As expected, Uchiha Ran gained a new junior sister.
It was just that this junior sister was… a little unconventional.
She was still so young, looked adorably cute—and yet she actually liked snakes.
Those slippery, cold creatures… what on earth was so appealing about them?
Unable to understand it, Ran decided the very next day to go visit Mikoto-nee and mooch a meal at her place.
Suddenly, Ran realized that his schedule was getting surprisingly packed.
On one hand, he had to drop by Mikoto-nee's house for food.On the other, Yuhi Kurenai kept dragging him out to hang around.And on top of that, there was Orochimaru-sensei's training—plus his new junior sister, Mitarashi Anko, which Ran was now expected to participate in as well.
"Just one girl and I'm already this busy… At this rate, I won't even be able to split myself properly. Should I start using Shadow Clones for scheduling?"
Strolling through the streets of Konoha, Ran enjoyed the warm sunlight and the gentle breeze, his mood light and relaxed.
"Today's a good day," he muttered. "Perfect for freeloading a meal at Mikoto-nee's place. Might as well check on how Itachi's doing too."
After finishing his day's training, the thought crossed his mind.
Itachi was born not that long ago, right…
As Ran wandered off in his own thoughts, an orange cat suddenly darted out from a nearby corner and trotted straight toward him.
"Huh? Where'd you come from, little guy?"
Instinctively, Ran crouched down and reached out, gently patting the orange cat on the head.
"So good…"
The cat clearly enjoyed it, rubbing its big fluffy head against Ran's palm while letting out continuous meow meow sounds.
"…Why does this meowing sound kind of… clingy?"
Suspicious, Ran subconsciously glanced toward the base of the cat's tail.
"Hmm?? A female?"
Well, that explained it.
Ran fully embraced the joy of petting a cat.
As he stroked the soft fur, he casually pulled out a thin string from behind his back.
Why carry a string with him?
Obviously—to cooperate with Orochimaru-sama's Hidden Shadow Snake Bind technique.
The swinging string instantly caught the orange cat's attention.
Ran flicked it back and forth, triggering the cat's playful instincts. The cat leapt and pounced, hopping around energetically as it chased the string.
Before he realized it, they had been playing on the street for quite some time.
Ran gently scooped the cat up.
"Alright, alright. Let's play again tomorrow, okay?"
The cat seemed to understand him—and immediately jumped out of his arms.
"…That smart?"
The orange cat bit onto Ran's pant leg.
Laughing, Ran asked, "What, you don't want to part with me?"
The cat turned its head back and meowed twice, clearly gesturing for Ran to follow.
"Eh? You want to take me somewhere?"
Seeing how determined the cat looked, Ran didn't think too much about it and followed along.
Soon, he noticed something familiar.
"…Wait a second. This road leads to Mikoto-nee's place—no, it's also a shortcut back to my own house."
What a coincidence.
"Oh? Little kitty, you trying to come home with me? You even found out where I live?"
Ran spoke as he tried to crouch down and pick up the cat again.
But the cat deftly dodged his hands and sped up.
With no choice, Ran followed behind, chatting as he walked.
"Hey, whose cat are you anyway? You don't look like a stray."
"Meow! Meow! Meeeeow~~~"
The cat kept moving forward without stopping, leaving Ran helplessly trailing behind.
The closer they got to the Uchiha clan district, the fewer people there were around.
Once there was no one else in sight, Ran finally couldn't resist—and reached out to scoop up the orange cat again.
This time, it didn't resist at all.
"Alright, little kitty," Ran said while scratching its head. "Where exactly are you taking me?"
"…Idiot. You seriously don't recognize this route?"A voice suddenly spoke.
"This is obviously the way to your Mikoto-nee's house!"
"…?!"
Ran froze.
Wait.Wait wait wait—
That definitely wasn't something an orange cat should be able to say.
Don't tell me—
Ran immediately looked around.
There was no one there. Just him and the cat.
"Don't bother checking," the orange cat said disdainfully."You don't seriously mean to tell me you don't know the Uchiha clan has ninja cats, do you? No way. No way."
"…Uh…" Ran coughed awkwardly."I mean, I knew about it in theory. This is just… my first time actually meeting one. Haha…"
"Hmph. Typical countryside Konoha human," the cat scoffed smugly."Not like our refined ninja cat settlements—"
Despite its words, it rubbed its head contentedly against Ran's hand.
"I'll admit this much, human. Your massage technique just now was excellent.If you pet me a little more, I might tell you why I came looking for you."
"…Eh? There's really a deal this good?"
Ran didn't hesitate for even a second.
He immediately unleashed the legendary Eighteen Techniques of A-Wei.
And thus, Ran began enthusiastically petting the cat from head to tail.
"Meow! Meow! Meow meow meow! You bastard—how dare you take advantage of me?!I'm female, you know! You're way too rough!"
"…But," the cat added blissfully,"Human… that actually feels really good. Don't forget the butt too~"
After a long while, the orange cat finally wriggled free from Ran's arms.
"Alright, alright. Truth is, your Mikoto-nee said you're back in the village but haven't shown your face at her place at all.You're always disappearing. So she sent me to drag you over for dinner."
"…What a coincidence. I was just thinking of going."
What kind of fate was this?
And so, one man and one cat headed off together for the final stretch home.
As it turned out, this orange cat was Mikoto-nee's contracted ninja cat.
Well—sort of.
Uchiha ninja cats were extremely rare. Not every Uchiha could earn their recognition.The relationship between the Uchiha clan and ninja cats was more of a partnership than ownership.
Come to think of it, Ran had been in the ninja world for quite a while now—and somehow had completely forgotten that the Uchiha clan had such adorable summoning beasts.
After all, there were several key criteria when choosing a summoning partner.
First: Cool.Second: Overbearing.Third: Strong.
But if you didn't have any of those—
Then being cute was also perfectly acceptable.
As long as you were cute, that alone was reason enough.
Soon, Ran and the ninja cat arrived at Mikoto-nee's house.
"Huh? Where's Mikoto-nee?"Ran asked, led into the kitchen by the cat.
"Meow, dunno," the cat replied casually."When I left, she was happily cooking. Said she wanted to make something tasty for you."
"Meow. Maybe she's in the living room. Come on."
Following the cat, Ran reached the corner of the living room.
"Mikoto-nee? I'm here. Are you—"
As Ran turned the corner—
Twin peaks hidden in mist, touched by a blush of dawn.A single glance was enough to recognize Mount Lu.
Ran's mind went completely blank, leaving behind only one thought:
"…That's a huge lamp—Ah, no—That lamp is really white…"