Black Panther

As he approached the rocks, Hyuuga Nen could finally make out the shadow in the moonlight. It was a sleek-looking black panther.

When the black panther saw Hyuuga Nen and Taro approaching, it jumped down from the boulder and slowly walked up to them.

The black panther raised its head and looked at Hyuuga Nen. Opening its mouth, it said, "You're here. It's been a few years, and you've grown so much. You don't look like your father; you take after your mother more."

"Who are you?" Hyuuga Nen asked, looking at the black panther in confusion.

"Doesn't it strike you as strange that I can talk?" The black panther eyed Hyuuga Nen suspiciously.

"Uh..."

Hyuuga Nen realized he'd made the mistake of jumping to conclusions, so he played along. "Oh, right. How can you talk?"

Watching Hyuuga Nen's stiff expression, the black panther pursed its lips. "Never mind. I'm your father's summoning beast. He asked me to give you something you need."

"A summoning beast? What's that? And my father... who was he, exactly?"

"A summoning beast is a ninja beast that has signed a Summoning Contract with a ninja. As for your father, he was a ninja. Have you heard of ninjas?"

Hyuuga Nen nodded. "Yes. I've heard they're people who wield powerful abilities, like samurai."

The black panther shook its head. "Ninjas are even more powerful than samurai. You'll understand when you become a ninja." As it spoke, the black panther brought its front paws together. With a bang, a scroll appeared between them.

Was that a hand-seal-less ninjutsu!? Hyuuga Nen thought, watching the black panther in astonishment.

Seeing Hyuuga Nen's expression, the black panther nodded in satisfaction. "See? That's the power of a ninja, and a ninja's abilities go far beyond that."

After hearing the black panther's words, Hyuuga Nen knew it had misunderstood him, but he didn't explain. Instead, he went along with it. "Can I learn to wield that kind of power, too?"

As soon as he said it, Hyuuga Nen felt his performance was really starting to come together.

"You can, because you share the same bloodline as your father."

"The same bloodline as my father? Who was he, exactly?" Hearing the black panther mention his father again, Hyuuga Nen pressed it for an answer.

"You don't need to know that yet." The black panther shook its head, then held out the paw gripping the scroll.

Seeing what the black panther was doing, Hyuuga Nen eagerly reached out as well. Just as he was about to take the scroll, the black panther pulled it back.

Hyuuga Nen looked at the black panther in confusion. "What...?"

"Before that, I have to give you a serious warning." The black panther fixed its gaze on Hyuuga Nen. "You must not let anyone outside your family, other than your mother, know that you're becoming a ninja. You mustn't let anyone discover your father's identity, either. If anyone finds out, you could very well be killed. Do you understand?"

After hearing the black panther's words, Hyuuga Nen clearly understood how serious the situation was. His expression turned solemn. "I understand!"

Only then did the black panther hand him the scroll. Hyuuga Nen stared at it excitedly and slowly unrolled it. He found rows of symbols drawn across it, and nothing else.

"How do I use this scroll?" Hyuuga Nen asked, looking at the black panther.

"You won't be able to open it until you become a ninja." The black panther then turned to look at Taro. "But you can have Taro open it for you."

Hyuuga Nen looked at Taro, then asked the black panther, "Is Taro one of my father's summoning beasts, too? Can he talk?"

"Taro isn't a summoning beast, but he can use chakra. He can't talk. And he's my underling." The black panther looked at Taro.

"Chakra?"

"Chakra is the power ninjas wield. Until you can use chakra, you'll have to let Taro open the scroll for you."

"I understand." Hyuuga Nen nodded.

"All right, you've been away for quite a while. You should go back. Do you have any other questions?"

"What's your name, and how can I contact you?"

"You don't need to contact me. I'll get in touch with you. As for my name, I'll tell you after you become a ninja."

"What will happen when the scroll is opened?" Hyuuga Nen asked again.

"Once it's open, you'll find instructions on how to become a ninja, along with some supplies. There's also money in there to support you and your mother."

Hyuuga Nen nodded. He had so many questions, but he didn't know where to begin. He also didn't know if the black panther would answer them, so for the moment, he fell silent.

As they stood in silence, Hyuuga Nen heard the black panther speak again. "I almost forgot. Your father wrote a letter to your mother. You can give it to her." As it spoke, the black panther took out a letter.

After hearing that, Hyuuga Nen took the letter.

"All right, I've said everything I needed to. I'm leaving now." The black panther looked at Taro again. "Taro, I'll leave them in your care."

Taro looked at the black panther, nodded, and let out a low "woof."

Then the black panther gave Hyuuga Nen a final look without saying anything, rose to its feet, and ran off toward the edge of the forest.

After the black panther left, Hyuuga Nen stood in the forest, lost in thought. After a while, he turned to Taro. "Let's go home too, Taro." Then he and Taro headed home.

When they got back, Hyuuga Nen slipped quietly into his room. By the moonlight filtering through the window, he silently studied the scroll in his hands.

I'll wait until morning.

Suppressing the urge to have Taro open the scroll right away, Hyuuga Nen looked around the room for somewhere to hide it.

"There's nowhere good to hide it. I'll have to put it in the cabinet for now." Hyuuga Nen walked over to the wooden cabinet beside the bed and put the scroll and letter inside. Then he asked Taro, "Taro, can you sleep in my room tonight?"

After hearing that, Taro nodded and lay down beside the bed. Seeing him settle there, Hyuuga Nen felt a little more at ease. He glanced at the cabinet once more, then lay down on the bed.

But no matter how long he lay there, Hyuuga Nen couldn't fall asleep. His thoughts were all about the scroll and what lay ahead. Tomorrow I'll give the letter to Mother, and I need to find somewhere safe to hide the scroll. Otherwise, someone might discover it.

After thinking about the letter and the scroll, Hyuuga Nen's thoughts turned to himself. After waiting so long, I can finally become a ninja. Thinking of all the years he'd spent living in constant fear of being discovered, Hyuuga Nen was filled with emotion.

As he thought, Hyuuga Nen suddenly began to understand how the people of the Hyuga Branch House felt. He didn't have the Caged Bird Seal, but his situation was somewhat like theirs: his fate was in someone else's hands, just like a bird living in a cage.

But I'm lucky in one way: I haven't been branded with the Caged Bird Seal, and I won't let them brand me. I'll decide my own fate!

Exhausted yet excited, Hyuuga Nen drifted off to sleep at some point...