Chapter 19: Mikoto's Suspicion

"Kitty, what do you think my brother is always busy with?"

Sasuke sat on the wall surrounding his house. Nearby, a black cat lay down, not too close, so as not to startle the cat into running away.

It had been many days now that Sasuke would see this beautiful black cat on the wall whenever he came home. He had tried many times to catch it, but apart from that one time when Shisui helped, he hadn't been able to grab it once.

Eventually, Sasuke gave up on trying to catch it, but he still couldn't help but visit it. The cat became someone he could talk to, but only because it was just a cat, a silent companion he could confide in.

"When will Father ever notice me?" Sasuke sighed as he spoke.

"I'm top of my class at school, yet I don't get the same praise as my brother."

Ren didn't respond, only keeping his gaze fixed on the figure he could see through the window of the family's study.

"Sometimes I'm jealous of my brother. Why does he get all of Father's attention?"

As he finished speaking, Sasuke's eyes drifted off into the distance. From where he sat, he could see quite far.

The streets of the Uchiha clan's district were quiet, almost desolate.

"I just want to graduate soon, become a ninja, and finally be able to help Father."

The figure inside the study moved, as though getting ready to leave. Seeing this, Ren stood up as well.

"Do you think so too, kitty?" Sasuke asked, noticing Ren's movement.

Ren ignored the boy and quietly moved to a more concealed spot to avoid being noticed by the exiting Fugaku.

"Where are you going, kitty?"

"Sasuke, why are you always climbing up so high?" His mother's voice suddenly interrupted. Sasuke turned at the sound, leaping down from the wall.

At the entrance to the house, he saw his father also stepping out.

"Father, are you going out?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes, I have something to attend to," Fugaku responded briefly, slipping on his shoes and walking out.

Sasuke wanted to ask more, but his father gave him no chance, and all he could do was watch Fugaku leave.

"What's got you climbing the walls so often?" Mikoto interrupted his thoughts with her question.

"Oh, there's a cat up there," Sasuke replied.

"A cat?" Mikoto looked surprised, remembering that Shisui had mentioned something similar a few days ago.

But she didn't recall seeing any cats on their wall.

"It was just there..." Sasuke pointed to where Ren had been moments ago, but the spot was now empty.

"That's odd. It was just there a moment ago."

Mikoto looked toward the spot Sasuke had indicated, deep in thought. There was no sign of the cat now, but she seemed to sense something unusual. Her gaze shifted toward the study.

"Has that cat been around for several days?" she asked Sasuke.

"Yes, every day when I come home, it's there on the wall," Sasuke nodded. "It's really beautiful, but I've never been able to catch it. It's too fast."

Mikoto smiled and said, "Well, if you like cats, we can get you one to keep as a pet."

"I only like that one."

"Alright, well, I'm going to make dinner now. Your father won't be home for dinner tonight."

"Will my brother be back?"

"He should be."

"Okay."

Before returning to the kitchen, Mikoto cast another glance at the wall, her expression thoughtful.

Ren, meanwhile, cautiously trailed Fugaku from the rooftops. He kept his distance, careful not to be spotted, as he had been for the past several days. Thankfully, he hadn't been detected yet.

Fugaku wandered through the Uchiha district for a while before heading to the police headquarters. As the head of the Uchiha police force, his responsibilities kept him busy, with plenty of tasks awaiting his attention.

Ren settled on a rooftop with a clear view of the police headquarters, continuing his surveillance.

As the evening set in, Fugaku finally left the headquarters, heading back home.

Another uneventful day.

Ren returned to the Foundation to report and then headed home.

Since that day, Anko hadn't come by again, leaving Ren in peace.

...

The next day.

As usual, Ren used a transformation technique to sneak into the Uchiha district, settling into his usual spot to observe.

After several days of this routine, he had grown accustomed to moving around as a cat.

The surveillance continued into the afternoon, and once again, Sasuke appeared on the wall.

So, he's home early today, Ren thought, glancing at the boy before returning to his task.

But something was different today. Sasuke didn't sit down like he usually did; instead, he quietly moved toward Ren without saying a word.

Hmm?

Sensing the change, Ren stood up.

Again with this? Is he really not giving up?

Ren assumed Sasuke wanted to play another game of chase and looked at him with a feline expression of disdain.

But what happened next caught Ren off guard.

Sasuke suddenly disappeared from his spot and reappeared behind Ren, his hand reaching out to grab the back of Ren's neck.

Shunshin?!

Ren's instincts kicked in, and he leaped away just in time, landing on the opposite rooftop.

"You're quite something," Sasuke said coldly, eyes locked on Ren.

"A ninja cat, huh?"

Ren frowned. Something was off about Sasuke. At this point in the original story, Sasuke shouldn't have known how to use Shunshin.

"Every ninja cat in the Uchiha clan is known to us. Which faction do you belong to?" Sasuke demanded, his tone sharp.

Ren didn't answer. Since his cover was blown, there was no point in staying. He turned and began sprinting across the rooftops, trying to put distance between them.

"Trying to run?" Sasuke muttered, launching himself after Ren.

Moving around as a cat was proving to be a hindrance. To make matters worse, Sasuke was just as fast as him.

After several laps around the district, Ren headed toward the outskirts of Konoha, aiming for the forest.

This is getting ridiculous!

Annoyed by the relentless chase, Ren picked up speed.

Whoosh!

A kunai whizzed through the air, grazing Ren's fur and embedding itself halfway into a nearby tree trunk.

Ren skidded to a halt, turning to face Sasuke directly.

Sasuke stopped a short distance away, and with a puff of smoke, his form changed, revealing a tall, beautiful woman—Uchiha Mikoto.

Seeing her, Ren's thoughts raced. If Mikoto had discovered him, did that mean Fugaku knew as well?

"Can we talk now?" Mikoto asked, her voice calm.

Ren's mind was racing as he considered how to escape. This woman had the strength of a Jōnin, and revealing his true identity to defeat her wasn't an option.

Mikoto stared at Ren for a while before crouching down. "You really are beautiful. No wonder Sasuke likes you so much."

Ren: "…"

"So, are you from Cat Granny's place, Cat Spirit's faction, or from the Cat Demon Temple?" Mikoto asked again.

What is she talking about?

Ren listened, utterly confused, but he figured Mikoto was referring to different factions of ninja cats. He, however, had no knowledge of such matters.

Seeing no response, Mikoto fell silent, pondering her next move.

Ninja cats typically don't form contracts with humans, but they can be hired or traded with.

After some thought, she pulled out a long object.

A cat toy.

Ren: "…"

Mikoto waved the toy in front of Ren, which earned her an exasperated eye roll from him.

"You're not a real cat, huh?" Mikoto threw the toy aside, then pulled out a kunai.

Whoosh!

The kunai flew straight at Ren, but he leapt out of the way.

"You're not going to reveal yourself?"

As Mikoto spoke, she charged toward Ren.

Realizing he had no other choice, Ren canceled the transformation jutsu.

Poof!

The sleek black cat disappeared into a puff of white smoke, vanishing on the spot.

Mikoto froze in surprise, only to realize that the world around her had changed colors. Instead of standing in a forest, she was now at the edge of a cliff, staring into a bottomless chasm.

A genjutsu?

Her heart sank as she immediately activated her Sharingan. Seeing the abyss below, she stepped forward without hesitation, only to feel the sensation of falling, her body plummeting at high speed as the ground blurred past her.

This genjutsu is strong…

She quickly formed hand seals to disrupt her chakra flow.

"Release!"

With a sharp command, the genjutsu shattered, and she found herself back in the forest.

"Mom?"

As Mikoto scanned her surroundings, a voice suddenly called from behind. She turned and saw Sasuke standing there, though she had no idea when he had arrived.

Instinctively, she wanted to call his name but immediately sensed something was off.

"Multiple layers of genjutsu… he's already escaped!"

Mikoto quickly dispelled the second genjutsu, and Sasuke's image dissolved into thin air.

The black cat was long gone.

"Even the Sharingan was useless…"

Mikoto muttered to herself.

"His genjutsu is… that powerful…"

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[Name]: Mikoto Uchiha

[Gender]: Female

[Age]: 34

[Affection Level]: 51

[Relationship]: Fellow Villager

[Difficulty]: S

[First Kiss Reward]: Yin Release Mastery

[Intimacy Reward]: Uchiha Power

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Outside the forest, Ren, now back in his true form, was speeding away from the area.

It seems this surveillance mission is over.