Chapter 187: Chapter 187: Animal Instinct
Chapter 187: Animal Instinct
The atmosphere in the training ground gradually quieted.
The old cat stood before Ryosuke, nervous and uneasy.
The chain of surprises had overwhelmed him with joy, yet now, that same joy made him tremble. Reflecting on his earlier arrogance during the battle, a hint of fear crept in.
Ryosuke sensed his unease and was slightly stunned. For now, he set aside his thoughts about the Devil Fruit’s power.
He focused instead on the shift in the old cat’s expression. After a moment of thought, he understood.
Ryosuke could guess what the old cat was thinking—his expression was too transparent.
Though the old cat had lived a long time as a feline, as a newly "born" human, he was still young and inexperienced.
"There are some things we need to make clear."
Ryosuke looked at him calmly. "To be honest, before all this, maybe because you were smarter than ordinary cats, I let you stay in our house. But... I never really saw you as family. Just a pet cat I could play with now and then."
He was skilled in saying what people wanted to hear, capable of deceiving others so thoroughly they’d help count the money after being sold. But now, with this "new" human, he had no intention of lying.
"That fruit is indeed precious to me and Hinata," he continued. "But not that precious. What I truly value is how its power is created—how it gives ordinary people extraordinary abilities. So, as long as you cooperate with my tests, I won’t harm you."
The panic on the old cat’s face faded slightly.
Still, with his hands behind his back, he remained tense.
"Besides," Ryosuke added, "doing something cruel to you wouldn’t benefit me. I have no reason to make you hate me. I don’t think that fruit is unique—I believe there are more out there. So there’s no need for you to worry or be afraid."
His words were blunt. But the more direct they were, the more sincere they felt—even if they weren’t easy to hear.
The old cat didn’t interrupt or raise any questions.
Instead, as Ryosuke spoke, he grew calmer.
He stayed silent for a long time, as if deep in thought.
The training ground fell into silence once again.
Neither of them spoke. Ryosuke remained patient.
Time passed. A soft breeze stirred the leaves.
Finally, the old cat—with a feline head and human body—looked up. His eyes were serious as he asked an unexpected question:
"So how can I become your family... or partner?"
"Become... my family?"
Ryosuke blinked, a strange glint flickering in his eyes.
He had expected the old cat to ask about conditions, maybe propose an agreement. But instead, he focused on family?
"Maybe... can we sit down and talk for a while?"
During that brief silence, the old cat’s eyes regained their familiar calm—the same look he had as a feline.
"Maybe no matter the species, once we grow old, we all feel sadness and loneliness. I wanted to talk to you about the past for a long time, but... I didn’t know human language."
"Now I’ve regained my youth, extended my lifespan, and gained power. It all hit me so hard that I lost myself for a while."
"But now I’m calm. And more than strength or youth, I want to ask: are you willing to listen to an old cat talk about some boring things from the past?"
There was a subtle plea in his tone.
"Let’s sit under that tree over there," Ryosuke said, not refusing.
He could tell this was important to the old cat.
They moved beneath a large tree. Ryosuke leaned against its trunk.
The thick branches and leaves shielded them from the noon sun.
In the quiet forest, the cool shade made the space feel peaceful.
"Although technically, we’re not that different in age, other cats would already have children and grandchildren by now."
Once seated, the old cat spoke slowly.
"Unfortunately, when I was young, my heart was elsewhere. Now, in my old age, I feel lonely. It’s too late to make up for lost time."
As if reminiscing, he began sharing his story.
"I was a wild cat since I can remember. Always wandering, never settling."
"But it wasn’t so bad. I had lots of siblings. We wandered together, so I wasn’t lonely."
"We lived in the wild. Fought animals in the forest. Hunted for food."
"As the years passed, my siblings died off, one by one. Wounds, sickness, age... Eventually, I was alone."
"My strength failed me. My body weakened. So I came to Konoha to survive."
After recalling his rugged first half of life, he spoke of what came next.
"You may not believe it, but after arriving in Konoha, I gained a lot of weight compared to when I was in the wild."
He chuckled dryly.
"Sure, I got hurt sometimes. Village cats would challenge me. But those pampered cats weren’t a match for a seasoned hunter like me."
"As long as I stayed away from those ninja cats, I could win most fights."
"With food given, stolen, or scavenged from humans, I ate more in one meal than we ever got fighting tooth and claw in the wild. Sometimes I wonder—what was the point of all that struggle before?"
In his first life, he lived on animal instinct. A predator surviving the wilderness with his kin.
"Those days of hunting and hunger faded after I came to Konoha. Once I settled down, I began to think. Maybe that’s when I gained wisdom... wisdom a cat shouldn’t have."
In his second life, after losing his family, he found a new home in Konoha.
In all kinds of dangerous situations, he had learned to suppress his beastly nature and began to understand human nature and wisdom through his interactions with people.
"The more you see, the more you know. The more you think, the more you consider and imagine."
The old cat raised his paw and slowly clenched it, feeling the power surging from within his body.
"The closer I get to death, the more I fear it. That’s why I want to live."
"That day, when you treated me in the courtyard, the chakra you injected into my body made me feel life again. Since then, I kept coming to your house. I wanted to keep on living."
"Later, I realized I couldn’t control chakra like those ninja cats. I couldn’t escape the lifespan limit of the cat clan. That made me very sad. I spoke less and rarely left this place."
It was as if he had returned to his old age. Those thoughts echoed again in his mind. The old cat’s voice grew low.
"I’m nearly dead. What’s the point in doing unnecessary things anymore?"
"I want to give up. But I don’t want to give up. Yet I have to give up..."
He spoke quietly, and Ryosuke listened silently.
Time passed slowly.
Only the rustling of leaves in the wind and Ryosuke’s quiet presence accompanied the old cat as he shared his thoughts and memories.
Compared to the first half of his life as a wild beast, the second half had been much richer.
More thoughts. More experiences. Even random ideas born on a whim.
The old cat continued speaking until he finally took the fruit in his paw. In a complicated tone, he announced his own death.
"My story as a cat ends here."
"No cat will remember. No one will remember. Even up to the moment of my death, I never understood what I had experienced in this life, or why I existed. I wandered aimlessly, without direction or goal."
His emotions were tangled, especially when reflecting on his past. A familiar, suffocating feeling welled up inside him.
"It’s like you have depression," Ryosuke frowned. "But you don’t have to be so pessimistic. You’ve been reborn, haven’t you? You still have a long life ahead. Eventually, you’ll find something you want to do."
To this, the old cat quickly replied, "Actually, I have found it. A short-term goal."
"Become... my family?"
Ryosuke repeated the words the old cat had just spoken.
"Yes, I want to be part of your family," the old cat nodded. "Strictly speaking, you gave me this life. Even if you want to take it back, I wouldn’t have the power or reason to refuse."
"But I still want to try living. I haven’t had enough. I want to see more. I want to find a goal I can devote myself to—like your dedication to training."
Having followed Ryosuke for so long, it didn’t surprise him that the old cat knew his priorities.
What did surprise him was what the old cat said next.
"Maybe... I don’t know if you’ve realized it yourself."
The old cat raised his head and looked at him, eyes tinged with unease.
"When you interact with most people, you look at them as though you’re staring down at the earth from the sky."
"Maybe it’s because I’m an animal, but I’m more sensitive to things like this. I often feel that you’re out of tune with others."
"It’s not the kind of aura that keeps people at a respectful distance like a noblewoman’s. It’s the kind that truly isolates."
"Aura? Explain it more clearly."
Ryosuke frowned. Was this a side effect of awakening the Byakugan?
No. That didn’t feel right.
"Sorry, I don’t have the words to describe it," the old cat shook his head. "I can only feel it. I don’t know what kind of emotion it is. I sense it, but I can’t explain it."
It sounded mysterious, and Ryosuke couldn’t feel any such aura himself.
Putting aside his doubts for now, Ryosuke asked, "But what does that have to do with you wanting to become my family or partner?"
"Because I noticed that when you’re with your family or certain friends, that feeling disappears."
"My instincts tell me that if I become one of the few who can make that aura vanish, I can live longer."
Was it really that mystical?
Ryosuke rubbed his chin in confusion.
Maybe once, he really had been cold and indifferent. He was aware of it.
But as he spent more time with his family, he felt he had changed. He no longer felt like he wore a mask when talking to villagers.
So why did the old cat say he hadn’t changed?
"But you can’t just become family because you ask to."
Suppressing his doubt, Ryosuke gave the old cat a helpless look.
"To be family or a partner isn’t something you can just declare. It takes time. Otherwise, it feels forced and insincere."
"But I’ll keep it in mind. I’ll try to accept you."
After all, these things needed time.
If someone truly matched his personality and strength, Ryosuke wouldn’t mind calling them family... or even partner.
"Your words are enough."
The old cat let out a long sigh of relief and stood up with eagerness.
"From now on, I’ll do my best to cooperate. So, you want me to go all out and attack you, right?"
"Let’s wait until the afternoon."
Turning his attention away from the conversation, Ryosuke stood up as well.
Unknowingly, it was already noon. Time for lunch.
From his perception, he could tell that Hinata and Hanabi had finished their training and were walking over.
While waiting, Ryosuke checked his body again, inside and out, but still couldn’t sense the aura the old cat mentioned.
That left him puzzled.
Could it be a high-level energy like natural energy, difficult to detect?
The old cat had no reason to lie, so Ryosuke considered that the aura might be something he wasn’t aware of.
Perhaps the cat could sense it because he stood on the outside—watching.
Or maybe, Ryosuke had simply grown used to the feeling, like a frog being boiled in warm water, unaware of the rising heat.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Want to know what happens next? You don’t have to wait....Chapters ahead are already live on Patreon 👉 /FanficLord03
And don’t forget: every +500 power stones = 4 bonus Chapters for everyone!
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
https://discord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9