Jiraiya tapped his finger against his chin, a mischievous glint in his eye. "So, you agree? Great! Though I am curious, how will Shinku Yuhi handle his new role?"
Takeshi, a sleek black cat with piercing red eyes, sighed, shaking his fur vigorously. Droplets of heavy night dew scattered in all directions. Easy for him, he thought, cats were built for shedding water.
But Jiraiya... He lowered his head, gazing at the meat in his hand, and then took a deep breath to suppress the anger in his heart. With his meal ruined, he threw it into the fire like throwing a Kunai.
Then calmly pulled Takeshi over and said, "As for Asuma, train him like Obito. Don't be afraid of the old man. But if you push him too hard, he'll get stubborn. Then you'll have to deal with it."
"Meow! Most stubbornness comes from not getting enough beatings. Many cats are like that." Takeshi's ears perked up, a hint of challenge in his voice.
Jiraiya's hands itched. He suddenly saw merit in Takeshi's words. This cat didn't get enough discipline as a kitten, that's why he's so troublesome.
But he held back, remembering Takeshi's value. The cat's ability to use Flying Thunder God would be crucial in the coming war. Only a handful of people in the village knew – Team 7, the Third Hokage, Minato, and Jiraiya himself. He couldn't risk revealing anything.
But Jiraiya whispered, He leaned in, lowering his voice. "Be careful with that jutsu. Don't let Asuma's team know."
Takeshi blinked in surprise, then nodded slowly, understanding. No Flying Thunder God in front of Asuma or the others. The fewer who knew, the better.
But thinking about Asuma who is so weak, and being so fragile 'He might actually have a mental breakdown, if he knew I can use Flying Thunder God.' What if after Asuma's mental breaks down, he runs away from home? The mind of a naughty child can never be guessed.
Takeshi lowered his head and thought about this, and suddenly felt that something was a little wrong. 'Kakashi, Asuma, Obito...have I become a manager of naughty children?' He shook his head. 'Whatever. I can handle it.'
Shinku would owe him a favor for training his daughter, improving her chances of survival. Takeshi planned to exploit that.
"My novel's plot is almost at the Chunin Exam, hehehe..." Jiraiya boasted, a smirk playing on his lips. He didn't elaborate, but Takeshi noticed Shibi Aburame, unnoticed until now, slump in a corner.
The poor fellow looked haggard, thinner than usual. Jiraiya must have dumped all the work on him, only leaving a shadow clone to help. Miserable, Takeshi thought, sympathy stirring within him.
But for Takeshi, this was good news. The sooner the novel was finished, the sooner he got his royalties. He'd open a Cat Parlor, just like the Inuzuka clan had their dog parlor. Even if he was his only customer, it would be worth it.
He pondered for a moment and asked, "Any hurdles in plot you are facing, meow?"
"My ideas are flowing like waterfall, there is no problem at all." Jiraiya gave a thumbs up.
"Meow~" Takeshi nodded heavily. Jiraiya said that there is absolutely no problem, which means there is definitely a problem, otherwise, with his ability, how could he write so smoothly.
Takeshi isn't being biased here, Jiraiya's thought process has some problems, so Takeshi strongly requested to read it, and Jiraiya agreed without hesitation. While commenting he will let Takeshi experience his superb writing style.
Takeshi hurried to his sleeping tent to read it. After reading, his heart gradually sank... While there is no problem with the plot, but what's the matter with the strong vulgarity in this story?
How could readers connect with a protagonist as perverted as Jiraiya himself? Jiraiya was a Sannin, a respected Elite Jonin. But this protagonist? A cheap caricature. This is painful, Takeshi thought, cringing.
While being abit perverted is not an issue but the degree of it matters quite abit. Icha Icha series was popular but for Takeshi still story just seemed disgusting.
"How about it, do you admire my writing style and creative ability? You should be glad that only I can write this story, and no one else would be able write it." Jiraiya boasted shamelessly, without any self-awareness.
Takeshi started thinking, 'Maybe this is Jiraiya's preferred style. And maybe he felt forced to write inspirational stories like 'Tale of Gutsy Ninja', which likely bored him. Yet his diligence cannot be ignored. He has written so much in a few days. But important question is should this be published?'
If Tsunade sees it later, it doesn't matter about other things, but the way protagonist interacts with the heroine and how disgustingly perverted he is. Once she puts herself in the shoes of the heroine, she might... Hiss! Takeshi couldn't help but shudder.
He could only hope that Princess Tsunade was too lazy to go back to the village, or that she didn't
have money to buy the book because she gambled it away somewhere. Otherwise, Jiraiya would be in deep trouble, and Takeshi might get dragged in too. The life of a cat is hard, he lamented.
As he was leaving Jiraiya's tent, Takeshi felt that his life was suddenly in full crisis mode. He had to become stronger, at least he had to survive under Tsunade's wrath.
Takeshi was about to return to his tent, but just as he was about to leave, Jiraiya suddenly called out and said, "Don't leave yet, come with me."
'Meow? Where will he be bringing me so late? Could it be...' Takeshi thought of something bad in his mind. Does this guy want to peek, and wants this cat to assist him?
"What are you thinking about with this expression on your face? We are just going to a meeting." Jiraiya patted the cat's head gently.
'Meeting? Excellent! As long as I can make those Jonin's uncomfortable, I can earn points, so why wouldn't I do this.' Takeshi followed with earnest expression.
Unfortunately, the Jonin present were only Jiraiya, Kura Uchiha, and Minato.
"Jiraiya-sama."
"Kura-san, please give your report again." As soon as Jiraiya arrived, he asked Kura to repeat what he said before.
Kura began narrating events related to the Kirigakure. Since the fall of Uzushiogakure, Kirigakure has been largely inactive over the last decade. Their strength is a mystery, and Kura shared some insights about their current state. For example, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, their Ninja Academy policies, etc.
After listening, Takeshi turned his head and stared at Jiraiya, and couldn't help but feel a little confused: "Meow?"
"You killed one of the Seven, and stole one of the Kiba Blade along with Kabutowari, so you have to be careful. In addition, if the Kirigakure makes a move, you and Minato may need to act separately." Jiraiya explained.
"..." It feels like the Seven swordsman's fault, but now it's not the Seven Ninja Swordsmen but the Six. After all, they killed the Kabutowari wielder and took that away and added layers of powerful seals so it cannot be summoned back.
In addition, although the Kiba blade was given to Kakashi, it was also layered with powerful seals.
'They might actually attack Kakashi.' Takeshi pondered for a while, and suddenly his eyes lit up and said: "Since the threat from the Kirigakure is so great, it's not safe for me to have Kakashi with me. It's better for him to stay within the camp and train meow."
"Huh?" Jiraiya looked at the Takeshi in confusion. 'You little brat would've been a good politician, often finding loopholes in everything.'
Fortunately, at this time, Minato smiled and said: "Don't worry, we will send one more person to train them with you. The manpower has been thought of, so you don't have to worry."
"Meow?"
'They really are well prepared, demons are always one step ahead of angels. Tsk!' Takeshi sighed as he nodded, pulling back his tears.
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