The room fell silent for a moment before Uchiha Hokori's low yet gentle voice came from inside.
"Just leave it at the door. I'd like to talk with them a little longer."
"Alright, Grandfather."
Uchiha Mikoto bent down as instructed and gently placed the warm cup of tea beside the door.
As she stood up, she couldn't help but add softly, her voice carrying a hint of caring insistence.
"But you have to remember to drink it. I'll come check later."
Her footsteps gradually faded away, like the lingering fragrance of tea drifting through the moonlit night.
Inside the room, Hokori shook his head helplessly yet happily.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the compound—
Uchiha Anlan leaned against the kitchen doorframe and urged impatiently,
"Big Orange, hurry it up."
"Got it, meow."
His overly capable contracted ninja cat was wearing a custom-made mini Uchiha clan outfit.
The fan-shaped clan crest embroidered on its back swayed constantly as it bustled around.
The chubby orange cat stood upright like a human.
When it formed hand seals with its padded paws, it moved with surprising agility despite its plump body.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
With a soft poof, three identical orange-cat clones appeared beside the stove.
The original cat took charge of the wok.
The clones worked in perfect coordination—
One chopped ingredients at lightning speed.
One controlled the heat.
The last handled seasoning.
The iron wok spun through the cat's paws.
Flames surged half a person's height, illuminating the orange cat's serious face.
"Sizzle—!"
Chili peppers and garlic exploded in hot oil, releasing a rich fragrance that filled the entire kitchen.
So when Anlan told Mikoto earlier that his ninja cat could cook—
He wasn't lying.
His ninja cat was practically a household all-rounder.
In just a short moment, several stir-fried dishes were plated and placed neatly on the table.
The orange cat dismissed its clones.
It smugly stroked its whiskers and pushed the final dish—stir-fried beef ho fun—toward Anlan.
"Please enjoy, Young Master Anlan."
Its round body stood stiff and proud, though its tail wagged happily behind it.
Anlan sat at the table and glanced over the colorful spread.
Shredded pork with green peppers, glistening with oil.
Mapo tofu, bright red and enticing.
Beef ho fun, steaming with smoky wok flavor.
He picked up his chopsticks and grabbed a piece of sauced pork.
Under the orange cat's nervous gaze, he placed it into his mouth.
"Not bad. You've improved."
"My teaching wasn't wasted."
"So… what reward should I give you?"
The orange cat instantly straightened.
"Oh no no, it's all thanks to Young Master's teaching!"
"And you've been training hard lately, so you need proper nourishment, meow~"
It spoke humbly.
But its fluffy tail was already spinning circles in the air, betraying its excitement.
Anlan picked up another bite of shredded pork and chuckled.
"Oh? In that case…"
"Let's postpone the reward until next time."
The orange cat froze instantly.
Its tail stopped mid-swing.
It nervously rubbed its paws against the wooden floor and lowered its voice.
"Well… actually…"
Anlan slowly picked up another bite of ho fun and pretended to be surprised.
"Oh? So you do want a reward?"
"It's not a reward!"
The orange cat jumped onto the table, its fur puffing up.
It hurriedly used its tail to straighten the chopsticks it had knocked aside.
"It's my rightful benefit!"
"You promised last time to let Ayan teach me Fire Release ninjutsu…"
The cat suddenly stopped talking.
Its two paws clasped together nervously.
"So you want to see Ayan."
Anlan tapped the cat's nose with his chopsticks.
The cat's pupils instantly shrank into vertical slits.
"Why didn't you just say so?"
"Tomorrow I'll have Ayan come act as your assistant instructor."
The orange cat's whiskers trembled.
Its whole body sparkled as if someone had injected it with chakra.
It pretended to lick its paw calmly, though a loud purring sound escaped its throat.
"It's mainly for exchanging training insights, meow…"
"Not because I want to smell her scent."
"I know, I know."
Anlan laughed.
The Ninja Cat Clan had maintained contracts with the Uchiha family for generations.
These adorable creatures weren't just the clan's intelligence brokers and weapons merchants.
Their soft little meows were also medicine for soothing the sensitive hearts of Uchiha.
Ayan was Anlan's official contract partner from the day he became a genin.
A silver-striped cat whose fur shimmered like moonlight—
A beauty among cats.
As for Big Orange…
It had simply followed Ayan one day and showed up uninvited like a bonus item.
Fifteen years later, that shameless orange cat had long been completely trained by Anlan.
After Anlan moved out of his grandfather's residence to live alone—
Big Orange, eager to spend more time with Ayan, became the house's all-purpose helper.
Cooking, laundry—everything.
You could only say it had been completely wrapped around Ayan's paw.
After dinner, Big Orange quickly cleaned the kitchen until it was spotless.
Then with a soft poof, it returned to the Ninja Cat Clan's territory.
Steam filled the bathroom.
The air carried the faint scent of cypress wood and herbs.
Anlan sank into the hot water Big Orange had prepared beforehand.
The perfect temperature made a satisfied sigh escape his throat.
"Simps really are useful."
The exhaustion from the entire day seemed to melt away with the rising steam.
He leaned back and closed his eyes.
Outside the window, the intermittent chirping of insects became a natural lullaby.
Suddenly—
Poof.
The air shifted.
Anlan opened his eyes.
A graceful figure had landed lightly on the edge of the bathtub.
Silver and pale gray fur shimmered softly in the mist.
A long tail curled elegantly beside her paws, its tip dotted with star-like silver spots.
Her emerald eyes glowed like cat's-eye gemstones submerged in spring water.
They reflected Anlan's figure in the bath.
"That foolish cat."
She spoke, her voice carrying the soft tone unique to felines.
"He just returned to the clan territory and came to me again, hinting endlessly about tomorrow."
Ayan's silver whiskers trembled slightly.
Her voice carried helplessness.
"Fifteen years…"
"And that idiot still shows affection in the same… troublesome way."
Anlan half-squinted his eyes.
"So… do you actually like Big Orange or not?"
"You must be joking, Young Master."
"I only see Big Orange as an older brother."
Ayan spoke the same line she always used—one so perfectly Ayan-like it was almost comedic.
She flicked her elegant tail and looked up at the crescent moon outside.
Her voice carried a trace of longing.
"What I admire…"
"Are cats as powerful as Lady Two-Tails."
"Tailed Beast Bomb tearing through the night."
"Netherfire burning the sky."
She added softly,
"So Young Master should stop trying to pair me with Big Orange."
"I wouldn't want Lady Two-Tails to misunderstand someday."
Looking at his ninja cat—
A victim of the trashy romance novel he had once written during a moment of madness—
The Domineering Young Master Falls in Love With Me
Anlan could only sit there speechless.
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