After arriving at the underground base, Haseo briefly informed everyone that the mission had been completed, mentioning only that Hatake had received minor injuries during the process—then everything was over. This is just how it worked when reporting up versus informing subordinates.
Everyone had taken part in this mission, so a brief update was all that was needed. Furthermore, the Third Hokage would surely invest part of the obtained funds into the development of the Uzumaki District; otherwise, he wouldn't be much of a leader.
After this brief explanation, Haseo made his way toward the individual Katsuyu slug—it would likely remain in Konoha until all the Two-Tails' chakra within its body was completely depleted.
Stuffed from absorbing too much chakra, the slug had already sunk into a deep state of hibernation. Haseo pressed his hand gently against its skin. Hmm, it felt quite firm. Though the outside was dry and not slimy at all, all the moisture seemed locked inside its body... giving it a kind of inner dampness.
Haseo loved small animals; you could feel that preference through such gentle caresses.
Leaving the slug here with the Two-Tails' chakra wouldn't cause any problems. From the current perspective, the operation to capture the Two-Tails had already achieved considerable success—not because of the large sum of money exchanged from the Land of Lightning, nor because of the massive amount of Tailed Beast chakra stockpiled here—but rather due to the implications hidden beneath these superficial results.
Even if more chakra was extracted from the Two-Tails, even if more funding came from Kumo, those things were just temporary gains—eventually, they would deplete. However, what this demonstrated pointed to something far greater—a path moving forward.
Hmm, something's not right.
Just as Haseo was examining the slug, he suddenly noticed a fuzzy black spot appearing on its smooth blue-and-white body.
Haseo stretched out his arm to lift it up, but the moment he approached, the thing instantly sensed him—and immediately fluffed up its fur… Asleep atop the slug was none other than Haseo's Black Cat.
However, this creature that had always lived precariously and appeared especially obedient was now baring its fangs and swiping its claws at Haseo.
The sharp claws blocked Haseo's approaching hand directly, causing him to pause slightly, before a soft smile appeared on his face. Indeed, interrupting an animal while sleeping or eating would definitely provoke hostility and wariness. Therefore, Haseo decided he could forgive his cat.
Yeah, he'd forgive it—according to protocol, of course.
In the next instant, his hand shot out like lightning. The cat's agility paled in comparison to a ninja of his caliber. Before the cat could react in the slightest, Haseo's hand bypassed its claws and firmly pinched the back of the Black Cat's neck.
It felt surprisingly weighty.
Then without hesitation, Haseo stepped forward with one foot, rotated his upper body halfway around, and hurled the cat outward with maximum force… His movement resembled that of a hammer throw athlete performing at peak execution.
Of course Haseo would forgive his cat, just like parents forgive their misbehaving child—though this kind of forgiveness usually only takes effect after the other party is literally beaten into tears...
"Did you seriously lose the Gold Spirit already? Surrounded by Two-Tails in front and Black Cat behind, the cat-abuser from Konoha finally found it!"
Thus, a truly miraculous natural phenomenon occurred at that moment—a fluffy creature like this actually produced an obvious whistling sound when thrown at high speed.
Then, with a loud *pia*, the black cat slammed into the farthest wall, immediately followed by a sharp shriek.
Haseo's movements were clean, decisive, and without hesitation. His actions were logical, methodical, even refined—summoned beasts weren't meant to be pampered; they needed discipline. Especially useless ones daring to bare their fangs at their master. How could he possibly tolerate such insolence without a good thrashing?
Haseo clapped his hands together as if he'd done nothing out of the ordinary. Soon after, the black cat came running over from afar… Judging by its current state, it must've suffered a mild concussion, since it couldn't even walk straight anymore.
Although nearly tossed into stupidity itself, the cat had ironically become clearer-minded—it realized it had dared to bare its fangs at precisely the one person it shouldn't have.
Haseo was furious, and the consequences… would smell delicious—in fact, like meat perfectly spiced with Thirteen Aromatics (a famous Chinese spice mix).
The cat carefully approached Haseo's feet, circling him several times before beginning to rub its face against his pants.
Seeing that Haseo didn't kick it away, it then dared to climb onto his shoulder, attempting once more to nuzzle his face… Well, cats will be cats—but clearly, something was off about this sequence of affection.
"Hold on, stop rubbing," of course Haseo would stop the creature mid-motion.
Helpless little fuzzy creatures always stirred sympathy, but none of that could penetrate the unyielding heart of this strict animal protector.
"Suddenly I just thought of something… Are you male or female?"
"…Meow?"
Black Cat almost blurted an answer instinctively, but thankfully caught itself and simply responded with another meow instead.
Haseo lifted the cat up again, scaring it into stiffening all four limbs, not daring to move an inch… Boys stiffen up like they're boarding a carrier; girls wobble around dazed. After careful examination, Haseo finally confirmed the gender of his pet.
"If it weren't for the faintest possibility you might evolve into a Catgirl someday, I'd have thrown you to death already. Reflect seriously, and behave yourself next time."
But there was absolutely no such possibility. Summoning cultivation could make a being smarter, but certainly wouldn't alter its species—were cats and Catgirls really the same thing?
Putting Black Cat back onto Katsuyu's body, Haseo continued, "Even though you're both cats, the gap between you and her is way too big. Stop licking yourself so much, or your head won't clear up ever again."
Go ahead and keep licking then. As if you'd ever evolve into Two-Tails?
!!!!
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