Ninja Cats

The sight at the deepest part of the Empty Zone made Yin Jie's eyes widen.

A broad, level street came into view, appearing there without seeming at all out of place.

At the end of the street stood a tidy ninja tool shop, two large lanterns hanging at its entrance and casting a warm orange-red glow. It formed a stark contrast with the crumbling ruins lining both sides of the street and stretching farther into the distance.

As they approached, a faint scent of wood drifted out through the open doors, bringing an inexplicable sense of comfort and reassurance.

More than a dozen Ninja Cats of varying sizes and appearances lounged here, some sitting curled up while others sprawled on the ground.

Even when they saw Fugaku and Yin Jie arrive, they merely lifted their heads slightly for a glance before returning to their previous positions.

"Wow..."

Yin Jie marveled inwardly.

This place was practically paradise for cat lovers and cat-petters!

But the next moment, a trace of gravity appeared on Yin Jie's face.

The Ninja Cats here were clearly different from the ones he had encountered on the way.

Through the Sharingan, he could distinctly sense the immense power contained within these dozen or so Ninja Cats.

Their chakra reserves were terrifying, comparable to Luna's—and several of them possessed far more chakra than Luna did!

"This is the true Ninja Cat Clan! Meow~"

As though she had sensed Yin Jie's thoughts, Luna took the initiative to explain. "As for those outside..."

"Meow~"

Luna gave a disdainful snicker.

"I see!"

Yin Jie understood.

It seemed the Ninja Cat Clan also had a severe class divide. Only those Ninja Cats with sufficient intelligence to speak human language counted as true Ninja Cats.

Of course, the Ninja Cats they had encountered earlier still belonged to the Ninja Cat Clan, but they had to accept the leadership of intelligent Ninja Cats like Luna.

This was not difficult for Yin Jie to understand. After all, in the memories of his past life, the two great summoning beast holy lands, Mount Myoboku and Ryūchi Cave, operated in much the same way.

And as he thought of this, a spark of excitement rose in Yin Jie's heart.

Moreover, several Ninja Cats before him were sitting cross-legged. Though they looked lazy, the way they pressed their two front paws together resembled the posture Jiraiya and Naruto had assumed while practicing senjutsu in his past-life memories.

If that was the case, perhaps the Ninja Cat Clan also possessed its own senjutsu inheritance?

However, Yin Jie buried those thoughts deep in his mind the very next moment.

It wasn't time yet...

"You've come, Fugaku..."

"And the child called Yin Jie..."

At that moment, a faint, aged sigh reached Yin Jie's ears, pulling him back from his thoughts.

An elderly woman wearing dark gray cat-ear ornaments and possessing a slightly plump figure emerged shakily from the ninja tool shop, leaning on a cane.

It was Cat Granny.

Wrinkles crisscrossed her face like ravines, while her yellowed eyes carried the exhaustion of someone weathered by countless years. Her grayish-white hair seemed covered in the dust of time, having long lost its former luster.

She gripped a large pipe tightly in her hand. It looked quite old, its surface worn smooth from years of handling.

A pair of reading glasses hung before the bridge of her nose. Her gaze behind the lenses seemed somewhat unfocused, yet it landed precisely on Yin Jie as she examined him from head to toe.

When Luna had brought Fugaku and Yin Jie here, she had already sent word ahead. Naturally, Cat Granny was aware of Yin Jie's circumstances.

"Cat Granny!"

Fugaku was the first to bow, and Yin Jie followed suit, offering Cat Granny the respectful greeting of a junior.

"Please, sit..."

A gentle smile appeared on Cat Granny's aged face as she slowly sat down and spoke at an unhurried pace.

"I already know why you have come."

Luna leaped toward the seated Cat Granny, who caught her naturally and held her in her arms.

Luna then affectionately rubbed against Cat Granny in her embrace before finding a comfortable position to lie down and enjoy Cat Granny's strokes.

"I must say, your timing is quite fortunate..."

Cat Granny continued leisurely. At the same time, she extended her withered hand and lightly shook a bell resting on the nearby counter, producing a pleasant jingling sound.

The sound waves quickly spread into the silent, dim depths to the side. Soon, a massive figure emerged from the darkness in that direction.

It was a white Ninja Cat dozens of times larger than an ordinary Ninja Cat, with blue-black ears. A vertical scar ran across the spot where its left eye should have been, making it look particularly vicious.

Nekomata!

Yin Jie instantly recognized the identity of this enormous Ninja Cat.

The Ninja Cat Clan followed a dual-leader system, separating combat from daily affairs, and Nekomata was the leader in charge of battle.

Nekomata came quickly, but it left just as quickly.

After placing a small kitten whose fur gleamed black like obsidian before Yin Jie, it swiftly departed and vanished once more into the depths of the darkness.

Though it was called a kitten, it was not much smaller than an ordinary Ninja Cat. It was only because one could tell at first glance that it was very young that it was referred to as a kitten.

Of course, judging from the implication in Cat Granny's words, it truly was a genuine kitten within the Ninja Cat Clan.

The moment Nekomata set down the little black kitten—

Yin Jie's heart seemed to be struck by an inexplicable current. His heartbeat abruptly quickened, and an indescribable shudder spread throughout his body in an instant.

He liked this kitten far too much!

And a Ninja Cat cub paired with an Uchiha cub was simply perfect!

This was called fate!

The kitten felt the same way about Yin Jie. Though it had only been born a few months ago and had yet to master human language, it was by no means lacking in intelligence and already possessed considerable ability to think.

The instant it saw Yin Jie, it found him remarkably pleasing to the eye. It even felt an indescribable sense of closeness toward him.

The person and cat stared blankly at each other for a moment.

Then a "mischievous" smile appeared on Yin Jie's face. He suddenly reached out, and before the kitten could react, seized it by the scruff of its neck with lightning speed, then lifted the little kitten into his arms amid a soft, fluffy sensation filling his hand.