บท 22: 22 - An Elephant Among Cats
After receiving life-risking sponsorship from the merchant Mashiro, Akatsuki's finances improved significantly in a short time. Shin could still afford to buy sweet fruits and peanuts as treats.
If nothing else, he could always go foraging, since the Land of Rain had abundant vegetation near its rivers and lakes. The landscape provided everything they needed—if you knew where to look.
After a few days of feeding, the bond between Ayumi and Shin deepened rapidly.
Three days later, while he was handling official matters, Ayumi even willingly stood beside his desk, enjoying being scratched behind her ears with her trunk draped contentedly over his shoulder. This made the other members of Akatsuki quite envious. He could hear their whispers as they passed by his office.
"How does he do it?" one member muttered. "Even the elephant acts like a pet around him."
Trust is power, whether it's with humans or summons. They'll never understand how simple it really is.
After Shin, many others attempted to sign their names on the summoning scroll, but none succeeded. The scroll seemed to reject them one after another, as if measuring their worth and finding them wanting.
Even Ajisai failed.
After signing her name, she summoned a chubby orange tabby. Unexpectedly, this seemingly plump cat moved with incredible agility in battle, using two short wakizashi blades to leave Ajisai questioning her life choices.
The cat scoffed, its whiskers twitching with disdain, "Your taijutsu is weak, your weapon skills are poor, your footwork is sloppy, and your reactions are slow. Not a single decent move! You think you can be my master? Keep dreaming!"
With that, the cat disappeared with a poof, erasing Ajisai's name from the scroll, leaving her heartbroken on the training ground.
A week passed, and Shin remained the only one in Akatsuki to successfully contract a summon from the scroll, leaving the others both envious and confused about why he summoned an elephant from a cat contract.
In the end, all they could say was, "As expected of Captain Shin."
---
"Ayumi," he said, offering her fresh mangoes one quiet afternoon, "I've been wondering... how is it that you're an elephant, yet I summoned you from a cat contract?" He watched as she delicately selected a particularly ripe piece.
Ayumi's trunk swayed thoughtfully as she carefully picked up another mango. "Ah, that's quite the story. Though I must admit, parts of it are... fuzzy." She paused to savor the fruit, juice dripping from her tiny trunk.
"I remember being with my herd near a sacred water source. We were celebrating the rainy season, and I may have gotten a bit carried away with some fermented fruits." She flapped her ears sheepishly.
"The next thing I knew, I woke up in a lake outside Sora-ku, surrounded by very surprised ninja cats. Instead of chasing me away, they were curious. Apparently, something about the sacred water had given me chakra abilities similar to their own. They took me in, taught me their ways, and eventually added me to their contract."
"I see."
Shin scratched Ayumi's ears, making her hum contentedly. This simple gesture had become their daily ritual.
"Shin, perhaps you should keep the scroll for safekeeping?" Ayumi suggested, noting how the others had avoided signing it. Her tiny trunk curled around another piece of mango as she spoke.
"I've already signed it," Shin replied, leaning back in his chair. "What use is the scroll now?"
"Holding the scroll doesn't affect your ability to summon me, but if you ever want to visit Sora-ku, the cats there might not welcome you without it. It's more than just a contract—it's a symbol of trust," Ayumi explained.
Shin realized, then asked, "You've mentioned Sora-ku several times. What kind of place is it?"
Could it be a sacred land?
But he didn't recall the original series mentioning any sacred place related to ninja cats. The only sacred places he remembered were the Shikkotsu Forest, Ryūchi Cave, and Mount Myōboku.
"Sora-ku is my home. They have been welcoming ninja they approve of for many years." Ayumi moved closer to Shin, her small bulk surprisingly comforting at his side.
Intrigued, Shin asked, "Can I visit?"
"You can. You just need to use reverse summoning."
So, Shin retrieved the summoning scroll from the warehouse. Since most of the members had already failed, Yahiko didn't stop him and handed over the scroll without hesitation.
He then performed the reverse summoning technique.
With a poof, he vanished. The world blurred and shifted around him, colors and shapes melting together before reforming into something new.
When the smoke cleared, he found himself in a mountain village. Green hills and fertile lands stretched out before him, with winding paths connecting small houses that dotted the landscape. The air was clean and crisp, carrying the scent of herbs and distant rain.
There were two types of houses: small ones where the ninja cats lived, stacked close together like cardboard boxes, and larger ones built for humans.
Shin even saw some cats napping comfortably in discarded boxes wedged in tree branches, reminding him of his previous life, when his own cats preferred leftover shipping boxes to the expensive beds he bought them. The memory brought an unexpected smile to his face.
The larger houses were clearly for accommodating humans, with no difference in size from houses in the outside world.
"This is Sora-ku. Everything a ninja needs can be found here," Ayumi introduced as Shin observed his surroundings, her small trunk gesturing at various shops catering to ninja needs, including tool stores, pharmacies, tailor shops selling ninja vests, and food shops selling ration pills.
There was even a commission agency, presumably to connect ninja with mission requests, though Shin didn't go inside.
"The cats really do have a broad range of services," he remarked, before casually stepping into the nearest ninja tool shop. Ayumi trotted alongside him, her tiny hooves making soft tapping sounds on the wooden floor.
The shop smelled of metal and oil, with weapons and tools arranged in neat displays. The owner was a fierce-looking grey cat with a scar covering one eye, leaving the remaining eye sharp and focused on Shin.
However, upon noticing the summoning contract scroll on Shin's waist, the cat's expression softened.
"Feel free to look around. We accept ninja world currency and bank notes." The cat's voice was gruff but professional.
"Can I pay with fruit treats?" Shin asked, pulling out a small mango he'd cut into tiny pieces. He kept his expression innocent, though he already knew the likely response.
The grey cat gave him a look as if to say, "Are you kidding me?"
His whiskers twitched as he watched Ayumi's trunk delicately pick up a piece of mango no bigger than a grape. She ate it with obvious enjoyment, ignoring the shopkeeper's disapproving stare.
Realizing that his greedy little Ayumi was probably an exception, Shin checked out some ninja tools.
To his surprise, the quality of the tools was quite good, no worse than the ones they had confiscated from major ninja villages. He immediately realized that he had found a treasure trove. This place could become an important supply channel for the Land of Rain and a key factor in the rise of Iwa.
Containing his excitement, he asked the store owner, "Do you have a shop nearby that sells ninjutsu scrolls?" He kept his tone casual, as if asking about the weather.
While tools and supplies were essential, Akatsuki needed ninjutsu scrolls above all else. No ninja village could survive without its foundation of techniques.
Nagato and Konan's abilities were 'innate' and couldn't be taught to others, and Shin's insights weren't easy to pass on either. Though his own power was growing, he was also interested in cultivating his team's strength.
A leader was only as strong as their followers. And right now, his followers needed more power.
The grey cat store owner squinted for a long moment before replying, "You're a bold contractor. We can't just sell ninjutsu scrolls casually. Many ninja clans are strict about protecting their techniques."
Shin wasn't impatient because he sensed there was more to the story.
As expected, the store owner added, "However, we can help you connect with other contractors from Sora-ku. You can negotiate with them directly, and we'll just take a basic brokerage fee."
"That works. Thanks for your help, boss." Perfect. Direct connections are always more valuable than going through middlemen.
Shin handed over some small fruit treats, maintaining his innocent facade.
Not interested?
The store owner gave him a disdainful look, while Ayumi happily picked up her piece with her trunk, somehow managing to make eating a mango look elegant despite being an elephant the size of a cat. She seemed completely oblivious to the stares she was receiving from the store owner or perhaps deliberately ignoring them.
The grey cat's whiskers twitched in helplessness, as if thinking, "How did this kid end up so hopeless?"
"Follow me," said the store owner. His paws fell silently on the wooden floor, though Shin wasn't sure if this was unique to the shopkeeper or just how all cats moved.
"And Ayumi, perhaps you should take your other form. You know how I feel about surprising outsiders unnecessarily."
Ayumi's trunk curled in amusement. "Always so cautious, aren't you, Tama?" She closed her eyes, and with a small puff of smoke, transformed into a sleek grey cat.
"Outsiders besides the summoner don't need to know about your unique situation," Tama said. "It's served us well to keep some secrets in Sora-ku, hasn't it?"
Shin noticed how naturally Ayumi moved in her feline form, as if she'd spent years practicing. Perhaps she had.
Turning the corner, Shin sensed someone in the room ahead. The presence was powerful, controlled, but unmistakable.
That person also noticed him almost immediately and called out, "Huh? Tama, is there another guest today?"
Tama opened the door and said to the person inside, "I've got someone to introduce to you."
When the door opened, Shin froze.
Today's surprises just keep coming. That face, those eyes—there's no mistaking it.
It was none other than Uchiha Shisui.
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