A cat-eared Uchiha

On the surface, Anko was just an ordinary girl who wore fishnet clothing and liked Three-Color Dango.

But the moment she picked up a kunai, she became a warrior, darting through the bandits ahead.

Anko had fought in the Shinobi War and earned her promotion to Chunin on the battlefield. These bandits were no match for her.

Even the bandit group's lone wandering ninja lost his life to her kunai before he could form any hand seals.

Once the wandering ninja fell, the leaderless rabble lost their will to fight and scattered.

Neither Orochimaru nor Zou Hyuga had any intention of giving chase. They stayed where they were.

After wiping the blood off her kunai with a strip of cloth, Anko looked at her Three-Color Dango again, shook her head slightly, and put it in her backpack. Killing had spoiled her appetite.

Zou Hyuga and Oto Uchiha walked over to the fallen bandits and frowned.

There was nothing worth taking from the skeletal bandits. They would even have to waste chakra burying them where they lay.

While dealing with the bodies, Zou Hyuga found a bandit who was still alive. His throat had been slit, but he had not died.

Should I kill him or spare him?

As Zou Hyuga hesitated, a large snake appeared and bit through the bandit's throat.

That was Orochimaru's doing, and Zou Hyuga was not surprised. Even if they saved this bandit, he had no chance of surviving.

Killing him might have been Orochimaru's own peculiar form of kindness.

Fire Release burned the bodies to prevent disease, and Earth Release raised small mounds of earth, leaving a few more unmarked graves.

Once that was done, the convoy set off again. Zou Hyuga walked alongside it on guard duty, lost in thought.

He activated his Byakugan and pretended to scout the road ahead, but his attention was on his palm.

There were specks of fluorescent light there-the light that had appeared on the glowing bandits' bodies after they died.

Zou Hyuga felt an inexplicable familiarity with the light, but he could not investigate it right away. Orochimaru was right beside him.

He absolutely could not let Orochimaru discover anything strange about him. If Orochimaru knew, Danzo would know too.

Although he did not know whether someone as insignificant as him would attract Danzo's attention, he still had to remain vigilant.

While the Bald Official was taking a break, Zou Hyuga put the light away, planning to study it after the mission ended.

Another day passed, and the convoy safely reached the Capital of the Land of Fire, a city that was practically the largest in the Shinobi World. After escorting the official to his residence, the mission team did not immediately return to Konoha.

Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, would never have been dispatched for a simple escort mission. He had come to the Capital of the Land of Fire as the Hokage's representative to request the military funding for the past few years.

The countries of the Shinobi World were structured much the same way. Aside from the now-destroyed Land of Whirlpools and perhaps a few remote minor countries, they all maintained a ninja village as their military institution.

The daimyo handled administration and taxation, while the ninja villages handled military and diplomatic operations.

In a sense, the ninja villages were the ones who truly controlled those countries. They were their real masters.

But a country could not be governed by ninja with elementary-school educations and heads full of fighting. That task had to fall to the daimyo and the nobility.

While Orochimaru visited the Land of Fire's senior officials, Zou Hyuga and Oto Uchiha were granted a short break.

On a bustling street in the Capital of the Land of Fire, Zou Hyuga entered a ninja tool shop to choose a kunai for Oto.

In terms of weapon quality alone, the Land of Fire certainly could not compare with Konohagakure, but its weapons were finely crafted, making one a suitable apology gift.

The Ninja Cat Clan, which was on good terms with the Uchiha, also lived near the capital. They were a clan of summoning beasts contracted to the Uchiha.

While accompanying Oto Uchiha, Zou Hyuga met the Ninja Cat Clan. The ninja cats had temperaments much like the Uchiha: they struggled to express their feelings and were extremely proud.

After looking him over a few times, a ninja cat gave him a disdainful look and led Oto into the ninja cats' dwelling.

As an outsider, Zou Hyuga naturally could not enter. He could only wait patiently outside.

Before long, Oto Uchiha emerged carrying a stack of money. She put some into her cat-shaped purse and handed the rest to Zou Hyuga.

This money was the final payment from selling their last batch of Cloud Ninja Spoils. It was far from the first time they had sold off their spoils.

Zou Hyuga accepted the money with a smile. Just as he was about to put it in his purse, he sensed something familiar coming from the ninja cat. It was exactly the same presence as the fluorescent light from earlier.

"Byakugan, activate!"

Zou Hyuga activated his Byakugan and stared at the ninja cat, but all he could see was the cat's skeleton and the bell hanging at its neck.

Was I imagining it?

After a moment's consideration, Zou Hyuga drew on the power of his black markings and entered Sage Mode.

In Sage Mode, Zou Hyuga's perception of his surroundings improved dramatically. He faintly sensed that familiar presence within the ninja cat. Though very weak, it felt exactly like the fluorescent light from earlier.

"Meow, meow, meow!" The ninja cat's fur stood on end in fright, and the cat curled up as though facing a natural predator.

"Bell Cat, Zou, what's wrong?"

Oto Uchiha did not understand what was happening. She looked at Zou Hyuga in confusion, wondering why he had used that power.

Didn't we agree not to use that power unless there was absolutely no other choice?

Oto Uchiha's call brought Zou Hyuga back to his senses. He deactivated his black markings and returned to normal.

"You scared the life out of this cat." Bell Cat's fur settled back down. Patting their chest, Bell Cat bared their teeth at Zou Hyuga. "You there, Byakugan brat. You'd better leave with the Uchiha girl. Our Ninja Cat Clan doesn't welcome members of the Hyuga Clan!"

Zou Hyuga nodded slightly, understanding how offensive his behavior had been. After offering his thanks, he left with Oto Uchiha.

During the Warring States Period, the Uchiha had spent a time at odds with the Hyuga Clan.

With the establishment of the ninja villages, the ninja clans living in the Land of Fire had reconciled, but their summoning beast clans had found it much harder to let go.

"What did you discover back there with the ninja cats?" Oto Uchiha asked once they had left the ninja cats' territory.

"Nothing. I just thought those cats were awfully strange. Awfully cute, too."

"You're saying things I don't understand again..." Oto Uchiha rolled her eyes, then added, "It must have something to do with that thing of yours!"

"More or less..." Zou Hyuga replied evasively, then took out the finely crafted kunai and handed it to Oto.

"This is an apology for being late last time. And a thank-you for always helping me sell our spoils."

"We're teammates..."

Oto Uchiha accepted the kunai and swept it through the air. Her brows furrowed slightly as she said,

"This kunai isn't suited to combat. It might miss its mark when thrown... How much did you pay for it?"

"It wasn't meant for close combat in the first place. Its handle is hollow, so you can fit a few explosive tags inside."

"You're right." Oto Uchiha examined it and found the mechanism as well.

Watching Oto Uchiha bend forward slightly, her long hair flowing as she held the kunai in both hands, Zou Hyuga inexplicably thought of the ninja cat whose fur had stood on end. He could not help saying,

"Oto, you'd look really good with cat ears."

Oto Uchiha straightened, glanced at Zou Hyuga, and said slowly, "You're not having another episode, are you?!"