Chapter 284: Chapter 284
"What are you doing here?" a voice called from below.
Takeshi didn’t need to look down to know who it was. Kakashi was leaning against a tree, his gaze distant as he surveyed the ruined battlefield. Takeshi glanced at him but didn’t bother to reply.
’People only get lost when they have too much time on their hands,’ he thought. ’Someone like me, busy earning Points every day, doesn’t have time for an existential crisis.’
He had just pulled in over twenty thousands of Points, bringing his total to seventy thousand, but now he had to figure out what was next. Without a war, earning Points in large chunks would be nearly impossible. Even if he made the rounds back in the village, he would probably only get about a thousand a day. He had to admit, a thousand Points a day was still an incredible pace compared to what ordinary people earned through sweat and tears, but it wasn’t enough to satisfy him.
"In a war, a ninja is just a tool," Kakashi said, his voice low and heavy. "It doesn’t matter if you’re a genin or a jonin, none of us escape that. And the tailed beasts... they’re just tools among tools."
Although he had graduated at five and made chunin at six, this was his first time participating in a large-scale war. The support from Takeshi and Minato had pushed him to grow exceptionally fast, and in just over a year, he felt he had improved more than in the last several years combined. But improving so quickly had left him feeling adrift.
’What is the meaning of being a ninja?’
Takeshi leaped down from the tree, landing silently in front of Kakashi.
"Meow. You’re asking the wrong person, you Baka-shi," he said, staring up at him. "It’s pointless to ask me about the meaning of being a ninja. I’m just a cat."
Kakashi blinked, taken aback for a moment. ’He’s right.’ The black cat’s strength had grown so quickly that he kept forgetting he was just a cat, barely over a year old. How could an animal, even an adult one, understand something as profound as the philosophy of life? His own sensei probably couldn’t give a clear answer. He sighed inwardly.
"But after we get back, you’ll probably be a tokubetsu jonin, meow," Takeshi added, leaping onto Kakashi’s shoulder and patting his head with his tail in a gesture of approval.
Kakashi felt a brief flicker of pride, as if he’d earned some genuine acknowledgment, but the feeling soured almost immediately.
’Acknowledged by who?’ he thought, pushing the cat’s tail away with a scowl. ’This cat is barely a year old, and he’s talking down to me like he’s my father.’
"You don’t have to remind me," Kakashi said, his face a perfect mask of indifference. "I know the real point is that you’re already a jonin."
’As expected.’ He must have been losing his mind to try and talk to this cat about anything serious. He turned silently and started heading back.
Takeshi jumped down from his shoulder, a little baffled. ’Seriously? I was genuinely congratulating him on his performance. How did that get twisted into me showing off? Does my jonin rank even need showing off? Why do my good intentions always sound like something else to people?’
He sighed softly. ’It’s tough being a person, and even tougher being a cat. No one understands my good intentions.’ Then again, it might have been because he usually caused so much trouble. He considered this for a moment. Understanding it was one thing, but he had no intention of changing. If he didn’t stir things up, he wouldn’t get Points. The war was ending, and if he didn’t work hard during peacetime, his savings would be all he had.
And while he had over seventy thousand Points, one bag of luxury cat food cost a thousand. That was only seventy bags. At a rate of one bag every few days, he’d be broke in six months without any income. Of course, he wasn’t stupid enough to spend it all on cat food. It wasn’t a necessity, he could always cultivate Sage Mode and absorb senjutsu chakra to get stronger, even if it was a bit slower.
’So, what should I use my points for next?’
His eyes scanned the shop in his mind, but nothing jumped out. It wasn’t that he had no ideas, it was that he had too many. Wood Release, seal-less healing, the Sharingan, the Byakugan, and even higher-tier abilities like the Rinnegan or Tenseigan. But all the powerful ones came with drawbacks that needed careful thought. He decided to save his Points for now and see what happened. Madara was old and frail, hardly in a position to cause trouble. The only one to worry about was Black Zetsu, whose infiltration skills were terrifying. He was almost impossible to detect, and even Takeshi wasn’t completely confident he could find him. Fortunately, his combat ability was truly pathetic.
"Takeshi, let’s go!"
"Meow?"
The black cat turned his head to see Tsunade waving at him from a distance. It seemed they were returning to the Konoha camp. With Onoki’s surrender, it was time to take him there to discuss reparations, and the Third Raikage was going along as well. Minato had to stay behind to help with the aftermath.
Tsunade was calling him for two reasons. First, she was worried about being left alone with Onoki and the Third Raikage. Second, there was the matter of splitting the spoils. She knew how petty the black cat could be, and if she didn’t bring him along, he would probably hold a grudge and find a way to get back at her later. It might have been fine in the past, but now that he was getting stronger, she had to be more careful. She had no choice but to call him over.
Takeshi quickly trotted to her side.
The group returned to where Jiraiya was waiting. As they approached, strange expressions appeared on both Tsunade’s and the Third Raikage’s faces. Onoki didn’t notice at first, but after a few seconds, his eyebrows shot up, and a ferocious smile slowly spread across his face. Then, he remembered a crucial detail.
He was still under a seal.
"Tsunade, let’s make a deal," Onoki said, his voice a low growl. "You get Minato back here to release my seal, and I’ll give you ten million ryo later."
"About that... Takeshi, what do you think?" Tsunade asked, turning to him. The decision was his, since she couldn’t use the Flying Thunder God technique.
Takeshi thought for a moment, then held up a paw.
"Forty million? In your dreams!" Onoki roared.
"Meow. Don’t be so hasty," Takeshi said calmly. "I meant ten million per person." He gestured with his paw toward himself, then Tsunade, then in the direction Minato had gone.
That added up to thirty million. Onoki hesitated. It was a lot, but if he could get the seal removed and force Rasa to pay him back the forty million he was owed, he would actually make a profit of ten million. Even if he only got half back, he would only lose ten million. If he missed this chance, catching Rasa again wouldn’t be easy. Iwa needed time to recover, and he knew that the spineless Suna shinobi would side with Konoha for now, only to betray them again when they felt strong enough. By then, Konoha would surely intervene if Iwa tried to invade Suna. He didn’t want to have to deal with this black cat again.
After a long moment of consideration, he gritted his teeth. "Fine!"
"Meow, please wait a moment."
The black cat vanished, using the Flying Thunder God to find Minato. The customer was king, and since Onoki had paid so much, he deserved the best service. In just a moment, he returned with Minato in tow.
"If you act rashly after the seal is released, don’t blame us for being impolite," Minato warned before beginning the hand signs.
"Don’t worry," Onoki growled. "I’m just collecting a debt from a shameless bastard."
His Explosion Corps had been wiped out because of Rasa’s false intelligence. It would take Iwa a decade to train shinobi that elite again. Paying thirty million to beat some sense into Rasa was completely worth it.
"A friendly reminder, Tsuchikage, your back still isn’t healed," Tsunade said with a sly smile. "But since you’re a valued customer, I can give you a discount." She placed a hand on his back, and the green glow of the Mystical Palm Jutsu enveloped him, suppressing the pain enough for him to move freely for a short time.
Onoki versus Rasa. This was going to be a good show.
The Third Raikage glanced at the black cat, who looked just as amused as he felt, and felt a strange sense of kinship. He squatted down and spoke quietly. "Takeshi, you’ll never be Hokage in Konoha. Why not come to Kumo? The next Raikage seat could be yours."
"Meow!" Takeshi looked up, surprised. ’He can’t be serious, can he?’
The Third Raikage stood up, calmly facing the stunned looks from Tsunade and Minato. Minato’s expression was one of genuine concern that Takeshi might actually agree. Tsunade, however, looked worried that the Raikage was actually serious. With the black cat’s personality, if he really became a Kage, he would probably turn the village upside down. She figured the Raikage had to be joking.
"I am serious," the Third Raikage said solemnly.
"Meow. If I’m interested, I’ll visit your village for fun sometime," Takeshi replied with equal seriousness.
Minato’s worry deepened. He was afraid the cat’s playful nature would get the better of him and he would actually go off to become the Raikage. That would put Konoha in an incredibly awkward position. It would be treason, and he feared Takeshi didn’t understand the gravity of such an act. After all, he was still just a cat.
Tsunade, on the other hand, wasn’t worried at all. Knowing Takeshi, even if he did become the Raikage, he would cause chaos for a few weeks before getting bored and abandoning his post. Kumo would be the one to suffer the loss. The idea of the black cat actually governing a village was almost laughable.
Takeshi’s thoughts were much simpler. He couldn’t fleece the sheep in his own village, so if he had a chance to visit Kumo and collect some Points, what was the harm? ’I can live elsewhere and wander around, but I’ll still be a good Konoha ninja, right?’ Besides, after the war, the ninja world would be at peace. What was the big deal about visiting each other? Today Kumo, maybe tomorrow Iwa or Kiri. He suddenly realized he didn’t have to worry about his income anymore. There were plenty of jinchuriki in the world he could find ways to fleece.
"Alright, alright, if there’s nothing else, let’s get to the meeting," Onoki said, a savage smile spreading across his lips. "I can’t wait to see that bastard Rasa."
He quickened his pace. He wanted to fly, but his back wasn’t fully healed, so he suppressed his anger and walked with the others for now.
"I’ll head back, then," Minato said, giving Takeshi one last worried glance before turning to Tsunade. The mission was his priority, but he decided he would have a long talk with Takeshi when this was all over.
As they walked, Takeshi felt a subtle influx of Points. He wasn’t watching his system panel, but he could feel it. He was more curious, however, about what would happen when Onoki and Rasa finally met. Orochimaru was a true genius. He had arranged for Rasa to negotiate at the camp, then brought him to the main camp instead, right as Tsunade was bringing Onoki and the Third Raikage back. It couldn’t have been a coincidence. The words of the Sannin were the lies of a devil. Rasa’s life had been ruined by them. He would probably spend the next decade mining in the Land of Wind to pay off his debts. The black cat almost shed a tear of sympathy. Sympathy was one thing, but if he got a chance to twist the knife, he wouldn’t hesitate.
Onoki’s pace grew faster until he was the first to arrive outside the tent where he had sensed Rasa’s chakra.
Inside, Jiraiya and Orochimaru were seated across from each other, with the middle seat empty. Beside Orochimaru sat the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa. The moment Rasa saw Onoki, he instinctively yanked the brim of his hat down to cover his face. Under normal circumstances, it might have worked, but Onoki was short enough that their eyes met perfectly under the brim.
The air in the tent went still.
"Rasa," Onoki snarled, his voice dripping with fury. "Don’t you have anything to say to me?"
"Ahem, well, I did conceal the fact that I surrendered to Konoha," Rasa began, "but Tsuchikage-dono, I had no choice. The Land of Wind is poor."
"Bah! You backstabbing coward!" Onoki’s voice boomed through the tent. "You rally everyone to attack Konoha, then surrender after a single day of fighting! And that’s not even the worst of it. You come crawling to me, pretending to be an ally, selling me false intelligence while I’m giving you forty million out of pity! You ungrateful dog!"
After the tirade, Rasa’s mind went blank. He hadn’t expected Onoki to be so direct, discussing their intelligence transaction right out in the open. And what was this about false intelligence?
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