Ninja cats

Sasuke took out a thick scroll and spread it across the desk, then picked up a pen and wrote his name in a blank space.

On the unfurled scroll, Neji saw the names of one Uchiha Clan member after another: Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Yashiro, Uchiha Inabi, and more. He saw no names belonging to anyone outside the Uchiha Clan.

The Summoning Technique was not complicated, especially for Sasuke Uchiha as he was now.

"Summoning Technique!"

Sasuke Uchiha bit his finger and slammed his hand against the floor.

With a bang, a cloud of smoke erupted. When it cleared, an orange cat stood before them.

The orange cat was not remotely alarmed by its sudden arrival. It first raised a front paw and licked it, then turned to survey its surroundings, finally fixing its gaze on Sasuke.

"To think I'd see the day when someone from the Uchiha Clan summoned me again!" the orange cat said.

Its voice sounded like that of a young man.

Sasuke stared at the talking orange cat in shock. He had never expected a cat that looked no different from an ordinary house cat to be able to speak.

Neji, however, remained calm. Through his Byakugan, he could see that this seemingly ordinary cat actually had a considerable amount of chakra within its body.

"Sasuke Uchiha!" Sasuke introduced himself to the cat first.

"Mimi, I'm the one who summoned you!" Looking at the orange cat's sleek fur, Sasuke could not resist reaching out to pet it.

But the orange cat glared fiercely at him. "Who are you calling Mimi? Remember this: my name's Sangbiao! Get it wrong again and I'll scratch your face to ribbons."

"Sangbiao?" Sasuke froze. That name really did not suit the orange cat's appearance.

The orange cat named Sangbiao reached out a paw and swatted Sasuke's hand away, giving him a sidelong look. "You little Uchiha brat, you know the rules, right? Got the dried fish ready?"

Sasuke sheepishly withdrew his hand and took a bag of dried fish from the drawer, which Neji had told him to prepare. "It's ready. Here."

Sangbiao's eyes went wide at the sight of the dried fish. An orange blur flashed past, and the bag was in the cat's mouth before it pinned it beneath its paws.

Satisfied now that it had received the dried fish, Sangbiao said, "Looks like you still remember the tradition. The great Sangbiao is very pleased. Go on, tell me what you want."

"Please give this to Cat Granny." Sasuke took out a small scroll and handed it to Sangbiao.

They had prepared this scroll in advance and already written everything down. Once Cat Granny read it, she would understand what they needed.

"Hold on. Let the great Sangbiao enjoy his dried fish first." The orange cat extended a paw, gesturing for Sasuke to set the scroll aside.

The orange cat picked up the bag of dried fish in its mouth and carried it onto a chair, then tore the bag open with its claws and happily tucked in.

Neji said nothing as he stood nearby, simply watching in silence.

He had personally written their requests on the scroll, while Sasuke Uchiha had naturally written what he would offer in payment. Neji could not afford that price.

Sasuke was downright extravagant now. He had stated outright on the scroll that anything the Uchiha Clan possessed could be offered as payment.

As for money, that went without saying. Sasuke Uchiha had nothing left now but money.

As long as money could buy him strength, Sasuke Uchiha would spend it without batting an eye.

The orange cat named Sangbiao ate fast. Neji watched it wolf down the dried fish without even lifting its head, and before long, the entire one-pound bag was gone.

After finishing the dried fish, the orange cat licked its paws contentedly and said indistinctly, "Don't worry. The great Sangbiao will definitely deliver this scroll to Cat Granny. Summon me again at this time tomorrow."

With that, its seemingly clumsy body leaped nimbly over to the scroll. It picked it up in its mouth and vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Remember the dried fish!" Sangbiao's voice drifted out of the smoke.

Only then did Neji deactivate his Byakugan, which he had kept active the entire time. "We'll see what Cat Granny wants tomorrow," he said.

After saying that, Neji left the Uchiha Clan compound and returned to his own quarters in the Hyuga Clan compound.

As soon as he returned home, Neji saw Hyuga Hiashi standing there, motionless.

It was obvious that he was waiting specifically for Neji to return.

"Lord Clan Head." Neji bowed as he always did.

"Mm." Hyuga Hiashi nodded, then looked at him. "I hear you've been spending a lot of time with the Uchiha Clan's orphan lately. What's going on?"

"Yes, Lord Clan Head." Neji readily nodded in acknowledgment. "The Uchiha Clan's orphan is a good opponent. I feel that my Gentle Fist has improved considerably by sparring with him."

Hyuga Hiashi was somewhat surprised by his answer. He knew Neji was a genius, and he did not think he himself could have beaten Neji at the same age. Still, he had not expected the Uchiha Clan's orphan to be anything special either.

Hyuga Hiashi asked gravely, "What were the results? You must not tarnish the Hyuga Clan's prestige!"

"I won every match!" Neji answered honestly. "The Uchiha Clan's orphan is reasonably skilled, but he can still only fall before our Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist."

Hyuga Hiashi nodded. "Neji, you did well. Don't let him look down on us Hyuga. Remember, the Hyuga are the strongest in Konoha!"

"Yes!" Neji lowered his head in acknowledgment.

Seeing Neji's response, Hyuga Hiashi nodded in satisfaction, then turned and left.

Meanwhile, in the Ninja Cat Clan's territory, Sangbiao carried the scroll in its mouth all the way to Cat Granny's home.

"Orange Flame, what brings you here?" Cat Granny was an elderly woman, not a large cat that had taken human form.

"Granny!" The cat called Orange Flame was none other than the orange cat that called itself Sangbiao. It placed the scroll before Cat Granny and looked at the old woman, saying reluctantly, "I already told you, I've changed my name to Sangbiao. Stop calling me Orange Flame."

As it spoke, it pointed a front paw at the scroll. "That Uchiha Clan kid asked me to give this to you. There was a kid with the Byakugan beside him, too, and he kept his Byakugan active the whole time. This scroll probably asks you to help them with something secret."

Cat Granny smiled. "All right, all right, Orange Flame. Granny understands. Go play."

"Honestly, I told her I've changed my name to Sangbiao. Granny really is getting old. She's gone deaf." The orange cat that called itself Sangbiao but was actually Orange Flame left the shop in a huff, meowing noisily.

"It's little Sasuke. Let's see what he wants." Cat Granny recalled the child from her memories. Sasuke had left quite a strong impression on her.