Cats and dogs are among the earliest animals to successfully enter human society.
One catches mice, the other guards the house and assists in hunting.
One secures food, the other protects that food from thieves.
From the very beginning, their cooperation with humans followed fundamentally different paths.
Cats are solitary hunters.
They are naturally agile, flexible, and cautious traits born of ambush and self-preservation.
They are not endurance runners, nor do they enjoy meaningless exertion. To a cat, humans are usually nothing more than a stable and convenient food source.
Dogs are the opposite.
They are creatures of movement and distance, born to travel and to work in groups. More importantly, they are emotionally attuned.
Dogs instinctively perceive the moods of their companions and of humans, forming bonds through interaction.
Every pack has a leader, and a dog must recognize that leader. If it does not, the relationship quickly degrades, no better than a cat humoring a servant.
There are countless other differences, diet, hygiene, body language.
A dog wagging its tail inward signals friendliness. A cat wagging its tail signals an imminent attack.
Cats follow their own will.
Dogs prefer to be led.
It was only natural, then, that when the ninja cat and ninja dog clans were summoned to Konoha, friction arose immediately.
The ninja cat clan's patriarch was a snow-white cat named Shirayuki.
The ninja dog clan's patriarch was a German shepherd named Taiga.
The moment the two appeared, they smelled one another.
They turned.
"Smelly dog."
"Smelly cat."
The air between them crackled, as if lightning itself were forming.
Senju Hashirama coughed lightly and stepped forward, sensing the danger. "Welcome, both of you, to Konoha. I am Senju Hashirama, the First Hokage."
In truth, ninja beasts were not incapable of cooperation. As long as there was no life-and-death rivalry, contact was common.
Ninja dogs had good relations with the toads of Mount Myōboku. Ninja cats also maintained limited exchanges with the toads.
There was only one race that all three unanimously despised.
The snakes of Ryūchi Cave.
Cats possessed an overwhelming advantage over snakes, reaction speed alone gave them dominance.
To a cat, killing a snake was a simple matter. Long ago, when Ryūchi Cave was at its peak, it had clashed repeatedly with the ninja cats.
Most of those encounters ended in the cats' favor.
Only later, as the snakes grew larger and more cunning, did the balance begin to shift. Even so, the cats were never truly pushed aside.
Among the great clans, there were still ancient monsters who remembered those wars. They all knew, very clearly, what kind of existence stood behind Senju Hashirama.
Thus, despite their hostility, neither Shirayuki nor Taiga dared go too far.
Shirayuki inclined her head politely. "Greetings, Hokage of Konoha."
Taiga, far more enthusiastic, wagged his tail slightly. "Hello, Hokage of Konoha."
"I am Taiga, current patriarch of the ninja dog clan. Just call me Taiga."
Hashirama smiled. He knew better than to interfere in cat-and-dog grudges.
"You both came here to assess the employer," He said calmly. "May I ask how prepared you are?"
Shirayuki replied evenly, "I am ready. I wish to meet this employer in person."
Taiga nodded. "For the sake of our clansmen's future, we must confirm whether he can truly protect and provide for them."
Two responsible patriarchs.
Hashirama nodded in approval. "Very well. Please wait a moment."
"I will have someone bring him here. However, I must warn you in advance, Garfield is… very special."
At the name, Shirayuki's heart skipped a beat.
He remembered the words spoken by the oldest elder of the ninja cat clan before his departure.
"If the one you meet looks like an orange cat… kneel immediately. He is the origin of our clan."
When Taiga set out, the dog sage of his clan had offered similar advice.
"If the one you meet looks like an orange cat, remember this, he is our king. Do not hesitate. Kneel, and that will be enough."
To fetch Garfield, Hashirama sent his younger brother, Senju Tobirama.
With the spatial authority Garfield had granted him, Tobirama's Flying Thunder God Technique had undergone refinement and purification.
It was now faster, more precise and far more stable than before.
One moment he was inside the Hokage's modest office. The next, he appeared atop Hokage Rock.
Tobirama knocked once and stepped inside.
Danzō and Hiruzen, who were carving the stone pillars, immediately straightened.
"Master!"
Tobirama inspected their work with a sharp gaze. His brow furrowed.
"Danzō." He said coldly, "I told you to practice seriously. Look at this carving… rough and uneven. Learn from Hiruzen."
Danzō lowered his head at once, not daring to meet Tobirama's eyes.
Tobirama taught harshly. Danzō had never once dared raise his voice before him.
Watching his apprentice fall silent, Tobirama felt a trace of helplessness. Danzō's talent was undeniable, but his temperament was flawed.
Unlike Hiruzen, who admitted mistakes openly and corrected them immediately, Danzō tended to persist stubbornly, even when he knew he was wrong.
Tobirama said nothing more and walked on.
At the edge of the courtyard, Garfield was soaking comfortably in a large bathtub. Tobirama stopped and bowed respectfully.
"Master Garfield."
"The patriarchs of the ninja cat and ninja dog clans have arrived. They are with my brother and wish to meet you."
Ninja cats.
Ninja dogs.
Garfield opened his eyes. His paws lazily stirred the water.
"Very well." He said. "Let's go see them."
He stood up and stepped out of the tub. Observing his personal rule of never wasting food, Garfield efficiently consumed all the fruit that had been contaminated by his own saliva.
He patted his slightly rounder belly in satisfaction.
"O~content."
"What are you doing now, smelly cat?" Shōkyū, who had been splashing nearby, trotted over.
Tobirama briefly explained the situation. Upon hearing "ninja cats" and "ninja dogs," Shōkyū's ears perked up.
"I'm coming too." Shōkyū declared. "Someone has to watch you and stop you from doing something inappropriate."
Garfield rolled his eyes. "I might look like a cat, but I'm not actually one. What could I possibly do?"
Shōkyū replied with complete seriousness, "Sister Pandora said that cross-species reproduction among higher beings is not impossible."
"Powerful DNA can invade and reshape the embryos of lower lifeforms."
"…" The sheer density of that statement made Garfield's eye twitch.
Clearly, this was the kind of academic territory only top-tier monsters enjoyed. Tobirama, however, listened with visible interest.
In the end, Garfield reached up, grabbed Shōkyū, and placed her firmly on top of his head.
"Quiet."
Anchoring onto Hashirama's spatial coordinates atop Hokage Rock, Garfield drew a few sigils in the air with his claws.
A portal unfolded smoothly.
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
PhantomDream