Chapter 60

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Following Kikumaru through the streets of the abandoned area, Toshiro observed his surroundings with curiosity. It was remarkable that a group of cats could form a small town, complete with shops, salons, and restaurants.

"These cats are impressive. I wonder why some summoning beasts can talk. Is it due to chakra or natural energy?" he mused. Despite his curiosity, he decided to set those questions aside for now.

Before long, Toshiro found himself in the living room of a building. In the center sat a middle-aged woman, around seventy, cross-legged and smoking a long pipe, surrounded by playful kittens.

"Hello Neko-baasama, I'm Uchiha Toshiro. Pleased to meet you," he greeted, presenting a scroll sent by Uchiha Fugaku that morning. A cat promptly delivered it to the woman.

"Hmm! These many supplies should be ready in about a month. Come back to pick them up then," she said.

"A month, got it," Toshiro responded.

Then he asked, "I requested an intelligence gathering mission through the ninja cats. How did it go?"

"Oh, so you're the one who commissioned that task?" Granny Cat replied, eyeing him with mild curiosity. She didn't ask further, respecting the confidentiality of the assignment. She rummaged through a nearby table, found a scroll, and handed it to Toshiro before returning to her pipe.

Unfolding the scroll, Toshiro carefully examined the records. He had initially assigned the task to the ninja cats within the village and hadn't come to the neutral zone himself to seek Granny Cat's help.

Since the formation of Konoha by Uchiha and Senju, the intelligence system in the neutral zone has been somewhat neglected. Toshiro wasn't confident that they could gather the information he needed, but he hoped for some unexpected insights.

His task for the ninja cats was to find areas with large-scale summoning beasts. Specifically, Toshiro was interested in locating "Forgotten Island," which he remembered from anime.

According to his memory, this island was rich in natural energy, causing the animals there to grow exceptionally large. Someone had once attempted to create the ultimate summoning beast on the island, but it had lost control and devoured everyone. Eventually, Naruto dealt with the situation.

Toshiro was eager to see if Granny Cat had found this place. With her ninja cats, searching was far more efficient than doing it alone. He held on to a glimmer of hope, looking forward to the results of their search.

As the scroll continued to unfold, the information recorded on it became clear to Toshiro.

The locations were listed as follows:

In the Land of Demons, near the Yellow Springs Swamp, there are a large number of unknown creatures. Their form is unknown, but local legend describes them as enormous and terrifying.

In the Land of Thunder, in the northern sea, there is an unknown island populated by many large beasts, including massive land reptiles. The exact location of the island is uncertain.

In the Land of Water, in the outer seas of the east, near the Land of Whirlpools, a large number of giant marine creatures, including aggressive deep-sea monsters, have been spotted. This area is a potential search site.

In the Land of Fire, on the eastern coast, there is an unknown island rumored to have many summoning beasts. This is also a suspected location.

As he studied the scroll, Toshiro reflected deeply. His memories from his previous life were hazy, making it challenging to determine the exact location of what he sought.

After a long silence, he began to eliminate options based on his recollections. The Yellow Springs Swamp in the Land of Demons was likely not the place he was looking for. This was part of a movie with a priestess named Shion. I think she asked Naruto to have a baby with him. Hahaha.

The island in the Land of Thunder, he remembered, was where Naruto later trained in tailed beast mode. It also featured a "waterfall of truth" that reflected one's inner darkness, which could be useful to visit later for training his Sharingan, which is a power inclined towards the mind.

The open sea in the Land of Water was challenging to navigate without a large ship, making it impractical to explore given his current constraints.

This left the eastern coast of the Land of Fire as the most viable option.

"Granny Cat! Do you have an accurate geographical location on the eastern coast of the Land of Fire? A detailed map would be ideal!" Toshiro asked directly, feeling entitled as the task client and confident in making reasonable requests.

She exhaled deeply, a cloud of light purple smoke obscuring her face as she pondered. "Do I have a map of the detailed location? Wait for me to find out..." she said, glancing at a nearby cat.

A white kitten, previously sitting quietly, scurried to the back of the living room to search for the information.

"Although I shouldn't ask... Toshiro-kun, I need to know, why are you looking for a place with large summoning creatures? Is there something you're planning?" Granny Cat inquired directly, following the rule of honesty with the Uchiha clan.

"I'm primarily looking for a powerful summoning beast to prepare for future battles," Toshiro replied. His answer was straightforward, mirroring what he had told Uchiha Fugaku.

He wouldn't tell Granny Cat that he was looking for a place rich in natural energy to practice Sage Mode.

One of the primary reasons for this secrecy was the possibility that Granny Cat and these ninja cats might have some understanding of natural energy. If he wasn't mistaken, after the Uchiha massacre in the original series, the ninja cats remained intact and eventually integrated into Konoha.

Although this was logical, to avoid unnecessary complications, Toshiro chose to keep his intentions secret.

Granny Cat, satisfied with his answer, didn't probe further and waited patiently.

It didn't take long for the little white cat to return, this time carrying a piece of paper in its paw. With a few meows from Granny Cat, the kitten darted out of the room, eager to play with its companions.

Ignoring the curiosity about Granny Cat's actions, Toshiro focused on the simple sketch in his hand.

"Huh, I didn't expect it to be a volcanic island..."

The map's markings surprised him. But given his mission, this wasn't a major concern. He had embarked on this journey, partly relying on luck.

With a look at the coordinates, Toshiro carefully put the map away. Then, he took out a scroll from his backpack, containing a deposit of 700,000 ryō, the remaining payment for this mission, which soon wouldn't belong to him.

The thought made his heart ache. He had painstakingly saved this money over the past two years. If he didn't find anything worthwhile this time, it would be a huge loss.

He didn't linger after handing over the payment, he set out for the eastern coast of the Land of Fire.

The mission had required a deposit of 300,000 ryō, making the total cost quite expensive—almost equivalent to a high-level A-rank mission fee.

Three days later, Toshiro arrived near the sea, where his target was located. He spent more money to buy a small boat and set out to sea. Fortunately, the island wasn't far from the coastline; otherwise, reaching it in a small boat would have been impossible.

As the boat moved slowly forward, Toshiro approached the volcanic island he had paid a million ryō to find. The closer he got, the more apprehensive he felt. He hadn't sensed anything special yet and was uncertain if this endeavor would pay off.

By the time he set foot on the island, it was almost evening. He pulled his boat ashore to prevent it from being swept away by the tide. Rather than exploring immediately, Toshiro set up camp and rested on the beach.

After three days of travel and a day of rowing, he was utterly exhausted. He'll rest for today and try to explore the island tomorrow. If it would help in his Sage Mode training…