"Ahem... Actually, I'm your long-lost brother."
What else can we do now? It's his fault for not explaining things clearly; there's really no need to erase our memories of him.
I had no choice but to temporarily create a new identity for myself.
"Yes, Captain, he's your younger brother, I can vouch for that," Ryōta chimed in, confirming.
Shinichi immediately followed up, "I can also testify."
"Yes, we can all testify," the crowd said in unison.
Kikuno Momo shook her head. "I don't have a younger brother. I'm an only child."
"It was my sworn brother who did it," Aoki Tsuki hurriedly tried to salvage the situation.
This reason was passable and acceptable. This time, Kikuno Momo didn't object, accepted the new identity, and had a meal with everyone.
Aoki Tsuki was able to roughly determine the parts of her memory that were missing through a brief conversation.
All information related to Amegakure has disappeared, including that of her husband, Satō Ichirō, and Aoki Tsuki, among others.
Factory reset has been performed.
Three days later, Aoki Tsuki arrived at the Kūku with Kikuno Momo.
"This must be the place. It looks rather desolate."
Kikuno Momo shook her head and said, "This is my first time here too. I wonder how Xiaohei is doing?"
Xiaohei is her psychic cat.
You'll probably see it soon, let's go.
Aoki Tsuki secretly activated his Sage Mode perception to track the Ninja Cat's movements; otherwise, the underground world was so winding and complex that even the entrances and exits were hard to find.
The two walked in through the entrance of a dilapidated building. The style inside was somewhat similar to Amegakure, with steel pipes everywhere.
"They all look the same. Who would open a shop here..." Kikuno Momo complained.
"This is a weapon shop exclusively for the Uchiha Clan, used for pre-battle preparations. They cater to high-end clients."
"Let's get this straight, my mother is a member of the Uchiha, but I am not. The Ninja Cat might not be willing to give me face."
Even though Aoki Tsuki told her that her identity as a spy had been exposed and that Konoha could no longer accept her, Kikuno Momo remained skeptical.
She was trained by the Root and is proficient in all kinds of anti-fraud tactics, so how could she easily trust a strange 'adopted brother'?
"Sister Mimoto, don't worry. I'm only doing this to get you out of prison and give you your freedom. I have no other intentions. Believe it or not."
"Hehe... how could I not believe you? After all, you're my brother. It's just... sigh..."
"Missing home?!"
"What home? You're overthinking it," Kikuno Momo said warily.
"Don't lie to me. I'm very close to the Uchiha. They're the ones who told me I could trade here. What's your real name? I'll ask about your family later."
Actually, he had asked Shisui Uchiha to inquire about it before, but the guy died, and the matter was dropped.
" Kikuno Momo is my real name... Ah..."
Kikuno Momo suddenly cried out, "A dark shadow just flashed by! Could it have been a rat?!"
"Meow... You're the rat, your whole family are rats." A sharp voice came from the steel pipe above.
Two yellow cats appeared in sight, one was wearing a blue short-sleeved shirt, the other was wearing a red short-sleeved shirt, and had the word "forbearance" on its forehead.
"Wow... what an adorable kitten! It's just as good as my Xiaohei."
"Who's Xiaohei? He's a cat too."
"Of course! It got lost by accident, and that's why we came here to find it," Aoki Tsuki replied.
"Meow... You cunning human, don't try to fool a cat. There's no cat with that name in the Kūku," said the Ninja Cat dressed in blue.
Kikuno Momo reminded her, "That's the nickname I gave it; its real name is ' Kokage '."
"So it's Kokage. Looks like you weren't lying to me. A while ago, a member of the Uchiha also came looking for it," said the cat in red.
"It's Shisui Uchiha, isn't it? He's the one I asked to help."
"You know Shisui Uchiha too? I heard he's dead. Such a powerful guy, it seems like you ninjas don't live long."
"Who says otherwise? Actually, I came here through the Uchiha's introduction to discuss business with you. Would it be convenient for you to take me to see Cat Granny?"
"Meow... You finally revealed your true purpose. I knew it would be like this." The blue-clothed cat said warily.
Aoki Tsuki quickly pulled out a large bag from her person, saying, "I brought a souvenir, a super-sized amount of catnip."
call out...
A red shadow flashed, and the cattail was taken away.
" Cat Granny usually doesn't meet with outsiders, but since you're so sincere, I'll take you to try your luck."
"Haha... thank you." Aoki Tsuki quickly followed the blue-clothed cat deeper into the area.
Seeing this, Kikuno Momo was about to follow, but then the cat in the red dress spoke up, "Weren't you looking for ' Kokage '? Come with me."
"Oh, okay." Kikuno Momo followed and walked towards another passage.
Before long, the two arrived at an underground tunnel, where many cats appeared, some napping and some playing.
Upon seeing unfamiliar humans arrive, they all looked at them with curious eyes.
Kikuno Momo was scared by being stared at by so many cats; in the dim light, it was impossible to see where her cats were.
call out...
A dark figure lunged straight into her arms.
"Ah... Xiaohei, it's you."
"Meow..."
"I've finally found you! It feels like it's been ages since I last saw you."
Kikuno Momo murmured to herself as she stroked the black cat.
The cat in red who had been leading the way then appeared out of nowhere with a piece of paper and came to Kikuno Momo.
"Last time Shisui Uchiha left a note here for Xiaohei, telling it that if it ever saw you again, it should give this to you. Read it yourself."
"Um... okay, thank you."
Upon hearing that it was Shisui of the Uchiha who specifically requested that it be handed over to him.
Kikuno Momo suddenly felt a sense of panic. She unfolded the paper with trembling hands, sensing that something bad was about to happen.
When she finished reading the contents, she felt her heart clench, blood rush to her brain, and dizziness overwhelm her, causing her to collapse to the ground.
"How could this happen...?! Ahhhhhh!!"
"Waaaaah... Why did this happen...?"
At this moment, the red-clothed cat exclaimed in surprise, "You... you really are Uchiha..."
Meanwhile, Aoki Tsuki, led by the Ninja Cat, met Cat Granny. During the encounter, he finally learned that the blue-clad cat was named ' Denka '.
Denka first explained Aoki Tsuki's purpose to Cat Granny before leading him into the house.
Before your eyes is a spacious and bright reception hall. Under the red curtains, there is a huge chair where Cat Granny sits, smoking her pipe.
Surrounded by five or six cats, it exudes the air of a feline overlord.
"Young man, I heard you want to do business with our Ninja Cat Clan?"
"Yes, we need to customize weapons and medicines on a long-term basis. We have heard that the weapons made by the Ninja Cat Clan are of excellent quality and durability."
Therefore, I hope to obtain weapons from you in the future; the price is negotiable.
The weapons used by Amegakure were purchased from Takumi Village, and the quantity was limited; all of them were standard-issue weapons.
The Akatsuki is a gathering place for all sorts of rogue ninja from across the Shinobi World, and the weapons they use are Eight Gates and bizarre, many of which have to be custom-made.
Most suppliers simply can't handle it.
"Our Ninja Cat Clan has always provided exclusive weapons to the Uchiha and rarely does business with outsiders, especially those of dubious origin."
"Hehe... I've heard that the Ninja Cat Clan is exceptionally skilled in intelligence gathering. Have you ever heard of 'Akatsuki'?"
Cat Granny glanced at Aoki Tsuki's clothes and said, "A terrorist organization, I suppose."
"This is just worldly prejudice. We are merely accepting commissions to carry out missions, yet we bear these unwarranted accusations. In truth, our mission is for the peace of the Shinobi World."
Meow... meow... meow... meow...
No sooner had he finished speaking than a chorus of meows erupted from inside the room; even cats wouldn't believe such nonsense.
"Call..."
Cat Granny exhaled a puff of smoke, frowned, and said, "Are young people these days so irresponsible?"
Sigh! Nobody believes me when I tell the truth.
Aoki Tsuki sighed inwardly and shrugged. "Fine, we're really in it for the money. We're just mercenary businessmen."
"That's more like it. I like honest people."
Cat Granny nodded. The Uchiha Clan may be a bit arrogant, but they are indeed very trustworthy.
This is also why the two sides have maintained their consistent cooperation for so many years.
"Since we're businessmen, let's stick to business. Our Ninja Cat Clan manufactures only high-quality weapons, in limited quantities, and at a high price."
"No problem. What we need is a stable, long-term supplier. Let's cooperate for a while first, so you can see our sincerity and capabilities."
"We can only provide weapons and medicine; we can't offer intelligence."
Cat Granny drew a red line: the Ninja Cat Clan did not want to get involved in the conflicts between ninjas, especially a terrorist organization like Akatsuki, as they might get implicated.
Aoki Tsuki took out a scroll from his person and opened it on the spot.
"Here's the deposit, the weapon blueprints, and my contact information. Let me know when it's ready."
Cat Granny looked at the several boxes of deposits laid out on the ground, gaining a clear understanding of Xiao's financial resources, and finally nodded.
"Then I won't bother you any longer. Farewell."
Aoki Tsuki turned and left, guided by Denka, and walked out of the Kūku. He waited at the door for a while before Kikuno Momo came out.
She was holding a black cat in her arms, her eyes were red and swollen, and she looked distraught.
"It's a good thing they found you, why are you crying?"
"..."
Kikuno Momo didn't say anything and kept walking forward with her head down.
Aoki Tsuki was taken aback. She had accomplished both of her tasks during her trip to the Kūku; shouldn't she be happy?
We can use this black cat to contact the Ninja Cat Clan in the future; this cat will eventually grow into Ninja Cat.
"Alright, let's head to the Ancient Tanzaku Castle in the Land of Fire to conduct intelligence gathering."