "By the way, do you know how much a hundred is?"
"I didn't before, but I do now!" The black rat thought for a moment, then asked, "Then... can you put me down and let me go back to being a rat?"
"What do you think?" Kamiya Keiyun smiled at Ruri beside him. Ruri cooperatively leaped onto the table and fixed the rat with an icy stare.
To humans, that gaze was merely cute. But to a rat, it was a genuine death glare!
"This..." The black rat swallowed. Right, where could he even go if he returned? With this cat living so close by, he might go back today only to be caught and eaten tomorrow.
"Well, I have two older brothers and three younger sisters. How about I go back and bring them here too? I don't think I can finish this job by myself," the black rat said.
"We'll talk about that later. Learn the Chakra Refining Technique first. Otherwise, without my Chakra sustaining you, you'll return to that muddleheaded life you had before!"
"Okay!"
"Oh, right, I'll give you a name too!" Kamiya Keiyun remembered. As a naming enthusiast, how could he allow one of his subordinates to go without a name?
"Okay!" The black rat nodded. He did not really care either way.
"From today onward, you'll be called Beibei!" Kamiya Keiyun said. "This name has quite an extraordinary origin. It belonged to a Sky-Swallowing Rat with an enormous appetite, capable of swallowing the heavens. If one day you can reach even one ten-thousandth of its level, you won't have disgraced this name."
"Huh?" The black rat immediately perked up. "A Sky-Swallowing Rat?"
That name sounded incredible. I thought us rats only knew how to steal rice. I never expected our predecessors to be this awesome!
"Of course. There are quite a few famous figures in the rat world: Beibei the Sky-Swallowing Rat, White Day Rat Bai Sheng, Lady Earth-Feeding, the white-furred rat who stole oil from the Buddha clan's lamp, Brocade Fur Rat Shui Bingbing, lover of Marshal Tianpeng of the Heavenly River Navy, the all-knowing Naughty, the omnipotent Jerry, Shuke who flew airplanes, and Beita who drove tanks." Kamiya Keiyun introduced them seriously. "When I have time, I can tell you their stories."
"Uh..." The black rat blinked his tiny eyes for a long while before suddenly saying, "Could you give me another name?"
"What, isn't Beibei grand enough?"
"It's certainly grand, but since it's someone else's name, I'd rather not use it. I want to become one of the long list of names you introduced, rather than a rat using another rat's name," the black rat said.
"Huh?" Kamiya Keiyun was stunned. This rat actually had dreams now!
Amazing, truly amazing!
"Not bad. You're very good—far better than that lazy cat beside you!" Kamiya Keiyun nodded. "In that case, since you have black fur, take Hei as your surname. And since you harbor great ambitions and wish to stand alongside the names of your predecessors, you shall be called Hei Bei. I hope you aim high and achieve your dreams soon!"
"Hei Bei, Hei Bei..." The black rat had not cared much about names at first, but after hearing the meaning behind it, the more he heard it, the more he liked it. He nodded repeatedly. "Yes, Master. I'll work hard and become famous as soon as possible!"
"Good. First, refine some Chakra. Then I'll teach you how to strengthen your claws, and we'll see whether your tunnel-digging efficiency has improved after becoming a Ninja Rat!"
Before you continue