One morning, outside Konoha Village, in a nearby forest.
The intense sunlight poured down on the earth.
Through the layers of greenery.
It filled the forest with a warm and cozy atmosphere.
In this forest.
At this moment.
Four figures were scattered in different positions.
Three of them.
Were slowly closing in on a central point, forming a triangular formation around it.
“Position one is in place.”
“Position two is in place.”
“Position three has reached the designated target. The mission objective is in sight. Should we proceed with the capture!?”
“Can you confirm the target?”
“Yes! The target has been confirmed!”
“How far is the target?”
“Less than five meters, we can move at any time!”
“Very well! Proceed with the plan, surround, and capture the target! Ensure the target does not escape and is not harmed! The target’s safety is paramount!”
“Understood!”
“Then, go!”
“Yes!”
“Whoosh”
“Whoosh”
“Whoosh”
In the dense forest.
Suddenly.
A loud rustling sound arose.
Three figures quickly sprang out, converging on the central point. A striped fat cat, resting with half-closed eyes on a tree branch, was startled awake by the sudden movement.
“Meow meow meow!?”
Its eyes snapped open.
Seeing the three figures rapidly approaching.
The fat cat let out a loud, intimidating cry, preparing to leap away. But it was too late. Within less than a second, a blue figure intercepted its path. The cat’s face showed a human-like expression of fear.
Its fur bristled, and it tried to turn and escape in the opposite direction.
“Whoosh!”
At the perfect moment.
A golden figure intercepted the cat’s escape route. Leaning slightly forward, the figure’s hands grabbed the fat cat effortlessly, pulling it into an embrace.
“Mission complete! The target has been successfully captured!”
At that moment.
The other two figures landed nearby.
These three were none other than Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno from Team 7, who had recently passed Kakashi Hatake’s final test and officially became Genin.
The fat cat in Naruto’s arms, still struggling wildly, was their mission objective for the day.
This striped fat cat was the infamous pet from the original story, known for its “tragic fate.”
Its life could be written as an adventure tale, full of ups and downs. This wouldn’t be the first time Naruto and his team had to capture it, nor would it be the last.
As Naruto watched the struggling cat, his mind drifted to its owner, Madam Shijimi, the wife of the Fire Daimyo. Her intimidating presence made Naruto shiver involuntarily. Looking at the cat, Naruto’s eyes showed a hint of sympathy.
But sympathy aside.
This was a mission.
And Naruto was looking forward to the mission reward.
For either reason.
He wouldn’t let the cat escape from his grasp.
“Hmm, the stripes match, and the red collar too. No doubt, this is the right cat.”
Sakura moved closer, checking the details of the striped fat cat in Naruto’s arms, and nodded in satisfaction.
Sasuke remained cool and silent as ever.
“Alright, since we’ve confirmed the target, let’s head back to the village and report. The client must be anxious.”
Kakashi, who had leisurely walked over, glanced at the cat in Naruto’s arms and spoke in a lazy tone.
At Kakashi’s words.
Naruto felt the cat in his arms struggle even more frantically. The slight trembling and the human-like fear in its eyes made Naruto smile and shake his head.
“Poor little kitty.”
Thinking this, Naruto tightened his grip, ensuring the cat couldn’t escape but without hurting it. The mission reward was too important to lose.
Naruto needed to save money.
To improve his meals.
And to replace his outdated clothes.
Previously, he had no money, and no shop in Konoha would serve him.
Naruto had no way to change his clothes.
Now, things were different.
Having graduated and become a Genin, Naruto could walk through the village. Though many still eyed him warily and whispered about why the Hokage allowed a demon fox to become a ninja, no ordinary resident dared to bully him as they had when he was younger openly. They even had to show some respect on the surface.
Not for any reason other than Naruto’s status as a ninja.
In this era, ninja status equates to power.
Ordinary villagers in Konoha no longer dared to treat Naruto as they had before (in the original story, villagers’ attitudes towards Naruto shifted through four stages: becoming a ninja, shining in the Chunin exams, bringing Tsunade back to become the Fifth Hokage with Jiraiya, and finally defeating Pain, becoming the hero who saved Konoha, thus earning the villagers’ recognition and laying the foundation for becoming Hokage, as noted in the original story).
The original Naruto might have cared about this, but the current Naruto didn’t. What mattered was that he could now use his ninja status to buy necessary supplies without facing rejection.
And wanting to replace his outdated clothes.
Naruto needed to earn more mission rewards.
To afford custom gear in the future.
So, despite feeling sympathy for the cat.
For his “wealth” and future!
Naruto would not let the cat escape!
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