Evening, in the Hotel
"Swoosh~"
A small figure vaulted across the sky, landing softly on the rooftop.
"Meow~" The cat named "Shu," which had been returned earlier in the day, tilted its head, staring blankly at the newcomer.
"Meow!" a low cat cry came from the other's mouth.
Strangely enough, although it was a cat, it was dressed in human clothes.
"Meow~" Shu foolishly responded.
The cat in human clothing stepped straight onto the wall, ignoring gravity, slowly walking along it like a person, moving toward Link's room window.
"Click—" With a small flick of its claws, the window slid open.
"Whoosh!"
Two pitch-black hands sprang out from the shadows, snatching it into the room.
"Click—" The lights turned on.
Link was sitting on the edge of the bed, yawning. "A ninja cat?"
"Yes, nya~" The captured ninja cat, pinned to the ground by the shadows, answered cautiously. It glanced around at the dense mass of other shadows shifting about, along with the occasional black figure moving at the edges. Nervous, it said, "I'm just passing by, nya."
"If you were just passing by, you wouldn't have spent so long on that rooftop across the way, watching me," Link responded calmly, signaling the shadows to tighten their grip slightly.
"I was wrong, nya." The ninja cat sensed a threat and raised its voice. "Please don't kill me, nya!"
Link said nothing, only stared. The cat swallowed. "My name is Hinai, nya." It introduced itself, then added, "I came because I heard that one of our kind might have been caught during the day, nya."
What a weird speech quirk.
At Link's direction, the shadow loosened its hold. Possibly among the cats his own shadows captured during the day, one might really have been a ninja cat. Then again, they'd just forcibly knocked them out and hauled them in, so there was no way to tell. While Link had ordered the captures, the cat's midnight visit could have been trouble—unless it lacked sufficient combat ability.
But…
Link thought about it a moment. Ninja cats often had good relations with the Uchiha. He didn't want more complications for now.
Once released, Hinai remained on all fours, not daring to move. As an animal, it sensed that any sudden movement could be fatal.
"About earlier today—I was searching for 'Shu.' You've already seen that cat, haven't you?" Link explained. He'd known the ninja cat was there from the moment it snuck within five hundred meters, and especially once it started spying on his window. He'd also overheard its meowing conversation with Shu.
Hinai's fur nearly bristled.
"You can leave," Link said. Even before he finished, a shadow had already reopened the window.
Hinai swallowed and hopped onto the windowsill, glancing back warily. "As a thank-you, if you want to purchase ninja tools, I can guide you for free, nya. You can find me by searching for any cat in Tanzaku Town, nya."
With that, Hinai tensed its legs, sprang into the air, swiftly bounded along the walls, and vanished into the night.
The Nekobaa's ninja shop, huh? Link mused, slightly tempted. That place, effectively a black-market outlet, sold a variety of ninja tools and accepted foreign currency. They also had rare scrolls. The ninja cat clan had a strong intel network—some information could be bought via Nekobaa, but normal people couldn't find the shop without a cat's lead.
[Too bad she left the Black Market Merchant faction years ago—otherwise, he might be able to buy loads of electrical items and lab equipment for his base.]
[Oh well, he thought. I can still rummage around Orochimaru's base if I need supplies…]
Stripping down, Link got back into bed. Once he heard Shizune, who'd been standing outside his door, leave, he let out a small yawn and directed his shadows to turn off the lamp and shut the window. Time for sleep.
…
The Next Day, Tanzaku Town
"Could you possibly let me—…" Tsunade asked hopefully.
Link formed a few seals. Let it be you…Nawaki!
Tsunade watched her brother appear again, smiling while pulling him close—but grabbing only air, for he was half-transparent.
"He'll stay longer in soul form," Link explained. "If I used a physical summoning, he'd vanish pretty soon back to the Pure Land."
Nawaki was already used to not being able to touch anything. He chattered excitedly to his big sister about his experiences these past days. He'd died too young to have many stories from real life. It was all war, training, then a swift death on the battlefield. But ever since being summoned out of the Pure Land by Link, he'd lived free from worry, encountering lots of fun things.
He talked about the now-aged Advisors, the Third Hokage, the stoic but kindhearted Uchiha Sasuke, a Haruno Sakura who clearly liked Sasuke, and how Konoha was thriving in peacetime—everything so exciting to a boy who once dreamed of protecting the village.
He even spoke excitedly of being summoned into a physical body once to eat a bowl of ramen.
Tsunade listened and smiled, her gaze overflowing with gentle warmth. Breakfast passed by quickly. Then, as the summoning wore off, Nawaki's spirit faded back to the Pure Land.
They left Tanzaku Town, and Link glanced over his shoulder at a stealthy cat following them—a cat that knew how dangerous he was, yet followed anyway. Cat curiosity was sometimes overwhelming. He decided it wasn't worth worrying about for now; they might end up collaborating eventually.
He settled onto his chair, letting the shadows lift him again.
"?" Shizune was puzzled. She'd noticed him carrying around a wooden chair the previous day but couldn't figure out why. Now it became clear.
"Let's go."
Even though, among the three travelers, Link had the lowest rank, Tsunade was still immersed in a mix of joy and sorrow, and Shizune—who needed his help—didn't object. So it was Link issuing commands.
During the run back to Konoha, Shizune often glanced over at him. She hadn't set foot in the village for years, and the Nara Clan's shadow technique might have evolved to this extent? So handy!
They departed in the morning and by afternoon arrived at the Hokage's office.
"Old man…" Tsunade said bluntly to her former teacher.
"Cough~" Shizune cleared her throat softly.
Tsunade corrected herself. "Sensei, it's been a while." In her younger days, she'd fought with the Third Hokage, calling him an "old geezer" or worse. Calling him "old man" was already quite affectionate.
The Third Hokage didn't mind how she addressed him; he actually looked somewhat nostalgic. "I didn't think you would come back… I half expected you to wait till I died."
"Tch—" Tsunade snorted, not answering directly. If it weren't for Nawaki, she probably would've continued drifting. "But let's get one thing straight—don't expect me to take on any missions or anything."
She had no interest in ninja work, never mind her hemophobia.
"Well, seeing as you're back, you can handle the Medical Division—right?" The Third Hokage grinned broadly. He knew his three students well. With Link around, plus his summoning jutsu and Nawaki's presence, Tsunade wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. Of course, he'd seize the moment to offload some duties and lessen his own burden.
"After all, I'm getting old, and Jiraiya still refuses the Hokage title…" He trailed off.
"Don't push your luck, old geezer!" Tsunade snapped, planting her fists on her hips.
"Fine, then I'll leave the Medical Division to you," The Third Hokage responded with a roguish smile.
He knew that if he'd asked her directly to head the Medics, she'd just argue and stall. But by bringing up the Hokage seat, she'd rather concede the Medical Division first.
Tsunade took a deep breath. "Shizune, let's go see how the Medical Corps is doing these days." Her voice sounded surprisingly gentle.
With that, she spun and stormed out.
Shizune, hugging Tonton, bowed. "Please excuse us, Lord Third." Then hurried after her mistress.
Link didn't linger either, soon bidding the Third Hokage farewell and returning home to review his medical knowledge.
For now, Tsunade wouldn't directly train him, but Shizune was no slouch. In the Fourth Shinobi War, she served as head medic, so her expertise was undeniable. In the short term, she could certainly teach him. If Link wanted Tsunade's personal tutelage later, he needed to display some real talent. He couldn't open by threatening, "You don't want Nawaki to—…," after all.
Also, he needed to push on with his summoning technique practice these next few days, maybe even try to summon the First or Second Hokage. Bring out either of them and everything's sorted.
He also had to start planning to confront Orochimaru again. The "Five-Element Seal" fiasco, somehow involving natural energy, might become a huge problem if left unchecked.
…
Tanzaku Town
"It's in this town." Jiraiya stood by the railing overlooking a lively street.
"Wow~" Naruto exclaimed, eyes bright. "So busy here!"
"Pervy Sage, that old lady Tsunade you mentioned—she's around here?"
"According to my intel, yep." Jiraiya rubbed his chin. He hadn't planned on tracking Tsunade down so soon, but he'd recently been in the Land of Rivers and received a summons. The three old coots in the village wanted either him to return and be Hokage or to hurry up and find a successor. Aside from him and Tsunade, no one else could fill the seat quickly. But he still had to seek the "Child of Prophecy," so…
Sorry, Tsunade. Taking a step down the stairs, he said, "Besides, Naruto, I'm tired out from your training. I need to relax in a grown-up's world."
"You liar!" Naruto shouted. "I'm the one who's been training—I bet all you do is go to those adult clubs! And gimme back my wallet!"
Jiraiya tossed Naruto's frog wallet over, grinning, "It's research, research!"
~~~
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