Chapter 208

"Leader, what exactly..."

"Everyone, calm down," the Yukigakure Leader said, forcing his voice steady despite the fear churning inside him. The absurdity of it all was almost overwhelming. "We were just testing some ninjutsu. Go back inside, get some sleep."

He urged the onlookers back inside. They'd clearly been drawn out by the commotion, hoping for some juicy gossip. But this was gossip you could die for. Honestly, the Leader felt like he'd already lost half his head just trying to process it all, but he clung to the slimmest hope: maybe, just maybe, if they obeyed without question, this cat would spare them.

He hurried back inside, trembling.

Turning back, he saw the hole in the wall behind him was now sealed by a thick sheet of ice. In the Land of Snow's frigid climate, it wouldn't melt anytime soon, it would hold against the wind and snow for now.

"Cat-sama," Kagawa began, his voice shaky, "I am Kagawa. May I ask... are you from Konoha, or...?"

"Meow!"

Takeshi padded closer, stopping beside Kagawa. Without a word, the giant cat slowly lifted a paw.

A hush fell over the room. Everyone held their breath. They'd all seen what that paw could do. One swipe could easily obliterate their supposedly 'powerful' Leader.

Kagawa squeezed his eyes shut. Fear, confusion, cowardice, it all flooded his mind. 'Was it just because I asked where he was from?' he thought frantically. 'That must be it. He already said we belong to him now. Asking anything else was stupid, so stupid...'

He scrambled to kowtow. "Cat-sama, I spoke rashly! Please forgive me. I was wrong."

But the paw kept descending.

Kagawa braced for the impact, heart pounding. Yet, after several agonizing seconds, the devastating blow never came. Instead, the massive paw rested gently on top of his head.

Then, Takeshi flicked his paw. An ice cube materialized from nowhere, plopping softly onto Kagawa's head. It hadn't fallen far, it barely stung.

'Spatial-... Spatial Ninjutsu?' one of the Yukigakure ninja thought, swallowing hard.

"Spa... spatial..." Kagawa stammered, realization dawning. His own skills were modest, but he knew enough. Takeshi had placed some kind of spatial marker on him. It meant the cat could appear anytime, anywhere, to snuff out his life. Even if Takeshi didn't come personally... what if he sent a lit explosive tag through? Or something worse?

"Meow?" The black cat gestured with his huge paw, the meaning clear.

"Understood! I understand completely," Kagawa nodded rapidly. If he hadn't grasped that, he deserved to die for his foolishness. This giant cat represented himself, not Konoha. 

He were just rogue shinobi, leagues away from Konoha, separated by mountains and rivers. There was no profit for Konoha here.

'Unless... Cat-sama hoped Yukigakure might cooperate? No, if that was the goal, he wouldn't have used this approach.'

Takeshi then moved deliberately around the room, placing his paw on each person's head, one by one, like applying a seal. No one dared move, letting the cat do as it pleased.

When it was finished, Takeshi let out a satisfied sound. "Meow! Where are the living quarters?"

"This is just the meeting hall," Kagawa stammered, bowing low. "It's drafty, and that hole from the blizzard doesn't help. Please, use my quarters. It's much warmer there."

"Very good, meow," Takeshi purred, a low rumble in his chest. "As long as you remain loyal, I will teach you things. Ninjutsu, perhaps. But if you betray me... well, trust me, you don't want to find out what happens then."

Takeshi padded slowly away, following Kagawa. Why stay in this cold, damaged hall when a warm room was offered? He was the new power here, demanding decent lodging wasn't asking much. Besides, leaving the meeting hall gave these ninja time and space. Time to really think. Would they truly submit? Or would they try something foolish, like contacting Doto Kazahana behind his back?

Kagawa led Takeshi to his own home, the place where his wife and children lived. It was a clear signal, practically offering hostages to prove his loyalty.

Back in the meeting hall, once Kagawa and the cat were gone, nervous discussion erupted. The options were stark: Submit, or run.

Resistance wasn't even on the table. Against that cat's power? Their entire village together probably wouldn't even be a warm-up. Running seemed futile too. With ability to teleport, where could they go? He could hunt them down one by one, no matter how far they fled. The real discussion drifted towards how to protect the rest of the clan, the non-combatants.

But after a few hushed exchanges, silence fell again. If they sent the others away, wouldn't that guarantee their own deaths? Self-preservation kicked in. And... the cat hadn't actually seemed intent on slaughtering them all, just asserting dominance.

As the initial panic subsided, a cautious flicker of hope began to take root. After more murmuring, a consensus emerged: perhaps following this black cat for a while wouldn't be so bad. They were rogue ninja, after all. Whether they worked for Doto or this cat, they were still taking orders from someone powerful.

This new master was undeniably more powerful than Doto. Seen that way... maybe following this bizarrely strong black cat was actually an opportunity. A chance, however strange, for a future. Perhaps sticking with him could lead somewhere unexpected, somewhere powerful.

With that thought, a strange sense of relief washed over them. Maybe... maybe following this cat was the best path forward for Yukigakure.

--**--**

The next morning, Takeshi woke early. Back home, he'd indulge in a longer nap, but out here, news from Yahiko could arrive via Kanna at any moment.

He was right.

Soon after, he felt the familiar pull of the summoning.

Kagawa had come to pay his respects, searching for his new master. He looked around, puzzled, just in time to see the black cat vanish with a soft *pop*. No trace remained.

Kagawa stood frozen for several seconds, then took a deep, shaky breath.

'Never betray him,' he thought, the resolution hardening within him. 'Betrayal means death.' All the village leadership had been 'marked.' Killing one or two wouldn't work, nor would relocation. And if all their leaders died... for rogue shinobi like them, that was as good as total annihilation.

--**--**

Inside the Ninja Cat Fortress.

"Takeshi-sama... he sent a letter," Kanna panted, clearly taxed from the long-distance summoning.

Takeshi nudged a pouch of special cat food towards her. Even for an Uzumaki with strong chakra reserves, the distance from the Land of Snow back to the fortress was far greater than, say, Konoha to the eastern Land of Fire. 

It demanded a significant amount of chakra. Of course, that cost was amplified by Takeshi's own growing power. Summoning an ordinary cat from that distance would have been trivial for Kanna.

"Meow~ Let me see," Takeshi purred, tearing open the scroll Kanna presented. "You rest up."

He scanned the contents. Simple enough. The meeting was set for tomorrow. Yahiko wanted Takeshi there earlier, for reassurance. Understandable. They were nervous, needing Takeshi's presence before taking the next step.

Ignorance had been bliss, but now they knew meeting Hanzo might mean facing not just Hanzo, but Danzo, Amegakure ninja, and Konoha's Root operatives. Caution was only natural. Yahiko might be idealistic, but Takeshi's warnings had sunk in. 

He wouldn't blindly gamble his comrades' lives on Hanzo not cooperating with Danzo. After all, how else could the current uneasy truce between Konoha and Amegakure exist?

"I'll head over now, meow," Takeshi decided. "Don't worry. Hey, has that White Pig (Nekomata) woken up yet? If he has, tell him to get ready to help. He doesn't need to show himself, just mess up the terrain when Yahiko and the others retreat. Make it harder for Konoha and Amegakure to pursue."

Finished speaking, Takeshi gathered his chakra and vanished, using the Flying Thunder God to instantly appear at Konan's location.

--**--**

On the border of Amegakure, Konan sat across from Nagato. Yahiko was out rallying their people and hadn't returned. They were both waiting for Takeshi.

After a while, a subtle ripple of chakra disturbed the air. A small mouse suddenly appeared on Konan's shoulder.

"Last time a cockroach, now a mouse..." Konan sighed, rubbing her temple. "What's next, a slug?" She really couldn't fathom the cat's morbid sense of humor. Back in her days of scrounging through trash heaps, she had her share of fending off stray animals, and squashing vermin underfoot, Takeshi hadn't even been born. Who did he think he was scaring with these little critters?

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