[Mad Tiger] Chapter 61

We were heading back to Konoha as a group of five. Hatake Kakashi met us on the evening of the second day after the start of our cat mission near the caves. My presence wasn’t exactly hidden, but there was a convenient cover story: “This cat wandered into our group, and now Naruto wants to take him back to Konoha.”

No idea if Kakashi actually bought it, but he didn’t argue. The kids wouldn’t talk, and the adults now had an official excuse for where I came from. And really, who would seriously investigate a random cat?

Haruno Sakura, who had spent most of our time in Ryu blissfully unaware thanks to the genjutsu, only remembered fighting a black nyako-ninja with a white lightning mark on its forehead. Then, according to her, Sasuke heroically defeated The Nekomata, and they got the giant paw print they were sent for.

She had no memory of us spending an entire evening with Itachi and Shisui. Didn’t hear them, didn’t see them. Sharingan is such a damn cheat code.

It turned out Sasuke didn’t have the same memory-consuming seal as Itachi. Itachi’s brain had been scrambled specifically because of his Mangekyo Sharingan. But Sasuke? They still hit him with genjutsu—enough to implant false memories of things that never happened.

Like how he came home that night and found his entire clan slaughtered by some unknown monster that killed with horrifying brutality. How he walked in on Itachi standing over their parents’ corpses.

My blurry memories from the anime, where Itachi said something to Sasuke during Tsukuyomi, were confirmed by Nekomata. If Itachi had shown Sasuke his version of that night inside Tsukuyomi, Sasuke would’ve fully “remembered” it. It would’ve burned into his mind as an absolute truth, solidifying his hatred beyond repair, twisting his personality even further.

Mind games never end well.

The weirdest part? Itachi took a quick scan of Naruto and quietly mentioned that his memories had been tampered in a different way. Instead of outright erasing things, his perception had been rewired, making his mind cling to specific memories like a child trying to fill in blank pages.

Everything for him felt bigger, brighter, and more real.

Things like:
 "Everyone in the village hates me, but Grandpa Hiruzen is kind!"
 "Sasuke is my friend!"
 "I love my team!"
 "I LOVE RAMEN!"
 "I’ll prove to the whole village that I can become Hokage!"

These weren’t just thoughts—they were core beliefs.

So that explained why he was so obsessed with “bringing Sasuke back” in the anime.

And let’s be real—if Minato had actually survived, Naruto would have latched onto him instantly. He would have completely overshadowed everyone else in his life. Instant bond. Instant loyalty. No competition. It was terrifying how easily he could’ve been steered.

Itachi managed to unlock some of Sasuke’s real memories. From his reaction, he saw enough to believe that everything had been a setup.

And I was right there for the Uchiha family meeting—Itachi and Shisui deciding what to do next.

I wanted them to tell Naruto the truth—that his mother was alive. They debated it. But it wasn’t simple.

For starters, Itachi was actively working inside Akatsuki. He had a partner—Hoshigaki Kisame, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. According to his memories, they’d been working together for years—ever since Itachi “massacred his clan.”

But the problem was… Kisame had never actually talked about their pasts.

Itachi had no idea how long they’d really been partners.

Which raised a question—was Kisame also under genjutsu? Or did he already know the truth?

Then there was the guy in the mask.

Itachi had vague memories of him. Shisui had seen him. Kushina suspected he was Uchiha Obito. But Itachi had never once encountered a masked man in Akatsuki.

None of the people Itachi had seen in the organization really matched the description. Unless someone was very good at hiding.

Eventually, the brothers decided to put off telling Naruto the truth—at least for now.

Because in the end, nobody could predict how a jinchiriki would react to having their memories tampered with.

I wanted Naruto to know. But without Kushina physically there to ground him, there was a very real chance that his emotions could spiral out of control, and Kurama would break loose.

He might seem stable one day, but the next? He could be tearing through Konoha like a wrecking ball, ready to strangle Hiruzen with his bare hands.

As much as I hated it, the logic made sense.

Then there was Orochimaru.

It turned out that Shisui and Itachi had already tracked him down. And he might actually be able to help Kushina.

But Itachi remembered him differently.

He recalled Orochimaru trying to kill him.

And he also remembered Orochimaru being a part of Akatsuki.

Yet in Itachi’s mind, that was only a couple of years ago.

Hearing the name immediately put me on high alert.

The anime had made one thing clear—Orochimaru was going to throw everything into chaos during the Chunin Exams. He’d end up killing the Third Hokage.

And then Sasuke would run off to join him.

Could Orochimaru have been manipulated, too?

Unlike Jiraiya and Tsunade, he hadn’t been in Konoha when everyone’s memories got wiped.

And if you consider the fact that everybody else who had been away at the time was eliminated, that meant Orochimaru was the only Konoha ninja left alive who knew the truth.

And that was exactly why the village turned him into public enemy number one.

Even if he did walk straight into Konoha and start shouting about the memory wipe atop of a giant snake, no one would believe him.

For now, though, the plan was to leave Naruto alone.

And since Kakashi had been put in charge of Team Seven, the older Uchiha were actually relieved.

Because they knew him.

But that also meant Kakashi knew a lot about the Uchiha and their abilities.

Before we parted ways, Itachi and Shisui made it clear—Sasuke and Naruto couldn’t say a word about what they’d learned. This meeting? It never happened.

And me? I got a very important job.

If Naruto and Sasuke got sent outside Konoha, I had to warn Shisui.

The boys couldn’t do it themselves—it was too risky. They might be watched.

Which led to the next problem.

How?

I just started planning how I’d sneak into the Hokage Tower and strap a coded ribbon to a pigeon when—

A crow flew directly into my mouth.

I choked.

A freaking Uchiha clan jutsu.

They sealed a message carrier inside me and then explained that I’d have to focus my chakra in my throat to release the damn thing.

Fantastic.

Kakashi, meanwhile, wasted no time putting Team Seven through a forced march back to Konoha.

The rain started up again, so I hunkered down inside Naruto’s backpack, still bummed about my proactively canceled Mission Impossible reenactment.

Shisui’s crow ended up being needed way sooner than expected. I damn near slept through the whole thing.

We had just returned to Konoha, and I decided to check in on some of our other friends. Managed to meet up with a Hyuga—only one, though—and even that took way more effort than it should have. I got drenched from all the water dripping off the trees and covered in mud by the time I reached the white-eyed district. But hey, the bath afterward? Absolutely worth it.

Oh, and turns out Hinata was starting to, uh… develop. Ahem. Moving on.

Meanwhile, my little troublemakers got sent straight to the Land of Waves. Yeah, that Land of Waves. The one from the anime.

Apparently, the anime only covered major events, because there was way more happening in this world than just the plot points I remembered. But either way, the moment Team 7 got back to Konoha, they got hit with another mission.

Barely a day had passed before they were packed up and sent off again.

Rain had finally stopped overnight, and by morning the sun was out. Lucky for me, I caught them just in time—almost missed them completely. Was not expecting them to get deployed again so fast.

And then I saw him.

Old guy. Beard. Glasses. Straw hat. Nursing a bottle like it was his lifeline.

Yep. That was definitely Tazuna. And the Land of Waves was in the same direction as Ryu, which we had just gotten back from.

Kakashi spotted me and told Naruto the mission was more serious this time, meaning no cats allowed.

Honestly? I wasn’t about to argue.

I wasn’t a fan of the whole starving on the road thing, and sitting in a backpack while bumping along through the wilderness wasn’t my idea of a good time.

I could do way more good here in the village—spying around, checking in on people, gathering intel.

So, despite my instincts screaming at me not to, I let the kids go without me.

I had to trust Shisui and Itachi.

But before I did… I, uh… coughed up a crow.

And I may have sent it off with a little more information than planned.

Because in the moment of sending the mental message, a bunch of memories suddenly smacked me in the face—memories from the anime.

Like how they were going to get attacked on the way.

Like how there was going to be a masked kid and a big guy with a sword trying to stop the bridge from being built.

I have no idea if I screwed something up or just made things better, but as soon as that crow flew out of my throat, it paused, turned, and stared at me.

Like, full-on, meaningful eye contact.

"…What are you looking at?" I hissed, flicking my tail. "Get moving, birdbrain, before I remember I have predatory instincts."

It must’ve understood, because it immediately took off, disappearing into the sky.

The sunshine didn’t last long—by the time I started jumping across rooftops, the drizzle had returned.

I had intended to visit the Hyuga again, but instead, I found myself heading toward Ino’s place.

Team 10 had gotten Asuma as their sensei, and I figured I could poke around for info. They probably weren’t running missions in this crappy weather like my poor, overworked kiddie-ninjas.

Hinata was training at home.

Neji’s team was bouncing around on bad-weather assignments.

But Ino? Ino was probably at home being a civilian kid.

Sure enough, I found her at the Yamanaka compound—specifically, in the biggest house, which definitely belonged to the clan head.

I could smell her from the entrance.

"Who’s there?" she perked up from behind a book when she heard the door shift.

I didn’t bother sneaking. Just walked right up, stopped in the doorway, and gave a nice, polite meow.

Blonde Tornado immediately launched herself at me.

"Oh my gosh, Tora-chan! What are you doing here? Where’s Naruto and Sasuke? Why are you so wet? You must be starving, poor baby!"

She was firing off questions faster than I could blink.

Finally, I just lifted a single, mud-covered paw.

That shut her up.

"You… came here by yourself?" she asked, eyes widening.

I nodded.

"Did something happen to Naruto and Sasuke?" she pressed, voice rising in alarm.

I shook my head.

"They’re on a mission?"

I nodded again.

"Do you wanna stay with me for now?"

She had the deduction skills of a detective.

Another nod.

She beamed, scooping me up into her arms.

"Tora-chan! This is amazing! I always wanted a kitty! I’m gonna dry you off, clean your little paws, and feed you something warm. You’re so smart for finding me!"

I yawned, already feeling exhaustion settle in.

Kakashi had absolutely run us into the ground with that forced march.

Between that and the all-nighters in Ryu, I was running on empty.

And honestly? Ino’s plan sounded perfect.

Step one: Get fed.

Step two: Pass out.

Step three: Process all the insane crap that just happened in Ryu.