Miwa Masayo's appetite had actually increased as well—at least three times what it had been before she mastered senjutsu.
But compared to Yoru, whose intake had exploded tenfold, even twentyfold—
Her increase didn't seem that exaggerated anymore.
To the point that she didn't even notice something strange—
Her body size hadn't changed at all.
The Cat Castle had some limited trade with Mount Myōboku and Ryūchi Cave. They sold daily goods, seasonings, building materials, and in return acquired rare minerals and plants.
Over time, although the ninja cats couldn't learn senjutsu themselves, they gradually came to understand its signs.
For example—
Once senjutsu was mastered, both toads and snakes would suddenly eat far more—
And grow significantly in size.
The one cat in Cat Castle who had somehow grasped senjutsu—
Was also the largest ninja cat there.
But Miwa Masayo was different.
What she cultivated was senjutsu chakra—
Yet influenced by Yoru, her development leaned more toward an internal evolution of life itself, rather than physical enlargement.
So her size barely changed.
And since she was… well—
A bit of an airheaded cat—
She never reported it to the Granny Cat.
As a result—
No one in Cat Castle even knew she had succeeded in senjutsu.
Yoru, for his part, was very satisfied.
If she had grown to the size of a leopard, it wouldn't have been a problem—
But then…
How would he ever look forward to a cat-girl transformation?
What, a musclebound gorilla-cat girl with arms thicker than his waist?
Absolutely not.
A cat-girl should be small, soft, fluffy—
That's the whole point.
…Though—
Hypothetically—
If it wasn't a gorilla-type—
But something like a seductive dark panther girl…
Or a domineering tiger lady…
"…Not impossible."
Anyway—
The real issue right now wasn't that.
Miwa Masayo's question—
Was very real.
Yoru—
Was broke.
A B-rank mission paid 120,000 ryō.
Normally, that was a lot.
Even the most expensive ramen in a newly opened shop—chashu ramen—was only 450 ryō.
Three meals a day—
That alone could last three months.
And Yoru cooked at home most of the time.
Even with care and effort, a full meal for one person and one cat cost less than 150 ryō.
That money should've lasted over half a year.
But now—
With one doing foundation building and the other training senjutsu—
Their appetites had exploded.
In just ten days—
Yoru's wallet was empty.
Even his savings were nearly gone.
Money—
Really could crush a hero.
More than once, while checking his wallet, Yoru had thought about heading into the Forest of Death.
Catch a wild boar—
That alone would last two days.
But he couldn't.
Every inch of land in Konoha—
Everything on it—
Belonged to someone.
A tree.
A rabbit.
All owned.
Either by a clan—
Or directly by the Hokage.
Private property.
Children under ten could gather and hunt freely—
That was an agreement between Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.
But an adult ninja like Yoru?
At best, he could pick up fallen branches for firewood.
Hunting?
He'd get fined—
And it would cost more than just buying meat.
That's feudal systems for you.
"…Starting tomorrow, I'll check the mission center."
"Good meow. But what if there aren't suitable missions?"
"Then I'll take whatever's available. As long as I leave Konoha, getting meat won't be a problem."
"Then I'm coming too, meow."
"I look forward to it."
Outside Konoha—
The forests, rivers, and swamps of the Land of Fire were also owned—
But by nobles.
And nobles—
Didn't have the ability to track what a ninja did on their land.
Even if they saw a ninja roasting meat—
They wouldn't dare say anything.
Unless they had a death wish.
Ninja were contradictory beings.
Inside the village—
In front of others—
Or when bound by missions—
They followed rules.
But outside—
With no witnesses—
No restrictions—
They were free of all restraint.
Nobles who didn't understand that—
Didn't live long.
…
The next day—
After running two and a half laps around the village—
Yoru returned home.
And found—
A letter at his door.
The sender—
Was Fugaku Uchiha.
Thinking it was a clan assignment, he opened it immediately.
Then froze.
"…Uchiha Itachi has been born."
"…The day after tomorrow is his one-month celebration."
"…Damn it."
"How did I forget this?"
Regret hit instantly.
If he had paid more attention earlier—
Could he have interfered?
Prevented this?
Honestly—
If not for Itachi Uchiha—
Neither Danzo Shimura nor the Third Hokage would have had the perfect blade—
Or the perfect scapegoat—
To carry out the massacre.
They would hesitate.
They would stall.
Even someone like Obito—
Couldn't execute such a plan alone within Konoha.
The Uchiha might have survived—
Until the day the Third lost all support—
Until the Fifth rose to power—
And the crisis would dissolve on its own.
If Obito were dealt with too—
Even safer.
Yoru suddenly felt like he had lost an entire fortune.
A peaceful, easy life—
Slipped right through his fingers.
"…Damn it."
No.
Something was wrong.
His expression sharpened instantly.
This emotion… isn't right.
Ignoring the discomfort of sweat-soaked clothes—
He immediately entered stance—
Settling into stillness—
Examining the state of his mind.
In his inner world—
The monkey had changed again.
No longer the golden monkey—
But a white-furred gibbon, long arms hanging low.
The moment Yoru saw it—
It saw him.
And began struggling wildly.
So… anxiety over money feeds it too.
But what's the difference between this white gibbon and the previous red ape…?
What kind of inner fire created that crazed, defiant monster before?
Yoru could still think calmly—
Because this time—
The resistance was weak.
His will was stronger.
His dantian's resonance more powerful.
The gibbon's struggle barely caused any disturbance.
With a final shrill cry—
It shattered into white fur.
And in the end—
Only the golden monkey remained again.
It looked the same—
But its eyes—
Seemed sharper.
Smarter.
So… it gets more cunning each time.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Then—
From the scattered white fur—
A strange sound echoed.
"Dang… dang…"
The fur lifted—
As if blown by wind.
Yoru's scalp tingled.
What is this?
Aside from the mind-ape… there are other manifestations?
As the white fur dissolved—
A small creature appeared.
A piglet.
No bigger than a fist—
Yet with tusks longer than its own body.
Yoru's eyes narrowed.
Dangkang.
A manifestation of the spleen—earth attribute.
A sign of abundance.
Good.
Very good.
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