Chapter: The Day the Cat Conquered the Academy

Sparring day at the Academy was usually loud, chaotic, and filled with wooden thumps and half-serious grunts.

Today, though?

It started with the sound of paws.

A blur of orange fur sauntered through the main gate and casually strolled across the training field, right past a startled Iruka-sensei.

"Wait... is that a cat?" Iruka blinked, confused.

Not just any cat. Ginger.

Naruto's cat.

Or, as Kurama preferred to think: Naruto's majestic partner, forced to endure indignity in a feline form.

He leapt lightly onto the wooden fence and sat, curling his tail around his paws with quiet confidence.

A few students blinked in confusion, others whispered.

Ino was the first to shriek in excitement. "Ginger! You came to see me, didn't you?! Aww, did you miss me that much?" She scooped him into her arms and hugged him tightly.

Ginger did not resist.

"Pleasantly warm. Acceptable level of squealing," Kurama admitted begrudgingly inside Naruto's head.

Naruto chuckled. "So? You just get bored sitting at the store with all the gossiping ladies?"

In his head, Kurama's voice rumbled lazily."I was bored. Sitting in that store listening to old ladies talk about their bunions. Did you know there's someone called Anko who cut off some guy's balls because he grabbed her butt?"

Naruto visibly shivered. "You have heard too much…"

Just then, the calm was shattered by a familiar, arrogant voice.

"Tch. What kind of loser brings their pet to class?" Sasuke sneered, arms crossed. "What, the mutt isn't enough? You need a cat too?"

Ino's grip on Ginger tightened. "You shut up, Sasuke! He's not just a pet—he's Ginger! The cutest, smartest cat in Konoha!"

Sasuke snorted. "Figures. The idiot and his furball. Both weak."

Naruto narrowed his eyes but kept his voice cool. "Ino, calm down. Not worth it."

"But he called Ginger weak!" she huffed. "My baby!"

Even Kurama bristled at that.

"Weak? He dares insult me? The audacity of this discount Madara, and he has the gall to provoke me? Insolent little bug."

Then Kurama purred menacingly. "Let me fight him."

Naruto grinned. "Sure, let's see what you've got."

"Hey, Sasuke!" he called, tossing his kunai lightly in the air. "Let's spar."

Iruka stepped forward. "Wait, Naruto—"

"Come on, sensei," Naruto interrupted. "We're both up next. Just a spar, right?"

Iruka opened his mouth—only to pause when Ginger leapt gracefully from Ino's arms and landed beside Naruto. Sparks of chakra danced faintly along his whiskers.

Naruto grinned. "Okay, Pikachu. Ready?"

Ginger's head snapped around, slowly glaring up at Naruto.

"…Who are you calling Pikachu, you dumbfuck?"

Naruto snorted, barely holding in his laugh.

Iruka sighed"…Wait. Why is the cat preparing to fight?"

Naruto beamed. "Oh! He knows how to use chakra. I'm thinking of registering him as a ninja cat—like Akamaru."

The entire class stared.

Ginger raised one paw, chakra-infused, and calmly licked it like a warlord preparing for battle.

Iruka pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine. But if anything goes wrong, I end it immediately."

As they stepped into the sparring ring, Sasuke scoffed. "What's his name, anyway? Furball?"

Naruto smirked. "You deaf, man? Go get your ears checked. His name… is Ginger."

Iruka raised his hand. "Match—start!"

Before Sasuke could roll his eyes, Ginger was already moving.

With impossible speed, he vanished from the ground—

—and appeared directly on Sasuke's head.

"Meow."

Sasuke blinked. "Huh?"

POW.

A chakra-coated paw smacked the top of Sasuke's skull. His eyes rolled back and he collapsed like a sack of potatoes.

The entire class gasped.

Silence.

Dead. Stunned. Silence.

Kurama's monologue continued in his head.

"That insolent fool thought he could provoke Lord Ginger, the Mightiest of the Nine! That paw strike was created by this great lord, forged in the fire of ancient chakra storms. A mere Uchiha… defeated in one blow!"

Naruto wiped tears of laughter from his eyes.

Sasuke, meanwhile, lay slumped under the tree. Iruka checked him quickly. "Vitals are fine. He's breathing."

Then Ino jumped up, fists in the air. "YES! GINGER, YOU'RE THE BEST!"

Kiba turned to Akamaru. "Could you do that?"

Akamaru barked and immediately ran over to Ginger. He lowered his head reverently and whined, pawing at the ground.

Naruto squinted. "Is he… begging?"

Kiba's jaw dropped. "He's asking Ginger to train him?!"

Akamaru barked again, rolled over, and laid a stick in front of Ginger.

Ginger stared.

Then, with regal disdain, infused his tail with chakra and sliced the stick cleanly in half.

Akamaru yipped joyfully.

Ginger gave a solemn meow of approval.

A moment passed. Then Shikamaru walked over, eyes wide.

Naruto blinked. "...Shika?"

Shikamaru bowed his head solemnly.

"You… are a genius," he declared with complete sincerity. "You figured it out. This is the ultimate strategy."

Naruto tilted his head. "What is?"

Shikamaru declared. "I'm going cat-hunting with my dad after school. I'm going to raise one to fight for me so I never have to throw a kunai again."

"…You serious?"

"As serious as a nap."

Naruto grinned. "Then you'll need training. Lesson one—only a worthy human earns the trust of a mighty cat."

Shikamaru nodded solemnly. "I shall become worthy."

Meanwhile, Sasuke was still out cold. Iruka crouched beside him, checking his pulse. "He's fine, just unconscious. Probably chakra shock."

After five minutes, Sasuke's eyes fluttered open. He was under a tree, in the shade, blinking up at Iruka.

"Where… where am I?" he asked groggily.

Ginger stepped forward.

"Meow."

Sasuke blinked again. "No—get that thing away—"

A second later, Ginger's eyes glinted with chakra as he placed a subtle genjutsu.

In Sasuke's vision, Ginger morphed into a towering, flaming red fox with nine swishing tails.

"W-What—" he gasped.

Kurama grinned. "BOO."

Sasuke fainted.

Again.

Only this time, a faint red glimmer flickered in his eyes before he blacked out completely.

Iruka tilted his head. "Huh. Looks like trauma. From… a cat?"

He looked down at Ginger, who was now purring and rubbing his face against his ankle.

Iruka's expression softened. "You're too cute to be dangerous, aren't you?"

He bent down and pulled out a snack from his vest. "Here."

Ginger snatched the treat with regal grace.

Naruto, laughing, whispered, "You're living the dream, buddy."

"Of course I am," Kurama purred. "I am Lord Ginger. I deserve treats."

Chapter end...