Early one morning, a few days later.
Zou Hyuga frowned. He had received an invitation from Oto to go on a mission to Cat Village together. Simple missions like these were usually D-Rank Missions, and he had not taken on anything so easy in a long time.
What was Oto up to? Had she found him out?
Reining in his wandering thoughts, Zou Hyuga took a stack of Explosive Tags and headed to the training ground where they were meeting.
By the time he arrived, Oto had already been waiting for quite a while. Her hair was braided into cat ears, a faint smile graced her face, and a conspicuous Special Kunai hung at her waist.
She was still so cute!
The thought crossed Zou Hyuga's mind, but he quickly slipped into his role. Furrowing his brows, he said, "Oto, this is a D-Rank Mission. We're Jonin. Why are we taking on such a low-ranking mission?"
Oto Uchiha's expression shifted slightly before she smiled. "It's nice to take a D-Rank Mission now and then for a change of pace. Don't worry. I'll pay you at the rate for a C-Rank Mission."
Zou Hyuga nodded lightly, having no objection to that arrangement.
Soon, the two headed out of the village. The Ninja Cat Clan's home was not inside Konoha, but in a town somewhere nearby in the Land of Fire.
Along the way, Zou Hyuga noticed Oto stealing glances at him from time to time. Contrary to his usual habits, he did not activate his Byakugan, traveling like an ordinary ninja instead.
Before long, they reached the town where Cat Village was located. The residents here adored fussing over cats. Calling it a town ruled by cats would not have been an exaggeration.
After passing through streets and alleys, Zou Hyuga