Moonshade

The moment Yin Jie lifted her up, the little kitten's eerie gleaming slit pupils abruptly contracted, and her body stiffened at once. But the very next second, she slowly relaxed, her pupils gradually widening as well.

"Meow meow meow?"

Her babyish cry made Yin Jie laugh inwardly.

It seemed that no matter where cats came from, none could resist the "scruff of destiny."

After all, Ninja Cats were still cats!

Of course, the little kitten's lack of resistance was also a factor. Though she was only a few months old, as a Ninja Cat, she was already capable of wielding considerable strength.

Yin Jie's hands unconsciously stroked the little kitten's back in a steady rhythm. Her silky fur felt so good beneath his fingers that he could not put her down.

When it came to petting cats, he was a professional!

Both his hands deftly scratched beneath the little kitten's chin and atop her head, occasionally giving her neck a casual rub as well.

Yin Jie knew perfectly well that a cat's scent glands were concentrated in the spots his hands were stroking, and those were also places cats had difficulty reaching themselves. Even Ninja Cats were no exception.

Thus, beneath Yin Jie's skilled petting, the little kitten curled up contentedly in his arms, continuously letting out adorable cries of utter bliss.

"Meow meow meow!"

"It seems the two of you get along very well!"

Only after the little kitten and Yin Jie had interacted for quite some time did Cat Granny slowly speak. "It's obvious that she likes you very much, and you seem to be a good match."

"Thank you very much!"

Uchiha Fugaku, standing beside him, first bowed to Cat Granny, then immediately bowed again toward the direction Nekomata had appeared from. At the same time, he lightly nudged Yin Jie, signaling for him to follow suit.

Yin Jie might not have understood, but Fugaku certainly did. As an Uchiha who had once summoned Nekomata in battle, he was quite familiar with Nekomata's chakra presence.

Therefore, he could clearly sense that the little kitten's chakra presence was extremely similar to Nekomata's.

That made it obvious. This black little kitten before them was most likely Nekomata's child.

Her fur color might not have been quite right, but chakra presence did not lie. Besides, white cats could still give birth to black cats.

Only belatedly did Yin Jie follow Fugaku in thanking Cat Granny and Nekomata, though he was still rather confused. It was not until Fugaku quietly explained things in his ear that realization dawned on him.

The little kitten he had been petting until she meowed nonstop was actually a hidden big shot.

Cat Granny waved at them without replying, merely offering a kindly smile.

Nekomata, hidden in the darkness, likewise made no sound. Yet both Fugaku and Yin Jie knew that Nekomata would surely receive their thanks.

"Cat Granny."

Yin Jie seemed to suddenly remember something and asked awkwardly, "She..."

He had indeed become so absorbed in petting her that he had not asked the little kitten in his arms for her name even after all this time.

That was truly improper.

However, Cat Granny merely smiled gently. After all, he was a child. So long as it did not involve matters of principle, minor breaches of etiquette were always easily forgiven.

Then, as though she had seen straight through Yin Jie's thoughts, Cat Granny picked up where he had left off at just the right moment. "Her name is Moonshade!"

(The name Moonshade comes from a Japanese moon god legend.)

"Moonshade..."

Yin Jie's heart trembled, and he murmured softly, "She really does suit me!"

Next came the process of signing the summoning contract.

The white cat Luna leaped down from Cat Granny's arms, nimbly trotted across the counter, and jumped into a room off to the side. She soon emerged carrying an enormous scroll that looked ancient.

Luna then slowly untied the red cord binding the scroll, unrolled it, and spread it flat on the ground before the ninja tool shop.

As the scroll unfurled with a rustling scrape against the floor, names beginning with the Uchiha surname gradually appeared before Yin Jie.

When the scroll reached its end and finally revealed a blank space for another name, the names Uchiha Yasashiro and Uchiha Fugaku were prominently displayed at the bottom.

"Write your name in your own blood, then press down all five fingerprints of one hand beneath it!"

Fugaku's voice sounded at the right moment, guiding Yin Jie to bite his finger and write his name beside Fugaku's. Then, beneath "Uchiha Yin Jie," he pressed down the five fingerprints of his right hand.

Immediately afterward, Cat Granny guided the little kitten Moonshade, who had jumped down from Yin Jie's arms, to press an adorable tiny paw print over the name "Uchiha Yin Jie."

The instant the paw print landed, a mysterious glow bloomed across the scroll.

At the same time, Yin Jie faintly sensed a "bond" deep within his heart, brought about by the summoning blood contract.

The little kitten Moonshade raised her head and looked at Yin Jie. She too had felt the "bond" that had just formed between them.

Of course, calling her "she" was probably more accurate now.

"Meow~"

Moonshade called affectionately to Yin Jie, then leaped onto the top of his head. Finding a comfortable position, she curled up there, leaving only her fluffy tail exposed as it swayed up, down, left, and right in rhythm, looking exceptionally obedient.

Yin Jie now had a summoning beast of his own.

However, it was worth noting that although Yin Jie and Moonshade had signed a separate summoning contract, making Moonshade his personal Ninja Cat, the medium for the contract was the Ninja Cat Clan's summoning scroll. Therefore, Yin Jie could also summon other members of the Ninja Cat Clan who had not separately signed summoning contracts with other Uchiha clan members.

After settling the summoning contract, Fugaku bought Yin Jie quite a few high-quality shuriken and kunai from Cat Granny, as well as ordering a custom short sword.

The two then bade farewell to Cat Granny and the Ninja Cats before leaving the Empty Zone under Luna's guidance.

Moonshade, who had just formed a contract with Yin Jie, also wanted to leave with him.

On one hand, she wanted to go outside and satisfy her overwhelming curiosity about the world beyond. On the other, Yin Jie's cat-petting skills, which were several levels beyond Cat Granny's, had made her utterly unable to let go.

However, her hopes were ultimately dashed.

After all, she had not yet come of age and still needed to remain in the Empty Zone for the relevant training.