Yana's two cat paws began forming hand seals. Finally, she slammed them onto Saya's name, summoning a beautiful calico cat before the two humans and one feline companion. "Greetings, esteemed guests."
The tricolor cat spoke with a lively, pleasant voice, her appearance strikingly attractive with an air of shrewd competence. After offering a very respectful greeting to the Uchiha Clan upon noticing their crest, she started carefully surveying the surroundings to gather information.
Her presence immediately caught Uchiha Shizhi's attention. The moment she appeared, he took notice and promptly motioned for Shiyu Uchiha to begin the contract negotiations.
After Yana explained the situation to Saya, the cat examined Shiyu Uchiha closely for several moments and even sniffed him curiously before speaking decisively. "Lord Shiyu, I quite like you! But before entering an Exclusive Contract with you, I need to see if your strength can truly impress me. Would that be acceptable?"
"It would be my honor," Shiyu Uchiha replied confidently.
"Perfect!" Hearing the respect in Shiyu's tone, Saya replied joyfully.
As soon as the words left her mouth, Saya lashed out with lightning-fast claws aimed directly at Shiyu's chest. He quickly dodged sideways and grabbed a wooden practice sword from a nearby rack, parrying her initial assault in several swift exchanges before counterattacking.
Shiyu's relentless strikes forced Saya backward multiple steps. Knowing his reputation well, she decided not to match strength directly, instead using her superior speed to circle around him and strike opportunistically.
Though Shiyu was slightly slower in raw movement speed, his blade speed far exceeded Saya's running pace. Trained meticulously by Uchiha Shizhi, his judgment proved exceptional too - he stopped holding back his true strength and gave it his all.
Choosing a strategy of meeting endless variations with steadfast defense, Shiyu blocked Saya's repeated surprise attacks while setting a trap. He intentionally created an opening for her.
Saya noticed the vulnerability, tested it cautiously, then committed fully to attack - exactly what Shiyu anticipated. As Saya struck, he seized the moment and launched a powerful counterattack that completely overpowered her. Without hesitation, he pressed forward and gently tapped the flat side of his blade against Saya's forehead, showcasing his complete command of swordsmanship.
When both stopped, catching their breaths, Saya spoke first. "Lord Shiyu, you've won! Please treat me kindly from now on."
"Welcoming Saya to our household..." Before Shiyu could reply, Shizhi eagerly answered on his behalf.
Shiyu didn't object. The ninken's abilities were impressive indeed. Still developing, she showed potential reaching Tokubetsu Jonin level eventually, filling in the gaps where Shiyu himself lacked expertise. He found himself very satisfied with this addition to their team.
Of course, the most important thing was that she could be petted. Everything else was secondary. Influenced by his sister and mother, Shiyu Uchiha had now become a standard cat lover—and Saya was such an adorable cat.
Then the two signed the Exclusive Pact. Saya said she needed to go back and pack before visiting. Meanwhile, Uchiha Shizhi also requested a full dossier on Saya, planning to arrange a summoned beast certification for her.
The next day, under Uchiha Shizhi's direction, the summoned beast certification was effortlessly finalized.
Not long after, Saya arrived near Konoha Village — all by herself. Having received prior notice and urged by Uchiha Shizhi, Shiyu Uchiha reached the gates of Konoha Village early that morning to greet her. He waited for almost the entire morning until finally around noon, he saw Saya slowly strolling toward him.
But this wasn't entirely Saya's fault—after all, she had clearly said she'd arrive at noon. When she saw Shiyu Uchiha, Saya leaped forward and jumped into his arms, then stretched lazily.
"Lord Shiyu, hello~ thank you for picking me up, meow~." Saya said in a drowsy tone.
Shiyu wanted to complain about his low status in the family, but he didn't want to expose it just yet—even though it was inevitable eventually, better late than sooner.
"You're welcome, Saya. Now that you've come all the way to my place, let me take you home. Need anything else?" Shiyu Uchiha said casually while holding Saya with one arm. The other hand, however, betrayed his true feelings as it began stroking the cat furiously, slipping in some catnip along the way.
"Nope, Lord Shiyu—I'm just a bit tired. I'll nap for a bit." Not long afterward, Saya was already snoring softly in Shiyu Uchiha's arms. With a helpless look, Shiyu still held her close as he made his way back home.
Just as Shiyu Uchiha entered the house and opened the door, Saya immediately became alert, instantly waking up and quickly scanning her surroundings. When she spotted both Shiyu Uchiha and Uchiha Shizhi, she relaxed again and greeted Uchiha Shizhi politely.
Then, before either the person or the beast could react, Uchiha Shizhi scooped Saya into her arms and started petting her intensely. Evidently having been warned about this individual's temperament, personality, and power beforehand, Saya knew exactly what kind of person—or rather, cat—she was dealing with.
Moreover, Uchiha Shizhi's petting technique was excellent. Saya barely resisted at all and instead began acting coquettishly, causing Uchiha Shizhi to fall for her even more, showering her with treats.
Delighted by Saya's playful antics, Uchiha Shizhi then carried Saya over to the special room prepared for her and started giving her a tour. All of this had been arranged after Uchiha Shizhi learned that Saya would be staying with them. Of course, the actual labor was done by Shiyu Uchiha while Shizhi merely supervised—though occasionally Mikoto Uchiha would pop in to lend a hand—or just got in the way.
Later on, when it was time for school, Shiyu brought Saya with him because nurturing the bond with his summoned beast was required. Thanks to her looks and charming personality, Saya quickly became the most popular student in class. She managed to get countless tasty snacks every day and had even gained quite a bit of weight.
Of course, this didn't apply to Teru Inuzuka—after all, cats and dogs rarely become good friends.
Therefore, for the sake of his Summoned Beast's health, Shiyu Uchiha often trained with her to help her shed some excess weight.
Since Shiyu Uchiha and Minato Namikaze had known each other for some time, their recent relationship had grown increasingly friendly, often training together.
So one day, Minato plucked up his courage and, while those two girls were practicing sword techniques nearby, asked Shiyu for advice on how to win over a girl.
But how could Shiyu possibly know? He was just good friends with both girls—not in the kind of relationship Minato imagined. Based on his observation, there was a high chance those two girls were in a romantic relationship. This realization left Shiyu feeling particularly gloomy inside.
Don't even think about saying he understands love—it's impossible, sheer nonsense. Across two lifetimes, he'd never seriously dated anyone; he simply didn't know what love really was.
Otherwise, things wouldn't have developed into this situation—everything had remained strictly platonic. Otherwise, maybe there would still be just a tiny sliver of [Dian] opportunity.
Yet since Minato had asked him, Shiyu couldn't bring himself to admit he didn't understand—even if he had to pretend. To him, it was a matter of male pride.
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