After two consecutive failed attacks, Natsuarashi's anger flared even more.
Twisting mid-air, she spun her body and launched a powerful kick toward his head.
This time, Uchiha Kasage didn't dodge.
Instead, he raised his hand and caught her ankle with perfect precision.
"Let me go!" Natsuarashi shouted.
She immediately lifted her other leg to strike his jaw—but Kasage seized that ankle as well.
In an instant, both of her legs were firmly restrained in his grip, leaving her suspended helplessly in mid-air.
In desperation, blazing red flames ignited in her hands. She was about to slam them down toward his head—
But before she could strike, Kasage exerted force with both arms and hurled her away like a meteor hammer.
Boom!
Natsuarashi flipped through the air and landed lightly more than ten meters away.
Her expression turned serious as she stared at him.
"So you do have some skill… Fine. I'll get serious now!"
As she spoke, she crossed her arms in front of her chest.
Violent crimson flames erupted around her instantly, coiling and surging like living creatures, completely enveloping her body. Her already sharp eyes took on a more feral, dangerous glint.
"Now… prepare to beg for mercy!"
Kasage rubbed his chin casually.
"Fire-based techniques… I'm not particularly skilled with Water Release," he said calmly, "but it should be enough to deal with you."
"Don't underestimate me! Take this—Fireball Technique!"
Natsuarashi thrust both hands forward.
Several basketball-sized fireballs shot toward him like blazing meteors, distorting the air with intense heat.
"Water Release: Water Encampment Wall."
Kasage formed hand seals quickly, inhaled deeply, and expelled a large volume of water.
The water instantly condensed into a spherical wall, surrounding him completely.
**Boom! Boom! Boom!**
The fireballs collided with the water barrier, instantly turning into thick white steam that spread across the forest, engulfing everything.
"Tch… I hate water!"
Natsuarashi frowned as her attack was easily neutralized.
As the water wall collapsed and surged toward her, she reacted instinctively—like a cat avoiding water—leaping onto a nearby tree to evade the flow.
"So you're afraid of water."
Kasage smirked slightly.
His hands formed seals again, and his tone sharpened.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique."
The scattered water around him suddenly surged upward, gathering into a massive wave nearly ten meters tall.
With a deafening roar, it crashed toward Natsuarashi like a rampaging beast.
"No way—this is too much!"
She stared at the incoming wave in shock.
Before she could escape—
She was swallowed whole.
The torrent crushed trees and rocks alike as it surged forward violently.
Fortunately, the Mamedanuki following her had already scattered in panic. Otherwise, they would have been swept away without a trace.
Kasage had no intention of killing her.
He had carefully controlled his chakra output. Without a natural water source nearby, this was only a weakened version of the technique.
Soon, the water dissipated, leaving behind only a shallow pool.
Kasage walked across the water's surface as if it were solid ground and reached the center.
He bent down and picked up Natsuarashi, who was floating there.
She was completely drenched.
Her short red hair clung to her cheeks, and her previous arrogance had completely vanished. Her eyes were dazed, and she looked exactly like a soaked cat pulled from a river—helpless, slightly pitiful… and strangely cute.
"Hey, you alright?" Kasage asked, gently shaking her, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Cough… cough…"
She spat out water and glared at him stubbornly, her expression defiant despite her condition.
"You bastard… you did that on purpose, didn't you? Just to humiliate me! Kill me or skin me, do whatever you want! My Elder Sister—our Leader—will avenge me!"
"Relax. I have no intention of killing you."
Kasage placed her gently on the now-dry ground, his tone becoming slightly more serious.
"But I do have a condition."
"You need to form a summoning contract with me… and become my summoned beast."
"A summoning contract?"
Natsuarashi froze for a moment.
Although she didn't fully understand what it meant, she immediately shook her head.
"Whatever that is—I refuse! I am a warrior of the Leopard Cat Clan. I will never submit to a human!"
"Is that so?"
Kasage stroked his chin, as if he had expected that answer.
With a thought, he took out a scroll from his Kamui dimension and unrolled it on the ground. Placing his palm on it, he channeled chakra.
**Puff!**
After a cloud of white smoke dispersed, a nearly one-meter-long fresh sea fish appeared, still twitching slightly, carrying a faint salty scent.
Kasage pointed at the fish and looked at her with a faint smile.
"Let's not talk about the contract for now. How about some fish? Fresh from the sea."
Natsuarashi's eyes were instantly drawn to it.
She subconsciously licked her lips and nodded slightly—
Then immediately froze.
Her face flushed with embarrassment.
"Bastard! Do you think I'm some cheap cat you can bribe with a single fish?! That's absolutely impossible!"
---
Half an hour later.
A campfire burned in the forest.
More than a dozen golden-brown grilled fish were skewered around the fire. Fat dripped and sizzled, and a rich aroma filled the air.
Natsuarashi sat cross-legged beside the fire, holding a grilled fish—crispy on the outside, tender inside—devouring it in large bites, grease staining her lips.
"All of this… is delicious!"
Her previous tsundere attitude and anger had completely vanished.
She spat out a fish bone and turned toward Kasage, her eyes shining.
"I want more!"
"Here."
Kasage smiled and handed her another freshly grilled fish.
Watching her happily bite into it, even closing her eyes in satisfaction, he couldn't help but find it amusing.
Earlier that day, he had specifically gone to the sea, caught dozens of fresh fish, and sealed them inside a scroll.
Clearly, the preparation had paid off.
When Taikuzō mentioned cat yokai searching for the Shikon Jewel, Kasage had already guessed they were from the Leopard Cat Clan.
And as expected—
It was Natsuarashi, one of their Four Heavenly Kings.
The Leopard Cat Clan had once fought against the yokai led by Inu no Taishō. After their defeat, they were forced to leave the Western Lands and had since been waiting for an opportunity to return.
Now, with rumors of the Shikon Jewel spreading, it was obvious—they intended to use it to resurrect their lord.
Exactly as in the original story.
Kasage's intention to subdue Natsuarashi had been planned from the beginning.
In the past, his summoning beasts had been ninja cats who worked closely with the Uchiha Clan. Because of that, he understood feline behavior very well.
However, after being brought into this world through Edo Tensei, his previous summoning contract had become invalid.
He needed a new one.
And the Leopard Cat Clan—
Was perfect.
Because they were all, quite literally, cats.
For this "subjugation plan," he had prepared not only fresh fish, but also catnip, toys, and even yarn balls stored inside his Kamui dimension.
As for summoning contracts—
Kasage did not rely on Mount Myōboku.
He never had.
Someone like Jiraiya would never have brought him there. As an Uchiha who lived under the Third Hokage's era, and considering Jiraiya's position within the lineage connected to the Second Hokage—who deeply distrusted the Uchiha—there was no chance he would have been taught.
Kasage understood that reality clearly.
That was why his path diverged.
After completing a mission for Orochimaru, he had earned the chance to enter Ryūchi Cave and learn the White Snake Sage Mode.
There, he not only mastered Senjutsu—
But also studied forbidden techniques.
Among them…
The principles behind summoning contracts.
Through research, experimentation, and knowledge gained from Ryūchi Cave, he had learned how such contracts were formed—and even how to recreate them.
This contract—
Would be his own.
And Natsuarashi…
Would be the first step in this world.