The two-tailed cat, Nekomata

To be honest, he liked petting cats.

But he was still deeply opposed to wearing a cat-ear headband.

Under the threat of his superior strength, however...

Sasuke Uchiha obediently put the cat-ear headband on his head.

Click!

The flash made Sasuke Uchiha realize something was wrong.

"Wait, Chiba, why are you carrying a camera around?!"

Chiba waved the camera in his hand and said:

"I borrowed it from Cat Granny while I was petting the cats."

"I'll have to return it once I get the photos developed."

Sasuke Uchiha had a sinking feeling.

The image he had maintained for years might be about to crumble.

He had intended to snatch the camera back, but when he remembered Chiba's strength...

Sasuke Uchiha quietly lowered the hand reaching toward his ninja tool pouch.

Forget it.

It's just my image. No big deal.

"Say, Chiba, why aren't you wearing one?"

Naruto Uzumaki seemed eager to see what Chiba would look like wearing it.

Chiba waved him off and said:

"That look doesn't suit me just yet."

"You two can wear them."

"We can split into two groups. You take the front, and I'll sneak in."

With their roles assigned...

Chiba walked across the water and circled around to the back of the castle.

Although this was his first time carrying out a mission independently...

He did not seem to have any trouble adjusting.

Or perhaps this mission simply posed relatively little danger.

Chiba felt no sense of danger. If anything, it felt like a leisurely sightseeing trip.

He walked up the wall and headed straight into the castle.

With his sensory abilities, he could easily avoid all the ninja cats inside.

If he really could not avoid one, he could simply knock it out.

Chiba still found it difficult to hurt creatures that had maxed out their cuteness.

Besides, this mission did not require making enemies of the ninja cats.

All they needed was a paw print.

Chiba's infiltration did not trigger any alarms.

The two entering from the front, on the other hand, ran into a little trouble.

Naruto Uzumaki was as careless as ever.

When his cat-ear headband fell off, the castle went on alert.

The incessant alarms left Chiba feeling weary.

"Sure enough, sending those two in through the front was a mistake."

After knocking out two ninja cats in succession...

Chiba finally learned exactly where Nekomata was.

In the attic at the center of the castle.

Just as he stepped into the attic, Sasuke Uchiha arrived as well.

"Ch-Chiba..."

Looking at Chiba, who had arrived ahead of him, he stammered.

"C-can you let me handle this enemy alone?"

At those words, Chiba's smile turned rather knowing.

"Does this have something to do with the Uchiha?"

"Fine by me, but try not to get hurt."

Sasuke Uchiha gave Chiba a grateful look and silently took note of his kindness.

During the battle in the Land of Waves...

Through Kakashi Hatake's and Naruto Uzumaki's accounts, he had learned who the strongest person on this team truly was.

Chiba's strength exceeded his imagination.

Being able to force an Elite Jonin like Zabuza Momochi back in a head-on fight already said plenty.

If Chiba intervened in the coming battle...

Nekomata probably would not last more than a few minutes.

"I'll stay on the sidelines and back you up."

Chiba motioned for Sasuke Uchiha to lead the way.

Beyond the stairs lay a spacious hall dotted with candlelight.

The atmosphere felt rather unsettling.

"A brat from the Uchiha Clan, meow."

The voice came from behind a curtain.

An enormous creature lay on one side behind it.

That peculiar verbal tic already revealed the speaker's identity.

"Wait, who are you?!"

Upon noticing Chiba, Nekomata abruptly rose onto all fours.

His fur could just be seen standing on end.

"Oh, I'm just a spectator."

Chiba waved, signaling that Nekomata need not pay him any attention.

Finding a relatively spacious spot, he sat cross-legged and waited for the battle to begin.

Facing Nekomata, Sasuke Uchiha could barely contain his impatience.

He raised his hand and sent three shuriken through the curtain.

But his opponent's sudden disappearance put him on high alert.

Watching the human and cat face off, Chiba scratched his head.

"Cats that can use genjutsu seem pretty rare!"

He's still a little lacking right now, but his potential is incredible.

To be honest, he was feeling tempted.

Come to think of it, I don't have a summoning beast yet, do I?

Chiba remembered something.

Although he had already signed a contract with the Toad Clan back on Mount Myōboku...

That did not mean Chiba could not have other summoning beasts.

The toads of Mount Myōboku were extremely accommodating toward Chiba.

After all, he was the human from the Great Toad Sage's prophecy.

The appearance of the Sharingan broke Nekomata's genjutsu.

The enormous creature lunging at him proved difficult for Sasuke Uchiha to fend off.

He narrowly escaped danger several times.

Fortunately, Naruto Uzumaki arrived in time. Otherwise, Chiba would have had to intervene.

A chain of explosive tags blasted apart the roof above Nekomata's head.

Huge chunks of stone crashed down, pinning him underneath.

While their opponent was immobilized, Sasuke Uchiha promptly took an impression of his paw pad.

Chiba walked up and asked:

"Say, Nekomata."

"Here's an option for you. How about becoming my summoning beast?"

P.S. The Two-Tails is called Matatabi. This is a two-tailed cat; they aren't the same species.