Chapter 16: The Medical Department, the Dog-Vet, and Lady Cat!

Chapter 16: The Medical Department, the Dog-Vet, and Lady Cat!

[You have speed-run the [B-Rank Mission: Bounty Hunters]!]

[You have obtained one C-Rank [Shinobi Secret Scroll]!]

Nara Keisuke stood at the bottom of the Hokage's Office building, calmly closing the panel.

He turned, stopped, looked up, and stared.

Twelve years old this year, standing at the foot of the Hokage's tower, like a mere grunt.

'There's no need for ecstasy, and conversely, no need for deep despair. That kind of peaceful life was my goal to begin with.'

Nara Keisuke gazed at the red building before him, the symbol of the highest center of power in Konohagakure.

'But even so, I still know... it won't be the old men who create the new era!'

[Your resolve has deepened, your spiritual energy has grown, and your [Wisdom] attribute has been enhanced!]

[Wisdom: C+ → B-]

'Is growth just about overcoming one's own immature past?'

A trace of determination that was previously lacking appeared in Nara Keisuke's eyes. He identified his direction and took a step forward.

'First, let's set a small goal! Raise my overall strength to the B-rank Jōnin level as soon as possible!'

There was no movement on the virtual panel.

'Alright, it seems a ninja can't issue a commissioned mission to themselves.'

As he gradually moved away from the Hokage's Office, Nara Keisuke took out the black scroll Tsunade had given him as a farewell gift. The black scroll was exceptionally clean, its straight, slender surface without a single blemish, and it exuded a faint smell of disinfectant.

'A gift from the big sucker? How generous!'

Nara Keisuke didn't check the contents of the scroll immediately but solemnly placed it in the equipment pouch on his lower back.

'But just now, that Danzō from Root, why did he glance at me?'

'That old root said he had received intelligence from Iwagakure. Could it be...'

'Is that the reason Sister Nono'o came back to the village?'

Yakushi Nono'o had never revealed her identity as a Root ninja in front of Nara Keisuke. But not only did he know about it, he also knew the future trajectory of her life.

'Yakushi Nono'o, Root, Shimura Danzō...'

Just as Nara Keisuke was deep in thought about how to free Yakushi Nono'o from Root, he finally arrived at his destination.

"Welcome! This is Manten-dō!"

A polite and enthusiastic greeting came from the young, black-haired shopkeeper.

"The ninja tools we sell here are all-encompassing. We have everything!"

Nara Keisuke glanced at the broadly smiling shopkeeper and asked tentatively, "You really have everything?"

The shopkeeper said with confidence, "There's nothing a customer can think of that we don't sell!"

"Mhm, well, I won't make it difficult for you. Let's skip the high-end stuff. First, give me a Bashōsen."

The Bashōsen, one of the tools wielded by the Sage of Six Paths, could ignore the user's own chakra nature and release a composite ninjutsu of the five great nature transformations—water, fire, wind, earth, and lightning—at once.

"...Sorry, customer. This is just a small business. We don't sell the legendary tools of the Sage of Six Paths."

"Then I'll lower the standard. The Uchiha clan's Gunbai, do you have it?"

The Uchiha Gunbai, a weapon passed down through generations of the Uchiha clan, was made from a part of the God Tree and had the ability to control fire-release ninjutsu with wind release and to reflect ninjutsu attacks.

"...Sorry, customer. How could our humble shop have the Uchiha clan's heirloom for sale!"

"Then I'll lower it again. From the Village Hidden by the Mist, one of the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist, the greatsword Samehada."

Samehada, a special ninja sword with a life of its own, capable of absorbing chakra.

"...Sorry, customer. We're just an ordinary ninja tool shop in Konoha."

"The Sword of Kusanagi—"

"Customer! Our Manten-dō is an affordable, popular department store that sells a large quantity of conventional ninja tools and daily necessities."

"Oh, you should have said so earlier!"

Nara Keisuke shrugged, finally venting the frustration he had bottled up in the Hokage's Office.

"I need a pair of single-sided tactical sunglasses, a sheet of chakra paper, and one military ration pill."

Sunglasses? An Aburame clan ninja, right? No wonder he's so long-winded! From today on, I'm blacklisting all of you! Don't even think about buying cheap insect food from me again!

The black-haired shopkeeper, who seemed to have aged several years in an instant, quickly took out the three items from the counter and, at the lowest price and fastest speed, sent off the "Aburame plague god" in his eyes.

'The tactical sunglasses and chakra paper are expensive, fine, but one military ration pill costs one thousand ryō... could it be hiding some secret technology I don't know about?'

Nara Keisuke put away the chakra paper, planning to test his chakra nature when he was alone. The same went for the thousand-ryō military ration pill. Although there might be higher quality pills at home, Nara Keisuke didn't really want to face that mushy couple for the time being. He could only buy one outside first to try out the effect.

Of the three items, only the last one remained. It was a pair of frameless tactical sunglasses. On the thin, black metal temples were two dark blue, rounded rectangular lenses. They looked to be of high quality.

'This shopkeeper's temper and taste aren't too bad!'

Nara Keisuke took out an alcohol wipe from his equipment pouch, gave the glasses a simple wipe-down and disinfection, and put them on.

'A bit tight for the first time...'

After a quick tidy-up, Nara Keisuke set off again. Although Tsunade, as the Head of the Medical Department, had temporarily conscripted the little intern Nara Keisuke for a B-rank mission, the "Madam Head" had other things to attend to at the moment. Nara Keisuke felt he should probably go to the Medical Department to report in first.

Next stop: The Beast Rearing and Therapy Class.

...

"Why are you touching him there?"

"He's just lying here. What can I do?"

"You should be doing an autopsy right now! An autopsy!!"

"You don't need to teach me how to do my job!"

"You're the worst vet I've ever seen!"

Nara Keisuke stood at the entrance of the Beast Rearing and Therapy Class, listening to the two sharp, piercing female voices coming from inside. For a moment, he didn't know whether he should step in with his left foot or his right, or perhaps come back to report in a few days.

But just then, a greeting suddenly came from inside, a rough voice full of wild temperament.

"Who's outside? Come in!"

Nara Keisuke steeled himself and pushed the door open. What came into view was a spacious room resembling a hospital ward. Two women stood opposite each other, separated only by a narrow patient bed, on which lay a creature covered in thick fur.

Nara Keisuke quickly glanced at the bed.

'Oh, they were talking about a cat. Then it's fi—huh?!'

"Wearing sunglasses?"

The female ninja on the left had a spiky hedgehog-like hairdo that made one want to keep their distance. She must be the "vet" here, and she was the one who had just called him in.

"An Aburame clan ninja? Our Beast Rearing and Therapy Class can't treat your insects!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the female vet sniffed the air.

"Wait! Such a strong smell of deer and medicinal herbs... and a military ration pill from Manten-dō? You're not one of those bug-users from the Aburame clan. You're a child from the Nara clan?"

Do you have a dog's nose?

Nara Keisuke's eyes widened slightly, but when he saw the clan symbol worn by the woman, he finally understood.

A ninja from the Inuzuka clan!

Even though a ninja's five senses were far superior to an ordinary person's, the Inuzuka clan could enhance their sense of smell to tens of thousands of times that of a normal person with their special family secret arts! No wonder she could smell out his identity directly.

'But still, for you to smell a military ration pill, and one from Manten-dō at that... isn't that a bit too ridiculous?'

Nara Keisuke first nodded to the female Inuzuka vet, then shifted his gaze to the other person.

In the middle of her gorgeous, eye-catching, wavy golden hair were a pair of lifelike, purple triangular cat ears. Below two willow-leaf, upturned eyebrows were a pair of clear purple eyes that looked like a work of art. Her whole being exuded a妖艳 and exquisite beauty. She looked just like a golden silk cat demon that had taken human form.

"The Nara clan?"

The bewitching female ninja's eyes instantly lit up. She didn't approve of the female vet's character or hobbies, but she did agree that the other had a dog's nose.

"That deer clan with extremely high medical skills and a lot of money?"

"Yes."

Nara Keisuke adjusted his glasses and gave a brief self-introduction to the two female ninja, who then introduced themselves as well.

Inuzuka Tsume.

Lady Cat.

"Actually, this one's real name is Nekomura Himari, a member of the black-market merchant clan, the Nekomura clan..." Inuzuka Tsume walked over to Nara Keisuke and patted his shoulder casually. "But she now claims to have left the black-market merchant clan and has abandoned her original surname, calling herself 'Lady Cat'... Actually, if you ask me, 'Miss Kitty' would be more appropriate."

A black-market merchant clan?

A trace of confusion flashed in Nara Keisuke's eyes.

Inuzuka Tsume added, "I suppose you haven't heard of this clan... after all, they are quite far removed from Genin like you who have just graduated from the academy."

"Heard of them or not, my Nekomura clan—ptooey ptooey!" Lady Cat lightly tapped her pink lips, as if giving herself a slap. "I'm not like those people! I'm a legitimate merchant!"

As she spoke, Lady Cat took out a stick of incense from her pocket and handed it to Nara Keisuke.

"Little brother from the Nara clan, this is a token from my ninja cats. If you have anything you want to trade, as long as you light this incense within Konoha, a ninja cat will respond to your summons. But please remember one thing, cats are very picky."

Nara Keisuke took the incense, not quite understanding.

Lady Cat nodded lightly to him, and her figure disappeared like a ghost, leaving only a fragrant breeze behind.

"The troublesome one is finally gone!"

Inuzuka Tsume stretched and walked towards the patient bed, pinching her nose.

"To bring a dead ninja cat to me, how rude! So, Little Nara, what are you doing here at the Beast Rearing and Therapy Class?"

Author's Note:

Lady Cat is a semi-original character.

Her character prototype is a reference to "Granny Cat" from [Manga Chapter 354]. Her surname is original. She appears before the battle between Sasuke and Itachi, which is in Konoha Year 68, 20 years after the time of this chapter.

According to the databook "Sha no Sho," Granny Cat is a legitimate black-market merchant who "left the black-market merchant clan" and has a contract with the ninja cat clan.

In [Anime Episode 409], the good cooperative relationship between the Uchiha clan and Granny Cat was also mentioned, creating an anime plot where Team 7 captures a large cat.

In [Anime Episode 673], a segment was also created showing a past mission of Itachi's team at Granny Cat's place.

Friends who are interested can look for characters like "cat-ear version Itachi" in the above episodes.

(End of Chapter)