Naruto: Paws and Whiskers

Chapter 246: Don't worry, I'll take you to eat your way through Konoha

"Meow..." Nekomata could do little more than flick his tail, a frantic, desperate motion. He didn't even know why his tail was moving, only that a familiar dread had settled deep in his bones, the kind of feeling that came right before a butchering.

'Damn it,' He thought, filled with a sharp regret. 'Why didn't I just beat up that black cat when I had the chance? It's too late now. I can't win against him.'

"Relax," Tsunade said, stroking Nekomata's head with a surprising gentleness. "I'm easy to get along with. I was just giving you some special training these past two days. See? You're much stronger now, aren't you?"

"Meow?" Nekomata paused, stunned. It did feel true. The cat was certainly faster and stronger than he had been before.

But then he reconsidered...

'That's not right! If you weren't such a monster, I wouldn't have had to run and hide all over the place. I could have been back at the Ninja Cat Fortress, living like a king. Takeshi would have even brought me cat food. It was a perfect life.'

And his life with Tsunade? He was chased from dawn to dusk. Some days, he wasn't sure if he was a cat or a dog.

Still, what could he do? Resigned to his fate, Nekomata lowered his head in a gesture of reluctant agreement.

"That's the spirit," Tsunade said with a grin. "I'll treat you to a real feast when we get back."

Takeshi, who had been cautiously approaching, froze at the word "feast." A deep sense of foreboding washed over him. He knew that while Tsunade had recently come into a large sum of money, it had all gone toward paying off her gambling debts. She was, or would soon be, completely broke again. That was just how gamblers were, and following one meant you didn't see many good days. He wouldn't have believed a word she said, but Nekomata, poor thing, still seemed to have a little hope.

'So innocent,' Takeshi thought, backing away into the shadows again.

Minato, oblivious to the scheme taking shape, was chatting idly with Tsunade. Kushina, however, noticed Takeshi hiding and padded over, crouching beside her.

"Why are you hiding here?" she asked curiously.

"Meow. I'm just going to wait a bit," Takeshi replied, lying flat on the grass with no intention of moving closer.

Kushina tilted her head, confused, but she didn't have to wonder for long.

"I heard you've been keeping Yugito confined," Tsunade said to Minato. "Why not let her out for a bit? It's not good to be cooped up all day."

'Yugito?' Kushina's eyes widened as everything clicked into place. The promise of a feast from a penniless Tsunade, the sudden interest in their Kumo 'guest'... This was about to get expensive for someone.

A practical thought immediately followed. "Does Yugito even have money?" If she didn't, letting her out would just mean Minato or Takeshi would get stuck with the bill, and Kushina considered that a personal loss.

"Meow. She does," Takeshi confirmed. "The Third Raikage gave her a fair bit when the compensation supplies came from Kumo." Part of it was a thank you to Tsunade for treating his hand, and the rest was spending money for Yugito. She wasn't just solvent, she was rich.

"Good." A sly smile spread across Kushina's face. She walked over to Tsunade. "Tsunade-sama, I only kept her inside because Jinchuriki can be a danger to themselves and others. But if you think it's alright, then letting her out is fine by me."

"Excellent! Let's go get her and have that feast together," Tsunade declared, her spirits high.

Kushina eagerly started to follow, then paused, realizing her own body was back at the house. 'Why am I getting so excited? I am a shadow clone.'

"Tsunade-sama, I'll go lure her out," she said, dispelling the clone. The thought of scamming someone from the Kumo put a real spring in her step.

Minato wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. "Tsunade-sama, is this really... proper?"

"Meow," Takeshi chimed in from the grass. "She's living in Konoha, and we're protecting her. Shouldn't she pay a little for protection fee?"

"That's right, let's go!" Tsunade agreed, clapping her hands.

Outvoted and outmatched, Minato sighed and hurried to catch up. One reasonable person stood no chance against this crew.

A few minutes later, the group converged back in the village. By then, Kushina had already tricked Yugito into leaving. Her method was simple: she left the house, "accidentally" forgetting that no one was watching their guest. Yugito, observing from a window, was immediately suspicious. Kushina's timing was too convenient.

Still, after a few minutes of watching, she saw no sign of Kushina or anyone else lying in wait. She hesitated. It felt like a trap, but the lively sounds from the village streets, the promise of freedom... it was too tempting. A moment later, she was climbing out the window.

'Really? No one's watching?'

Yugito darted into the shadows of the eaves, then crept along the wall and silently vaulted over it. Minato's walls weren't particularly high, and her taijutsu was strong enough that she didn't need chakra to make the climb.

Hidden nearby, Kushina watched her go. 'They really train them well in Kumo. Even their kids are skilled.' She slipped out and began to follow.

Once clear of the house, Yugito removed her Kumo forehead protector and tucked it into a pocket. Her accent was a little different, but without the headband, she wouldn't be instantly recognized as a Kumo-nin on the streets of a village that wasn't exactly friendly with her own.

'Konoha is so prosperous,' she thought, her eyes wide. 'There are so many more people than in Kumo, and so much food!'

Nii Yugito excitedly ran over and bought a few skewers of food.

She excitedly ran to a nearby stall and bought a few skewers of grilled meat. The smell was so fragrant, she nearly wept. For the past two days, with Minato away, Kushina had been cooking. The memory of that food was a culinary nightmare. Yugito wolfed down the skewers in seconds.

She didn't linger. There were too many food stalls in Konoha, staying at just one felt like a waste. A few steps away, she spotted a sushi restaurant and immediately rushed inside.

"Hey, give me one of every kind of sushi you have!"

The owner chuckled. "Little girl, you think you can eat all that?"

"No problem," Yugito answered without hesitation. "I've been starving for days."

She turned to find a seat, but a voice stopped her.

"Give me one of everything she ordered, too." Tsunade stood right behind her.

"Meow. I don't need fish sushi or onigiri. Just a whole grilled fish for me," Takeshi added.

"Meow, meow! Fish for me too!" Nekomata followed along.

"I'll have some as well..." Kushina chimed in with a grin.

"Uh, I... I don't need anything," Minato stammered, too embarrassed to freeload off a twelve-year-old girl.

Yugito spun around, her expression shifting from confusion to bewilderment as she stared at Tsunade, then at the two cats, then at Kushina and a mortified Minato. The restaurant owner was just as stunned by the sudden crowd, but his eyes widened in recognition.

"Tsunade-sama! Minato-sama! Please, please, come in! This meal is on the house today."

"Meow, no need," Takeshi said, pointing a paw directly at Yugito. "This lovely young lady is treating us."

Tsunade and Kushina nodded, then pulled the stunned girl over to a large table as if they were the best of friends. If one listened closely, however, their whispers told a different story.

"If you don't treat us, we'll report you for sneaking out."

"Buy us a meal, and maybe you can come out for a walk every day."

"So, are you treating or not?"

Yugito understood perfectly. She had fallen right into their trap. It wasn't negligence, Kushina had planned this from the start. This woman was after her money.

'The people of Konoha are too cunning!' She wanted to cry, but staring at the smug faces of these Konoha shinobi, she stubbornly pushed the feeling down. She would channel her grief and indignation into her appetite.

'So what if I'm treating? Fine! As long as I can get out of the house in the future, it's just a protection fee.'

Minato sat awkwardly beside Takeshi. He disapproved of the whole affair, but with everyone else in agreement, he could only follow along, hoping he could secretly pay for part of the bill so Yugito wouldn't lose too much.

But when the sushi arrived, his plan fell apart.

"Oh, Minato, this one's your favorite," Kushina said, snatching a piece from Yugito's platter and holding it out to him.

"This one is delicious, too!" Tsunade added, helping herself to another.

"Meow!"

'You jerks!' Yugito screamed internally. 'If you want to eat, eat your own! Why are you stealing from my plate?' She had ordered one of every kind, but in the time it took to blink, half of it was gone. She wanted to weep. Was happiness, when shared, still happiness? No. It was just profound sadness.

"Don't you worry," Takeshi said, his face a mask of pure innocence. "You're a guest in our village. We'll take you to all the best restaurants and let you eat your way through Konoha, meow."

If Yugito didn't know she was the one paying, she might have actually been touched.

Eat her way through Konoha? A chill ran down her spine as she began to worry about the fate of her wallet.

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