Chapter 36 – The Primacy of Big Orange
Looking at the photo of the beheading that his underling had sent him, even Kingpin couldn't help but be a little surprised.
Bullseye had been his top enforcer for many years, yet he had died in such a bizarre and inexplicable way.
Of course, for Kingpin this wasn't much of a problem—at most, he simply regretted losing such a valuable asset. Finding another skilled enforcer would just be troublesome.
"Send some people to investigate what's going on in Hell's Kitchen. I want to know exactly which faction has interfered." At this moment, Kingpin still had no idea what kind of opponent he was up against. But from beginning to end, in Uchiha Akira's eyes, someone of Kingpin's level didn't even qualify for a number on the ranking list.
If you were part of a proper organization—even something like S.H.I.E.L.D., riddled with spies—Akira might have at least acknowledged you. But just a mob boss? You're no Dark Phoenix. Who would care about your moves? Akira didn't even know Bullseye had come after him at Kingpin's orders.
That day, Akira continued his training as usual. Inside the study, he was extracting chakra—a basic daily practice, one that through constant accumulation would eventually bring true breakthroughs.
"Meow." At some point, a fat orange tabby cat had wandered into the study. Its smooth fur and plump body instantly stirred the urge to pet it.
Though Akira had once preferred loyal dogs, after becoming an Uchiha, his life had inevitably turned into that of a true cat owner.
After all, the clan of ninja cats had always been the Uchiha's traditional summoning beasts, and the mansion was now full of them. Still, most of those intelligent ninja cats lived separately from the Uchihas. Of course, if some Uchiha really liked them, living together wasn't a problem either.
"Purr-purr-purr." The orange cat made a rumbling sound. Akira couldn't help but pick it up and stroke its glossy fur.
But unlike the ninja cats, this ordinary orange tabby didn't qualify as one of them—ninja cats had to be able to cultivate chakra and possess intelligence on par with humans. Without that, they weren't recognized as part of the clan.
It was like the snakes of Ryūchi Cave—only those who grew strong enough became true "dragons," while the rest remained ordinary snakes, destined to be eaten.
Of course, the ninja cats weren't so cruel. Ordinary cats who couldn't train chakra were simply raised as pets. The real importance of the ninja cats to the Uchiha lay in crafting ninja tools and business partnerships. Their craftsmanship was famous throughout the shinobi world.
In terms of combat, however, they weren't as strong. For Uchiha elite jōnin, they were mostly support. Against Marvel's ordinary humans, though, they were still overwhelming—chakra-trained cats could kill humans in an instant.
Large ninja cats could grow to human size, and their feline instincts already made them far superior to people. But their limits were also obvious: they weren't as large as the toads of Mount Myōboku, nor as fearsome as the snakes of Ryūchi Cave. Apart from that upper limit on power, ninja cats were nearly perfect—well, aside from shedding.
After living with them so long, Akira had noticed just how badly they shed. Year-round, really—worse in summer, lighter in winter. By now, their fur could probably stuff an entire mansion's worth of quilts.
"Hokazan, come with me on tonight's mission," Akira said softly as he held the cat.
"Yes, Clan Leader!" Hokazan's eyes lit up.
"Finally, it's my turn!" He was well aware of the clan leader's recent "purge of evil" activities. Though he didn't know the deeper reason, he'd seen how much Inoka and Tekka had grown lately.
Which Uchiha didn't crave power? For an elite jōnin, climbing even higher was extremely difficult. Without awakening the Mangekyō, the only paths were perfecting ninjutsu, taijutsu, or chakra nature transformations. Not everyone had limitless chakra or genius talent. Most shinobi could only polish the techniques they already had. Many barely knew a handful of real jutsu. The Uchiha, at least, stood at the peak of the ninja world—they never worried about lacking techniques, only about mastering them.
That desire to evolve was universal.
That night, Akira resumed his routine cleansing of Hell's Kitchen, while Hokazan helped clear the aftermath. As the shackles in his body broke, Hokazan felt like he'd been reborn with fresh vigor—even though he was only in his twenties.
"Meow!" The fat orange cat, which had been perched on Akira's shoulder, suddenly leapt down. Staring at the corpses before it, it seemed to be brewing something.
"Meow~" Akira mimicked a cat's cry, calling it back. After all, it was Hokazan's job to clean up the site.
Instead, the orange cat's mouth sprouted massive tendrils, skewering the corpses like kebabs before swallowing them whole.
Hokazan was stunned. Even Akira froze.
"Meow~" The cat licked its lips, satisfied, and climbed back onto Akira's shoulder as if nothing had happened.
"Clan Leader, put it down—it's too dangerous!" Hokazan had his shuriken ready. That little cat had eaten humans without blinking, and the tentacles bristling with barbs… how had they even fit in its tiny mouth?
At that moment, Akira finally remembered where he had seen such a creature—this wasn't just a cat. This was a Flerken. There couldn't be a second cat in this world that could eat like that.
Ding! Suddenly, the long-dormant Green Environmental System popped up again, its verdant interface blindingly bright.
System—Collector: Collection Mission. Gather rare lifeforms and special artifacts across the universe. A true powerhouse must have their own collection. Flerken acquired successfully (1/1).
"Well now, I really misjudged you. Big Orange, I won't call you 'Goose'—Cyclops had no right to name you. With your glossy fur, I'll just call you Big Orange."
The Flerken yawned lazily on his shoulder, drowsy after its snack. Names didn't matter much to it anyway.
"Hokazan, inform the clan not to approach Big Orange casually. This isn't an ordinary cat—it's a rare cosmic species with frightening power, as you saw yourself. Very difficult to measure."
"Flerken can theoretically swallow anything. Whatever is before it can end up in its belly. So be careful it doesn't eat you. Also… I have a bold idea I need to confirm."
"Yes, Clan Leader!"
From that day on, the Uchiha noticed something strange: their clan leader had become obsessed with petting cats. He even asked the ninja cat clan to bring in the prettiest cats to join his "petting project."
Nobody knew why he'd suddenly taken such an interest, but they welcomed it. Their leader had been buried in endless training before—now at least he had some leisure. Everyone was glad to see him relax.
"Big Orange, what do you think of this one? Elegant figure, bright eyes—no, wait, graceful posture. Do you like her scent?" Akira said enthusiastically, pointing at a young female ninja cat.
She blushed, unused to such matchmaking—especially cross-species.
"Lord Akira, why are you introducing me? I just came of age…" she stammered shyly.
"Look at Big Orange—isn't he handsome and mighty? Let me tell you, he has cosmic-level bloodline, on par with our world's kekkei genkai—the very top tier!"
"You could say Big Orange is the Hashirama of cats. Think about it—doesn't that mean the future of the ninja cat clan could be in your paws?"
The words clearly stirred her curiosity. Looking closer, she saw his noble bearing. Even without chakra, his aura was strong, and cats were sensitive to that.
"Lord Akira, you put it so bluntly—I feel embarrassed."
"Just give it a try, right? If it doesn't work, no problem. But if it does—well, Big Orange is truly exceptional!"
Seeing her shyness, Akira patted Big Orange on the head.
"As the male, shouldn't you take the initiative?" If Big Orange could speak, he would've cursed Akira for his shameless meddling.
But… the female was beautiful indeed.
Fine. For such beauty, I'll forgive your impure motives.
Big Orange leapt down, sniffing at her gently. Cats always exchanged scents as a ritual of recognition. Though neither was exactly a normal cat anymore, instinct remained.
Compared to the wild strays he'd met before, her scent was far more refined. After all, ninja cats were an intelligent race.
"You two must get along well!" Akira said with a doting smile, thinking to himself with satisfaction: Just as planned.