Early the next morning, Fugaku Uchiha was summoned to the Hokage Tower by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
There was no need to guess the topic.
It was undoubtedly about persuading the Uchiha to voluntarily give up their war compensations and rewards.
Thanks to Jin's prior warning, Fugaku would not fall for that trap again.
According to Jin's strategy, there was only one word Fugaku needed to remember:
Delay.
Once more frontline shinobi returned to the village in the coming days, the issue of compensation would have to be addressed openly. At that point, forcing the Uchiha to "volunteer" would become politically untenable.
Of course, things rarely unfolded that cleanly. Until Hiruzen made his next move, all Fugaku could do was tread carefully.
As for Jin—
After working through most of the night, he allowed himself the rare luxury of sleeping until noon.
After a simple meal, he prepared several gifts and had Fat Orange use Reverse Summoning to bring him to the territory of the Ninja Cats.
The Ninja Cats' Domain
The Ninja Cats' settlement lay within a ruined, unclaimed zone—technically outside any nation's jurisdiction. Though it was close to the Land of Fire, Reverse Summoning was far more convenient for Jin.
Upon arrival, he handed Fat Orange a generous bag of dried fish to keep him occupied, then made his way toward the residence of the clan leader, Granny Cat.
"Stop there! Meow~"
Two small figures flashed into existence, blocking his path along a corridor.
They were cats—dressed in tiny garments—Granny Cat's personal guards.
Officially, they screened visitors.
Unofficially?
They collected tolls.
"Hinata, Denka. Long time no see. I brought something for you."
Jin handed over the prepared gifts without hesitation.
The two cats sniffed the package. Once satisfied that it contained a respectable quantity of dried fish, they nodded approvingly.
"You've got better manners than the other Uchiha, meow."
"Granny's upstairs," one of them waved lazily. "Go on."
"Thank you."
Jin stepped past them.
The moment he disappeared down the corridor, the two guards immediately retreated to divide the spoils.
Jin chuckled softly.
The Ninja Cats were amusing creatures.
They were greedy—but not excessively so.
Refuse payment and nothing would move.
Offer a single fish and doors opened.
Strangely, despite the Uchiha clan's notorious pride, they got along remarkably well with these opportunistic felines.
The world worked in curious ways.
Granny Cat
Inside the upper chamber, Jin saw her at once.
Granny Cat sat on tatami mats, dressed in traditional robes, a dark gray cat-ear ornament perched atop her head, lazily smoking her pipe.
Yes.
She was not a cat.
She was an elderly woman.
The so-called Ninja Cat clan was built by her, raising stray cats and teaching them chakra control and specialized techniques—giving them a place to survive in the chaotic shinobi world.
She was, in her own way, a powerful figure who lived by her beliefs.
Jin respected that.
"Granny Cat," he greeted with a bow. "Sorry to trouble you again."
She exhaled a ring of smoke.
"Little Jin. I heard about your performance on the Hidden Mist front. Quite dazzling."
"If your parents could see you now, they'd be proud."
Jin sat cross-legged across from her and shook his head lightly.
"Reputation is fleeting. Nothing worth boasting about."
"Too much modesty becomes hypocrisy," she replied dryly. "You've changed a great deal these past few years. Hard to read you now."
Jin merely smiled.
The original owner of this body had been fond of the Ninja Cats, and that relationship carried over. But Jin himself… was not quite the same person.
Granny Cat let it pass.
Everyone carried secrets.
"So," she said at last, taking another draw from her pipe. "You wouldn't come without reason. What do you need?"
Jin smiled.
"I'd like to commission a better ninja blade."
She raised a brow.
"Didn't you already spend your entire fortune on one before? Lose it?"
"It melted," Jin corrected calmly. "It wasn't durable enough. I need something sturdier. Resistant to high heat. Capable of enduring extreme stress."
Before the war, he had indeed commissioned a blade alloyed with a small amount of chakra-conductive metal.
Under ordinary conditions, it was exceptional.
Under the influence of Jin's flame abilities?
It had lasted only a few uses before liquefying.
Granny Cat wasn't surprised.
From the intelligence circulating, Jin's strength had grown dramatically. A lightly alloyed blade would hardly suffice.
"I can make it," she said. "But superior quality means superior cost. Can you afford it?"
Business was business.
Personal rapport meant nothing in financial matters.
She had many kittens to feed.
"Money isn't the problem," Jin replied. "But this time, I've brought materials."
He withdrew a storage scroll and placed it before her.
Granny Cat eyed it curiously.
"What's inside?"
Jin's smile widened slightly.
"You've heard of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?"
He paused.
"These are trophies from them."
The air in the room shifted.
Even the smoke seemed to still.
If what he implied was true—
Then the materials within that scroll were no ordinary metal.
They were remnants of legendary blades.
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