The tabby cat and the white cat, seeing this, did not seem very fond of Sora's way of "doing business," and proudly turned their heads away.
Sora thought silently to himself. A liaison officer doesn't need particularly strong combat power. What's important is being clever, discreet, reliable, and... motivated.
From this perspective, these two cats were very suitable.
"For each delivery of important information, the base payment is one thousand ryo. If the mission distance is especially far, or the risk is relatively high, there will be additional payment. As for the dried fish..."
Sora looked at the small black cat.
"I can provide high-quality products found in Konoha and even other countries. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."
"Meow! Deal!"
The orange cat immediately put away the abacus and extended a paw. "My name is Chinchilla. Nice to meet you from now on, meow!"
The small black cat also quickly nodded. "Meow! My name is Kuro Maru! Remember the dried fish, meow!"
Looking at these two ninja cats who were already eagerly discussing terms, Sora found it somewhat amusing, but still nodded seriously.
"Agreed. My name is Sora. Looking forward to working together from now on."
Cat Granny watched from the side, a meaningful smile appearing on her face.
"It seems you get along well. Chinchilla is good at tracking and hiding, and is especially sensitive to scents. Kuro Maru is extremely fast and has a natural intuition for spatial orientation, not easily getting lost. The two of them as partners are indeed very suitable to be messengers."
With partners confirmed, the next step was signing the summoning contract.
Cat Granny brought an ancient scroll, which already had many names and paw prints. At the very top were the names of successive signers from the Uchiha clan.
Sora signed his name on it and pressed his handprint.
Chinchilla and Kuro Maru also left their respective paw prints on it.
"This is the hand seal sequence and chakra flow key points for the Reverse Summoning Technique."
Cat Granny also handed Sora a small scroll. "In an emergency, you can use this technique to come directly to the Cats' Village."
"Thank you, Granny."
Sora didn't expect this additional gain. He hurriedly took the scroll and carefully put it away.
With matters settled, Sora did not linger in the Cats' Village.
After paying the initial contract fee and some "deposit" to Chinchilla, whose eyes were shining, and Kuro Maru, who was full of anticipation for dried fish, he bid farewell and left.
...
Near the Cats' Village, a town located at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers.
Sora found an inconspicuous inn in the town and stayed, requesting a relatively quiet room.
He unfolded the Reverse Summoning scroll given by Cat Granny and studied it carefully.
The hand seals were not complicated. The main requirements were higher control over chakra and sensing the connection with the summoned beast.
'Perfect to let Tenji try it. I wonder if this Reverse Summoning has a distance limit?'
Sora practiced the hand seals while thinking.
...
The next afternoon, the door to Sora's room was lightly knocked.
Sora sensed the familiar presence outside the door, got up, and opened it.
Standing outside was Miyamoto Ichirō, covered in dust from his journey.
"Sora!" Miyamoto Ichirō saw him, a smile appearing on his honest face.
"Come in first."
Sora let him into the room, quickly closed the door, and casually set up a simple soundproofing barrier.
"Was the journey smooth?" Sora asked, handing him a cup of water.
"Smooth."
Miyamoto Ichirō took the water and drank it in one gulp, wiping his mouth. "I took a detour as you said. No one followed."
Sora nodded. Regarding Miyamoto Ichirō's steadiness, he was still reassured.
"I called you out this time because I found a method for us to contact each other in the future."
"Contact method?" Miyamoto Ichirō looked at him curiously.
Sora formed hand seals and called out in a low voice.
"Summoning Technique!"
Poof! Poof!
Two puffs of white smoke flashed. Chinchilla and Kuro Maru appeared on the carpet in the room.
As soon as Chinchilla appeared, it immediately looked left and right, then extended a paw towards Sora.
"Meow! Boss Sora, is this a trial? Trials cost money too, meow! One thousand ryo, please!"
Kuro Maru twitched its little nose, looking at Sora eagerly.
"Meow~ The dried fish? The promised dried fish, meow?"
Sora sighed helplessly. He counted out one thousand ryo from his wallet, handed it to Chinchilla, then took out two packets of prepared high-quality roasted fish jerky and gave them to Kuro Maru.
"This is the first official summoning. This is the payment. This is Miyamoto Ichirō, my companion. He will also summon you in the future."
Chinchilla quickly put the money into a small storage scroll hanging under its neck, patting it with satisfaction.
"Meow! Boss is generous! Miyamoto Ichirō, right? I'll remember, meow!"
Kuro Maru had already eagerly torn open the fish jerky packaging, happily munching away, calling out indistinctly.
"Meow meow! So good! From now on, if Boss Ichirō has letters to deliver, call us anytime, meow!"
Miyamoto Ichirō looked at these two ninja cats with distinct personalities, scratching his head as if finding it interesting.
Sora explained to Miyamoto Ichirō.
"They are my summoned beasts contracted from the Cats' Village. Chinchilla and Kuro Maru. Later, when I'm not in Konoha, you can use them to send messages to me."
Then, Sora had Miyamoto Ichirō also sign summoning contracts with the two ninja cats. Miyamoto Ichirō wasn't a ninja, but having attended ninja school, performing this basic summoning technique was still no problem.
With everything settled, Sora instructed Miyamoto Ichirō.
"Ichirō, after you return, find a suitable opportunity to have Nonō nee-san, Yumi, Ayumi, and Kabuto all sign contracts with them. Be careful to keep it secret. Don't let others discover it."
Miyamoto Ichirō's expression turned serious. He nodded heavily.
"I understand. Don't worry, Sora."
He knew the importance of this matter and understood what Sora was planning.
"Alright, it's getting late. Return to Konoha as soon as possible. Be careful on the way."
Sora patted Miyamoto Ichirō's sturdy shoulder.
Miyamoto Ichirō grunted in affirmation, said no more, turned around, and left the inn room briskly.
Watching Miyamoto Ichirō's departing figure, Sora's gaze grew focused.
The communication channel was now preliminarily established. Next, he just needed to wait for Nonō and the others to leave Konoha on missions.
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