A Fat Cat Chase and Poké Balls

A week later, under the warmth of the high-hanging sun, Konoha basked in golden light. In a forest nestled within the village, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura stood silently, their gazes locked on the rustling bushes ahead, brows furrowed with serious focus.

"Meow—"

A plump, fur-bristling cat emerged hesitantly, only to sense something amiss. Its ears twitched, its fur stood on end, and with a startled yowl, it bolted.

"No, he's going to run!" Sakura cried out in alarm, glancing worriedly at her teammates.

Naruto grinned confidently. "It's okay, Sakura, just watch me." He swiftly grabbed the Poké Ball from his waist and flung it forward. A flash of white light revealed Bulbasaur, who landed in the grass, blinking curiously.

"Bulbasaur, help me catch that cat!"

"Bulba?" Bulbasaur tilted its head in confusion, eyeing the rapidly fleeing feline.

Naruto grew anxious. "Quick, Bulbasaur, catch it!"

Rolling its eyes, Bulbasaur finally gave chase. Despite its short legs, it was clearly faster than the fat cat. The gap closed quickly.

Suddenly, two vines shot from Bulbasaur's back, whipping toward the target. The fat cat, sensing danger, zigzagged desperately through the trees. The vines swished harmlessly past it, missing by inches. The cat glanced back with a smug, almost human smirk.

"Meow—I"

Naruto's face turned red with frustration. "Don't run, I'm catching you today, no matter what!"

"Gah—" Bulbasaur cried, frustrated as well. It pulled back its vines and resumed the chase with renewed determination.

"Charmander, stop him."

Sasuke's cool voice echoed through the trees. A Poké Ball flew forward and opened with a burst of light.

"Char Char!" Charmander appeared in a flash, directly in front of the escaping cat. With a swift swipe of its claws, it knocked the cat down with a solid thud.

Naruto ran over, laughing as he picked up the disgruntled cat. "Sasuke, you did it! Hahaha! Not so smug now, huh?"

"Bulba! Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur grinned, eyeing the cat with satisfaction.

"Idiot." Sasuke muttered, walking up and patting Charmander's head. He pulled out an energy cube and handed it over.

"Char!" Charmander happily accepted it, tail swaying as it chewed.

"Arrogant Sasuke! What did you say?!" Naruto yelled.

Sasuke ignored him.

"I wanna fight you one-on-one!" Naruto challenged, full of fire.

"How boring."

Bang—

Naruto's head took a direct hit. Sakura stood behind him, fists clenched. "Be quiet already."

Naruto rubbed his head and fell silent.

"Ahem—"

The familiar voice came from the side. Kakashi appeared with Pikachu standing calmly on his shoulder.

"Pika Pika."

Kakashi looked at the trio. "In the future, you're not allowed to use Pokémon during D-rank missions."

Naruto froze. "But why, Kakashi-sensei? They're our partners!"

Sasuke and Sakura also turned to look at him with puzzled eyes.

"D-rank missions are meant to train your teamwork. If Pokémon do everything for you, how can your teamwork improve?" Kakashi explained simply, his tone final. "No means no. The mission is complete—let's report back."

Reluctantly, they followed him toward the Hokage's office, their Pokémon beside them.

Soon, they entered the grand office. Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, glanced up from his papers with a warm smile. "Kakashi, is the mission completed?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yes, Hokage. We're also ready to take on another mission."

Sarutobi Hiruzen opened a drawer and offered them a stack of D-rank requests. "These are available. Take your pick."

Naruto stood up eagerly. "Grandpa Hokage, isn't there a higher-level mission? I'm tired of D-rank already!"

Sarutobi raised a brow. "Higher-level?"

He rubbed his chin, then turned to Kakashi. "What's the strength of your Pokémon?"

Kakashi replied calmly, "They've all reached Genin-level strength. Not weaker than trained Genin."

Sarutobi nodded and retrieved a different folder. "Then I'll assign you a C-rank mission—an escort mission."

"Really? A C-rank mission?!" Naruto was beyond excited.

Kakashi's eye narrowed slightly. Something about this felt odd. Still, he nodded.

Later, under Sarutobi's arrangement, the group met their mission's client. But on the other side of the village, inside the Pokémon House, a new visitor had arrived.

Wearing his signature green jumpsuit and bowl-cut hair, Might Guy stood grinning before Renji Takahashi.

"Boss, is Kakashi's Pikachu from here? Can I let my students choose Pokémon too?"

Renji blinked in surprise, then immediately stood. "Yes! Of course. As long as the Pokémon accept you, they're yours."

Business had been dead for a week—how could he not be thrilled to have a guest now?

Might Guy smiled brighter. "Excellent, Boss. I learned about Pokémon from Kakashi and came right away after our mission!"

Renji chuckled and pulled out four Poké Balls.

Might Guy's eyes sparkled with anticipation when he saw the Poké Ball in Renji Takahashi's hand. He had seen these curious little balls before—tools of remarkable power that could call forth magical creatures. Without hesitation, he reached out, his fingers just inches away from taking it.

But in that moment, Renji pulled back.

Guy blinked, startled. "What's wrong, boss?"

Renji said nothing. Instead, he calmly raised his hand and pointed to the wall, where a detailed price list hung. The words were clear, bold, and unforgiving.

All eyes turned to it.

Neji and TenTen's expressions didn't change much—they were composed, calculating. But Lee, always passionate and poor, visibly recoiled. His pupils widened like saucers. "T-Two thousand ryo? For a small ball?! Mr. Guy, are we getting scammed?!"

Though TenTen and Neji were equally surprised on the inside, they didn't question it aloud. After all, Might Guy wasn't someone who'd take them somewhere sketchy. Surely there had to be a reason.

Unfazed by the commotion, Guy scratched his head and laughed. "Hahaha, sorry, boss! We'll pay!"

He reached for his wallet, only for his face to freeze when he opened it.

Everyone leaned closer, waiting.

"Hahaha, what a coincidence. I, uh… forgot to bring money." Guy grinned sheepishly.

There was a beat of silence. Then everyone collectively sighed.

TenTen stepped forward, covering her forehead with a sigh. "Unbelievable… here."

She pulled out her wallet and flipped it open—stacks of bills spilled into view, enough to make Renji's eyes gleam with disbelief. This girl… is loaded.

Unapologetically rich, TenTen counted out the payment with practiced ease.

"Here you go."

Renji, still amazed, accepted the money and handed over the Poké Ball. "Take it and go search, but remember: don't use force. If the Pokémon doesn't agree, the Poké Ball won't work. And if that happens, you'll need to buy a new one."

"We understand," Guy said solemnly.

TenTen, always thorough, raised another point. "What if the Pokémon refuses? We'll have to buy more Poké Balls, right?"

Renji nodded.

Without blinking, TenTen opened her wallet again. "Then give me ten more Poké Balls. I'd rather not walk back and forth."

Renji, nearly glowing, quickly packed the requested items.

"And… those energy cubes," TenTen added, pointing at the chart. "Which ones do you recommend?"

"The low-grade ones. The Pokémon inside the forest are still young. These will be enough," Renji replied with a calm smile.

"Alright, four bags. And also, give me four Pokédex devices."

"Got it!" Renji chirped, handing over everything as quickly as he could.

After paying, TenTen split the items among her teammates. Lee hesitated, fidgeting with the Poké Ball in his hand.

"This… this is too much. I-I can't pay this back quickly."

TenTen smiled and shook her head. "It's fine. Consider it a loan. Pay me back when you can."

"…Okay. Thank you," Lee whispered, holding the ball like a sacred treasure.

Might Guy gave Renji a thumbs up. "Boss, we're heading in."

Renji nodded, motioning to the back. The group walked through the backyard, stepping over the Pokémon battle field before entering the forest. With Guy's energetic explanations, the team grew more and more interested, their eyes gleaming with curiosity.

Meanwhile, Renji sat on the porch, counting money with a grin. "Capturing Pokémon myself and selling the experience… not bad at all."

The past week had been quiet—too quiet. With no customers, his funds had dwindled dangerously. He had spent nearly all his earnings renovating the wooden house and modifying the capture process, changing the previous "selection" rule into a more interactive "search and bond" experience.

Now, with customers finally returning, things were looking up.

"This money… should last me half a year, at least for food," he muttered, sending the bills flying with a pulse of mental power. The money glided through the air and vanished into a wooden box inside the room.

His expression shifted into focus as he sat down and closed his eyes.

The spiritual energy within him pulsed stronger than ever. If another elite jonin from the Root dared to show up now… crushing him would be easy.