"Stupid cat! How dare you mock me!"
Gamabunta was absolutely livid.
He recognized this cat.
Back when Minato had summoned him, this was the creature that had rolled into a ball. At the time, the damn black cat had used the Expansion Jutsu to inflate himself, so Gamabunta hadn't recognized him immediately.
But now...
It was just as he thought.
Exactly as Minato had said: a truly atrocious personality.
Toads generally didn't mind eating their own kind, but this black cat had presented a dish as a "gift," waited until they licked the plate clean, and then revealed it was Frog Meat. There was no doubt about it, he was being played.
Gamabunta had a short fuse.
With a shout, he drew his massive dosu blade and leaped forward in a flying slash.
His sheer bulk made him appear clumsy, but in reality, he was deceptively fast. Coupled with the immense reach of his blade, he closed the distance to Takeshi in a single bound. The surrounding toads, realizing what was coming, immediately scrambled backward to avoid the crossfire.
Gamabunta wasn't the most senior toad in Mount Myoboku, but his combat strength was among the best.
And this guy in front of him?
Hmm, he probably couldn't-
*Bang!*
With a dull, heavy thud, Gamabunta was sent flying back the way he came. His massive body traced a beautiful arc through the air before crashing down onto his starting position with an earth-shaking boom.
"Bwahahaha! Gamabunta, you are truly an embarrassment!"
Manda mocked him unreservedly.
However, the very next second, the black cat vanished with a sharp *whoosh*, reappearing directly atop Manda's head. Manda immediately felt a spike of agony, his skull rattling as if he'd been struck by a falling mountain.
The surrounding snakes didn't dare intervene.
They knew Takeshi's strength well. Rumor had it he'd beaten Tagorihime, one of the three Snake Princesses, into submission. Ichikishimahime had even turned that humiliating memory into a Genjutsu loop.
In short, the lower-level serpents of Ryuchi Cave held a unanimous view: if you encounter this black cat, get as far away as possible. Battles on the level of Manda and Takeshi were absolutely not something they could survive participating in.
Manda hissed in fury.
But a split second later, another hammer-blow smashed his head deep into the earth.
"Manda, looks like you're in no position to laugh. Getting beaten like that is way more humiliating than what happened to me," Gamabunta scoffed, seizing the opportunity. "At least I only lost a little face. You, on the other hand... Hah."
Gamabunta had been seething just moments ago.
This junior of Minato's had pranked him right off the bat and countered with a heavy punch. He had been pondering how to teach the cat a lesson, but seeing Manda beaten into the dirt, those thoughts evaporated completely.
Fortunately, the one losing the most prestige right now wasn't him.
That was close...
The target of that beatdown had almost been him. On that point, Gamabunta felt that Minato's reputation might have saved his hide.
After all, he was an acquaintance.
Manda had been knocked so deep into the soil he couldn't immediately climb out. He decided not to pull his head out at all, figuring it was safer to stay buried than to surface and catch another beating.
"Meow~ Alright, thanks for the escort. I don't need you anymore. Drag your boss out and scramble."
Takeshi waved his paw dismissively.
Although he hadn't used the Expansion Jutsu this time, the force behind his blows was still devastating.
Hearing this, Manda made no sound. He simply burrowed deeper to escape. The other giant snakes followed suit, their travel between Ryuchi Cave and Mount Myoboku relied entirely on these subterranean techniques, and they had their own network of tunnels here.
The Snake Clan retreated like the tide.
A group of toads was left at the scene. They looked at each other, then turned their eyes to Gamabunta. He was the 'Big Brother' among this group, and usually led the charge against the snakes.
"Er, I recall your name is Takeshi? It hasn't been long, but you've changed immensely," Gamabunta greeted, his tone vaguely polite.
Although he didn't directly admit defeat, the shift in attitude was enough to shock everyone. Given Gamabunta's tyrannical personality, to be sent flying and still act this amicable?
As expected.
Fists are the fastest universal language.
"I didn't expect you to remember me, meow!"
Takeshi was slightly surprised.
Gamabunta had only met him once, and that time he basically hadn't seen Takeshi's small form, only his giant size after the Expansion Jutsu, the two of them had even pushed earth together back then.
"Naturally. I've always admired a... er, friend like you."
Gamabunta had originally intended to call Takeshi a 'junior', but on second thought, if these little toads found out this cat was actually much younger than him, wouldn't that be a massive loss of face? So, he cleverly changed his wording.
However.
Didn't his little brothers know exactly what he was like?
He had chickened out.
The toads glanced at him, burying these treasonous thoughts deep in their hearts. If they spoke up, with his personality, Gamabunta would definitely exact revenge on them later in the mountains.
The two Great Sages didn't bother with such trivial matters down below.
The black cat leaped onto Gamabunta's head and asked with "good intentions," "Is Frog Meat tasty?"
"..."
Gamabunta remained silent.
"Is Snake Meat tasty?"
"It's alright," Gamabunta grunted.
"Meow~ Hmm, it seems Frog Meat isn't bad either. You guys at Mount Myoboku should consider adding these to your diet. It's always bugs and more bugs every day. Think about it, Minato and Jiraiya barely visit your mountain anymore."
Takeshi's mouth kept running non-stop.
To Gamabunta, he was like a mosquito buzzing endlessly by his ear-annoying and detestable. The most frustrating part was that he didn't have the ability to eat him.
"Minato came back just a while ago, don't talk nonsense."
"Meow, that was for Sage Mode."
Gamabunta was powerless to refute.
He had a decent relationship with Minato and knew Takeshi was telling the truth. If not for Sage Mode, Minato wouldn't have bothered coming to Mount Myoboku to eat those bugs. He looked up, then hopped towards the mountain peaks.
This fellow had come to Mount Myoboku behind Minato's back, he definitely had business to discuss with those up top. Although Takeshi hadn't entered Sage Mode, Gamabunta could sense the powerful natural energy stored within his body.
This cat possessed the secret to Sage transformation.
Watching Gamabunta take Takeshi away, the surrounding toads looked at each other, feeling a strong sense of dissonance. For so many years, Gamabunta had been a tyrant, when had he ever been so polite and mild-mannered?
It takes a villain to grind down a villain, this black cat wasn't a good thing either.
Coming to Mount Myoboku to promote Frog Meat? Wasn't that just asking for a death wish!
But the problem was, they couldn't beat him.
He had suppressed even Manda and Gamabunta, let alone small fry like them. Besides, it wasn't them eating the Frog Meat...
They decided to ask about the taste later.
Gamabunta carried Takeshi up the mountain. After leaving the crowd of underlings behind, he finally asked, "What are you doing at Mount Myoboku?"
"I told you before, the newly established Holy Land is here to pay respects."
"Holy Land..."
Gamabunta took a drag from his pipe, his tone carrying an indescribable sense of melancholy. Who would rush to claim such a broken title? He couldn't think of any benefits.
He didn't understand.
After thinking for a few seconds, Gamabunta asked, "Where is your Clan Leader?"
"Meow!"
Takeshi patted his own chest with a paw.
Gamabunta looked up, startled.
If he remembered correctly, Minato had said the cat was only a year old when they last met. So now, he would be at most a year and a half to two years old. In their family, a toad that age probably wouldn't have even fully metamorphosed into a frog yet.
Thinking back to how the black cat only had moderate strength before, yet now could abuse Manda into submission and send him flying with a single strike, Gamabunta felt even more stifled.
'Do ninja cats really grow this fast?'
"Actually, if you guys don't like eating Frog Meat, you can eat Snake Meat. When they invade you, just kill them and cook them. Those snakes also train in Senjutsu, so the meat quality is surely top-tier."
Takeshi brought up the topic of ingredients again.
He was serious about this.
He had eaten snake meat in his past life, but he had never tasted the meat of a Sage snake. It would be wonderful if he got the chance to try it.
===============
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