Chapter 202: Nekobaa's Ninja Tool Shop

Two days later, in the Land of Fire, in a town near Tanzaku Street, inside a ramen shop.

"Do you really like ramen?"

Utakata, seated next to Link, turned his head slightly to ask, his gaze carrying a hint of curiosity.

He had seen plenty of rogue ninja who, after losing their village's supervision, used their power however they pleased to fulfill their desires. Yet this kid—who was trying to exploit Tailed Beast power—behaved with surprising restraint in everyday life, and would even lend a hand to those in trouble within a certain range.

It was quite interesting.

Link snapped some noodles with his chopsticks, slowly chewed and swallowed, then looked up.

"Meat, vegetables, salt, oil—all the nutrients your body needs after intense physical activity."

"I also like barbecue and sweets. Both meat and sugar are essential for growth and recovery."

He didn't mind letting the other person know what he liked.

[So it's for practical reasons, huh?]

Utakata wanted to ask a few more questions, but his own bowl of ramen arrived just then, so he let it go for the time being.

"I'm digging in."

They ate quietly, then returned to the street. Walking leisurely toward Tanzaku Street, Utakata suddenly asked, "Where are we going?"

"You sure have a lot of questions today." Link had noticed that Utakata had just used "we" in his wording.

"Since you need my power," Utakata said, appearing fairly relaxed, "shouldn't you at least tell me what you want me to do, and where we're headed?"

"Nekobaa's ninja tool shop," Link answered simply.

Utakata took out his bubble-blower from his belt. "So that's why you bought that matatabi (cat mint) drink yesterday—are you going to buy ninja tools?"

Link shot him a glance without replying. This guy's personality was obviously on the quieter side, yet after two days, he'd started talking non-stop.

"Pooof~"

Utakata blew out a string of bubbles. Watching them rise into the air, he spoke idly, "Nekobaa... yeah, the Ninja Cat clan, right? I heard they get along well with the Uchiha. You've summoned an Uchiha's deceased spirit before..."

He went on chattering a bit too much.

"By the way, why do you need a Tailed Beast's power?"

Link looked over. "You're just my captive right now."

"All right." Utakata's one exposed eye—uncovered by his hair—showed a slight smile. He didn't press further and just kept himself busy blowing bubbles.

They left the town, joined up with the shadows carrying Hidan's remains, and soon arrived at Tanzaku Street.

Instead of entering the streets right away, Link stayed outside and had one of his shadows grab a cat. Gazing at the orange cat's clear eyes, he remembered Hina saying before that any cat in Tanzaku Street could lead them to her. That meant—

"Do you know Hina?" he asked.

The orange cat looked utterly calm. Placed on the ground by the shadow, it gave a lazy stretch and started licking itself.

"Haha." Utakata chuckled.

[Bring over a few more.]

At Link's command, the shadows moved again. The next moment, a fully dressed Hina jumped out, looking anxious. "Don't catch any more cats, nya~!"

What quick intel.

All the shadow had done was catch a single cat, and already a ninja cat had shown up.

"What I meant before was, if you come to Tanzaku Street and appear in front of any cat, I'll be able to find you, nya." Hina squatted down, sneaking a glance at Utakata. As a ninja cat skilled in sensory techniques, it had sensed that "monster" from afar.

Link casually took the cat mint drink from his pocket and tossed it over. "Right then—take me to Nekobaa's ninja tool shop."

Hina deftly caught the drink with her paws. After a moment of hesitation and a somewhat pained expression, she reluctantly tossed it back. "I already told you I'm doing this to repay you for letting me go last time, so—"

One of the shadows retrieved the drink and handed it back to her.

"It's not a payment for guiding us," Link said with a smile. "It's a gift between friends."

He was thinking of raising a ninja cat himself, so of course he wanted to stay on good terms.

"Thank you, nya." At lightning speed, Hina hugged the cat mint drink again, beaming as she tucked it into her arms. Straightening up, she said, "Then follow me."

The city lay empty. Dark clouds gathered overhead, and raindrops began to fall, giving the whole place a wasteland-like feel.

Tap, tap...

One of the shadows held an umbrella for Link. Rainwater splashing at his feet in his ninja sandals made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"That's a handy jutsu," Utakata commented, holding his own umbrella next to him. He looked at the shadows and voiced a thought many had had before.

He cast a quick glance at the figures lurking in a nearby building's shadows. "It's my first time seeing so many ninja cats."

"Of course, nya." Hina, cradled in the shadow's arms, took a satisfied sip of the cat mint drink, then raised a paw in a certain direction. "Over there, nya."

She had meant to walk on her own at first. But then again, she was just a cute little cat—how could she turn down a human offering to carry her?

[Maybe choosing this kid as my summoner wouldn't be so bad, nya,] she thought, shifting her posture to lie more comfortably.

With a whoosh, another ninja cat—this one with the character "忍" ("shinobi") on its forehead—appeared before the two humans, one cat, and four shadows. It spoke in a gruff tone:

"Hina, what are you doing?"

"Obviously, I'm bringing our guests to see Nekobaa, nya." Hina spoke, then—still holding the bottle—jumped out of the shadow's arms. She screwed the cap shut and tucked it away again, leading them onward. "Tenka, why are you back so early, nya?"

[Ugh, having to walk on these puddles feels terrible. And I have to do it myself, all thanks to Tenka—]

The ninja cat once known for its fearless, loner ways had fallen from grace with impressive speed.

Tenka glanced at its unhappy companion, then swept its gaze over the two newcomers and the mysterious shadows. "Please follow us."

Hina's expression looked even more annoyed, but she stayed quiet, simply hanging her head and continuing forward.

Before long, under the ninja cats' guidance, the two of them arrived at a shop full of cats.

"What can I do for you two?" asked an old lady with a feline nose. She had been smoking a pipe, but upon seeing Utakata, her nose twitched. She instantly set aside her pipe, keeping her expression indifferent as her posture shifted slightly—clearly getting ready for a potential fight.

[A jinchūriki? That could be trouble. But the kid next to him looks awfully familiar...]

"I'd like to purchase some scrolls and place an order for a few miscellaneous items." Link handed over both a pre-written shopping list and a sealed scroll containing money to the girl at his side.

She passed the list to Nekobaa, then performed a summoning technique to retrieve a chest of money from within the scroll. When she opened it, she looked a bit astonished.

"My, you really are quite generous," she remarked.

Nekobaa set down the list. Although the bills weren't from the Land of Fire, there was more than enough to cover everything on it.

"So, customer, your name is Link, correct?"

~~~

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