[Mad Tiger] Chapter 40

"Tora-chan, my baby!" Shijimi exclaimed theatrically, smothering me in a storm of kisses. I barely dodged them all.

The shinobi from the mission commission and the gung-ho genin team that “captured” me sent me looks of sympathy. Lucky for me, Monkey-sama had already disappeared to deal with his Hokage business. After a few minutes of intense cuddling, Shijimi finally allowed me to retreat into the cat carrier. I was this close to shutting the door myself—she was really committing to the role. But honestly, it seemed like she had genuinely missed me. After all, it had been a while since we last saw each other.

While I sat in the carrier, I had plenty of time to contemplate. It was almost lunchtime, and Naruto and Sasuke wouldn’t be out of class for a few more hours. We had plans to sneak back into the Uchiha district later. Now with Shijimi’s surprise visit and my “capture,” how would this fit into the equation? Could I still make it back in time? I mean, escaping the carrier wasn’t exactly rocket science. Chakra’s a wonderful thing, after all.

First, though, I needed to figure out what Shijimi wanted, then plan my next steps. After paying Neji’s team for the mission, Shijimi and I left Konoha.

“Tora-chan,” she said softly once we were in the palanquin, releasing me from the carrier. Her expression turned somber as she leaned close to my ear and whispered, “I know Kushina survived. Kobo-san contacted me secretly and asked me to check on you. I’m so glad you’re alive, Tora-chan! And I know you’ve been helping. You’re such a good boy.”

My eyes widened. Whoa. That’s… unexpected.

“Is Naruto-kun struggling? Poor boy,” Shijimi said, nervously biting her lip. “Unfortunately, I can’t even get close to him. Minoruhi and I are practically hostages to the Sandaime. Even our son…”

Wait, what? They have a son?

“Shisui-kun told me to hold on for a few more months. They can’t contact you—it’s too dangerous. The search for outside help might take longer than we expected. Can you manage until then?”

I nodded solemnly.

“I knew I could count on you, my sweet boy,” she said, stroking my fur. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. “You’d never abandon your friends in trouble… I wish I could do more, but I’m constantly under watch. Even Mamoru-san isn’t fully on my side.” She cast a meaningful glance toward the gruff bodyguard.

I nuzzled her cheek, trying to comfort her.

“I believe we’ll figure it all out,” she said with a faint smile. “The most important thing is that I can let Kushina know her son is safe. You’re looking after him, aren’t you?”

I nodded again, firmly this time.

Then, to my utter shock, Shijimi formed a series of hand signs. A perfect copy of me appeared next to her. I stared at her, dumbfounded. Wait… what?

“Oh, don’t look so surprised,” she said, clearly amused by my reaction. “I’m not a full-fledged shinobi. My chakra reserves are tiny, and my circulatory system is barely developed,” she explained, rolling up her sleeve to reveal a fading seal. “But… there are ways to seal chakra for emergencies, even for civilians.”

My clone gave an exaggerated yawn—classic me—and hopped into the carrier.

“I think this will suffice for a while,” Shijimi mused. “I can feed it small amounts of my chakra to extend the jutsu’s duration.”

I nodded again. This plan wasn’t foolproof, but it was solid. It would deflect suspicion from the daimyo’s family and give me a perfect alibi.

“Mamoru-san,” Shijimi called out from the palanquin, “let’s stop by Lady Hanya’s shop in Otakuku. Her poppy seed buns are absolutely divine.”

“As you wish, my lady,” the bodyguard replied.

Half an hour later, I slipped out of the palanquin unnoticed, darted into an alley, and made a beeline back to Konoha.

I made it just in time. Classes had ended, and I perched on a tree near the Academy, keeping an eye on the doors. Familiar faces from Class 6-A trickled out: Ino, locked in a heated argument with Sakura; Ruri, flanked by her usual cronies. Hinata left with an older Hyuga escort. Then came Sasuke, looking as broody as ever. A flock of fangirls immediately surrounded him, chirping away—some weren’t even from his class! Sasuke huffed and quickly made his escape. But where was Naruto?

I peered into the classroom window and spotted him. He was still inside with Shikamaru, Choji, and Kiba. Judging by Iruka’s irritated lecturing, they’d been kept after class. But as soon as Iruka turned his back, Kiba yelled, “We’re outta here!”

The four of them bolted, diving out the window like a well-practiced escape crew. Naruto brought up the rear, clearly caught up in the thrill of the moment. The group stuck together until they reached the playground, where an unspoken barrier of awkwardness suddenly descended. Shikamaru and Choji waved goodbye to Kiba and headed toward their clan compounds. Kiba went his own way. Naruto was left standing alone, his shoulders drooping.

“Hey, Naruto,” a quiet voice called from above. Naruto spun around, looking confused, and spotted Sasuke perched on a tree branch.

It seemed Sasuke had shaken off his admirers and circled back to wait for his old-new friend. Warmth swelled in my chest—my boys were really growing on me! I padded over to Naruto.

“Namaiki-chan!” Naruto exclaimed, scooping up his backpack and offering it to me. I hopped in gracefully. Stealth mode: activated.

“Looks like our cat was waiting for us,” Sasuke observed. No kidding, Captain Obvious.

“Should we head out now?” Naruto asked, all business.

“Yeah,” Sasuke said tersely.

Back in the abandoned Uchiha district, the boys let me out of the backpack. Sasuke hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath and heading down the main street. Naruto and I followed closely behind.

“So this is where you lived?” Naruto asked, glancing around at the imposing estate that loomed before us. His voice broke the oppressive silence. Sasuke nodded and slid the door open.

I darted inside first—someone had to set the tone. Sasuke’s scent still lingered faintly, and I easily found his room. On the dresser was a photo of his family from when he was around eight. No newer photos. I scratched at the closet. Time to find the boy some proper pants!

Sasuke scanned the room with a frown, then slid open the closet door. His brows furrowed as he took in the neatly folded clothes.

“Didn’t think you were so big as a kid,” Naruto muttered, holding up a T-shirt I had pulled from the closet. “This would fit me just fine…”

“It’s my brother’s,” Sasuke said, his voice cold, his gaze drilling into the shirt.

“But this is your room,” Naruto said, puzzled. “Why would your brother’s clothes be in your closet?”

“I… don’t know,” Sasuke admitted, looking genuinely thrown.

“Looks like the whole closet is your size,” Naruto said, rifling through the clothes and pulling out pants and more shirts. “Are these your brother’s too?”

“I don’t remember this one… or this one either,” Sasuke said after a moment of thought, spreading the clothes out on the bed.

“Do you even have a lot of stuff… you know, back home?” Naruto asked. “I’ve got hardly anything. Just a couple of T-shirts, shorts, and my ninja academy uniform. Hokage-sama said he’d get me a proper ninja outfit for my birthday. Maybe he’ll bring it tomorrow…”

“Not really. I don’t have much,” Sasuke replied slowly, gripping a T-shirt in his hands.

“Then take it,” Naruto said with a grin. “This is all your size, anyway. Who knows, maybe we’ll even find some armor or a shinobi outfit here?”

“I didn’t say—” Sasuke sat down on the bed, his voice growing quieter. “My brother killed everyone. If these are his clothes… I…”

“Your brother?!” Naruto’s eyes went wide as he interrupted. “But…”

“No!” I barked, loud and clear. “Itachi has nothing to do with this!”

“Namaiki-chan’s trying to tell us something,” Naruto whispered loudly, watching me pace the room with my tail flicking in irritation.

Ask the right question already!

Naruto, deep in thought, picked up one of Sasuke’s folded shirts and brought it to his face.

“What are you doing?” Sasuke asked, momentarily distracted from me.

“Sniffing it,” Naruto said matter-of-factly. “I mean, I’m not Inuzuka Kiba, but… This is weird.”

“What’s weird?” Sasuke asked, his tone tinged with annoyance.

“It smells like clean laundry. Like… freshly washed. Nice, even,” Naruto replied. “And… if you think about it, there’s hardly any dust here. Same with the other houses. I know dust doesn’t build up as quickly in empty houses, but… laundry doesn’t keep smelling fresh. It changes after a while, you know? Gets kind of… stale.”

“Yes! Exactly!” I practically danced with joy.

Sasuke skeptically brought the shirt to his nose and sniffed.

“You’re right…” he murmured, his voice barely audible. When he lowered the shirt, I noticed his eyes glistening. “Mom used to add herbal infusions to make everything smell like this… soothing.”

Memories are tied not just to facts but to associations. My experience with memory loss taught me that even the strongest blocks can sometimes be bypassed—through scents, actions, or that nagging sense of deja vu. The right trigger can bring memories rushing back, even subconsciously.

“So that herbal mix made the scent last this long?” Naruto asked, his curiosity unrelenting.

“Maybe…” Sasuke muttered, quickly wiping at his eyes to hide the tears.

“No! No! No!” I exclaimed, unable to hold back.

Why do humans always look for logical explanations instead of daring to guess at something truly bizarre? Well… to be fair, their guess would have to be pretty out there. But I wasn’t about to give up. I had another idea.

“Follow me!” I commanded, and without waiting, I bolted off to find Itachi’s room.