[Mad Tiger] Chapter 39

What’s Madam Shijimi doing here? Well, it’s not like I can’t find out. The palanquin stopped in the square near the Hokage’s Residence, and a shinobi I didn’t recognize—though the white armband on his side was very familiar—offered Shijimi a hand to step down. Her eyes scanned the surroundings with a distracted air, even pausing on the rooftop I was perched on for a split second.

I debated letting her see me. On one hand, it might ease her mind—she’s looking rough. And I’m guessing it’s not just because nearly all the Shugonin were wiped out. She’s probably worried about me too. I mean, I did vanish after that bloodbath. But honestly, I don’t have the strength, time, or desire to make a palace visit right now. The shame would simply eat me alive. I was supposed to spy, protect the masters, and safeguard the Land of Fire, and look how that turned out. I couldn’t even save Sano. And Taemi-san… she’s probably still mourning her son. Ugh, Chiriku. May you get castrated by your own scythe! If that guy shows up in this village, I swear I’ll—

Breathe, Tora. Just breathe. This isn’t the time or place. Focus! You’ve got two emotionally wrecked kids depending on you—Naruto, my little bundle of sunshine, and Sasuke, my broody enigma. Those two are orphans who have no one else but me right now. The dead are beyond help. Focus on the living.

Shijimi nodded to her bodyguard, rummaged inside the palanquin, and gasped dramatically before spinning around, her face suddenly twisted into a comically tragic expression.

“Oh no, Mamoru-san! He’s run away! My precious Tora-chan has escaped!” she wailed, pulling out an empty cat carrier from the palanquin. “It must’ve happened when we entered Konoha! I cracked the door open just a little bit, and…”

Wait. When did I—?

“Shall I search for your cat, Madam?” the guard offered calmly.

This guy, a rugged-looking dude with a triangular white armband bearing the Fire emblem, radiated serious power and tension. Just in case, I slowed my chakra flow. Seasoned shinobi can sense eyes on them—even from animals. Maybe he’s a retired vet brought back into service? Not exactly young, but not over the hill either. Perhaps Shijimi and Minoru were forced to hastily rebuild the Shugonin ranks.

“No, no! I’ll ask the Hokage to organize a search for Tora-chan!” Shijimi declared. “Oh, my sweet Tora-chan…”

“As you wish, Madam,” Mamoru said with a polite bow.

Honestly, I’m so glad I scouted the area back when I was the Fifth Hokage’s cat. I know at least four ways into the Hokage’s Residence and two shortcuts that lead straight to the Hokage’s office from the roof. Hiruzen didn’t bother moving offices and just claimed Kushina’s old one. For now, Shijimi entered the ground-floor veranda, where mission receptionists were stationed. There was Hiruzen, puffing away on his pipe. At least out in the open air, the tobacco stench wasn’t as unbearable. I’d love to shove that pipe—

Nope. Breathe. Calm down. No time for a chakra flare-up. People were already glancing around uneasily. Deep breath, Tora.

While Shijimi sobbed over the empty cat carrier—the same one I had been transported in as a kitten from Konoha to Himachi—she put on a whole theatrical performance about her “missing baby.” Meanwhile, she requested a ton of relatively simple missions: harvest assistance, guarding state caravans, dealing with bandits terrorizing a province, stuff like that. And she kept mentioning me in every other sentence. Someone even ran to fetch her some calming tea and reassured her that the best Academy graduates would be assigned to find me. Uh-huh, sure.

They printed out my photo—an older one, where I looked younger and had a pink bow on my ear. Shijimi cooed over it before reluctantly handing it over.

“Summon Might Guy’s team immediately!” one of the reception shinobi barked, wiping his brow once Shijimi left, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief.

Oh, this is gonna be good. I hesitated, tempted to meet Shijimi now, but honestly, it’d be way more fun to see the legendary Byakugan in action. Just hope those infamous “64 Palms” don’t get tested on my fur. Heh. Or someone’s losing their Byakugan privileges.

“Tenten, come in! No sign of the mission objective ‘cat’ near the playground. Neji, do you see it? Over.”

“Idiot. Do you have any idea how many cats there are in Konoha?” Neji’s annoyed voice replied—right next to me, by the way.

“I’ll catch every single one until we find it! Over,” Rock Lee declared with fiery determination through the comms.

Oh, this is gold. The Guy Squad—aka Brow Brigade and Company—had gone all out, equipping themselves with radio collars like proper action heroes. Their chatter was loud enough for half the village to hear. Seriously, I could hear Lee’s shout both over the radio and from a good three hundred meters away.

“The power of youth is with you all! I believe in your ability to find Tora-chan among the hundreds of cats, over!” their ever-enthusiastic teacher chimed in.

“Let’s split up,” Neji sighed through the comm. “I’ll head to the village center and direct you from there. I trust you remember what the cat looks like.”

“You’re forgetting to say ‘over,’ over,” Lee corrected. “Brilliant plan, Neji! Konoha is circular, and your range of vision will cover the whole village from the center. Genius, over.”

I nearly choked on my own snicker. Oh, poor Neji. I bet his face screamed, “Why do I have to work with these people?!”

“Fine, I’m heading to the stadium,” Neji muttered.

I bolted there first, darting over rooftops and trees, and settled on a sprawling elm right across from the stadium. The funniest part? Neji showed up, took one look around, and climbed the same tree with an expression that could curdle milk. He formed seals, and his eyes practically bugged out when, I assume, I lit up on his chakra radar.

Man, Byakugan is some powerful tech! I could feel the chakra flowing to his brain. Must be why he’s so sharp—good blood flow up there. The veins around his eyes bulged impressively, and his pale blue irises turned into eerie, pupil-less voids. Creepy, but effective.

“Well? Neji, are you in position? Over!” Tenten’s voice came through the comms.

“Wait a moment,” Neji grumbled. His eyes returned to normal, and he stared right at me.

Ah, sometimes I wish I had eyebrows, but I worked with what I had. Time to see how susceptible this stoic genius is to feline charm.

“Tora-chan?” Neji said, half-questioning, half-confirming.

“Yes, and what of it?” I replied with the most innocent, wide-eyed look I could muster. I’m lost!

“Scared, buddy?” Neji said softly, reaching a hand toward me. “It’s okay. Come here. I’ll take you back to your owner…”

“Neji! What’s going on?! Over!” Lee’s voice blared from the comms. I let out an exaggerated yowl of fright and leaped off the tree.

I landed in the middle of the street, pausing dramatically to give Neji a mournful, guilt-inducing look. He scowled but quickly schooled his expression when he realized I was still within reach. Oh, this was going to be fun.

“I found him,” Neji replied calmly.

“What? Already?!” Tenten’s surprise came loud and clear.

“You found him?! Over?” Lee chimed in with equal astonishment. “We’re on our way to back you up!”

“No!” Neji shouted, his voice uncharacteristically alarmed. “Stay back! You’ll scare him. He’s already skittish, and I’ve almost got him. I’m taking off the comms. Over and out!”

“But—!” Lee’s protest was cut off as Neji yanked the radio collar off his neck with a decisive motion.

“Tora-chan, Tora-chan,” Neji cooed, switching to the soothing tones of someone trying to coax a stray. “Come here, buddy.” He gracefully descended from the tree, showing off his shinobi ability to stick to vertical surfaces, and sat cross-legged on the neatly trimmed grass.

You’d never guess this was the same jerk who nearly crippled his sister. Well, technically his cousin. Not that I care about human family drama—it doesn’t apply to cats. Sure, he could be the guy who hates his clan, tolerates his team by sheer willpower, and mocks Naruto at every opportunity, but apparently, he has a soft spot for cats.

By the way, he was wearing shorts too—seriously, does nobody in this village dress seasonally? And he just plops himself down on the grass like it’s nothing. Fine, I’ll be generous. Besides, I do need to figure out what’s going on with Shijimi.

“Good Tora-chan. Such a good kitty,” Neji murmured, scratching behind my ear and stroking my back with the finesse of someone who clearly knew how to handle a cat. Then he gently scooped me up, cradling me against his light-colored jacket with its stand-up collar. The jacket, like everything else, was completely unseasonal—short sleeves, one arm wrapped in bandages, the other bare. I lazily batted at the dangling straps from his shin guard.

“Let’s go. I’ll take you back to your owner,” Neji said softly as he rose and began walking toward the Hokage Residence. “They said she’s been very worried about you.”

His warmth and steady movements were so relaxing that I figured I might as well nap on the way. Who knows what kind of chaos awaits once I’m handed over to Shijimi.

_______________________________________

“Aww…”

“Quiet, Tora-chan is sleeping,” I heard Neji whisper through the haze of my half-sleep. It sounded like the whole team had gathered. Multiple hands were gently stroking my fur.

“Should we put him in a carrier?” Tenten whispered back. “He looks heavy…”

“No,” Neji replied softly, holding me snugly. “He got lost and scared. I’ll carry him.”

Huh. This Hyuga prodigy is turning out to be nothing like I expected. Sure, in the anime he eventually mellowed out, but that was way later…

“Tora-chan! My sweet little darling!” Shijimi’s loud, dramatic voice shattered the calm and yanked me out of my nap. “Come to Mommy, my precious baby!”

Welp. Showtime. Time for the circus to begin.