Naruto: Paws and Whiskers

This isn't an assassination-it's a suicide mission!

The four Hozuki Clan shinobi's were thrown into utter disarray, especially Yusuke Hozuki. His entire body was bound by an impenetrable layer of ice, rendering his Hydrafication Jutsu useless. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break free.

After forcibly returning to solid form, he attempted to shatter the ice using taijutsu and raw chakra, but every effort cost him precious liquid mass. Combined with the excessive chakra expenditure, he was already running dangerously low on reserves.

And that wasn't even the worst part.

In the next instant, five elite Konoha shinobi surrounded him. Each swiftly formed hand seals, and crackling surges of lightning erupted from their palms. Yusuke barely had time to react before the searing electricity coursed through him. His body, just freed from one prison, was thrown into another as paralysis took hold.

"Let me finish this."

Kakashi unsheathed his blade, lightning crackling along the steel like a nest of silver serpents. The dazzling glow cut through the thick mist as his figure flickered forward-

Water splashed violently, but it was futile. The moment Kakashi's blade struck, Yusuke's liquefied body stiffened unnaturally, turning into a strange, gelatinous form.

Lightning Release: the perfect counter to Hydrafication Jutsu.

The remaining two Hozuki tried to flee, but Takeshi had no patience to wait for Kakashi. With a twitch of his muscles, his fur bristled and grew wildly. Under the influence of the Wild Lion's Mane Jutsu, his razor-sharp cat fur lashed out, ensnaring the fleeing shinobi in an instant.

Panic set in as they attempted to liquefy and slip free—only to realize, too late, that something was wrong.

The moment their bodies turned to water, ice began spreading through them at an alarming speed, locking them in place. In the blink of an eye, half their bodies were frozen solid.

Realizing their predicament, they abandoned their frozen limbs and attempted to regenerate, molding fresh liquid into new flesh. But Takeshi had already anticipated this. His most ruthless tactic was sealing off their outer layer completely.

Such precision required unparalleled chakra control, but if there was one thing Takeshi excelled at-aside from raw strength-it was chakra manipulation. 

His mastery of Super Strength had honed his control to an absurd degree. Just like Yusuke, his two unfortunate clanmates were soon nothing more than motionless ice sculptures, frozen from the inside out.

"...I…"

Kakashi stared at the strange, jelly-like remains in his hand, then at the two frozen figures wrapped in Takeshi's fur. A deep sense of self-doubt crept over him. 'How the hell had this damn cat gained such proficiency in Ice Release in just one day? Didn't he start learning this yesterday?'

More baffling was the fact that Kakashi had seen him sleeping soundly the night before. When he woke up in the morning, Takeshi had still been lazing around, only waking up when Shizune dragged him off.

This didn't make any sense.

Was Takeshi just that talented? Or was Kakashi's own talent simply not good enough?

For the first time, Kakashi was genuinely uncertain. He began to accept that his talent was nowhere compared to this cat.

"Meow~ All done. Wonder how things are going on the other side. Kakashi, wanna check it out together?"

Takeshi casually tossed aside the two ice sculptures, leaving them for the Konoha ninja proficient in Lightning Release to deal with.

By now, the river had thawed.

He had been careful not to expend too much chakra earlier, using just enough ice to block the underground water routes and prevent the Hozuki ninja's from escaping.

Still, after the intense battle, his chakra reserves had dropped to roughly 70%.

It was a slight risk, but nothing he couldn't handle. If he played it smart, he still had enough left for one more fight-and a bigger haul of merit.

"Ah? Uh, I... I'll come too."

Kakashi hesitated at first, but after a moment's thought, he decided to join. Another battle meant another chance to prove himself. He didn't need military merit right now-what he needed was a stage to showcase his abilities.

He felt more than capable of taking on missions instead of idling away in camp, training, or sleeping like a lazy child.

Ironically, that lazy lifestyle was exactly what Takeshi longed for.

If he had it his way, he'd spend his days lounging around and sleeping. But reality wouldn't allow it.

Without effort, without struggle, he'd peak in a few years, start to decline soon after, and within two decades, he'd be nothing more than a dead cat buried in the dirt.

Not being able to return back to Earth was one thing. But having come all the way to the Shinobi World, if he couldn't even live beyond twenty years, could he still call himself a worthy transmigrator? Even as a cat, he refused to be that useless.

Without another thought, he used the *Flying Thunder Go*d, locking onto Minato's spatial coordinate, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished with Kakashi.

The around 30 ninja's left at the scene exchanged uncertain glances.

Among them were Root operatives, who silently communicated with one another, their expressions mirroring those of Yusuke Hozuki and his group.

Flying Thunder God, Ice Release, Super Strength, and Expansion Jutsu-this cat's combat prowess was outright terrifying. Calling him a high-level Jonin was an understatement.

More importantly, Root had never been aware on this information before.

Flying Thunder God? Wasn't Minato Namikaze the only one who could use it? How had a cat mastered such an impossible technique? The sheer absurdity of it was beyond belief.

"Sealing Squad, get to work. Make sure they're locked down tight-we can't afford to let them escape. If anyone resists then chop off the limbs and cauterize it."

A Jonin from the Aburame Clan, clad in his clan's usual attire, spoke up.

There was no time for idle thoughts. Takeshi had already left, and although two of the captured enemies appeared immobilized by Ice Release, there was no guarantee they wouldn't revert to human form like Yusuke Hozuki and shatter their restraints.

---

Meanwhile, Takeshi and Kakashi reappeared beside Minato. The first thing that hit them was the overpowering stench of blood.

Before Kakashi could react, a Kirigakure ninja lunged at them with his blade.

Takeshi's tail suddenly expanded, imbued with *Partial Expansion Jutsu*, and with a single, powerful sweep, he smashed the enemy into the ground.

'Not from the Hozuki Clan, huh? One hit and already down. So fragile.'

Minato, having just finished off the last opponent in his vicinity, used *Shunshin Jutsu* back to their side. "You two came as well? That was quick. Did you handle things over there?"

"Meow~ Of course. After all, I was there, with me was there any doubt?" Takeshi spoke with zero humility.

If he got involved, there was nothing he couldn't handle. If even a mere Hydrafication Jutsu had given him trouble, then what was the point of spending 10,000 points? Ice Release had proven its worth yet again.

Minato chuckled. "We've wrapped up our side too. There were quite a few of them-it took some effort."

He started to scratch his head, but noticing the blood on his hands, he stopped midway.

The invading Kirigakure forces had been split into three groups. One consisted of Hozuki Clan members, another was the Assassination Squad which launched an attack from north, and the last was the group Takeshi had encountered.

Minato had been in charge of taking down the Assassination Squad.

As for the Hozuki Clan group, there was even less cause for concern. Tsunade had plenty of support, including over thirty ninja proficient in Lightning Release, five of whom were Jonin-level. It was safe to say the battle was already won.

With this lineup, dealing with a few Hozuki Clan members was hardly a challenge. Even if reinforcements arrived, it wouldn't make much of a difference.

In the Shinobi War, unless one's individual strength reached the level of an Elite Jonin, relying solely on unique physiques and secret techniques to run rampant was nothing short of arrogance. Underestimating the enemy like that was a surefire way to get killed.

"Do you have any chakra left?"

Minato Namikaze glanced down at Takeshi.

"Meow?" Takeshi tilted his head, momentarily confused by the question.

Minato quickly elaborated. "Our intelligence unit managed to extract information from Ao. Shikuro Aburame-san has already taken a team ahead. I have a kunai placed there. If you still have chakra, we can provide backup."

"Meow!" Takeshi gave a firm nod without hesitation.

"Sensei, I want to go too," Kakashi interjected.

"No, you don't, meow."

Takeshi casually pressed a paw against Kakashi's head, keeping him in place. Though small in size, sitting on Kakashi's shoulder and weighing him down was no problem at all.

Kakashi turned his head, clearly displeased.

Minato, however, only smiled as he ruffled Kakashi's hair. "Next time. Takeshi and I just finished a battle, and we're not in peak condition..."

"..."

Kakashi clenched his fists tightly. This wasn't just frustration'it was determination. He had to become stronger. He needed his own techniques, his own style. He had to reach Jonin rank as soon as possible.

Because without that, he wasn't even qualified to take part in real missions. And that feeling was unbearable.

Of course, the truth was that Kakashi had trapped himself in his own thinking. Tsunade and Minato hadn't excluded him and Obito because they were weak.

It was the opposite. They were so gifted that they needed protection-to be given enough time to grow without being prematurely thrown into the meat grinder of war.

But still...

If the universe had already gone through the trouble of making someone like Kakashi, why did it also throw in Takeshi for good measure?

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