Naruto : Start as litten.

__________________________________________P.OV Itachi__________________________________________________

I walked silently through the police station hallway, report in hand. There weren't many people left at this hour. The sun was slowly setting, casting long shadows against the walls.

The night shift would soon take over.

I entered my father's office, bowed, and handed him the final reports of the day. He took them without a word, glanced through them quickly, then gestured for me to stay.

— Serene is bringing Hinoko back today. You can go home with her. I'll return later.

I nodded without asking any questions.

I was a little curious, but I've learned how to work with him over the past three days.

If he wanted to say more, he would have.

Today marked the third day of Hinoko's training.

I thought Serene would bring her back tomorrow, but it seems I'll be seeing her sooner than expected.

Now that I think about it, I felt the void her absence left. I had really gotten used to having her around.

I'd grown used to her meowing, her purring at night, her constant presence.

It must've been her first time away from us too. I wonder how she's handling it.

I looked up at the window. The setting sun painted the clouds in orange hues. My thoughts drifted from the oversized kitten to darker matters.

Yesterday, there was an altercation between a clan member and a drunk man who had been harassing a woman on the street.

The officer tried to intervene calmly, but the drunk turned violent, striking him with a broken bottle.

If the officer hadn't reacted in time, he might've been injured. He used non-lethal force to subdue the drunk.

But during the scuffle, the man cut himself with his own bottle, started screaming and rolling on the ground.

That triggered a scandal. Despite acting to protect someone, the officer was the one accused—his explanation didn't matter.

He's the one the crowd blamed.

We've lost their trust.

Worse, after investigating the scene, I realized the wound wasn't even deep enough to cause that kind of reaction.

Did he do it on purpose?

It doesn't matter anymore.

They're not trying to understand us.

The fracture is real, and it grows deeper each day.

I need to find a way to fix this before it's too late. I'll ask Shisui-senpai for advice.

I'm sure he can help.

The sound of a sliding door snapped me out of my thoughts.

I turned. Serene walked in, smiling slightly, with Hinoko in her arms.

She looked limp, like a soggy rag.

I knew Father trusted Serene, but I couldn't help feeling worried.

I stood immediately.

— What happened? I asked, approaching her.

Serene gently handed Hinoko to me, and I held her carefully.

She stirred weakly, then curled up against me with a ridiculously pitiful meow. Her eyes fluttered half-shut, and she let out a long, syrupy purr.

She was drooling. Serene laughed.

I frowned, puzzled.

— She's… in some kind of trance?

Serene nodded and pulled a small cloth bundle from her sleeve.

— Yes. And here's why, she said.

Then she went to hand in Hinoko's training report to my father.

I opened the bundle and found some herbs inside.

Sensing my confusion, she explained:

— Catnip.

I blinked.

— … Excuse me?

— Well, since she did especially well during the last tests, I wanted to give her some as a reward... and see how she'd react. But she found it before I could give it to her. And... that's the result.

She added, almost whispering:

— She's surprisingly affectionate like this.

I looked at her. She glanced away.

I had already noticed how she looked at Hinoko, but I didn't expect her to be that susceptible to her charm.

If Hinoko found the packet, it must've been left somewhere accessible. The conclusion was obvious.

— You drugged her.

— She drugged herself, she shot back a little too quickly.

That made me smile. I was right. Seeing my expression, she continued:

— It was an olfactory exposure test. I wanted to see how she reacted to certain stimulants. Given her poison resistance, I was almost sure she'd be unaffected.

She paused.

— She wasn't.

Something ticked in my mind, and before I could ask, my father did:

— How exactly did you test her poison tolerance?

— I gave her small doses. But she detected it immediately the first time. Afterwards, she completely avoided it. The weaker toxins just don't affect her.

So she really did poison her.

I looked down at Hinoko, who was now licking my sleeve with great care. Then she tried to climb onto my shoulder, meowed into nothingness, and flopped down again.

I sighed deeply.

— She slept on it, didn't she?

— I'm not sure. The bundle was thick. But when I found her, she'd scattered most of it and was lying in the middle. She also started spitting fireballs everywhere, then calmed down, and she's been like this since.

I felt a tiny lick on my cheek.

I think Hinoko just tried to taste me.

I'll bring her home.

Then I'll pretend none of this ever happened.

It'll be fun to tease her when she's back to normal.

__________________________________________P.OV Hinoko__________________________________________________

These three days were hell.

That woman is a complete sadist.

I still can't believe everything she made me do in the name of "training."

Who poisons food with such violent stuff just for training?

I still feel nauseous.

Then there's the tracking training. Does she think I'm a dog?

Why spray my nose with that awful mist before telling me to find something?

Why poison me when I can't even smell properly?

And why trap me in illusions every time I let my guard down?

I only realized the genjutsu the first time when Itachi tried to cook me.

The only good thing about her is that she lets me eat what I want... though she sprays it with questionable substances first.

Also, she wouldn't let me sleep peacefully she used me as a pillow.

The first night, I got knocked out by the sleeping agent in my dinner.

I tried escaping after that, but she always caught me using her army of cats.

If she has that many, why not use them as pillows?

The worst part was when she figured out how smart I actually am.

She went completely nuts, teaching me things I'll never use.

Why would a cat need to know how to decrypt coded messages?

If it weren't for the fact that every training triggered a quest, I'd have set fire to the place.

I'll collect the rewards once I'm home, but I've already gained the experience.

But I'm relieved. It's finally over. Once she's out of the bathroom, I can go back to Itachi.

I miss Mikoto's cooking.

But before that... I'll make her pay for all this.

First, I need to figure out what's in the bundle she's been trying to hide from me since yesterday.

Sharpening my claws, I tore it open in one swipe. A puff of green powder hit me in the face.

— ...fuck?

Name: Hinoko

Species: Litten ♀

Level: 23

Natures: Timid, Jolly

Ability: Blaze

Status: Adopted (Owner: Itachi Uchiha)

Evolution Condition: Level 17 (additional conditions not met)

[Known Moves]:

Scratch – Normal – Physical

Growl – Normal – Status

Tail Whip – Normal – Status

Odor Sleuth – Normal – Status

Ember – Fire – Special

Roar – Normal – Status

Quick Attack – Normal – Physical

Fake Tears – Dark – Status

Bite – Dark – Physical

Fury Swipes – Normal – Physical

Sucker Punch – Dark – Physical

Double Kick – Fighting – Physical

Fire Fang – Fire – Physical

Thrash – Normal – Physical

Substitute – Normal – Status

Flame Charge – Fire – Physical

Acrobatics – Flying – Physical

Mystical Fire – Fire – Special

[Quêtes actives] : 

[Quest: Complete genjutsu resistance training

Reward: A random Psychic-type move]

[Quest: Successfully decrypt the message

Reward: One random Psychic talent]

[Quest: Complete poison resistance training

Reward: Move – Toxic – Poison – Status]

[Quest: Complete stealth training

Reward: A random Dark-type move]

[Quest: Complete three days of training with Serene while impressing her

Reward: Clue about ????].