P.O.V Serene and training

I recorded it in my report, without embellishment.

The patrol had gone as planned.

Well... almost.

Itachi had been exemplary. Silent, attentive.

As for the cat... I expected her to be a burden.

She followed me. She adapted. Even though she sniffed everything and stopped too often, she quickly understood the corrections.

I noted: intelligence above normal.

Lunch had given me my first serious clue.

When she jumped onto the still-warm grill, I thought she was stupid.

A normal animal would have jumped back, surprised by the heat.

She didn't.

She sat on it. Perfectly at ease.

I had to grab her sharply.

She hissed in my face.

I checked her paw pads.

Warm.

Almost hot.

But unharmed.

I still remember her furious, offended look.

Ridiculous, but so cute.

When she finally accepted the meat I offered her, I smiled despite myself.

She pretended to sulk, but she purred.

A little demon disguised as a plush toy.

But the real surprise came after.

When I gave the order:

"Kitty, catch him."

I didn't expect much. Just that she might meet the minimum for a genin's ninken.

I wanted to see if she'd understand.

She stared at me, unmoving.

Her tail flicked.

For a moment, I thought she was ignoring me.

I was ready to intervene myself.

Then suddenly, she bolted.

I will never forget what I saw.

First, the speed.

A black and red blur weaving between the legs of the crowd.

Then the heat.

When her fur started to glow red.

I felt the air change.

Like a forge's fire being stoked.

When I finally glimpsed her form, she was no longer just a cat.

Her black coat was streaked with incandescent veins, pulsing like live embers.

Tiny flames licked her sides without burning her.

Her eyes glowed with a supernatural red.

Not just a reflection: a predatory, conscious light.

She moved like a living will-o'-the-wisp.

Bounding between walls, ricocheting across rooftops, with the precision of a predator.

She left a wake of heat behind her.

When she appeared in the alley, I froze.

She stood between the thief and any escape.

Flames crackled faintly over her fur.

Her eyes blazed.

She let out a deep, almost supernatural growl.

The thief was petrified.

I understood why.

I was about to stop her before she hurt a civilian but:

"Hinoko. That's enough."

A single call from her master was enough.

It was like breaking a spell.

I saw the fire die.

The red veins faded.

Her eyes returned to normal.

She blinked, lost.

She looked so adorable.

I didn't think twice.

I picked her up.

She squirmed weakly, but I held her against me.

She curled up, docile, with that typical indignation.

It was amusing to see how expressive this cat was.

Far more than her master.

However, her wild temperament needed regulating.

It would be a shame if she hurt someone she shouldn't during a mission.

I put all that in my report.

At the end of the day, when Fugaku-sama saw me holding her in my arms, he raised an eyebrow.

After reading the report, he seemed a bit surprised by her physical capabilities.

But I'm almost sure he already knew about this... ability to ignite.

Then he set the document down.

"Since you seem to get along, you'll take her with you."

As soon as he said that, the cat began protesting violently.

A small flick from Itachi calmed her.

Fugaku explained.

That Itachi didn't have the time.

That he needed to prepare for future missions and his exam.

Hinoko, as Itachi's partner, needed to acquire certain skills.

And since she let me handle her and I understood her... it would be me.

Given my familiarity with the Neko clan, I had the necessary level to train a ninken suitable for a genin, even a chūnin.

She already had the power to accompany a chūnin.

He wanted me to make sure she acquired the rest.

I had three days.

A deadline that seemed impossible.

But it was a mission.

I'd do everything to meet it.

Though I didn't say it... it made me very happy.

It's rare I get to have fun... cough cough, train something so cute.

I nonetheless had a pleasant surprise the next day.

During those three days with this little fiery demon...

I discovered she understood everything.

Not just simple commands.

She could anticipate, calculate, deduce.

Like a high-level summoning beast.

Her intelligence wasn't far from that of a human.

I began teaching her strategy, signals, silence.

She had a rather flighty attention span, but with a reward in sight, I've never had such an attentive student.

We tested:

Her memory of scents: impeccable.

Her reaction speed: lightning-fast.

Her tolerance to genjutsu: surprising. She regained awareness quickly, and the weaker ones... she simply ignored them.

These talents and her memory made the three-day deadline more than enough.

I even had time to teach her a few extra skills.

We worked on her ability to detect toxins or poisons even well-hidden.

She hated it.

But it was necessary.

Like a child, you couldn't always coax her the same way.

I still have the mark of her claw on my sleeve.

She pretended to sulk or even ran away entirely, but once training resumed, she listened.

She even anticipated sometimes.

I'm proud of her.

And eager to see how far she'll go.

Too bad she didn't seem to want to follow me afterward.

That's for the best.

It proves her loyalty to her master.

Or... was it because of the various poisons I slipped into her food?

A living pillow with such perfect warmth... I'll miss it.