The Ninja Cat Clan Pledges Loyalty

"I'm Nekota, the elder of the Nekomata Clan. Thank you for your great mercy, my lord!"

The blue elder of the Ninja Cat Clan, Nekota, finally let out a complete sigh of relief as he introduced himself.

Only after receiving this man's forgiveness could the Ninja Cat Clan truly escape this crisis.

"You old cat, I thought you were genuinely afraid of death. Didn't expect you to have some guts after all."

Yajirobe stopped pretending at this point. Since Uchiha Feng had already seen through his little scheme, he returned to his lively self.

"You jest, my lord. I carry Nether Cat Clan blood myself. I thought you had truly seen through me!"

Nekota said somewhat sheepishly. Everything he had done earlier had been to preserve the bloodline of the Ninja Cat Clan.

And he had not exactly been lying either. His grandmother had been a Ninja Cat of the Nether Cat Clan.

To use an uncivilized human term—he was a mongrel.

When he was young, his fur had been patterned in blue and black. Later, using a treasure of the Nekomata Clan—a mass of chakra left behind by the Two-Tails—he had been exposed to its influence beside that chakra. The black in his fur had melted into the blue, turning it the dark blue it was now.

Within Tien's body, Uchiha Feng looked teasingly at Yajirobe.

"Keep acting. You're the one who's actually blind, aren't you?"

Dumpling also looked at Yajirobe.

Yajirobe crossed his hands behind his head and whistled, pretending he had heard nothing.

"My lord, there are still members of the Nether Cat Clan alive. They are being protected at the Nekomata Clan's settlement. If you are willing, the Ninja Cat Clan is willing to become your summoned beasts and serve you wholeheartedly."

Nekota revealed a piece of news that caught Uchiha Feng somewhat by surprise.

It seemed this cat had not been lying after all.

"How many survived? Can you make decisions for the Ninja Cat Clan?" Uchiha Feng asked one question after another, somewhat hesitant.

He was surprised. After all, this had been the Uchiha Clan's Grand Elder's wish back then—the escape route and protection he had found for him. Uchiha Feng no longer needed them, but he wanted to find a good home for the Grand Elder's summoned beast clan.

If he could revive the Grand Elder in the future, it would at least repay him for all those years of care.

Nekota's eyes gleamed. The Nekomata Clan had always worshipped absolute strength, and after this incident, his beliefs had only grown firmer.

"My lord, the Ninja Cat Clan has three major clans. The rest are cats with impure bloodlines and weak strength.

"The three major clans are the Nekomata Clan, most of whom are blue.

"The Nether Cat Clan, most of whom are black.

"And the Maneki-neko Clan, most of whom are white and yellow.

"Now, the Nether Cat Clan has practically been wiped out. Only a dozen or so kittens that have yet to grow up remain, and they are being protected by our Nekomata Clan.

"The Maneki-neko Clan has also been knocked unconscious and pinned under this lord's foot.

"So, what I say now fully represents the Ninja Cat Clan.

"Each of our cat clans has its own specialty.

"Our Nekomata Clan excels at gathering intelligence.

"The Nether Cat Clan excels at combat, though they may not be able to help you now.

"The Maneki-neko Clan excels at running all kinds of shops.

"We will certainly be useful to you."

Nekota eagerly promoted himself.

When their clan had faced extermination, they had tried to contact the Land of Lightning and the Two-Tails, only to be turned away. From then on, he no longer trusted the Land of Lightning or the Two-Tails.

Though the Nekomata Clan claimed to be descendants of the Two-Tails, they had actually merely lived alongside him for a very long time and secretly collected his chakra, purifying their own bloodline until they gained a faint trace of tailed beast aura.

Now that he had this opportunity, he had to seize it.

The more Uchiha Feng listened, the stranger his expression became. Wasn't the Nether Cat Clan's situation exactly the same as the Uchiha Clan's?

They were both simple-minded fools, and both had been ostracized and exterminated.

Thinking back to the Grand Elder's wise image, it utterly collapsed in his heart.

"Like master, like summoned beast!"

Proud people who only trusted their own strength never met a good end. He should find a decent home for the Nether Cat Clan.

Besides, Nekota had offered an advantage he could not refuse: intelligence-gathering capabilities.

Organizations like the bounty office alone were completely unreliable.

After witnessing Fujiwara Ichiro's actions last time, Uchiha Feng was equally wary of the bounty office.

The Five Great Nations had to have a hand behind the bounty office. Once they encountered someone like Kakashi, carrying an order from a Kage, the bounty office would abandon them.

After pondering for a long time, Uchiha Feng's gaze fell on Yajirobe.

"Yajirobe, come here and sign it!"

Holding a summoning scroll in his hand, Uchiha Feng called Yajirobe over.

"Ah..." Yajirobe could only accept helplessly.

He had only just left Korin's cat, and now he had fallen into a cat's nest. He had become the contractor of the Ninja Cat Clan.

Unfortunately, his disguise had been seen through!

In Uchiha Feng's mind, Yajirobe would never betray him. Once Yajirobe formed a contract with the Ninja Cat Clan, it was equivalent to Uchiha Feng forming one himself.

Nothing wrong with that!

Yajirobe felt a little wronged. If Korin found out, he would definitely ask whether Yajirobe had other cats outside! And he really did—not just one, but a whole group.

Nekota felt equally aggrieved. He had never expected this fiend to be the one signing the contract.

Still, that was fine. His eating cats had been a lie, and this would make it even less likely for him to eat cats in the future.

"Nekota, keep an eye on news from the Hidden Leaf Village. As for it, do whatever you want with it."

Uchiha Feng kicked the still-unconscious Maneki-neko Clan chief and gave Nekota his orders.

"My lord, there is indeed news. Uchiha Itachi of the Uchiha Clan attempted to contact us. He wanted to know whether there were any other survivors of the Uchiha Clan.

"But we absolutely did not reveal any information about you.

"At the same time, Shimura Danzo, who wiped out the Nether Cat Clan, is also trying to obtain information about you.

"And he has already dispatched a pursuit squad."

Nekota cautiously raised his head and delivered news that did not surprise him much.

"Is Uchiha Itachi constantly making plans for his master? Or does he feel sorry for the harm done to Uchiha Sasuke?

"And that old dog Danzo still refuses to give up on destroying me.

"Nekota, it's time for you to offer your token of loyalty. I want Danzo's men to come and never return!"

Uchiha Feng muttered. They wanted to die so quickly—then they could become his nourishment.

His voice gradually rose and entered Nekota's ears.

"My lord, I'll make the arrangements immediately. As for the Maneki-neko Clan chief, let it sacrifice itself for you! That will be its best destination as well."

Nekota rose excitedly onto his hind legs from his previous four-legged stance, declaring his loyalty to Uchiha Feng.

They absolutely could not fail their first mission. They had to let Uchiha Feng see their value.

Uchiha Feng also wanted to see just how far the Ninja Cat Clan's intelligence network could reach, and whether it could truly help him as much as Nekota claimed.