Chapter 113: The Nekomata's Journey

Chapter 113: The Nekomata's Journey

Ling didn't talk too much with Uchiha Akihiko. He only said that he would try using another Wraith Pearl after getting out of the illusion. After a brief exchange about the clan's situation, he made an appointment with Akihiko to talk in detail after returning to the clan, then decisively exited the illusion.

Communication in the spiritual realm is much faster than in reality. So, to the outside world, Ling just paused slightly and then regained his composure. After briefly thinking about tactics to deal with the Oni, he decided to give it a try as Uchiha Akihiko had suggested.

The moment he moved, the little Nekomata, dazed by the chakra fluctuations, also came to its senses. It repeated the question it had blurted out subconsciously just now, "Are you a descendant of that Indra kid?"

Ling stopped in his tracks and frowned slightly. "Miss Nekomata, do you know Indra?"

"Of course I do. I can basically say that I watched that kid grow up..." There was a touch of nostalgia in the little Nekomata's tone. "But which branch of his descendants are you? I can't tell without seeing your eyes."

Ling gently rubbed the hilt of his sword. After a brief moment of thought, he said, "My surname is Uchiha."

"Uchiha? Uchiha... Uchiha?!" The little Nekomata unconsciously wagged its tail as it fell into memories, but soon fluffed up in a fit. Its voice even became a bit shrill. "Isn't that the branch with the worst - tempered and crazy people?!"

"Ouch, ouch, ouch..." Ling reached out and picked up the little Nekomata. His voice was full of helplessness. "Miss Nekomata, please leave my hair alone. It's a bit of a hassle to take care of, and I don't have any plans to change my look yet."

The little Nekomata was still in a fluffed - up state, and its voice was full of suspicion. "Are you really an Uchiha?"

Ling stroked the fur of the little Nekomata in his arms and chuckled softly. "Yes, genuine - no fake here. But it seems our clan's reputation in the outside world has never changed since ancient times."

"Such an easy - going personality... You really don't seem like an Uchiha," the little Nekomata gradually melted into a cat - pancake under Ling's touch. "After all, the Uchiha clan didn't inherit much else, but they got a hundred percent of that Indra kid's arrogance and strength - and that stubborn and trigger - happy bad temper."

Ling raised his eyebrows slightly. "From what Miss Nekomata is saying... Are you very familiar with Indra?"

"Didn't I say? I watched that kid grow up..." The little Nekomata lifted its head. It still thought this boy with excellent cat - petting skills and a gentle personality didn't seem like an Uchiha. "That brat had a really awful personality.

After the old man died, he tried more than once to capture several of us and fuse us together to obtain the old man's power. I was so tormented by that kid back then that I had to 'die' several times."

"

 [The clan's records indicate that the time of Indra was several hundred years ago, or perhaps even a thousand years. But little Nekomata said she watched that person grow up and saw him come back from the dead multiple times...] Ling frowned slightly. [The only creatures that meet this condition should be the Tailed Beasts, which were used as the protagonists of strange stories by clan school teachers when I was a child, right?]

 "Hey, kid, how did you lose your eyes?"

 Ling then came back to his senses slightly. "Because I wasn't strong enough and was afraid of falling into the enemy's hands, I wanted to kill myself."

 Little Nekomata was stunned. "You did it yourself?"

 "Yeah, I did it myself. To be honest, I never thought I'd be able to survive back then."

 "...I'm starting to believe you're an Uchiha," little Nekomata silently flipped over and showed her belly as a gesture. "This crazy streak really hasn't changed since ancient times."

 Ling smiled again. "Then I really appreciate it... Miss Nekomata, can you tell me about Indra and Asura?"

 "The inheritance of your Uchiha clan should be quite complete. Isn't there any record?"

 "I couldn't see this part myself because I lost my eyes. And to be honest...," Ling's voice dropped. "The stone tablet that records these things was tampered with by some bug from who knows where. It's really hard to believe."

 A purring sound came from little Nekomata's throat. "What was written on that stone tablet?"

 "It said on the stone tablet that Indra was dissatisfied that the Six Paths Sage left the Ninja Doctrine to Asura, so he had a conflict with Asura and asked us descendants to seek justice for him."

 "Humph~ Those two brothers did fight for a long time, but that last part doesn't sound like something that kid would say. That kid was crazy, but he was always the strongest. He would never say something like asking others to seek justice for him."

 Little Nekomata hugged Ling's hand and gently nibbled on his fingers. "If he could communicate well with others, he would never have had such a feud with Asura, that stupid kid.

 It's more likely that he would say something like he'd never rest until one of them was dead. But although he kept talking about never resting until one of them was dead, Indra never really tried to kill Asura... He was so awkward, it was ridiculous.

 But it's really strange. That stone tablet was made by Indra himself. Apart from the old man and the old man's younger brother, no one should be more proficient in Yin Release than him. Could someone really have tampered with the stone tablet he made?"

 "Miss Nekomata, do you have any idea who did it?"

 "That beetle might know. After all, he's always flying around everywhere...," little Nekomata crawled out of Ling's hand and pressed one paw on Ling's hand. "Kid, by now, you should know what I am, right?"

 Ling nodded slightly. "It should be said that the Uzumaki clan has provoked a formidable enemy... Yi and the others will probably regret it for a while if they know."

"

 "Humph~ You seem pretty calm, huh~"

 "Because I think it's very easy to get along with Miss Nekomata," Ling chuckled. "Rather, I'm even more eager to take Miss Nekomata back with me at this moment... Won't you really consider my offer?"

 But this time, the little Nekomata didn't immediately refuse. Instead, it fell into silence. Ling just sat there quietly. After a short while, he couldn't help but turn his hand over and hold the little Cat Claw.

 After stroking the paw countless times, the little Nekomata finally broke the silence. It pulled its paw out and pressed it on Ling's hand again. "Anyway, signing a summoning contract doesn't necessarily mean I have to work for you. Human lifespan is so short that it passes by in a flash. I'll give you a chance now."

 "Sure. Thanks, Miss Nekomata," Ling said with a broader smile on his lips. "Then let's officially get to know each other. I'm Ling, Uchiha Ling."

 "Humph~ My name? Listen up, kid..." The little Nekomata retracted its paw and sat upright on Ling's lap. "My name is — The Nekomata's Journey."