Several peaceful days passed in unhurried comfort.
Aside from remaining inside the wooden house he had built, Kagetsu would occasionally visit nearby castle towns,places the Dōri Oni had mentioned,to replenish basic supplies. The rest of his time was devoted almost entirely to developing Sage Mode.
Training Taijutsu and Ninjutsu in an Edo Tensei body brought little improvement. His physical state was fixed; there was no real growth to be had.
But Sage Mode was different.
To his surprise, the natural energy of this world was extraordinarily active,far denser and more responsive than in the shinobi world. The efficiency of his Senjutsu training here far surpassed what he had experienced back in the world of Naruto.
He had originally learned Sage Mode at Mount Myōboku under Jiraiya's guidance. His aptitude for Senjutsu had never matched that of Naruto Uzumaki's but it was roughly on par with Jiraiya's. He could use it, certainly,but the toad-like traits were obvious and somewhat embarrassing. Because of that, he rarely relied on it in battle.
Yet in this world, everything changed.
The natural energy here flowed thick and vibrant, almost eager to be drawn in. The difficulty of entering Sage Mode dropped significantly, and its duration lengthened just as dramatically.
He still needed to remain still to gather natural energy,but even that requirement seemed to be gradually loosening.
As he continued practicing, he made an unexpected discovery.
The longer he maintained Sage Mode, the more refined his control became. The time needed to enter the state shortened, and the once-prominent toad-like features began to fade.
Now, when he activated Sage Mode, there were almost no amphibian traits left. Only the horizontal pupils and the faint orange pigmentation around his eyes remained,very similar to Naruto's later mastery.
Perhaps one day, he mused, I'll be like Hashirama,clap my hands and enter Sage Mode instantly, without a trace of transformation.
The thought fueled his focus.
At that moment, Kagetsu sat cross-legged on the balcony floor. A faint current of natural energy swirled around him as his presence merged seamlessly with the surrounding mountains and forest. His perception expanded outward like ripples in water.
Then,
He sensed it.
A powerful demonic aura.
Alongside it were several weaker auras,familiar ones. The fluctuations matched those of the Dōri Oni tribe.
"They're back."
His eyes snapped open. The horizontal pupils slowly faded as the gathered natural energy dispersed. He exhaled softly, withdrawing from Sage Mode.
Pushing open the balcony doors, he leapt from the second floor and landed lightly on the ground below. Without hesitation, he moved toward the source of the disturbance.
It didn't take long before a red figure came into view, darting swiftly through the forest with several Dōri Oni trailing behind.
Short, neatly cut crimson hair. Sharp red eyes. A tall, lithe frame with toned, powerful limbs.
She wore a white cropped top and black trousers, layered with a brown animal-skin skirt. A vivid red sash wrapped around her waist, and brown fur-lined boots reached up to her knees.
Behind her swayed a sleek brown cat's tail.
Kagetsu recognized her immediately.
"Natsume… of the Leopard Cat Clan."
This outfit, this presence,she was none other than Natsume, one of the Four Kings of the Leopard Cat Tribe.
As he observed her, Natsume's nose twitched. She abruptly lifted her head,and locked eyes with him.
Her gaze sharpened instantly.
"Hey. You." She halted mid-step, dropping into a guarded stance. "Who are you? Why are you blocking my path?"
Kagetsu didn't answer right away.
Instead, he studied her with open curiosity. His gaze lingered briefly on the tail swaying behind her.
"A cat girl without cat ears," he said thoughtfully. "That's a little disappointing."
Natsume's eyes narrowed.
"How irritating. Speak clearly. Who are you? What do you want?"
Her claws slid out with a metallic glint.
If she hadn't been operating alone in the territory of the Dog Demon Clan to gather information, she would have already attacked.
Kagetsu calmly reached into his ninja pouch and withdrew a fragment of the Shikon Jewel.
The pink shard sparkled under the sunlight.
Natsume's pupils contracted instantly.
"My name is Kagetsu," he said leisurely, letting the shard dangle between his fingers. "Kitty… I heard you've been searching for this."
"Is that… a shard of the Shikon Jewel?" Her voice trembled with restrained excitement.
"You don't even recognize it at a glance?" he teased. "Have you been searching blindly all this time?"
"Shut up!"
A flush crept across her cheeks. She bared her sharp fangs, ears practically burning with anger.
"If you value your life, hand it over! Now!"
"Easy, kitty."
He tossed the shard lightly into the air.
Her eyes tracked it involuntarily. Even her head tilted up and down with its motion before she caught herself.
Interesting.
Even without ears, she was unmistakably feline.
"Tell me,Kitty" he continued, catching the shard smoothly, "what do you want the Shikon Jewel for?"
"Stop calling me kitty!" Natsume snapped, puffing up indignantly. "I am a warrior of the Leopard Cat Tribe,not some stray you pick up off the roadside!"
Her claws pointed straight at him.
"And what I intend to use the Shikon Jewel for is none of your concern. Hand it over,or I'll kill you!"
"Even if you're a cute kitty…"
Mid-sentence, he caught the falling shard and tucked it back into his pouch.
"…this isn't a toy I can let you play with. So no."
Something inside Natsume snapped.
"You bastard! I've tolerated enough!"
Demonic energy erupted from her body like a storm.
"I am a leopard cat,not some house pet that chases mice!"
Before the last word left her lips, she kicked off the ground.
Her form blurred into a red streak.
In an instant, she appeared before him,claws slashing toward his face.
Kagetsu shifted half a step back.
The strike sliced through empty air.
Natsume's eyes flashed. She kicked off a tree trunk to reverse her momentum, twisting midair with fluid grace. Her claws swept toward his throat,fast, precise, lethal.
Kagetsu merely leaned back slightly.
The attack missed by a hair's breadth.
He even had the leisure to raise a brow at her.
Calm.
Unhurried.
As if he were simply indulging an impatient kitten.