Naruto: Paws and Whiskers

"I... I can't move my body anymore..." Obito collapsed onto the forest floor, panting heavily. His hand clenched tightly around the small, squirming form of a forest rat. The triumph of finally catching the elusive creature was overshadowed by the toll it had taken on his body. 

To corner this slippery rodent, he had resorted to opening the Gate of Opening and activating his Sharingan, pushing himself beyond his limits. Now, his legs gave out beneath him, and his breath came in ragged gasps.

Nearby, Kakashi was faring no better. Though still on his feet, his posture betrayed his exhaustion. His body trembled slightly, his breaths uneven, but he refused to let himself collapse.

A quick glance at Obito, clutching his prize, only strengthened Kakashi's resolve. He still hadn't caught a rat, and the thought gnawed at him more than his fatigue.

Without his signature **lightning chakra** to enhance his speed, Kakashi found himself at a rare disadvantage. His natural agility was impressive, but it only made him slightly faster than Obito's base state.

When Obito opened the Gate of Opening, however, the gap between them became glaringly apparent. The sheer disparity in raw physical prowess forced Kakashi to confront a bitter truth: in terms of taijutsu and physical conditioning, he was not as strong as Obito.

After what felt like an eternity of chasing shadows through the undergrowth, the team called for a brief respite. Collapsing into a small clearing, Kakashi, Rin, and Obito sat in silence, their chests heaving as they caught their breath.

 For the first time since Takeshi—a small but infuriatingly smug ninja cat—had imposed this grueling training regimen, they addressed him not with groans or glares but with genuine gratitude, even before he could start taunting them.

"Thanks for the training," Obito managed between gasps, his voice earnest despite the sweat dripping down his face.

Kakashi nodded in agreement. "It's harder than I expected, but... it's a wake-up call."

Even Rin, usually quiet and focused, offered a small smile. "We needed this," she said simply.

Despite their exhaustion, they believed this training was beneficial, serving as a wake-up call from the high of becoming Chunin. 

Takeshi, perched lazily on a nearby branch, was momentarily taken aback. He had been gearing up for his usual barrage of taunts and insults, fully expecting them to whine about the difficulty. Their unexpected gratitude threw him off, and his planned insults fizzled out like an unlit firecracker.

Of the trio, Rin needed the least prodding. Ever since she had started training in medical ninjutsu, her discipline and work ethic had been remarkable. Takeshi often found her unwavering dedication a stark contrast to the boys' antics. 

She rarely complained, even as the training grew more arduous. Her perseverance stood out, and Takeshi, in his own roundabout way, respected it.

If she hadn't been so supportive and understanding, Takeshi might have been kicked out long ago. Her attitude toward him, despite his mischief, was crucial.

If he had gone home with Obito then, he might've been kicked out long ago.

Rin was active in her training and learning, never complaining or asking for rest. After half a day, she ate a soldier food pill and continued running without a murmur. Her dedication was commendable. 

Though her physical skills didn't progress as quickly as the others, Takeshi had no doubt that her hard work would pay off in the long run.

If she wasn't willing to work hard, kept complaining and fight for her survival, Takeshi would've chosen another summoner.

As the team kept trying to catch rats, Takeshi decided to take a nap on a tree. 

Kakashi and the others were slightly confused by his absence but continued their earnest training. 

Despite their shortcomings, Kakashi and Obito never slacked off when it came to training. However, this didn't change the fact that Takeshi was a simp. 

During breaks, Obito kept taking the initiative to speak to Rin, often earning scolding from Takeshi.

Their training continued for several days. Initially, Takeshi was energetic, but he soon realized something was amiss... 'Was I tricked into this task?' He wondered what Minato and Jiraiya were up to.

What has Minato and Jiraiya been up to recently? Takeshi kept wondering since he was idle. So as he kept wondering, the more sure he became that he might have been fooled.

'Did those two trick me into babysitting?' he muttered under his breath, his ears flattening in irritation. 'Minato's request seemed sincere... but Jiraiya... Oh, he probably planned this!'

The more he thought about it, the more certain he became. Minato's quiet earnestness and Jiraiya's cunningness made for a deadly combination, and Takeshi realized too late that he had likely walked right into their trap. His tail twitched with annoyance, and his mood soured.

This started a cycle of suffering, of Pain! for Obito and Kakashi. The more Takeshi thought about it, the more upset he became, and the more he targeted them. Simple cursing and taunts were no longer effective against them. 

Losing to a mouse puppet might have been a significant blow to their pride, but Takeshi thought it unnecessary. The puppet's peak speed required even Takeshi to open the Gate of Opening to catch it, with his base strength and racial benefits making his speed after opening the Gates far greater than Obito's for the same gates.

"Meow~ So boring!" Takeshi complained one afternoon, watching the trio struggle from his perch. "At this rate, we'll be here forever."

Bored and restless, Takeshi opened the system store to browse for distractions. His eyes lit up as he scrolled through the familiar interface. Previously, he had been saving for high-tier items like the Rasenshuriken, but now his priorities shifted. 

The looming threat of war had him reconsidering his options. Currently, it seemed that Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Konohagakure were preparing the landscape to their advantage.

In that case, it might be better to buy something else. like Sage Mode, he mused, pausing on the listing. It was priced at a hefty 15,000 points, but the cost seemed to decrease slightly every time he consumed Luxury Cat Food. With enough patience—and food—he might unlock it naturally.

Even the risk of losing control over natural energy and becoming a stone ornament didn't seem as concerning with theLuxury Cat Food posing no risk, he focused on that for now. Maybe after some time, he wouldn't even need to buy Sage Mode.

Scrolling through the store, Takeshi's old temptations started creeping back. Gacha! With the mouse puppet proving useful, he considered he might get lucky again. It was about how to use the tools effectively.

Takeshi started rubbing his paws in excitement and decided to look at the prize pool. He was disappointed to find no expensive or valuable items today. Despite his disappointment, he decided to try his luck.

He started scanning through each of the prizes, 8 were food items, 6 were ninjutsus and techniques, with one of the jutsu making him confused. As for the remaining 6, they are some strange toys. But one of them caught his attention, as Takeshi felt it might be useful against Kakashi and Obito.

Without hesitation, the Gacha began.However, after receiving his draws, he got two packs of Special Cat Food and other miscellaneous items, He didn't lose points, but didn't get the ninjutsu or toy he wanted.

In the past, Takeshi would have stopped at this point, but this was the current era of Takeshi. His curiosity about the toy was strong, so he decided to try again. This time, he got lucky, receiving a ninjutsu and the toy he wanted.

Takeshi, who would have stopped here before, was really curious about the "Daruma." So he invested another thousand points. Perhaps because of the previous cushion, he was lucky this time, receiving the "Counter-Attacking Daruma" toy as he wished, along with a secret jutsu.

But the jutsu... it was Konoha's Secret jutsu, One ThousandYears of Death! Takeshi was confused why the system categorized this as ninjutsu, then he stared at his claws and wondered. This jutsu might be alright for humans, but with his sharp claws...

As he accepted the jutsu, the system prompted him to use it by making a tiger seal with his claws, then poking from behind. 'This is far too cruel!' Just thinking about it made him cringe, but the system added more instructions...

'This system is cruel!' Takeshi muttered, horrified. 'What kind of monster do they think I am?'

As Kakashi, Rin, and Obito were still training, it couldn't be used now.

The Daruma is about the size of a 9-year-old child. After taking it out, the system prompted Takeshi that this object could change shape as decided, for people to beat. 

But as the name says, it will fight back. Just like the mouse puppet, the more chakra is injected, the stronger the counterattack's power and speed.

Takeshi's eyes lit up. Wonderful! With this treasure, the rest of the training wouldn't be tough. The Gacha was well worth it, as he not only got 7 packs of foods but the Daruma and One Thousand Years of Death!

Not long after,TheThree gathered together, preparing to take a break. Takeshi stood up, appeared in front of them, and said, "Meow~ While you are resting, I went to the Nekomata and got some things back." He then took out a pack of special cat food.

The three were quite tired, but only Obito mustered enoughStrength to speak and asked, "What is this?"

"Special cat food. This will help you recover meow~." Takeshi said, throwing it over.

Feeding humans special cat food was a first for him, so he gave them a lower quality one. If there were any side effects for humans (because their species was too subpar compared to cats!), the expected effects were stamina and some chakra recovery. Long term usage would lead to even a normal cat having enough chakra to use it.

"Cat food?" Obito asked skeptically, eyeing the package. "Are you serious?"

"Of course I'm serious!" Takeshi snapped, his tail lashing. "What, you think cat food is inferior to human food? How insulting!"

Obito quickly spoke, "I don't have an issue with this, but Kakashi..."

"I'm fine with it." Kakashi forced himself to sit up. If cats could eat it, why couldn't people? When his father was still alive, Sakumo shared tales of missions where he once had to fight a dog for food while injured and on the verge of chakra depletion.

So for Kakashi, as long as it could be eaten, he would eat it.

"What about you, Rin?" Obito looked at RinInDespair, only to find she was already tasting it.

After a few seconds, Rin took a few more bites and said slowly and weakly, "It's not poisonous, and it will help with stamina recovery. It's slightly better than Soldier Food Pills."

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