[Mad Tiger] Chapter 42

‘Well, if nothing else, seeing Sasuke’s face made Naruto’s neon-orange disaster of a jumpsuit worth it,’ I thought as we met the Uchiha at the crossroads on the way to the Academy. His usual stoic, emotionless expression cracked, leaving him gaping like a fish, eyes wide as if he’d just seen the Daimyo himself drop from the sky. I, feeling smug and a bit mischievous, decided to skip the backpack ride today and strolled alongside on my own four paws, savoring the moment.

"What’s with you, Sasuke?" Naruto asked, noticing the shocked look on his friend’s face.

"Where did you even get that?" Sasuke managed after a solid minute of goldfish impersonation, pointing at the offending outfit.

"You mean this?" Naruto tugged at the sleeve. "The old man—uh, Third Hokage—gave it to me this morning. I mentioned yesterday it was for my birthday, remember?"

Sasuke blinked, nodded, and then coughed to cover his reaction. He didn’t say another word about the hideous orange monstrosity, bless his tactful little heart. Sure, there’s that saying about not looking a gift horse in the mouth, but this… this needed intervention. Luckily, I’d already started brainstorming a few ideas.

Leaving the boys to their journey to the Academy, I veered off to find Kiba and his loyal furball, Akamaru. I knew their routine—morning playtime in the park near the memorial to burn off enough energy so they wouldn’t turn the classroom into a zoo. Following the sounds of happy barking and laughter, I found them mid-game: Kiba was tossing a stick, and Akamaru was chasing it with his tongue hanging out, pure bliss plastered across his face. Honestly, it’s good to be a cat. I’d be a terrible dog.

Unable to resist, I crept through the bushes and waited for the perfect moment. The stick landed about a meter from my hiding spot, and just as Akamaru barreled toward it, I made my grand entrance. In my head, I was dressed in pristine white like a hero from an old folktale. Akamaru skidded to a stop, tail furiously wagging to keep from crashing into me, looking like something straight out of a Tom and Jerry cartoon. Classic.

He sniffed me all over, then let out an excited bark and tried to slobber all over my fur. I held his snout firmly with my paw, giving him my best "you dare?" glare.

"Tora-san!" Akamaru yelped between attempts to lick me. "You’re back! I missed you!"

"Control yourself, pup," I sighed, shaking my head. "Do I need to report your behavior to your dad?"

"Dad’s on a mission," Akamaru replied sheepishly, sitting back with a big doggy grin.

Kiba jogged over, stick in hand.

"So, have you gotten through to your handler yet?" I asked Akamaru. "Does he understand you now? Or are you still stuck in ‘MTL’ (TN: apologies could resist) territory?"

Akamaru hesitated, his ears twitching nervously. "Kiba’s great, but… yeah, we’re still working on it."

Figures.

"Wait, you know this cat?" Kiba squatted down, eyeing me curiously.

Akamaru barked affirmatively. It seemed like they had their own basic yes-or-no communication system going, kind of like me with Naruto and Sasuke.

"Well, aren’t you interesting," Kiba murmured, reaching out to pet me. I allowed it—always good to have allies in high places (or low ones, as the case may be).

"Nice cat," he muttered. "You’re someone’s pet, huh? Who do you belong to?"

"Naruto and Sasuke," I answered, deliberately slow and deliberate. It wasn’t just a meow—it had meaning.

Kiba froze, his eyebrows shooting up. "Did he just talk?"

Another affirming bark from Akamaru.

"Is this cat a ninneko?" Kiba joked, scratching behind my ears. Akamaru barked again, and I saw the kid’s eyes go wide. Bingo! Lucky guess, but spot-on.

"Wow, that’s nuts!" Kiba exclaimed, standing up.

"Sorry, buddy, we’ve got to get to the Academy," he said, whistling for Akamaru.

"Are you coming to the Academy, Tora-san?" the pup asked, torn between following Kiba and staying to chat with me.

"Yeah, we’re heading the same way," I replied, padding along beside them.

By the time we reached the Academy, Akamaru and I had already had a mini-workout, chasing each other around and stretching our legs. It was a nice change of pace. I’d been so busy lately, I hadn’t had time to keep up with my own training.

Once the boys went inside, I took my usual spot on the windowsill to observe. Naruto had seated himself next to Sasuke, who looked slightly less broody than usual. The class was noticeably smaller than before. I’d overheard teachers mentioning some sort of aptitude tests during a recent mission, which had resulted in a bit of "weeding out." Of the original thirty-six students, only twenty-seven remained. It was starting to feel like that old mystery novel—And Then There Were None. I guess this is how we end up with the twelve from the anime.

Most desks now had two students sharing, though a few had three. Shino sat alone, which wasn’t surprising. Even from the window, I could smell his bugs. It was… unsettling—like a mix of decay, bitter herbs, and flowers. The kind of scent that made your fur stand on end. No wonder no one wanted to sit near him.

Meanwhile, a gaggle of girls were whispering furiously about Sasuke and Naruto. Apparently, sitting next to the brooding Uchiha was a scandal. Their giggles turned into harsher whispers about Naruto: "Why would anyone sit with him?" and "My mom said to stay away from him." Typical. My poor chick was doing his best to ignore them, though his ears twitched in annoyance. Thankfully, Iruka entered, putting an end to their chatter.

"Today we’ll be practicing the Transformation Jutsu," Iruka announced, his eyes lingering on Naruto for a moment. "You’ll be tested on this technique in a month."

___________________________________________

I couldn’t bear to watch the way they were treating my kid anymore! Completely drained, I slunk off to my oak tree near the sports field. It wasn’t the time to make a scene, but oh, how I wanted to storm into that classroom and give that excuse of a teacher a piece of my mind. Naruto’s problem wasn’t laziness or lack of effort—it was his chakra control. The boy had chakra reserves that could fuel a small country, but it all fizzled out like a soggy firework. What he needed was specific training, not mockery and dismissal.

I just hoped Sasuke wouldn’t cave to peer pressure and start treating Naruto the same way the rest of the class did. If that happened, I’d personally smack that Uchiha scowl right off his face with my paw. Preventive measures and all.

My righteous indignation lulled me into a restless nap on the branch, but it didn’t last long. High-pitched squeals and chatter snapped me out of it—recess. Looked like it was lunchtime. I scanned the playground and spotted my two troublemakers. Good. They were sticking together. For now, I’d let Sasuke off the hook—no paw slaps today.

I noticed Naruto fidgeting nervously while holding two meal tickets.

“I’ve got two ramen vouchers for Ichiraku,” he said, almost shyly, as he approached Sasuke. “Wanna grab lunch there? Oh, hey, look! Namaiki-chan’s coming!”

Sasuke turned just as I bounded over, catching me effortlessly in his arms.

“Hey, Uchiha, is that your cat?” Kiba’s voice cut in hesitantly. He walked up with his usual swagger but paused when he reached us, clearly unsure if he’d crossed some invisible line. The air between them was so awkward you could slice it with a kunai.

Of course, it was up to me to take charge. I addressed Akamaru, who was snoozing on Kiba’s head like a floppy hat.

“Hey, pup! Stop snoozing up there, jump down, and you’ll see what real fun looks like!” I barked in my most commanding tone, signaling Sasuke to put me down.

Akamaru opened one bleary eye, let out a sleepy yawn, and leapt down from his perch, wagging his tail like an over-caffeinated squirrel.

“That’s Namaiki-chan,” I heard Sasuke say coolly as we started heading toward the ramen shop. “Naruto and I share him. He’s our cat.”

Damn right I was.