Raj extended a paw, halting the kitten's approach.
"What's going on, meow?"
"Meow, the Uchiha are here again. We don't know what they want, and Lord Matatabi is still asleep, so we decided to capture them first," Amakusa replied respectfully.
The Uchiha? Raj was intrigued.
Most of the Uchiha Clan's forces were stationed outside Konoha.
The ones here must be children.
'But you can't even handle children?'
Its eyes swept over the Blue Cat, filled with suspicion.
"Meow! No, we tried our best to catch him, but this guy is slippery. Even at such a young age, his Illusion Technique and Body Flicker Technique are already incredibly advanced..." Amakusa quickly defended himself.
Illusion Technique, Body Flicker Technique, young age.
Combining these three conditions, Raj could only think of one person: Shisui.
'Has that kid come to Cat City?'
"Meow~ Keep chasing him, but don't forget to train."
Raj had initially planned to follow and investigate, but after a moment's thought, he decided it wasn't worth getting involved with these idiots' antics.
It would lower his own dignity.
Besides, he was just a child.
Even if he were Shisui, he'd only be a tiny thing right now, and Raj wouldn't be able to farm many points from him.
"Meow!"
Upon hearing this, Amakusa immediately darted off to resume the chase.
Raj headed toward the main hall of Cat City.
Uzumaki Ori had gradually adapted to life here.
Yesterday, her quarters had been moved to a room inside the city, near the balcony.
Raj knew the location well and quickly made his way there.
However, as he stood outside the door, he hesitated.
Before he could decide, the door swung open from within.
"Lord Raj, what brings you here today?" Takuma asked, bowing slightly.
"Meow~ Just checking in and following up on yesterday's instructions," Raj replied, stepping inside.
He had half-expected to find something inappropriate, but Takuma's room was impeccably tidy, with no clutter or stray clothes.
'Hmm, why am I a little disappointed?' he wondered inwardly.
Unlike Rin, Takuma was already fourteen years old, a critical age for girls when they experience rapid development.
Some girls at this age are already nearly fully developed.
Having wandered as a stray with little to eat, Takuma's growth had been stunted.
But after living in the castle for a while, her nutrition had clearly improved.
"I've already sent A'Shui to handle the task you assigned, Lord Raj," Takuma reported.
"A'Shui doesn't mind the rain and has a gentle temperament, making it well-suited for tracking and surveillance work. We received word from other cats today that it has already reached the Land of Rain."
'Hmm... sounds quite reliable,' Raj thought.
Raj had Takuma sign the spirit blood contract yesterday, so there was nothing more to do today.
If there were no further tasks, Raj planned to return home.
However, after taking only a few steps...
"Hmm? Master, be careful! Someone's approaching!"
"Meow~ Let me see."
Raj strolled toward the balcony.
In truth, he had faintly heard someone climbing the wall outside around the same time Takuma sensed them.
However, she relied on her perception, while Raj relied on his own hearing.
Just as he reached the edge of the balcony, a hand gripped the railing.
Raj leaped onto the railing, peering down to meet the eyes of a small boy.
Judging by his appearance, it was indeed Shisui.
"Uh, kitty... I-I'm not a bad person."
A bead of sweat trickled down Shisui's forehead.
He desperately tried to reassure Raj, hoping it wouldn't attack, while simultaneously straining to climb higher.
But in the next moment, he saw the cat's paw slowly extend toward his hand.
'No! Don't!'
The four-year-old boy's heart filled with terror.
If that paw struck, he would surely be knocked down.
Normally, that wouldn't be a problem, but right now, he had barely any Chakra left.
"Meow~ Goodbye."
Raj waved at him, then carefully pried his fingers off the railing, one by one...
"Get rid of you? No, no! I'm not a bad person! I just wanted to see what the legendary Cat King looks like! Please...," the boy cried out.
Takuma felt a pang of worry, but she didn't intervene.
Raj wasn't that kind of cat; the boy wouldn't die, just get a good scare.
"Aaaah!"
By the third finger, Shisui could no longer hold on and plummeted downward.
His scream was so piercingly desperate it tugged at Takuma's heart.
Startled, she rushed to the railing.
But by then, Raj's tail and fur had already shot down.
Moments later, Shisui was caught mid-air by the cat fur and tail.
He had stopped screaming.
Raj immediately yanked him back up and placed him before Takuma.
After checking him over, Takuma sighed in relief.
"My lord, he's just fainted from fright."
"Meow~"
Raj pondered for a moment, then carried Shisui into the main
Hall.
Hearing the scream, Amakusa and the other cats had rushed over.
Seeing Raj's tail wrapped around Shisui as he returned to the hall, they stood back in awe.
"You may all withdraw. He's unharmed."
Takuma waved her hand dismissively.
Amakusa bowed slightly and led the other cats away.
Raj placed Shisui in the center of the grand hall, then transformed into a peculiar white cat with eyes narrowed to slits, giving it an odd appearance.
Yet it seemed to be searching for something.
"Meow~ Takuma, fetch me a wooden staff."
"A wooden staff?"
Takuma found the request strange but went to her room to look.
Having no such thing, she reluctantly dismantled her mop and brought the handle.
'A mop handle? Well, it'll have to do.'
Raj used a transformation technique to turn the mop handle into the Cat Sage's hammer-like wooden staff.
He then sprawled in a chair, waved a paw at Takuma, and settled back to wait for Shisui to awaken.
Shisui had been thoroughly terrified.
His Chakra had been nearly depleted, and Raj had pried his fingers apart one by one.
By the time he fell, he was in a state of extreme panic.
When he finally awoke, his eyes ached fiercely.
'What's going on? Am I dead?'
Shisui's mind flashed back to the moment he fell.
When he opened his eyes and saw the dim surroundings, he instinctively assumed he was dead.
But it didn't take long for him to realize something was off - he seemed to be in a room.
He opened his eyes wider and looked ahead.
The next moment, he saw a strangely shaped cat.
White, slightly plump, and holding a peculiar wooden mallet, it didn't seem like much of a threat.
Just as he thought this, the cat's hand suddenly grew longer and larger.
It raised the mallet and began striking Shisui's head, each blow excruciatingly painful.
"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!"
"Meow~ I am the Cat Sage of Ninja Cat Castle, child. This is your punishment for trespassing.