The situation was hopeless!
Meanwhile, the battle between their charges had erupted in full force. The ninja cats were in a great hurry, desperately trying to protect their mistress. The ninja hounds, on the other hand, were in no rush. Gazing at their leader, they sensed a profound strategy in his stillness. Gradually, they chose their opponents and engaged in one-on-one combat. Armed with swords, the ninja cats initially held a clear advantage. Each was an excellent solitary fighter, nimble and agile. Kunai littered the ground, forcing the dogs to flee.
However, the ninja hounds were masters of tactical coordination and strictly adhered to Ryoto's instructions: "When the enemy advances, we retreat; when the enemy retreats, we harass." In Ryoto's absence, the pack leader—a dog with a triangular bandana around his neck and intelligent eyes—directed the others with loud barks. By his appearance, he was a border collie, black and white, standing about 160 centimeters at the shoulder—a giant hound. He appeared very calm, with a noble appearance and restrained demeanor. This meant he stayed back, far from the fray, unwilling to be sullied by blood. His name was Nini, which meant "actor."
On the battlefield, Masao was the one who stood out the most. A whole pack of ninja cats clung to him, relentlessly hacking at him with kunai and short swords, but the wounds remained shallow. Were they not striking with their full strength? No, they were trying with all their might. From time to time, Masao, with a furious roar, would shake off the cats, who would somersault through the air and land deftly on their feet.
On a tree branch, Zato, clutching a sword with her tail, raced on all fours, leaping from branch to branch. Flashing through the air, she collided with a ninja cat. After a brief skirmish filled with the clang of blades, they disengaged and landed on tree trunks. She had only recently been enhanced, and her potential was not yet fully unlocked. The ninja cat she fought was no slouch either. She appeared older, entirely black, and though she seemed short standing on her hind legs, she still reached a height of one and a half meters. In her paws, she held two swords, which she spun like a windmill. Her entire body was covered in scars from past battles, a cloak draped over her shoulders, and a cigarette smoldered between her teeth. It seemed she still had strength in reserve. In terms of physical power, Zato had the advantage, but the ninja cat surpassed her in agility.
"Is turning your backside to me all you can do, little girl?" the ninja cat muttered incessantly.
But Zato paid her words no mind. Clenching her teeth and frowning, she did nothing but slash. Pushing off with her paws, she charged again. Most of the ninja cats could speak human language; they even had hairstyles. They were mostly small, many the size of ordinary house cats.
Ryoto watched the battle from the corner of his eye. Seeing that his dogs were all right for the time being, he looked at the girl across from him.
'What! On earth! Am I to do!'
Suddenly, something flashed, and a kunai plunged into the ground between Ryoto and Mai. Instantly, a golden flash appeared in its place!
"That's enough!"
The figure that emerged from the flash landed on his feet. The young blond man looked at Ryoto, his gaze lingering on the youth's arm, and he raised an eyebrow in surprise. Then he turned to Mai, and upon seeing the enormous cat skeleton hovering above her, his eyebrow twitched. Neither the cats nor the dogs paid him any attention. The piercing meows and barks continued to echo through the forest.
'Ah! The Flying Thunder God Technique! The Fourth Hokage!'
Ryoto narrowed his eyes. It was necessary to show respect to the Fourth Hokage. He discreetly dispelled his technique. Not for any particular reason, but simply out of respect for him as a man.
Seeing this, Mai, who had not taken her eyes off Ryoto, breathed a sigh of relief. A weight lifted from her shoulders, and she too dispelled her technique. At that moment, Ryoto put his fingers to his mouth and let out a sharp whistle that pierced the forest silence. Hearing it, the ninja hounds ceased their fight and, with low growls, began to retreat. Mai pulled a whistle from beneath her dress and, bringing it to her thin lips, blew as well. The ninja cats immediately fell back, grouping around Mai to form a protective ring.
Seeing the battle had stopped, Minato sighed in relief and approached Mai. The ninja cats arched their backs, their fur standing on end, and they hissed with threatening growls. Minato hastily waved his hands, showing he had no ill intentions, and said with a radiant smile:
"Mai-san, I am your bodyguard, sent by the village. For the time being, my teammates and I will be responsible for your safety in the village."
Usually, they guarded her secretly, working in shifts, twenty-four hours a day, four shifts. To cut a few corners, the team captain, Inuzuka Agito, had arranged for one person to guard her. But today, Mai had gone to visit the Uchiha Clan, and his teammate, as usual, had not followed her. Minato had relieved his teammate, Aburame Shibi, at the edge of the Uchiha quarter and, after waiting for quite a while, decided to go looking for her. Usually, nothing happened, but today was unforeseen.
Mai nodded, indicating she understood.
'An outsider?' Ryoto frowned in confusion. 'Isn't she from the Uchiha Clan?'
"Mai-san, please follow me," Minato said, glancing at Ryoto.
'Get me out of here, quickly!'
Mai bit her lip, nodded, and impatiently started to walk away. The ninja cats followed, spreading out through the forest in a "Sanzai" battle formation. As she passed Ryoto, Mai snorted and said:
"I'll forgive you this time. Be more careful next time."
'Ah-ha-ha...' The smile on Minato's face froze.
'My lady, are you not aware of your own condition?' he thought. 'She's so much trouble...'
Following behind, Minato looked at Ryoto and gave him an expressive wink.
'Just bear with it for a bit, kid.'
Ryoto twisted his lips and said nothing, because he caught a scent... his mother's scent.
'From this distance!!! Mom used a secret concoction to hide her scent! And now she's deliberately letting me smell it!'
"Hmph!" Mai snorted and, lifting her chin, departed with a flick of her tail.
When they were far enough away, Ryoto sighed and put on his clothes. In that same instant, his mother appeared before him as if from nowhere. Her black hair, tied in a high ponytail, fluttered in the evening wind.
"A-a-a-a-ah!" Ryoto snapped his head up and, looking at the calm woman, broke into a radiant smile. Widening his moist eyes, he sang, "Mommy, I love you~"
"Love me, my foot!" she immediately struck him on the crown of his head with her fist.
The sound was deafeningly loud.
"Ouch!!!"
Ryoto clutched his head and crouched, hopping on the spot from the pain, his whole body trembling. Tears welled up in his eyes. The dogs were frightened, tucked their tails, and looked away.
…
Meanwhile, Mai, after taking a few steps, silently collapsed forward. Startled, Minato caught her in an instant to check her condition. Minato possessed basic medical knowledge—his girlfriend had taught him well. Mai's face was pale, her forehead covered in sweat, her eyes were tightly shut, and her long eyelashes trembled. He quickly assessed the situation. Nothing serious, she was simply exhausted and had fallen into a sleep as peaceful as a baby's. Minato lifted Mai into his arms and slowed his pace so she could sleep soundly, heading towards the village.
'That boy...' Minato couldn't help but glance back. 'His technique... it's terrifying. And a bit like the one I'm currently developing. High-speed rotation, I see...'
…
In the forest, Ryoto shakily got to his feet. He told you she hits for real. Ryoto gestured for his mother not to hit him again, took several deep breaths to quell the pain, and, with tears in his eyes, raised his left hand to show his mother.
"Mom, look at this first."
As he said this, he relaxed his muscles. The tensed muscles could no longer hold back, and a line of blood appeared on his arm, then a second, a third, a fourth... Numerous cuts, like sword slashes, spread across his arm, and blood spurted from them.
"Mom! It hurts!"
'You're not going to hit me again, are you! I've already had enough!'
Seeing this, a flash of pain crossed Rin's eyes, but maintaining a stern expression, she said coldly, looking at the seeping blood:
"You won't die. They're just scratches."
She grabbed Ryoto's left arm and forcefully lifted him into the air.
"But the arm could fail!" Rin added coldly. "It seems you've developed Fang Over Fang to a very high level."
Ryoto blinked.
'What does that mean?..'
"The nature transformation of Wind Style chakra is not so easy to master, especially with such ferocious use."
'She's so knowledgeable about this!' Ryoto blinked again. 'No wonder she's a Jonin.'
"A technique you cannot control should be abandoned. That is the judgment of a qualified ninja," Rin said. "But we'll talk about that later."
Rin formed a seal with one hand, and her palm glowed with chakra. It was a medical ninja technique. This no longer surprised Ryoto. His mother was not so simple. Since she was a veterinarian, few ninja had seen her use techniques, let alone form seals with one hand.
"Mom, how long have you been here?" Ryoto asked, dangling in the air.
"And here I thought you were going to play the fool," Rin replied.
"Play?" Ryoto swung his legs. "What kind of fool?"
"You're quite good at pretending," Rin said. "Do you think I'm a complete idiot?"
"Of course not, Mommy is the smartest, the most beautiful, the most gentle, my very, very favorite~" Ryoto sang.
Rin shot him a murderous glare.
"That Seal-less Technique of yours, who taught you?" she asked. "I don't recall anything like it in my husband's secret scrolls. Did you figure it out yourself?"
'To confess or not to confess?'
"Aburame Chuki taught me," Ryoto said.
If one can learn the Rasengan from reading manga, then one can learn ninja techniques from reading fanfiction. It's true. There are three ways to control chakra: the method of completely filling the body with chakra, with prime examples being the Senju Clan and Naruto; the method of control and direction through muscles and acupuncture points, with prime examples being the Hyūga Clan, all of whose techniques are seal-less; and the method of introducing a foreign body to create chakra channels, with the representative being Aburame Chuki, something no one else in the ninja world can do. Ryoto used the method of precise muscle control.
"Huh? And who is that?" Rin raised an eyebrow. She didn't remember such a person.
"A classmate of Lady Tsunade," Ryoto replied.
"What nonsense are you spouting!" Rin lightly chopped Ryoto on the head with the side of her hand and said with a stone-faced expression, "I don't remember having a student named Chuki in our class!"
'Eh?! Mom was in the same class as Lady Tsunade?!'
"Mom, could it be that the Aburame Clan is just very inconspicuous, and such a person existed, but you just don't remember her?"
"Very well! Then we shall go and visit this Chuki right now! My foolish son has caused her so much trouble!"
After finishing the treatment of his wounds, Rin once again tucked Ryoto under her arm and turned to leave. The dogs immediately followed her. It was time to go home.
"Mommy~ I'm hungry~" Ryoto said.
"Then let's go have dinner with the Aburame Clan!"
"I don't want to, they eat bugs!"
"Who told you that?!"
"I just think so~"
"Don't you dare think that! It's very impolite!"
"Mom, what's for dinner tonight?~"
"Food, food, may you burst from it! We're having beef stew today."
"Hooray~"
"Perhaps a little drink?"
"Mom, I don't drink."
"Oh, come on, have a little."
"Mommy, I love you."
Alcohol is bad for your health, but Ryoto really wanted some. Rin couldn't resist and lightly tapped him on the head. In the rays of the setting sun, their shadows stretched long on the forest path. A light breeze rustled the grass, flowers trembled, butterflies fluttered, and the pack of dogs frolicked merrily in the meadow.
"Mhm," Rin said with a smile on her lips as she walked forward.
'My son is a true genius!'
'She's so easy to please,' Ryoto thought with relief.