Naruto: Paws and Whiskers

Aizawa's imagination just couldn't keep up.

His understanding of Takeshi was still stuck at the Jonin level, and he knew next to nothing about Minato's true strength. That was to be expected. Aizawa was only a Chunin, to him, Jonin were the ceiling, and the Kage of the great villages were figures so far beyond his world he couldn't even fathom their power.

How could he have known that the small cat sitting before him had spent the last few weeks trading words with the Third Raikage and Third Mizukage? Takeshi hadn't mentioned any of it, of course. Bragging wasn't his style.

After sharing a few stories from the front, Takeshi announced he was going to ask the Third Hokage about a house and left. Aizawa held back for a moment before turning to Rin. "I heard we were fighting both Kumo and Kiri," he said. "How did it end so fast?"

"You'd have to ask Takeshi for the full story," Rin replied. "I only know a little. He and Minato-sensei captured Kumo's Two-Tail's jinchuriki along with another jinchuriki, Killer Bee. On top of that, Takeshi badly wounded the Third Raikage, so badly that he needed Tsunade-sama to heal him. After that, Kumo surrendered." She paused. "As for Kiri... Takeshi and Minato-sensei captured their Mizukage."

A proud smile touched Rin's lips. It wasn't just for Minato, but for Takeshi, too. Some might find it strange to idolize a cat, but to her, it was simple. He was family, and watching him become so strong filled her with pride.

*Pfft!*

Aizawa had been listening with growing excitement, but the more he heard, the more surreal it all sounded. He nearly choked. 'Was it all just two of them?' he thought. 'Did anyone else even do anything?'

"Tsunade-sama is incredible, too," Rin added with genuine feeling. "The moment she arrived on the eastern front, she completely reorganized the three camps and mixed the squads. If she hadn't, our defensive lines would've been broken in a dozen places."

As a father, Aizawa just listened, not daring to speak. What Rin and Takeshi had been through was so far beyond anything he had ever experienced, or even dreamed of. All he could do was offer his silent admiration. As for sharing his own war stories? Forget it. His tales felt small and insignificant in comparison.

Megumi didn't overthink it the way her husband did. She just felt proud. Even if they hadn't taught Rin and Takeshi much themselves, seeing her children accomplish so much filled her with a quiet joy.

--**--**

"So, Takeshi-sama, you wish to purchase a house?"

"Meow."

"And you are certain you want to use your merits for it?"

"..."

When he'd arrived at the Hokage's Tower, Takeshi had figured buying a house would be a hassle. But the moment he told the Third Hokage his plan, Hiruzen was visibly pleased and fast-tracked the whole process. Less than half an hour later, he was at the final step: confirmation and site selection.

A map of Konoha was spread out before him. The dizzying array of clan symbols made Takeshi's head spin. He stared at it for a long moment before coming to a single conclusion: he couldn't make heads or tails of this map.

"Takeshi-sama, this is the Akimichi compound, this is the Nara clan compound, this is..."

The agent was sharp. Selling a house to a cat was a first for him, but the principles were the same. He held up the map and started pointing out landmarks, using the major clans and famous Jonin as reference points. Suddenly, the map started to make sense.

'Okay, so where's a good spot?' Takeshi thought it over. Two places were definitely off-limits. First, anywhere near Tsunade's place was out. The woman was a degenerate gambler, and he didn't want debt collectors knocking on his door. Second, he needed to steer clear of Minato's house. He was fond of Minato, but dealing with Kushina's temper was a risk he'd rather not take.

After a bit of searching, his eyes lit up. There. A perfect spot.

"Here," he meowed, tapping a location with his paw.

"Let's see... on this street, there's only one house for sale, and it's adjacent to the Gekko clan's grounds. Are you sure?" the agent asked again. Clans tended to be tight-knit, sometimes even exclusionary. Living among them could be less comfortable than living near civilians or a minor clan. Of course, strength changed things, but the agent wasn't sure how powerful this black cat really was. He was just offering a polite warning.

For Takeshi, that wasn't a problem.

"I'm on good terms with Special Jonin Naoki Gekko." Takeshi replied.

"Understood. The Third Hokage has instructed me to handle everything for you. Shall I complete the process, or would you or your family like to inspect the site first?"

"I trust the village." he meowed.

If he could be lazy, why do the work himself? He was happy to let the agent handle it. No one would dare swindle the village, and the village wouldn't swindle him over something so minor.

Besides, it wasn't exactly "buying" a house, since he didn't spend a single ryo. The cost was deducted from his merits, merits he'd earned for wounding the Third Raikage, defeating the Ay-Bee Combo, and capturing both Killer Bee, Yugito Nii and the Third Mizukage. The value of those deeds far exceeded the price of one house. He could probably buy another and still have merits left over.

Hiruzen had been worrying about how to properly reward him, so Takeshi's request was a welcome solution. For the first time, the Third Hokage found himself thinking the cat was almost approachable.

Still, he couldn't let his guard down. That cat had a knack for causing trouble at the worst possible moments.

'By the Sage, I'm so tired,' Hiruzen thought, rubbing his temples. 'I really should retire.'

He used his crystal ball to watch Takeshi finalize the housing choice and head home. Breathing a sigh of relief, Hiruzen shifted his gaze. He couldn't watch the cat all day, there were others who needed monitoring, like Tsunade, and the new guest from Kumo, Yugito.

'Right, the Two-Tails jinchuriki is staying at Minato's place. I wonder if there'll be any trouble.'

He focused the crystal ball on Minato's house, peering at the exterior and wondering if he should check inside when-

*CRASH!*

A figure was sent flying through a wall.

'What the hell?!' Hiruzen shot to his feet, nearly dropping the ball. 'Was that the Two-Tails jinchuriki?'

He saw Kushina emerge from the house, her expression wary.

'Where is Minato? Of all the times for him to be gone...' He turned to the shadows in his office. "Get over there and explain the situation to Kushina! Tell her the truth before she accidentally kills our guest!"

"Yes, sir!"

An Anbu flickered away. Any later, and someone might die.

But before the Anbu could arrive, Takeshi had already heard the commotion. He pinpointed the sound and raced over.

When he got there, he saw Kushina pinning Yugito to the ground with one hand. Yugito was trying to fight back with the Tailed Beast's power, but she was no match for Kushina, who had her completely subdued and was giving her a savage beating.

Kushina noticed Takeshi's approach. Keeping a wary eye on Yugito, she turned and asked, "Takeshi? Do you know who this is?"

"Nope, never seen her before." he meowed.

"You damn cat!" Yugito seethed, her body trembling with rage. "What did I ever do to you? Help me!"

What grudge, what animosity, to see her getting beaten like this and have no sympathy Hearing Takeshi's denial, Kushina actually paused. She gave it a moment's thought before slapping a series of sealing tags on Yugito. A jinchuriki was too dangerous to leave unrestrained. She'd wait for Minato to get back to sort out the details.

"Where's Minato?" she asked Takeshi. "Didn't he return with you?"

"He got back ages ago. Who knows where he's off messing around," Takeshi answered nonchalantly.

'He's probably at Mount Myoboku studying that sage chakra Rin extracted,' he thought. 'But I'm not going to guess out loud. Better to play dumb.' He found a legitimate-sounding excuse for himself, then hopped down in front of Yugito. He looked at her expression of pure despair and felt a sliver of sympathy. She really was having a rough time.

"She's the Two-Tails jinchuriki," Takeshi explained. "A guest of the village. She's supposed to be staying here with you."

Kushina immediately helped Yugito up, though she made no move to remove the seals.

Inside Yugito, the Two-Tails sensed the black cat's chakra signature, then found that a pile of seals had been added outside. Now, not to mention sensing anything, she couldn't even see the world outside the window or talk to Yugito.

'That damn cat! It must be his fault again.' Matatabi wasn't usually bad-tempered, but at that moment she was fuming, grinding her teeth. 'This has to be his doing! Every time I run into him, it's nothing but bad luck!'

"Oh, I see," Kushina said, bowing slightly to Yugito. "Well, in that case... welcome."

The Anbu agent hiding in the trees nearby hesitated, then decided his presence was no longer needed and slipped away.

Yugito was reluctantly pulled inside. Kushina looked at the splintered hole where her front door used to be and sighed. She'd have to call someone to fix it. Again.

"Right, Takeshi," she said, turning to him. "Did you need something?"

"I was just checking on the noise, meow... By the way, Kushina-nee, could I have a strand of your hair?"

"My hair?" A smile lit up Kushina's face at the 'Kushina-nee,' but the request was odd. "Why do you want my hair?" she asked cautiously.

The black cat leaped onto her shoulder. "I met a red-haired girl on a mission in the Land of Grass," he whispered.

Kushina's eyes went wide with shocked joy. A red-haired girl? 'An Uzumaki!' a jolt of hope shot through her. She wanted to press him for details but remembered their guest inside. She led him out into the yard, put up a privacy barrier, and then turned back to him, her voice trembling slightly. "Did you... did you save her?"

"I saw her hair was the same as yours, nee-san, so I helped her," Takeshi nodded. It wasn't the real reason he'd saved Kanna, but the important thing was that he had. "She doesn't want to come to Konoha, so I settled her at the Ninja Cat Fortress for now."

Kushina paced back and forth, beaming. She wanted to grab Takeshi and go find her clansman right this second, but she knew she couldn't leave the village. She forced the impulse down.

After a moment, she knelt down to face him.

"Takeshi," she said, her voice soft. "Could I ask you to bring her here to meet me? I... I'm the only Uzumaki I've ever known, really. The last one... she passed away more than ten years ago."

She was thinking of Mito Uzumaki.

This was exactly what Takeshi had been hoping for. He had come to build a bridge, after all. He wouldn't refuse.

===============

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