Naruto: Reborn as Neji Hyuga After Dying in One Piece

Chapter 19 - 19. Cat

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The next morning—

Team 3 gathered at Training Ground Seven.

When Neji and Tenten arrived, they found Guy already deep into his usual "warm-up" leading Lee through a brutal set of hundreds of pushups.

Each number shouted louder than the last, echoing across the field.

Tenten winced.

"They're going to be exhausted before we even start our first mission!"

Neji just smiled faintly.

"For them, this is merely a warm-up."

He didn't bother mentioning the real concern:

Tenten, you're wildly overestimating the difficulty of a genin's first mission.

Her eyes drifted downward curiosity flickering.

"...By the way," she said, squinting at the bundle cradled in Neji's arms, "where did you find such an ugly cat?"

Neji glanced down at the creature curled contentedly against his chest.

"Found it on the way here," he said simply. "It's scrappy, but it probably belongs to someone. I thought we might return it later."

Tenten shrugged.

"Well, maybe we'll find its owner after the mission."

Guy, spotting their arrival, executed a single-handed pushup with a grunt springing upright with impossible grace to greet them.

The force of it made even Neji pause internally.

His control over his body... it's extraordinary.

Lee finished his own pushups and staggered to his feet, radiating determination.

Guy beamed at his team.

"Excellent! You're all on time!" He flashed his signature Brilliant Smile!

"My YOUTHFUL spirit couldn't wait so Lee and I already began celebrating with some warm-up training!"

His teeth practically threw sparkles across the morning air.

Tenten, exasperated but curious, stepped forward.

"Sensei, what's our first mission? Escort work? Bandit clearing?"

Neji noted her hopeful tone and almost almost felt a little bad for her.

Guy's eyes gleamed.

"An excellent question, Tenten! Our first mission, our FIRST glorious YOUTHFUL assignment is none other than...!"

Lee and Tenten leaned forward eagerly.

Neji already knew what was coming.

Guy thrust a crumpled piece of paper into the air.

"—CAT CAPTURE!"

"...Huh?" Tenten blinked.

"Cat... capture?"

Tenten's shoulders slumped.

So much for bandits and heroism...

Meanwhile, Lee furrowed his brow thoughtfully.

Cats are agile, he reasoned.

Fast, unpredictable truly a worthy training challenge!

His blood began to boil with excitement.

Guy-sensei is so wise!

Guy, oblivious to Tenten's despair, flourished the paper dramatically.

"This, my precious students, is our target 'Little Tiger,' beloved pet of the Fire Daimyo's wife."

He held up the wrinkled photo proudly.

Or rather... tried to.

The sweat-stained, partially torn paper made the cat's appearance almost unrecognizable.

Still, Neji recognized the creature immediately.

And so did Tenten, who gawked at Neji's arms.

"Wait a second..." she murmured, her gaze sharpening.

Neji remained serenely silent, gently stroking the scruffy ball of fur snuggled against his chest.

"Sensei," he said mildly, "this cat... I found it on the way here."

Tenten's jaw dropped.

Guy and Lee peered closer.

A twitching tail flicked lazily from Neji's arms.

Three slitted eyes, sleepy and disdainful, opened briefly to glare at them.

Then the cat yawned, snuggled deeper into Neji's warmth, and resumed napping.

"Little Tiger!" Guy yelped, nearly dropping the photo.

The cat lazily flicked its tail again, utterly unimpressed.

Neji continued petting it calmly as if this were the most natural thing in the world.

Guy stared in disbelief.

He turned to Neji, voice cracking slightly.

"Neji — how did you catch it? This cat's a legend among genin teams! It evades entire squads for days!"

Neji tilted his head thoughtfully.

"I just sensed it nearby, called to it, and it came to me."

Tenten giggled, unable to hold it back any longer.

"I saw it too," she added smugly. "Neji didn't even have to chase it!"

Guy nearly wept.

'So much planning... so much youthful passion... utterly crushed by pure coincidence...'

He swallowed hard, blinking rapidly.

'No! This too... this too is part of Youth!'

Meanwhile, Lee was still staring at the cat's tail hypnotized by its lazy, mesmerizing sway.

He swayed slightly himself, eyes starting to spiral.

Tenten, smelling blood, leaned forward.

"Guy-sensei," she said sweetly.

The hair on the back of Guy's neck stood up.

Danger.

He could smell danger.

"Ahem!" he coughed. "Tenten if you have something to say, say it clearly! Youth must not be wasted!"

Tenten's smile sharpened.

"Since we've completed our mission... what's next?"

She leaned closer.

Her unspoken message was clear:

Give us a real mission.

Something harder.

Guy flinched inwardly.

Well then! His heart screamed.

It's time to burn with YOUTH!

"Very well!" he roared, pounding a fist against his chest.

"For our next task, we shall honor YOUTH by... HANDSTANDING around the ENTIRE VILLAGE! FIFTY LAPS!"

"YES, SENSEI!" Lee shouted instinctively.

There was a brief silence.

"...Lee?"

Guy turned, blinking.

"Lee?"

Lee was wobbling dangerously.

Still staring at the twitching cat tail, he murmured:

"Sensei... Little Tiger's tail is so powerful... so dizzy... Is this part of the training too...?"

Before Guy could react, Lee collapsed sideways into his arms.

Guy caught him like a falling flag, staring helplessly at the Sky.

'Ahh... so this too... is Youth.'

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