[Mad Tiger] Chapter 47

Shisui made sure Sasuke was okay, a little baffled that he hadn’t noticed his little cousin right away. But then again, he probably hadn’t expected to find him so easily. I can imagine it—sneaking into Sasuke’s apartment, only to find an empty, ice-cold bed that clearly hadn’t been slept in for ages. There were some faint signs of life, but nothing concrete, and definitely nothing that suggested Sasuke had been there recently. And on top of that, the traces left behind weren’t even all from one person. No wonder Shisui got worried. He must’ve checked Naruto’s apartment too, but with Hokage’s spies and ANBU lurking around, he probably didn’t dare search too thoroughly.

Or maybe—and this was just my personal theory—he couldn’t sense Sasuke because of me and our synchronized nighttime “chakra circulation.” And considering how slow it was, maybe it acted like a natural stealth jutsu? Who knows. Either way, Shisui trailed me and the boys all the way to the Academy before vanishing into the unknown. Probably for the best—leaving Kushina-san alone for too long in her current state wasn’t a great idea. Plus, I was nervous about someone catching Shisui snooping around. So when he finally took off, I could breathe a little easier.

The boys met up at the Academy, talking about something as they headed to class.

It was honestly a miracle that our little gang hadn’t been broken up by Konoha’s so-called “protectors.” Then again, the kids in our group weren’t just any kids. Their parents were powerful shinobi—people smart enough to push past whatever prejudices the village had tried to drill into them. They probably realized that befriending a jinchuriki like Naruto was very beneficial. The adults either weren’t interfering or were being kept from interfering, but the kids? The kids had been left to “figure things out on their own.” Meanwhile, the Hokage was still playing his little game—making sure he remained the only adult Naruto could trust.

Like clockwork, every week, Naruto waltzed into the Hokage’s office like it was his second home. And honestly? It kinda was. Well, aside from the fact that Sasuke had finally broken his habit of kicking the door open like he was raiding enemy territory. The Uchiha was strict about these things—disciplined, even. He played the role of responsible big brother so convincingly that Naruto barely even argued about it anymore.

The next two months, I dedicated myself to my next brilliant plan. And today? Today was the grand finale. Mwahaha! I could practically explode from how proud I was of myself. I mean, come on! A simple cat like me had pulled off the impossible! If this were some kind of RPG, I’d have hit level 80 in grand theft and strategic looting. I was unstoppable!

But credit where credit’s due—shoutout to my partner in crime, Sumi-chan. Without him, our blatantly shameless act of burglary wouldn’t have succeeded.

Living inside an anime world is weird. Knowing that your actions actually change things, that what you do could get people hurt or save their lives—it changes how you look at people. How you judge them.

After Shisui reminded me about Hokage’s Peeping Tom Orb, I became obsessed with the idea of stealing it. That little crystal ball was dangerous—both for me and the boys.

So, naturally, I broke into Sarutobi’s house.

Which, by the way? Was a freaking palace.

Unlike the Uchihas or the Hyugas, the Sarutobi clan didn’t have one single, tightly packed compound. No, they lived large. Why settle for a single district when you could spread out, enjoy luxury, and make bank while you’re at it? Most of the Sarutobis actually lived in Otakuku or the capital.

From what I gathered, only the Third’s family—and a few branches—were active shinobi. The rest? Merchants. Shop owners. Logistics and supply chain managers. And sure, just because they weren’t ninja didn’t mean they couldn’t use chakra. But let’s be real—these guys had a sweet deal. Let someone else do the fighting while they raked in the profits. Maybe I was being cynical, but after all the gossip I overheard while staking out the Hokage’s place? I think I earned my right to be judgmental.

Now, in the anime, I never really paid much attention to Sarutobi’s grandson, Konohamaru. Just some loud-mouthed brat tailing Naruto for comic relief, right? But holy catnip, actually watching this kid in action? What a nightmare.

This little gremlin had grown men waiting on him hand and foot. It was like babysitting him was a national pastime. And the worst part? He screamed about being Hokage all the damn time. Like, actually believed he could take down his grandpa and steal the title. And everyone just… played along.

I watched this circus unfold and thought, Yeah. This is my way in.

And, my whiskered friends, it worked like a charm.

Not that I didn’t suffer for it. I have never been so humiliated in my life. If I ever have to do something like this again, just throw me into the nearest river. Seriously.

Let me set the scene: Sumi-chan and I infiltrated Konohamaru’s bedroom. Stealth mode. Maximum fluff factor. We weren’t just cats. We were mystical, shadowy creatures of the night. Our fur, carefully darkened with soot, shimmered under the moonlight. And in our paws? A cheap glass ball we stole from some random trinket shop in Otakuku.

Then? We performed.

Rolling, flipping, chasing our “magic orb” like it was the greatest treasure in the world. And Konohamaru? Hook, line, and sinker. Kid sat there, mouth open, enchanted by our ridiculous show.

And every night, we upped the stakes.

For three whole days, we repeated our performance. Hypnotizing him. Training him. Conditioning him. Until finally, we pulled our masterstroke—showing up without our little magic ball.

Cue sad kitty eyes.

And wouldn’t you know it?

The little goblin himself decided that if we needed a real magic ball, then Grandpa’s obviously would do.

Hiruzen wouldn’t notice, right? And even if he did, what was he gonna do? Punish his precious grandson?

Perfect. Just purrfect.

So, after Konohamaru swiped the crystal ball, we gave him a breathtaking show, complete with spinning, chasing, and little cat acrobatics. Then, once he conked out for the night, we stuffed the thing into our carrying bag and ninja’d our way out of there.

Success!

Of course, actually destroying the damn thing didn’t work, so I went with plan B—hiding it.

First, I thoroughly marked it to wipe any lingering Sarutobi scents—just in case they tried to track it with ninja dogs. Then, I buried it. Deep.

Throwing it into the river was an option, but… what if I needed it later? Yeah, yeah, I know—I’m a cat, but sometimes, I channel my inner packrat.

“Sumi-chan, it’s done. My treat,” I declared, triumphantly stamping down the dirt over our hiding spot.

Sumi-chan, already in the middle of grooming, flicked his tail. “That was fun.”

Then, the little furball turned and proceeded to groom me—scrubbing all the soot off my fur until I was spotless.

I guess even legendary thieves need a good bath.

And just like that, I felt light. Free. Like a weight had been lifted off my furry little shoulders. Messing with Hiruzen had been incredibly satisfying, even if it had taken nearly two months to pull off. But now, at least, I didn’t need to keep such a watchful eye on my boys. They had friends again, a proper routine, and things were finally stabilizing. Sasuke had even moved some of his stuff into Naruto’s place—practically official at this point.

And then, out of nowhere, it started snowing.

The first snowfall of the season, even though it was already late January.

I’d been in this world for over a year and a half now, and I’d picked up a lot about local culture and symbolism. Snow, for example, meant renewal. A fresh start.

And honestly? It felt fitting.

Maybe the Cat Gods really were watching over us, throwing me a little cosmic nod of approval.

Sumi-chan and I shuffled under the eaves of the roof, watching the slow, gentle snowfall. He sat beside me, warm and solid, purring as he leaned against my side. It was peaceful. Comforting. And for the first time in a long while, I felt sure—sure that things were gonna be okay.

For Naruto and Sasuke.

For Kushina-san and Shisui-kun.

For Shijimi and Minoruhi.

For me.

For Konoha.

In two months, the boys would be taking their graduation exams. And this time, I knew things would go differently than what I saw in the anime.

“It’s nice,” Sumi-chan murmured, flicking his ears as a snowflake landed on his nose.

“Yeah,” I agreed, smirking to myself as a realization hit me.

There was no way anyone was ever finding my hamster-hoard of stolen treasure now.

— END OF PART TWO —