Naruto: Paws and Whiskers

"Fugaku-san, nice to meet you." Takeshi greeted him, his small voice echoing. Many Uchiha clan members stared at him. Although they didn't say it directly, their doubts about this small cat were palpable. The question on everyone's mind was same, Why had Tsunade-sama specifically mentioned him?

Takeshi, nonchalant, let out a casual "Meow!" from Tsunade's shoulder. He was heavier than an ordinary one-year-old cat, but his deceptive build is due to senjutsu chakra.

"Tsunade-sama, will there be any further support from the village?" Fugaku turned his head, feeling embarrassed under the eyes of his clan. 

If Tsunade wouldn't be participating in battles, it would mean that they had no choice but to follow Minato's leadership, relegating Tsunade to a figurehead. Although Minato had earned his fearsome reputation, he was still just a young man, and many within Uchiha and Hyūga wouldn't obey him.

As for the cat and Kakashi, he didn't take them seriously. They had potential to become Elites of the village possibly in future, but lacked the influence to impact the war. In Fugaku's opinion, the village had abandoned the eastern border.

"Alright, introduce yourselves," Tsunade said lazily, waving to Minato and Takeshi, mainly Takeshi. While most ninjas knew Minato's strength, few knew Takeshi's except for couple rumors and often rumors are unreliable, most often such rumors are propagated by the villages for boosting morale.

"Hello, everyone, I'm Minato Namikaze," Minato said with a bow.

"Meow~ I'm Takeshi, a newly promoted Special Jōnin." Takeshi said, waving his casually paw. He looked cute and adorable, lacking the gravitas expected of a Special Jōnin, causing the Uchiha clan members to frown. How were they supposed to trust their lives to this cat's paws?

Minato and Rin, could already guess that Takeshi was planning on messing with them, likely planning on some mischievous pranks, hopefully it would boost some morale in the camp.

Sure enough, the next second… "Meow!" Takeshi cried out, jumping from Tsunade's shoulder. His body quickly grew. When he landed, the earth shook, creating a big crack underneath. Pebbles flew everywhere. Takeshi smacked his tail on the ground, creating a small gorge on ground like an High rank jutsu on the ground.

*Gasp* The Uchiha clan members inhaled in unison as they activated their sharingan to analyze what just happened, noticing remnants of wind release on the ground. This cute cat was deceptive. If he'd jumped on any of them, he could have killed them directly.

"So, still doubtful of his capability?" Tsunade asked, one hand on her waist, the other gesturing to the cat, now larger than a tiger, a smile on her face. "This is your…"

'Senju clan's Super Strength jutsu!' Fugaku stood in shock. The cat's strength exceeded his expectations.

The other clansmen weren't as knowledgeable, so they didn't realize what it meant for a ninja beast to be able to use Tsunade's Super Strength Jutsu. At least they no longer doubted the new Special jonin's competence. A surprise attack like that could even injure a jonin. 

Of course, Takeshi's ability to use Flying Thunder God was kept secret; the longer it remained secret, the more effective it would be in future battles.

"You've seen his strength. He has talent, and I'm teaching him a few things. Do you still doubt his capabilities?" Tsunade asked with amused smile on her face.

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama. I apologize for my previous contempt." Fugaku bowed deeply. All the clansmen followed suit, bowing to Takeshi and Minato. Although they didn't want to, but they couldn't let their Clan leader apologize alone.

Fugaku couldn't help but wonder, 'Why is Tsunade-sama teaching this cat her secret techniques? And how is this cat able to use them? We need more information! We have so many cats in the clan compound if even couple of them are able to reach similar levels then we would be unstoppable! Even Hyuga's will need to show deference to us!'

The other clan members, thinking similarly, sneakily glanced at Obito, considering ways to get information from him.

Takeshi returned to normal size, jumped lightly onto Rin's medical box, and waved to the stunned Shizune, looking cute again. She found it hard to believe that such a cute cat was as strong as a special jonin, perhaps even a fully fledged jonin.

Shizune returned to her senses and thought about it carefully, understood what jutsu Takeshi had used, and felt envy. She had repeatedly requested to learn Super Strength from Tsunade-sama, but had been rejected due to lack of sufficient strength and chakra capacity. Now, this cat had learned it within days of her Sensei's return.

"Then, Clan Leader Fugaku, let's go in and discuss how to proceed," Tsunade said.

Fugaku and Minato followed. Takeshi, planning to 'play' the remaining Uchiha clansmen, was stopped by Tsunade's glare who guessed what her feline student was planning.

"Meow~" Feeling helpless, Takeshi waved goodbye, his goodbyes especially heartfelt to the Uchiha clansmen. Just one meeting had earned him over 4,000 points, more than compensating for the points he spent for Super Strength Jutsu. But sadly, he couldn't squeeze more points from them.

"Hey, stop wasting time. No need to pretend to be sentimental, they will soon know your heart is as black as your fur." Obito urged.

"…" Takeshi glanced coldly, then jumped out of the medical box. He had plenty of time to play with everyone, and there would always be opportunities to get points, so there was no need to rush. In a blink, he was next to Tsunade and Minato.

'That was quite fast!' Fugaku observed in amazement. He'd interacted with many ninja cats, but this speed exceeded them all, 'Actually that speed might be faster than many Jonins.'

After he went in, Obito bowed and greeted his clansmen. While their relationship wasn't good, they had still taught him tips when he activated his Sharingan.

"Obito, this cat Takeshi, besides getting large, does he have other abilities?" a clan member who had been the one to teach Obito on how to effectively use Sharingan leading to having better relationship with Obito asked. While many other Uchiha clansmen were eavesdropping, hoping they wouldn't embarass themselves in future if Takeshi showed more surprising abilities. Sadly, they didn't have cameras to record the Hyoga clan's moment of embossment.

"Senpai, this… he hasn't shown his full strength, but I can't say the details," Obito hesitated. Without permission, he couldn't reveal information about his teammates, even to clan members.

Seeing Obito's hesitation, Kakashi stepped forward, sword in hand, pushing past Obito. "You're not supposed to know this information. If you want to know, ask Fugaku-san to ask our captain Minato-sensei or Tsunade-sama."

"You brat!" An Uchiha clansman stepped forward angrily. The other Uchiha's were also dissatisfied. 'How dare a chunin talk to us like that?'

The Uchiha also had many jonins and special jonins, but they never kept secrets from clan members like this.

However, the Uchiha who had asked Obito raised his hand, stopping everyone. He nodded gently in apology and said, "I was careless. I shouldn't have asked that. We still have tasks to be done.", he paused as he glanced at his fellow Uchiha's, continuing, "Let's disperse and prepare for patrol. You can do your tasks. I'll guide them to their tents."

"Yes!", The other Uchiha bowed and dispersed.

He looked around, then smiled and said, "Our camp is small. I'll have someone make arrangements for your sleeping. For now, let me guide you to a place to rest."

"Thank you, Senpai," Rin said, following him. While the trip wasn't physically taxing, she wouldn't refuse some rest. In a border camp, they had to be alert at all times. And being a Medical ninja in training, she would be working alot soon.

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