By the time we reached the tower, the panic had dulled into curiosity. People whispered about faulty seals, bad paper tags, or maybe a reckless chunin trying a new trick.
All I knew was that my clothes still smelled like burned steel from our last mission, and I was done for the day.
"I swear," Rina muttered beside me, "if this turns into another long day, I'm defecting."
Souta raised an eyebrow. "You say that every week."
"I mean it this time. I'm moving to Suna. Dry air. No explosions."
"Sandstorms," Souta countered.
"Still better than bandits."
I cut in before she declared diplomatic independence. "You're both assuming Kagenori-sensei won't volunteer us for clean-up duty if someone asked nicely." He had done that before. Although I had just gotten a few clan kids to do it for us, the point stands.
We rounded the corner and came face to face with Iruka at the mission desk — clipboard in hand, tired smile on his face.
Ah. There it was. Fate's sense of humor.
-----
"Team Kagenori," The man on the mission desk, Kota, greeted. "Perfect timing. Hokage-sama approved your return report. Excellent work on the bandit mission."
"Thank you, sir," I said.
He smiled wider. "Also, since you're already here… there's a small D-rank request as the Hokage must have informed you."
Rina groaned audibly. "Please no."
Kota hesitated. That was never a good sign. "It's a simple recovery task. A missing cat—"
"Yeah, we know," Rina said instantly. "Just give us the official papers for acceptance."
Kota pressed on, brave man that he was. "Lady Shijimi's Tora has gone missing again. You'd be helping the Fire Daimyo's wife personally. Please report to her first."
"Sir," I said slowly, "wasn't Tora responsible for last month's—"
"—incident involving the Hokage's hat, yes."
Souta tilted his head. "Didn't she scratch the Raikage's escort during the summit?"
Kota coughed. "That was… a misunderstanding."
Rina folded her arms. "That cat's a national threat."
"Which is exactly why we're trusting you," Kota said, far too cheerfully. "Besides, Souta needs one more D-rank to qualify for Chunin Exams."
Souta sighed, "We could have taken gardening."
Kota handed us the documents.
I looked at Rina. She looked at me. We both looked at Souta.
He exhaled. "...I hate this."
"Welcome to the club," I said.
-----
Finding Tora
We started at Lady Shijimi's mansion. The woman greeted us like we were her personal saviors.
"Oh, my precious Tora-chan! She ran off again! She's been so frightened since the fireworks earlier!"
"Fireworks," I repeated.
She nodded vigorously. "The explosion near the market scared her. Poor dear! She darted out before I could comfort her!"
Right. So the cat started the chain reaction. Good. Excellent.
"She's wearing her golden collar," Lady Shijimi continued. "With a tiny bell! You'll hear her before you see her!"
Sure. Like you hear the monsters before you see them in all those horror stories.
-----
We split up — Souta scanning rooftops with his Byakugan, Rina questioning shopkeepers, and me following claw marks along a fence that looked suspiciously deliberate.
After half an hour, I found shredded kunai pouches, bite marks on a melon stand, and one traumatized street vendor muttering about "the orange blur."
I radioed the others.
"Rina, Souta, I think she's heading east. Near the river."
"Copy that," Souta replied. "Byakugan confirms fast-moving chakra signature. Low to the ground. And angry."
"Angry?" I asked.
"She just stole a sausage from a Uchiha patrolman."
What? Weren't they supposed to be the finest in single combat?
Rina sighed. "Ren, if you blow her up, I'm not cleaning cat guts again."
"Relax. I'll use minimal force."
"Minimal for you means the hospital."
Fair. I was still getting the hang of the new Directed Explosion tag I had been experimenting on. It had a history now.
-----
We finally cornered her behind the dumpling shop. She looked harmless — small, fluffy, golden collar gleaming in the lamplight. Then she turned her head and met my eyes.
There was intelligence there. And contempt.
"Easy," I murmured, crouching. "We're not here to hurt you. We just want to—"
She hissed, leaped, and vanished in a blur.
Souta cursed. "She used the rooftops!"
Rina groaned. "She's faster than Ren's temper."
"Impossible," I muttered, sprinting after her. How can a cat outrun a chunin-level physique?
We chased that demon through alleyways, over fences, across rooftops. Somewhere between the dumpling stall and the riverbank, she stole a skewer, tripped a chunin, and somehow set off a paper bomb that hadn't even been armed.
When the smoke cleared, she was gone.
Rina sat down on the curb, panting. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I miss the bandits."
"She's playing with us," Souta said, scanning again. "Taunting. Like a kunoichi with fur."
"She's not taunting," I said grimly. "She's training."
Plan N
We regrouped under the bridge. I drew a few quick seal lines on the ground — basic containment array.
Rina eyed me warily. "You're not gonna explode her, right?"
"Not explode. Just discourage." Was I really that bad?
"That's what you said about the rice thief last month."
"And he lived, didn't he?"
"He moved to another village, Ren."
Details.
Souta pointed. "Movement. Thirty meters."
I nodded. "Alright. Let's end this."
We waited. Minutes passed. The air grew still. Then the faintest jingle of a bell — behind me.
I spun, activated the seal — and she was already gone. In her place, a shredded paper tag and a fish bone.
Rina blinked. "Did she just substitute?"
I stared at the tag, my pride eroding by the second. "...She used my seal against me."
Souta exhaled. "I told you she's smart."
"She's not smart. She's evil."
-----
We finally cornered her again in the Hokage's garden — fitting, since that's apparently her throne. She was sitting calmly on a stone lantern, grooming herself.
I approached slowly this time. No seals. No jutsu. Just patience.
"Alright, Tora. Game's over."
She flicked her tail. The bell on her collar jingled mockingly.
"Don't do it," I warned.
She leaped — right into my face.
I barely caught her mid-air. She clawed once, hissed twice, and finally went limp in my arms, purring like she owned me.
Rina looked stunned. "You… actually did it."
Souta tilted his head. "She surrendered. That's suspicious."
I was too tired to care. "Let's just deliver her before she changes her mind."
-----
Lady Shijimi cried actual tears of joy when we handed her over.
"My precious Tora! You brave souls!"
Rina's smile twitched. Souta bowed politely. I just said, "Mission complete."
Souta's relief was visible. "So I'm eligible now?"
Kota nodded. "All clear for the Chunin Exams."
As we left the mission office, Rina nudged me. "You know, if anyone ever writes a report, it's going to sound like we almost lost to a cat."
I sighed. "Almost?"
She grinned. "You're right. We did lose."
Later that night
We sat at a ramen shop. The ramen steams under the lantern light. Souta was unusually quiet.
"Thinking about the exams?" I asked.
He nodded. "And about how that cat knew how to counter sealing techniques."
Rina slurped her noodles. "Maybe she's reincarnated."
"Reincarnated, huh?" I wondered. With my case as an example. It was not too far-fetched. Maybe she also has a system. And soon the shinobi world shall tremble under the unflinching reign of Tora the second.
Rina smirked and jabbed my arm. "It's just a stupid cat."
I didn't rise to the bait — mostly because, out of the corner of my eye, I saw it.
Up on a distant roof, outlined against the moonlight, Tora sat — golden collar glinting, tail swaying.
Watching us.
I narrowed my eyes. "She's planning something."
Rina chuckled. "You're paranoid."
But when I looked again… she was gone.
And the faint sound of a bell echoed in the wind.