Shin-chan tilted his head and looked at the orange cat, then sat down on the ground with a thump.
The orange cat's tail stiffened for an instant.
"What are you doing?"
"Misae said that when talking to cats, you should crouch down, because cats don't like looking up at people." Shin-chan crossed his legs and rested both hands on his knees.
The orange cat narrowed its eyes. "You're not afraid of us?"
"Why would I be?" Shin-chan blinked. "You're not going to eat children."
"How do you know?"
"Because you're cats." Shin-chan said it as if it were obvious. "Cats only eat canned cat food and dried little fish."
The orange cat was silent for a few seconds, as if trying to judge whether this human cub was actually serious.
"The Dog Clan attacked your patrol team, and then what?" Shin-chan asked.
"Then we lost three warriors." The orange cat's voice lowered. "The seeds of hatred had already been planted."
"I don't really understand your affairs, but..." Shin-chan thought for a moment. "If someone bullies your family, it's right to be angry. But you can't be angry at everyone else too. Otherwise, more and more people will end up angry."
The orange cat's tail slowly lowered, and it sat down across from Shin-chan.
"You're a strange human."
"Other people have said that too." Shin-chan scratched his head. "What's your name?"
"Kitsujiro."
"Kitsujiro." Shin-chan repeated it once, then held out his hand. "I'm Nohara Shinnosuke. You can call me Shin-chan."
Kitsujiro looked at the hand extended toward him and did not move.
"Shake."
"I'm not a dog."
"I know. You're a cat." Shin-chan stretched his hand forward a little more. "But cats can shake hands too."
Kitsujiro stared at that hand for several seconds, but in the end, he still didn't extend his paw.
Shin-chan didn't mind. He pulled his hand back and wiped it on his pants.
"You should leave," Kitsujiro said. "This is not a place humans should come."
"But we still haven't found Shiro." Shin-chan remained where he was.
"What Shiro?"
Shin-chan transformed into Shiro's appearance, wagged his tail, then changed back. "He disappeared last night."
Kitsujiro's pupils shrank. "A royal of the Dog Clan."
"Royal?" Shin-chan's mouth fell open.
"The royals of the Dog Clan are all pure white," Kitsujiro said in a deeper voice. "From ancient times until now, there has never been an exception."
"But there are lots of white doggies in Konoha."
"Royals are pure white, but pure white does not necessarily mean royal."
"Then that's settled." Shin-chan clapped his hands. "So Shiro isn't necessarily—"
"But," Kitsujiro interrupted him, "here, white means royal."
Uchiha Toru's brows furrowed.
Huiling had hidden this from them.
From the very beginning, it had known what Shiro meant. But not only had it not said anything, it had also brought Shin-chan, transformed into Shiro, inside.
Kitsujiro was silent for a few seconds, then turned and called out behind him.
A tabby cat jumped down from a rock, walked over to the orange cat's side, and looked Shin-chan up and down. "You're looking for a white dog?"
"Mm."
"Over that mountain." The tabby cat pointed in a direction with its tail. "There's word that a royal of the Dog Clan is at the camp over there."
"Thank you." Shin-chan bowed to the tabby cat.
The tabby cat shifted to the side, as if it had never expected a human to bow to a cat. "No need."
"Let's go, Toru." Shin-chan tugged at Uchiha Toru's sleeve.
The two had just taken a step when Kitsujiro's voice came from behind.
"Wait."
Uchiha Toru stopped and turned slightly.
"The white dog you're looking for. What is its name?"
"Shiro."
"Shiro." The orange cat repeated the name. "After you find it, take it away from here."
"Why?"
"Because this place will soon become a battlefield." The orange cat's voice was calm. "The Dog Clan will not let this go, and we will not back down. The next time we meet, it won't be as simple as taking one camp."
Shin-chan looked at the orange cat, then suddenly crouched down, reached out, and gently patted the top of Kitsujiro's head.
The orange cat froze completely.
"What are you doing?"
"Petting you." Shin-chan said it naturally.
"I can tell that." The orange cat's tail puffed up like a feather duster. "I'm asking why you're petting me."
"Because you look really tired." Shin-chan withdrew his hand. "My mom said that when you're tired, having someone pat your head makes you feel a little better."
The orange cat stared at him for several seconds. Then its tail slowly lowered and returned to normal.
"What else did your mother say?"
"She also said you have to brush your teeth after eating, dirty clothes shouldn't be thrown around, and you mustn't bully little animals."
The orange cat's whiskers twitched. No one knew whether it was laughing.
"You should go."
Shin-chan waved at its back, then walked with Uchiha Toru toward the slope.
On the road, Uchiha Toru said quietly, "Some things don't add up."
"What things?"
"A white dog means royalty in the Dog Clan," Uchiha Toru said slowly. "Huiling is responsible for searching for the prince. There's no way it didn't know that."
Shin-chan's steps slowed.
"It knew from the start." Uchiha Toru turned slightly and looked at Shin-chan. "It didn't bring you inside because it mistook you for a lost clan member."
"Then why?"
"Because it needed a white dog."
Shin-chan's brows twisted together. "But Huiling helped us."
"Helped us..."
From behind the bushes came a very soft crack.
Uchiha Toru's words stopped.
He and Shin-chan turned at the same time.
The leaves of a low shrub trembled slightly, then went still.
Shin-chan tilted his head and looked for a while, then walked over and pushed the leaves aside.
Behind the bush crouched a little orange kitten, carrying a small cloth bundle of the same color on its back.
When it saw Shin-chan staring at it, the entire kitten froze. It remained half-crouched, one front paw still raised in midair before it could put it down.
Their eyes met.
The little orange kitten blinked.
Shin-chan blinked too.
Then the little orange kitten whooshed its head back behind the fern leaves.
The leaves shook a few times.
Everything went quiet.
About ten seconds later, that leaf moved again.
An orange head slowly peeked out, as if it believed that as long as it moved gently enough, it wouldn't be discovered.
"We can see you," Uchiha Toru's voice came from behind.
The little orange kitten's ears pressed back, and the whole cat visibly wilted.
"I wasn't following you on purpose." The little orange kitten's voice still had a bit of childish softness. "I just... I just..."
It repeated "I just" twice but still couldn't explain itself.
"Where are you going?" Shin-chan crouched down, resting both hands on his knees.
The little orange kitten's ears twitched, and its voice was very small. "I just... wanted to ask you something."
"What?"
"Are you going to the Dog Clan's territory?"
Shin-chan turned back and glanced at Uchiha Toru. "If Shiro is there, then we'll go."
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 70 Chapters Ahead of Others!