"Meow~ That haul just netted me over 40,000 points, plus my previous savings of around 10,000 points. Nothing quite like it." Takeshi stretched out, utterly content.
Unleashing on Shukaku and racking up points meant he wouldn't have to sweat the daily grind for a good long while. Now, as for what to do with those 50,000-plus points...
That was the real puzzle.
Wood Release seemed promising at first glance, but after giving it some thought, he decided it wasn't worth pursuing just yet.
Without enough chakra or stamina to back it up, Wood Release would only amount to basic landscaping or construction tasks. It might spruce up his sacred grounds with a few extra features, but that was about it. The foes he could handle now, he'd still manage, the ones he couldn't, well, nothing would change.
Take Madara Uchiha, for instance.
At the moment, he had two solid paths ahead. The first was bolstering his body a little further. Beyond the usual cat food purchases, there were other items that could toughen his physique.
The second was ramping up his defenses against genjutsu.
That one was tricky.
The mind wasn't something you could easily reinforce from the outside. Even the system didn't offer many options along those lines. Takeshi considered using genjutsu to counter genjutsu, but there weren't a lot of techniques that could tangle with the Sharingan effectively. And he didn't want to buy Sharingan, he was sure there were better options available.
He turned it over in his head, but no brilliant solutions came to mind.
Perhaps when he had more points, he could browse the external exchanges or give the prize pool lottery a spin. For now, though, he'd hold off.
Takeshi mulled it over some more, but he still couldn't settle on an purchase. Truth be told, his current power level felt sufficient for the challenges ahead. The only real snag was his chakra reserves.
Strength was all relative, of course. Against humans like Minato, he was more than holding his own, but pitted against tailed beasts, it was barely a trickle.
With that in mind, Takeshi purchased a pack of luxury cat food, then devoured it all off.
He felt stuffed, almost uncomfortably so.
But he stayed awake.
He dozed through the night at Orochimaru's camp, and the next morning when he stirred and stepped outside, he noticed that half the tents had already been packed away. Only the section around him and the others remained intact-that was prime jonin territory, and it also held the captive Chiyo.
"Meow?" he muttered, stunned. They'd planned to move north today and had no intention of staying any longer. Orochimaru's efficiency never ceased to amaze him.
Scanning the perimeter, Takeshi spotted Ebisu a short distance away, looking conflicted. "What are you up to, meow?"
"Uh, sensei, you finally woke up. We're getting ready to head north, so everyone asked me to fetch you."
Ebisu's relief was palpable.
He'd been steeling himself to burst in just a minute ago, but Takeshi waking on his own had saved him the trouble. Otherwise, charging in might've earned him a thrashing-the memory of Might Guy sailing through the air from their last encounter was still fresh.
"Meow? Already?" Takeshi hesitated for a moment. He'd figured on resting a little longer before heading north to sound out Onoki. But if they were pushing out now, it meant straight into the fray.
"Yeah, Minato‑sama said so." Ebisu gave a light nod.
"Alright, let's move out, meow." Takeshi tested the air with a sniff, then bolted toward Minato's location.
"Uh, right!" Ebisu felt unusually lucky that day. Not only had Takeshi woken up on his own, but he also hadn't leapt onto Ebisu's shoulder to make him a pack mule. That was the whole point of sending him: Rin would have been the ideal choice, but the black‑hearted cat was too pragmatic to risk her. For the others, it depended on their builds-sturdier ones could take a heavier hit, weaker ones a lighter one.
In any case, Ebisu's injuries wouldn't be severe. Takeshi didn't hitch a ride on him because he was too slow, it was faster to run alone. Plus, Ebisu's taijutsu was weak, so conserving stamina for the northward march made sense. He was none the wiser, just grateful for his good fortune.
"Meow~ What's the plan? We're leaving already?" Takeshi reached Minato's side and saw Kakashi and Obito arguing. That was typical when Rin wasn't around-Obito never bothered Kakashi when she was present.
"Things are rough on sensei's side. We could use you there once we're done here." Minato sounded resigned.
Minato himself looked exhausted. If he could, he'd have taken a few more days to rest. Their nonstop rush was wearing everyone down, but time waited for no one. The longer they lingered, the more casualties would mount on the North Side.
Takeshi glanced around and saw Shikaku, Inoichi, and Choza-the Ino-Shika-Cho trio-already geared up and waiting to move out. Nearby, clusters of chunin and genin were stowing their gear.
Were they preparing a full‑scale assault on Iwagakure? With Konoha's current strength and support from Kumogakure, it seemed feasible.
Minato leaned close and murmured a few details to Takeshi.
Takeshi weighed it after listening. The upshot was that Orochimaru suspected Onoki might fold, so they needed to press the advantage and strike before he could.
'What nonsense is that?' Takeshi thought. If someone was surrendering, why not let it happen? Was Orochimaru angling for extra kills to pad his record?
That didn't fit, Orochimaru had held back against Sunagakure this time, preserving much of the village's strength despite taking Shukaku and a few ninjas.
"Meow?" Minato pulled Takeshi onto his shoulder and explained quietly, "The Iwagakure forces are too strong. Our losses on the northern border are mounting. If we just let Onoki surrender, we gain nothing, and Iwagakure stays intact."
"Meow~" Takeshi considered it. Sunagakure was indeed formidable. In the anime, Onoki had clashed with Kumogakure, suffered heavy casualties, then lost even more Iwagakure ninjas to Konoha. Yet by the time of the Konoha Crush, Sunagakure had recovered a good deal of vitality, backed by the Land of Earth.
Letting them walk away unscathed would be like turning a predator loose to regroup, all while Konohagakure got scraps in return.
Orochimaru played the long game without mercy.
When it came to these intricate plots, Takeshi knew he couldn't keep up with the veterans. He had no desire to try. If it came to blows, so be it-one more Sunagakure wasn't overwhelming, and skipping one wouldn't cripple them.
By now, most of the group had gathered.
They couldn't depart just yet, though. Tsunade hadn't emerged, and no one knew what was holding her up.
Takeshi fidgeted in place, growing restless.
What was she doing in there?
Even a quick wash shouldn't drag on like this, especially not on the front lines. Had she passed out from some bootleg sake?
He let out a quick meow, then used his Flying Thunder God to teleport toward Tsunade's tent.
Inside a tent. He righted himself and peered ahead.
'Hm? Hey, wasn't that Chiyo?'
Chiyo had been seated across from Tsunade and Rin, the three of them in quiet conversation. But the instant Takeshi appeared, the talk died, and all three fixed their gazes on the black cat.
Rin cleared her throat awkwardly. "Hello, this is Takeshi. He's with me."
"We've met." Chiyo's tone was sharp with irritation.
It was this one who'd "poisoned" their Sunagakure camp, driving them from their stronghold. In the end, she'd been taken alive by Minato and Takeshi working together.
Without him, Chiyo was sure she would've slipped away.
And she'd lost three puppets in the bargain. Those hailed from the White Secret Technique: The Ten Chikamatsu Puppets. Even the simpler ones to mend came at a steep price. For Sunagakure, it was a serious setback.
Then there was her own ransom...
The thought made Chiyo's chest tighten.
'Meow~ When you get back, don't get caught so easily again. Sunagakure's in a tight spot, but your Fourth Kazekage still has that Gold Dust Ninjutsu-if things get bad, you could always sell some gold.'
Takeshi meant it as a bit of light encouragement, setting aside any bad blood. The advice itself was sound. But from him...
How could he even say it with a straight face?
Chiyo's brief easing of tension twisted right back into a knot. At this rate, she'd be goaded into a full-blown attack.
She waved him off weakly, not trusting herself to respond.
Just take him and go-quickly. "Chiyo, we're old acquaintances. Who knows, once you're back, you might hang it up and enjoy your later years. Could be our last chat-don't you want to make it count?"
Tsunade interjected with a grin, "I can keep going for another twenty or thirty years. You, on the other hand, hmph!"
Chiyo sneered, "Then you'd better work hard to stay alive."
At her age, twenty or thirty more years would make her seventy or eighty. Tsunade didn't even dare claim she could live that long, yet the old hag was full of hot air.
Tsunade's inner thoughts were sharp. She'd come with a farewell mindset, and their chat had been fairly amicable-discussing the pros and cons of Konoha's and Sunagakure's medical systems, even their disciples. But Takeshi's sudden appearance cracked the atmosphere.
From a psychological standpoint, Tsunade understood the tension. No one could keep smiling in front of a captor. Now Chiyo was the captive, and Takeshi's arrival reminded her of that.
'Bickering is the only way out,' Tsunade thought, letting a brief spat flare.
"Chiyo‑san, we'll take our leave," Rin said, bowing deeply.
"You're a good kid. Keep learning, but don't pick up her temper," Chiyo delivered the jab coolly.
"You old bat, you trying to get yourself killed?!"
"Hah!"
They traded barbs for a moment, then Tsunade grew bored. She dropped a curt, "You got caught by Takeshi," and left, pulling Rin along.
"Meow~ Take care. Once you're home, patch up those puppets. Make them sturdier next round."
The black cat raised a paw in goodbye.
Chiyo had no intention of waving back. She just sat there, seething.
Those two were peas in a pod. Small wonder the cat had picked up Tsunade's monstrous strength, they shared a certain unyielding edge, at least in her eyes.
'When I get back, I need to lie low and recover. Feels like I'm on the verge of a heart attack.'
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