The net had been set by Mao-you personally, and he had hauled it up with his own paws as well. He wanted to enjoy the joy of the harvest at the very first moment.
To his disappointment, the movement inside the net was slight, and it didn't feel especially heavy either. It looked like there hadn't been any major catch.
Actually, anything that could squeeze through such a narrow crack in the rocks couldn't possibly be very large. Naturally, it wouldn't possess any exaggerated strength either.
When the net was finally pulled up, Uchiha Yoru recognized what had been caught.
Fish.
But a very strange kind of fish.
The underground river fish looked a bit like loaches. They had no eyes, no scales, and their entire bodies were completely transparent. Their internal organs were just a tiny cluster, and their round mouths were packed with small, razor-sharp teeth.
Even after being trapped in the net, they didn't struggle. Instead, they circled around a central point, frantically biting at something with their teeth.
Yoru smiled and said, "These fish are pretty interesting. But the thing they're willing to keep biting even at death's door is far more likely to be the real treasure."
Mao-you perked up at once. He jumped straight onto the water, hugged the net, and dragged it ashore.
The ninja cats swarmed forward and, with claws and mouths working together, picked all the little fish out. Then they found the thing attracting them.
At first glance, it looked like a piece of stone.
Yoru took it, turned it over several times, and finally noticed something odd. He said to Mao-you, "No matter how I look at it, this seems like fossilized tree bark. It should be some kind of ancient bark fossil."
Mao-you asked, "What use is a fossil, meow?"
"A fossil is a remnant trace of living things from ancient times. It can help us understand past lifeforms and the world they lived in—"
When Yoru noticed Mao-you's eyes starting to spiral, he wisely shut up.
That was true enough. For ninja—or ninja cats—what use was a fossil? Even to Yoru himself, this fossil shard had no obvious value at all.
Still unwilling to give up, he put the fossil into his mouth and bit it lightly with his teeth.
Cool. Tasteless. Very hard. Completely impossible to bite through. And more importantly, his body felt absolutely no craving for it.
"So it really is useless. Maybe the fossil contains some trace element these fish need, like silicates or some sort of salt."
"But these fish are acting strangely. Mao-you, keep this thing safe for now. Maybe one day we'll discover its value."
The moment Mao-you heard that, he shook his head like a rattle drum and refused repeatedly.
"No, no, no. I don't have the patience to manage collections, meow. If I'm in charge of it, I'll lose it in a few days."
"Either you keep it yourself, or find a chance to hand it over to Granny Cat. She's careful—she definitely won't lose it."
Yoru nodded, stuffed it into his ninja tool pouch, and then moved on to inspect the transparent little fish.
Mao-you and the other ninja cats all leaned in, sniffing at them over and over. Strangely, the fish had no fishy smell at all. Instead, there was even a faint fragrance to them.
Yoru closed his eyes and inhaled.
Immediately, he had the odd impression that what stood before him wasn't a fish at all, but a lotus bud just beginning to rise from the water—faintly fragrant, with a powerful reserve of life waiting to bloom.
This time, he didn't even need to put the fish in his mouth.
His body produced an intense craving at once.
He was hungry.
Yoru couldn't help sighing in admiration. "Mm… it smells incredible. This has to be something good."
Mao-you was impatient by nature, and the fragrance had already made drool stream from his mouth. The moment Yoru said that, he couldn't restrain himself anymore.
He pinched one fish with his claws, tossed it into his mouth, and swallowed it without even chewing.
He moved so quickly that by the time Yoru started to warn him—"Slow down!"—the fish was already in his stomach.
Mao-you grinned and laughed. "Hahaha, meow! Don't worry about me. I'm a ninja cat-born Cat Sage. My digestive ability isn't something you humans can compare to."
"And this fish is really interesting. The moment it went down my throat, it melted and flowed into my belly like thick soup."
He slapped his own stomach and proudly showed off his sturdy four-meter frame. "My body's this strong, my digestion's this powerful—any meat that enters my stomach is absolutely not going to—oh?!"
Before he could finish speaking, Mao-you suddenly expelled a strange breath.
The smell definitely wasn't fragrant, but it wasn't exactly foul either. It was simply… strange. And there was an enormous amount of it.
Immediately afterward, blood started running from Mao-you's nose. Old scars on his eyes, back, and legs—places where he'd once suffered heavy injuries—began oozing blood as well. Worse, wriggling new flesh began to emerge there, making for a deeply unsettling sight.
The ninja cats panicked, yowling in alarm. Instinct drove them to retreat, but concern for their leader kept them from fleeing too far. In the end, they could only gather nervously five or six meters away, anxiously watching Yoru try to help.
The instant Mao-you breathed out that strange air, Yoru had already rushed over and begun checking his body. But the feedback from natural energy felt very odd.
Aside from his stomach and intestines showing signs of indigestion, Mao-you's body itself was in remarkably good condition. In fact, the bloody areas were overflowing with vigorous life force.
[Could the fish contain some active biological toxin? Is the vitality I'm sensing not Mao-you's, but rapidly multiplying bacteria?]
[No… that's not it. Is this an overdose of nourishment?]
[That little fish really is a treasure!]
As Yoru watched the new flesh intertwine and merge, he saw that it wasn't just eliminating scar tissue—it was also filling in damaged areas with fresh blood and flesh, completely erasing old scars. Even Mao-you's fur was growing back rapidly.
At that point, Yoru was finally at ease. It wasn't poison at all. It was a miraculous tonic that healed injuries and strengthened the body. It was simply too potent for Mao-you. His body lacked the capacity to withstand the sudden surge, so it had shut him down by forcing him unconscious.
Yoru had no choice but to take over and guide the natural energy inside Mao-you's body himself, activating every strengthening mechanism and pushing his digestive ability to the limit, so that the life force and energy from the little fish would be consumed as quickly as possible.
Even so, Mao-you thrashed around for a full two hours before he finally digested all the fish's nourishment. Only then did he fall into a deep sleep from sheer exhaustion.
After handing Mao-you over to the ninja cats to care for, Yoru began studying the fish. Compared to the wild animals and honeycombs the ninja cats had found, these little fish were obviously far more valuable.
Based on Mao-you's own experience, his description, and the physical changes Yoru had observed, Yoru was now certain:
These fish were absolutely extraordinary treasures.
The problem was that they were too good.
They melted the moment they entered the mouth and were absorbed almost instantly after reaching the stomach. Their nutritional conversion efficiency was so absurdly high that it had exceeded what even a Cat Sage's body could handle. That was why Mao-you had ended up in such a mess.
Yoru muttered to himself, "Following that logic, the solution is to process them somehow—to slow the digestion rate and reduce the body's burden."
"Got it. I'll fry them into dried little fish."
"It perfectly fits the goal of processing them, and it'll also extend their shelf life. Two birds with one stone."
Once he made up his mind, he acted immediately. Yoru set up an iron pan, lit the fire, and began making fried little fish.
The fish had no scales, and their skin had no slime. Their bodies were dry and clean, and their entrails didn't need to be removed either. For all he knew, the nutrition might be concentrated in the organs.
He added a small amount of oil to the heated pan, then placed the fish in one by one. A hot pan and hot oil would make them less likely to stick, preserving their precious flesh.
Once all the fish were in, he added a bit of salt, then began gently tossing the pan, stir-frying them with care. During the process, he kept adding salt and dry powder to boost flavor and absorb excess oil.
Normally, dried little fish would also call for chopped peppers, pepper powder, soy sauce, and mashed garlic, which would then be stir-fried for fragrance.
But Yoru quickly realized there was no need.
As the moisture cooked off and the fish flesh combined with the oil, an extraordinary aroma began to rise—wonderfully fragrant and impossibly fresh. The moment Yoru smelled it, he knew that adding any more seasoning would only be excessive, even harmful to the fish's natural flavor.
He decisively removed them from the pan and poured them onto a plate lined with white cloth.
The dried little fish were done.
From the moment the fish hit the pan, Miwa Masayo had been too stimulated by the aroma to keep sleeping.
She crept over without making a sound and stared as the dried little fish were gradually finished. Then, all at once, she slapped a white paw onto the table holding the plate—though without making any sound.
The tabby froze, then immediately unsheathed her claws and scratched at the tabletop, producing a sharp scraping noise to get Yoru's attention.
Ever since signing a contract with Yoru, Masayo had eaten her fair share of dried little fish. Store-bought ones, hand-made ones from Yoru himself—she'd tasted more than thirty varieties.
But today's batch was different.
They gave off a scent that was outright fatal to a cat.
The aroma had already exploded outward before they even left the pan, throwing the tabby's entire soul into turmoil. Honey-glazed barbecue had long since vanished from Miwa Masayo's mind.
Her display toward Yoru didn't need explanation. Her intention was obvious, and she couldn't possibly hide it. Her body language was far too expressive.
But with Mao-you's reaction still fresh in his mind, how could Yoru dare give her a whole fish? So he only cut off the tiniest bit—about one-fifth of a fish head.
That was enough to make the little cat furious.
Who was he looking down on?
That tiny scrap would vanish with one lick of her tongue. How could anyone be this stingy?
After some fussing around, Miwa Masayo was still persuaded by the surrounding ninja cats. Full of grievance, she reluctantly licked the little crumbs and bits of fish head from the dish.
Then she immediately experienced a sensation so unbearably itchy that it felt like her soul itself was flying away.
What the dried little fish contained was surging life energy. It could greatly strengthen the eater's body—but it also placed immense pressure on the digestive system.
As the first Cat Sage, Miwa Masayo completely outclassed Mao-you in senjutsu.
But Mao-you's sturdy four-meter body overwhelmingly surpassed the tabby cat, whose full length was barely over half a meter.
So even after being processed into dried little fish, and even in a dose as tiny as one-fifth of a fish head, Miwa Masayo still had difficulty bearing the immense life energy.
Fortunately, senjutsu chakra had an extremely high conversion efficiency, allowing her to avoid any dangerous abnormal changes.
But that speed came with a drawback:
Uncontrollable itching.
Itching that came from her very bones did not make a cat want to laugh. Instead, it stiffened all four limbs and made her tail puff up, leaving her unable even to cry out.
Yoru quickly scooped the tabby into his hands and used his own power to help regulate the process. From dried little fish, to digestion, to bodily strengthening, he sorted through the whole chain step by step, finally finding a balance between efficiency and side effects.
That, in essence, was a cultivation method—though one only useful when consuming this special kind of food.
Miwa Masayo was very clever. She quickly grasped the digestion-cultivation method, and the abnormal state soon faded.
"Meowu… that was terrifying. Good thing Yoru was here, or this cat would have made a huge fool of herself."
Now the tabby felt both love and fear toward the dried little fish. She circled around the plate and asked anxiously, "This really is an amazing treasure, but the effect is way too strong. How are we supposed to eat it, meow?"
Yoru smiled and said, "Practice the method you're using now until you've mastered it, and strengthen your body a hundredfold. Then you'll be able to handle it."
"A hundredfold? Meowu, that's impossible."
"I have another idea. Process it one more time—dilute the dried little fish. It won't be as fragrant, but it should become safe to eat."
"Hurry up, meow. Please, meow."
Yoru took out a sheet of paper and began writing while thinking.
Based on Mao-you's, his own, and Masayo's reactions after eating the dried little fish, he started devising a medicinal formula to suppress the side effects. Then, by mixing in enough flour to dilute the fish powder, he could turn it into an everyday snack.
Once the recipe was done, he sent Miwa Masayo back to Cat Castle to buy the medicinal herbs and a full hundred kilograms of flour.
With that much flour as the base, mixed with dried fish powder and then deep-fried into the shape of little fish, the result could become a proper snack version of dried little fish.
By Yoru's calculations, Mao-you and Masayo could eat them whenever they liked—as long as they didn't stuff down handful after handful, they would receive only benefits and no harm.
Even ordinary ninja cats could eat one every three to five days. It wouldn't completely eliminate discomfort or itching, but it wouldn't truly harm the body either. On the contrary, it would promote physical growth and chakra development.
Given enough time, the ninja cats of Cat Castle would grow stronger and stronger. More and more of them would master senjutsu. Eventually, there would be a third and fourth Cat Sage.
Only then would Cat Castle truly be able to raise the banner of a sacred land and firmly secure its position as the leader of the Warm-Blooded Sage Alliance.
...
Two days later, Yoru held a fresh batch of deep-fried little fish.
His control of the heat had been perfect. The little fish were golden, crisp, and fragrant with the enticing aroma of fried food. Mixed into it was a strange fragrance that even the layers of medicinal herbs and spices couldn't fully conceal.
That was the scent of the transparent little fish after frying. Surrounded by more than ten herbs and seasonings, then completely awakened through deep-frying, it had become a temptation so fatal that even Yoru was drooling.
He forced himself not to salivate as he held the fried little fish out.
In front of him, all the ninja cats and the two Cat Sages retreated in perfect unison. Every furry face showed the same expression: desire mixed with fear.
Yoru said helplessly, "This is the third version already. There really shouldn't be any problem this time."
Masayo, struggling against the drool at her lips, said, "This time, it's Mao-you's turn."
Mao-you, whose mouth was so wide that drool was practically streaming out, shook his head. "No, I can't do it. I've already eaten six today. If I eat more, my nose will start bleeding again."
Then he turned and shouted at the others, "Come on, you bunch! Step up and be brave—this is a divine treasure full of benefits!"
All the ninja cats let out collective cries of despair and backed away even farther.
"Boss, stop trying to trick us! The stuff is great, but after eating it you molt, get diarrhea, throw up…"
"That's the necessary hardship of becoming stronger!" Mao-you roared in frustration. "According to Lord Uchiha Yoru, that's marrow cleansing and body refinement! It removes the impurities in your body, especially the fur in your stomach and the toxins in your intestines!"
Then he angrily shouted, "This is a rare blessing—how can you all be this spineless? Where's your ninja cat courage? Your backbone?!"
The ninja cats nearly cried. Several of them even answered aloud, "But throwing up, having diarrhea, and losing all our fur in front of so many cats is super embarrassing!"
Mao-you nearly twisted his nose in anger. "You ate one and you can already talk now! What's a little embarrassment worth? Is there a real warrior among you or not?!"
"Boss, that's not fair! You're not even eating one yourself. If you eat one, we'll eat one too!"
"Gah! Fine, then I'll eat it! So what if my nose bleeds? I'm not afraid!"
In the end, under Mao-you's lead, more than thirty brave ninja cats tried the new batch of fried little fish.
The result proved that this formula was perfect.
Ordinary ninja cats still had strong reactions after eating them, but now the molting was orderly, the vomiting was manageable, and even the diarrhea could be held long enough for them to run to the toilet.
For ninja cats who had already mastered senjutsu chakra, the reaction was entirely manageable—just a little bit of internal heat and dryness, which could be solved by drinking more water.
As for the two Cat Sages, the new version of little fish was both delicious and comfortable. After eating it, they only felt warmth spreading through their bellies and soft heat filling their whole bodies.
Miwa Masayo praised it delightedly, "Perfect!!"
After eating two himself, Yoru asked, "So what should we call this? Deep-fried little fish? Or…"
"Little fish!!" xN
The ninja cats cried out in unison, fighting for the naming rights. "Little fish forever!!"
Let me also recommend a friend's book~
"Longevity: Grinding Experience from Obtaining Earthly Fiend Dao Fruits"
Recommendation:
Heavenly phenomena distort, Dao Fruits descend in ruin, immortals and Buddhas are dead, demons and monsters throw the world into chaos.
The Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends manifest in the mortal world, condensing into one "Dao Fruit" after another. Whoever consumes a Dao Fruit can begin cultivation along a "Sequence."
Those who possess a Sequence can communicate with spirits, command gods, shoulder mountains, restrain waters, summon wind and fog, or pray for clear skies and rain.
But Heaven itself is tainted, and cultivating a Sequence also brings tribulations.
...
Wang Changsheng awakens in this bizarre and dazzling world, reborn in the body of a young Daoist who died after blindly swallowing a Dao Fruit.
A compassionate mother goddess, hell gates thrown open, drought demons scorching the sky…
The hardships of this world defy description.
Fortunately, Wang Changsheng also has a golden finger.
[Complete morning routine: Daoist EXP +1]
As long as he performs work related to being a Daoist, he can gain EXP, raise职业 levels, and improve attributes.
By relying on this panel, he can improve his attributes, meet the requirements to contain Dao Fruits, and eventually master Earthly Fiend and even Heavenly Gang arts…
[Complete sword art practice: Earthly Fiend Dao Fruit – Swordsmanship EXP +1]
By comprehending the mystery of sword and qi becoming one, his spirit can control flying swords to kill invisibly wherever white light appears!
[Complete thunder technique practice: Heavenly Gang Dao Fruit – Mastery of Five Thunders EXP +1]
Thunder is Heaven's decree. Command lightning and thunder to suppress evil and destroy demons!
As time passes, Wang Changsheng gradually becomes the world-famous Great Majestic Demon-Slaying and Evil-Destroying True Master…
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon -> [email protected]/SorenSwiftTL (replace @ with a)