Naruto: Paws and Whiskers

'Why can Takeshi be allowed? Is it because he grows too fast?' Kakashi knows full well that he'll never be able to match this cat in his entire life. It's best not to even try comparing himself to him otherwise, he'll end up so frustrated he might get stomach ulcers.

Fortunately, when Kakashi returned to camp, he found a teammate in the same miserable situation as him.

Obito Uchiha.

No, to be precise, Obito had it even worse. At least Kakashi got to go out with Takeshi, show off a little, and rack up a few kills. But judging by Obito's frustrated expression, he hadn't been allowed outside at all.

That eager, longing look...

"Kakashi! Where's Takeshi? How did you get out? I want to go too, but they won't let me leave!"

"Yeah, Takeshi still has things to do. I came back first." After responding, Kakashi sat down and started contemplating how to fuse Kenjutsu with Ninjutsu.

"Damn it, this is unfair!" Obito gritted his teeth so hard it was a wonder he didn't draw blood. What made him feel even worse was that, among the three of them, Rin was busy learning Iryo ninjutsu from Tsunade, Kakashi was constantly refining his combat techniques, and yet he, Obito Uchiha, was just... there. Unloved. Unnoticed.

Too tragic, right?

Thinking about it, poor Obito felt like crying.

Kakashi glanced back. 'What the heck?'

After a moment of thought, he realized that Obito was in the same situation as himself-stuck in camp, ignored, and completely dejected.

After a few seconds of contemplation, Kakashi said, "They're keeping us here because they think highly of us. If they didn't, we'd be stuck at the mountain like Asuma."

"Asuma?" Obito blinked, then slowly nodded in agreement.

Asuma was truly suffering. He had stubbornly insisted on going to the front lines, and before he could even participate in a proper mission, he got thrown into Takeshi's hellish training regimen. The worst part? Takeshi didn't even bother to properly train him. After couple days, the cat got bored and ran off to practice Super Strength with Tsunade instead.

Who knew what Asuma's current situation was? But considering that he'd have to return to the Northern Border Camp, he was probably still going to be targeted by Shinku Yuhi. That daughter-con valued his little girl far too much. And Asuma brought her to the border on when we are on verge of war, Asuma really did himself dirty with that move.

Now that he thought about it, Asuma was definitely worse off than he was. And that guy was the Hokage's son! Suddenly, Obito felt a lot better about his own predicament.

"By the way, why does Takeshi get to go out all the time?"

"..." Kakashi had no patience for this conversation anymore. 'I just tried to comfort you, and now you're bringing up my own misgivings? What kind of teammate does that?'

Humans shouldn't compare themselves to cats, okay? Especially ninja cats from some unknown Holy Land. Us mere mortals don't stand a chance.

---

Meanwhile, the black cat in question had already hitched a ride with Minato and arrived at sea. The small team, led by Shikuro Aburame and Hiashi Hyuga, had one objective: infiltrate a secret Kirigakure base hidden in the vast sea.

"Minato, Takeshi, you've arrived. Is everything settled on your end?" Hiashi asked, slightly surprised.

Alongside Shikuro, he commanded a squad of over ten specialized shinobi—scouts, combat specialists, and intelligence gatherers. They were fully prepared for an all-out assault on the enemy's stronghold.

There are plenty of experts here. Even if we can't beat them, retreat is always an option.

"It's already been taken care of. I was worried the enemy hadn't retreated, so I came to support you."

Minato explained briefly, then pointed to the black cat perched on his shoulder. "This is Takeshi. He's a Special Jonin on my team. I'm sure you've all heard of him, right?"

"Special Jonin Takeshi, we met yesterday. If it weren't for him, my Hyuga clan would have suffered heavy losses," Hiashi said with a respectful nod.

The others had, of course, heard of him, but hearing was one thing-seeing in person was another. This was their first time seeing him in the flesh. They had imagined him to be as big as Jiraiya's Gamabunta, towering over the battlefield like a mythical beast. But now, looking at him… hmm, he was kind of small.

"Let's move. According to intel, the leader here is the Kirigakure ninja Fuguki Suikazan. They might have been transferring personnel yesterday, which explains why they didn't bring too many people," Shikuro said in his usual calm tone.

"Sounds foolproof, right?" Minato grinned.

Takeshi, still perched on Minato's shoulder, glanced at Shikuro. A formidable figure, known for controlling Rinkaichu—those deadly, venomous, nano-sized parasites.

Takeshi studied him for a moment before ultimately discarding a dangerous thought.

'Touching him just to test his strength and maybe get some points? Yeah, not worth the risk of getting poisoned. Not all Aburame's are good playmates.

"There are people ahead, a total of six… no mistake."

Hiashi had been keeping his Byakugan active. He spotted six figures in the distance, and after moving forward a little to double-check, he confirmed it again.

Even he seemed a bit baffled.

Only six left? And they think they can take on more than ten of us? Who do they think they are?

"Doesn't matter how many there are—capture them first," Shikuro stated in his usual bland tone.

This was Root's standard approach. They were professionally trained, so no matter how ridiculous the situation seemed, they wouldn't laugh. There was no room for hesitation or sentimentality.

"I'll go take a look first." Without hesitation, Minato vanished in a blur, dashing forward with Takeshi.

At first, the group felt a twinge of concern, but then they realized how pointless it was. With the Flying Thunder God, was there anywhere Minato couldn't go?

If anything, they should be more worried about the enemy fleeing the moment they saw Minato appear.

Hiashi clearly had the same thought. Without delay, he said, "I'm following."

"Mm." Shikuro gave a slight nod before dissolving into a cloud of insects, moving forward at his own pace.

Minato, as expected, was the first to arrive. The area where the Kirigakure ninja were stationed was a small island. The majority of their forces had retreated yesterday, leaving only six of them behind.

When he arrived, the six Kirigakure ninja were casually perched on rocks, holding their ninja swords and striking exaggerated poses.

But the moment Minato appeared, their composure wavered. Especially Raiga Kurosuki, who had originally held two swords but now had only one left, the humiliation and punished he suffered for this wasn't mild.

The moment he saw Minato, he stiffened. Gritting his teeth, he forced out the words, slow and deliberate: "Minato Namikaze..."

Fuguki Suikazan, however, looked unimpressed. To him, Raiga was just another fool. Losing his sword and failing to retrieve it immediately-yet still acting tough? Useless waste!

"Meow! I think I remember you, I remember that Kabutowari wielder we took down, quite easily by the way, also had a ninja sword. Butterfingers! Thank you for donating Lightning Blade Kiba to Kakashi…"

Takeshi casually brought up their past victories, with amusement in his voice.

Back then, he was just a scrawny kitten, nothing like the rising legend he was now. Thinking about it, he couldn't help but feel a little sentimental.

To everyone else, though, that sentimentality looked completely different.

This was truly heartbreaking.

"Shut up! I will personally take back my Blade Kiba from that brat!"

Raiga snapped before Takeshi could even finish speaking. But Takeshi didn't care. In fact, the angrier Raiga got, the more entertained he became-because it meant his points were stacking up fast.

Takeshi lazily scanned the remaining enemy ninja, his sharp eyes finally locking onto Fuguki, who stood smirking to the side. With a flick of his tail, Takeshi taunted, "Oi, tubby, quit posing over there, meow~. Your buddy here is about to pop a blood vessel. Maybe step in and calm him down?"

Tubby?

Fuguki's eye twitched. His grip on Samehada tightened as he responded coldly, "Kitten, do you really understand what happens when you make an enemy of me?"

"Meow? Is there something to consider? You look like a melon which rolled off the discount rack."

Takeshi casually licked his paw.

"Well said."

Minato chuckled, though his gaze sharpened as he assessed the battlefield.

Six.

So these were the remaining members of the so-called "Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist." Even with their combined strength, they wouldn't be easy to take down. But as long as they held out until reinforcements arrived...

"Let's go, meow!"

The black cat's battle cry rang out as he shot forward like a streak of black lightning.

Minato blinked, momentarily thrown off. But seeing Takeshi charge in without hesitation, he had no choice but to follow suit.

"Tubby, butterfingers, you guys are surrounded. Be smart and surrender now."

Fuguki found the situation absurd. He could understand Minato being confident-after all, the man could teleport. But why was a cat the size of a loaf of bread acting so cocky?

Had Konohagakure really become so arrogant?

"Kill him. I am getting cat fur coat tonight!"

Juzo Biwa, wielding Kubikiribocho, had already begun weaving hand seals.

As expected, the first move for most Kirigakure ninja-*Water Release: Hiding in Mist Jutsu*.

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