Naruto: Mastered Your Strategy?

"Sasuke, aren't you going to school? You'll be late."

"It's Saturday today!"

"Oh dear, Mom forgot."

Little Sasuke, already dressed, walked out of his room. His father was sitting in the living room reading a magazine, and his mother was tidying up the dishes.

After greeting them, Sasuke asked, "Where's my brother?"

"He's already out. He has a mission today," Mikoto said with a smile.

"Really? He promised me he'd help me train today," Sasuke pouted, clearly displeased.

"If it's shuriken practice, I can help you," Mikoto offered, still smiling.

"It's not practice, it's training," Sasuke corrected her, emphasizing the difference.

After quickly finishing his breakfast, Sasuke hurried out the door.

"I'm heading out."

"He's such a hardworking child," Mikoto said as she watched Sasuke rush away.

"That level of effort is nothing," Fugaku commented without looking up from his magazine.

Mikoto rolled her eyes and ignored him.

Sasuke was about to leave the courtyard when he noticed a black cat perched on the wall. He stopped in his tracks.

"Whose cat is that?"

The cat's fur was glossy and jet black, and it had beautiful gem-like eyes that seemed almost intelligent, staring calmly at Sasuke from its high vantage point.

The Uchiha clan was known for being fond of cats, and many families kept cats, even ninja cats. But Sasuke thought this was the most beautiful cat he had ever seen.

He couldn't resist the urge to pick it up and give it a good cuddle.

"Come here, kitty," Sasuke said, opening his arms and beckoning to the cat.

The black cat looked at him with an expression that seemed to say, "Idiot!"

Sasuke: "..."

Usually, this worked on other cats.

Undeterred, Sasuke leaped onto the wall, intending to grab the cat, but the black cat jumped onto the opposite rooftop just as Sasuke got close.

Sasuke hesitated for a moment, then jumped after it, but as soon as he landed on the roof, the cat leaped back to the wall.

"Damn it!" Sasuke growled and chased after it again, but each time he moved, the cat jumped away.

After several rounds of this, Sasuke started to feel tired. He finally stood still, and the black cat also stopped, looking back at him with a smug, superior gaze.

"Agh!" Sasuke felt like he was losing his mind.

"Hey, Sasuke, what are you doing?"

A familiar voice called out from the street below. Sasuke looked down and saw a familiar face.

"Shisui, help me catch that cat!" Sasuke pointed at the black cat.

"A cat?"

Shisui looked in the direction Sasuke was pointing, and the black cat looked back at him. The two shared a brief moment of mutual recognition.

"Why do you want to catch it?" Shisui asked, his expression a little strange.

"It's too fast. I can't catch it," Sasuke explained.

You wouldn't be able to catch it in a million years, Shisui thought to himself.

"You can't force a cat. They respond to kindness, not aggression," Shisui said, then mimicked Sasuke's earlier action, opening his arms toward the cat.

"Here, kitty, kitty, come here."

"...."

The black cat looked at him with the same "idiot!" expression and didn't move.

Shisui, feeling embarrassed, furiously signaled to the cat with his eyes.

The cat sighed but eventually jumped into Shisui's arms.

Shisui immediately smiled triumphantly and began petting the cat, only to get scratched.

Sasuke, now back on the ground, looked in amazement at the cat in Shisui's arms. "Why? I did the same thing just now."

"Maybe... you didn't show it enough affection," Shisui said seriously.

Sasuke nodded, somewhat understanding, while the cat in Shisui's arms rolled its eyes.

"Can I hold it?" Sasuke asked eagerly.

"Uh..." Shisui hesitated, glancing down at the cat, which was now glaring at him with an expression that clearly said, "You better not."

"Of course," Shisui said, carefully handing the cat to Sasuke, keeping a firm grip on its paws so it couldn't lash out.

"Hold it tight, don't let it escape."

Sasuke gently took the cat and held it close, marveling at how soft and beautiful it was.

You're dead, the cat's gaze seemed to say to Shisui, who pretended not to notice the hostile look.

"Is your brother home?" Shisui asked.

"He's out on a mission," Sasuke replied while stroking the cat, only to get scratched as well.

Shisui slapped the cat lightly. "Behave!"

"Hey, what are you doing?!" Sasuke scolded, glaring at Shisui.

"It scratched you," Shisui replied, feeling wronged.

"That doesn't mean you can hit it!" Sasuke said, continuing to soothe the cat. He was surprised that the cat didn't seem angrier after the slap.

"...Where's your father?" Shisui asked, changing the subject.

"He's at home," Sasuke replied, still irritated.

"Come on, kitty, let's go train."

Sasuke carried the black cat off, leaving Shisui behind. The cat poked its head out from Sasuke's arms and glared at Shisui.

Shisui couldn't help but chuckle and gave the cat a "Don't worry, I've got this" gesture before heading into Sasuke's house.

On the first day of his surveillance mission, disguised as a cat, Ren (Ren) was accidentally taken away by Sasuke, who mistook him for a regular cat.

"Kitty, do you have an owner?"

"Why aren't you meowing, kitty?"

"I'll count to three. If you don't meow, I'm going to be your new owner."

"3..."

"Meow~"

"Alright, let me ask again. If you don't answer by the count of three, you're mine."

"..."

"3...2! 1!"

"..."

"I'm going to give you a name."

Sasuke held the black cat up, staring into its eyes as he pondered deeply.

"You're so beautiful. How about... I call you Little Black?"

"..."

"Wait, let me check if you're a boy or a girl."

Ren finally couldn't take it anymore and began to struggle furiously, scratching Sasuke's hand. Sasuke, startled by the pain, let go, allowing the black cat to escape.

This dumb little brat, Ren thought as he leaped onto a nearby rooftop, glaring at Sasuke below.

What a waste of my time.

Ren was about to continue toward Sasuke's house when Sasuke called out again.

"Little Black, where are you going?"

You're the one who's Little Black, your whole family is Little Black! Ren thought angrily.

"You don't like that name? Fine, I'll come up with a new one."

"Wait, kitty!" Sasuke followed, worried the cat might get lost.

Ren, feeling increasingly annoyed, leaped across rooftops until he disappeared from Sasuke's view.

Sasuke, disappointed, finally gave up and left. After a while, Ren returned, making sure Sasuke was gone before continuing his mission.

Finally.

Just then, Shisui emerged from Sasuke's house, surprised to see the black cat still sitting on the wall.

He jumped over to where the cat was, reaching out to pick it up.

Get lost

The cold expression from the cat made Shisui's hands freeze in midair, and he awkwardly retracted them.

"I thought you were off training with Sasuke," Shisui said.

"Don't you know I'm on a mission?" the black cat—Ren—snorted.

"What's the big deal? The clan leader's daily movements are hardly a secret. I can tell you everything. Besides, didn't I say I've got your back?" Shisui replied casually.

"Sasuke's still just a kid. What's wrong with spending time with him?"

"Why don't you spend time with him?" Ren shot back.

"I've got things to do," Shisui said, laughing awkwardly.

"What did you need to talk to your clan leader about?" Ren asked.

"That's outside the scope of your mission, isn't it? Are you planning to eavesdrop on conversations now?" Shisui teased.

Ren ignored him.

Shisui shrugged. "Last night, a large number of ANBU and police units were suddenly mobilized. Do you know what that was about?"

Ren hesitated.

"I just heard from Fugaku that it was because four idiots messed up an genjutsu experiment, which got the police involved and caused quite a stir," Shisui explained.

"Four idiots?" Ren asked, suspicious.

"Yeah, over near the forest on the north side of the village."

Ren: "..."

"You seem like you know something about it," Shisui said, noticing Ren's reaction.

"Those four tried to pick a fight with me, so I taught them a lesson with some genjutsu," Ren said nonchalantly.

Shisui blinked, then laughed. "Now that's a rare sight! That kind of thing was common right after the war ended, but these days, hardly anyone tries to mess with you. You must've done something to piss them off."

Ren shot him a look but remained silent. Based on what Genma had said at the time, he had a pretty good idea of what had happened.

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