Spring mornings still carried a trace of cold.
The air was damp, clean, and sharp enough to wake the body fully. At the Uchiha training grounds, Sasuke finished his conditioning as usual, ate, then lifted his gaze toward the pale sky.
Almost time.
The thought had barely formed when he vanished.
Naruto and Sakura were already waiting at the meeting point. Kakashi arrived not long after, rubbing at one eye as if sleep had lost the argument.
"Since everyone's here," Kakashi said, voice flat, "I'll go over today's assignment."
"Eh?" Naruto blurted out. "Another cat job?"
Kakashi continued calmly.
Naruto scowled. "Sensei, we just finished a B-rank. Don't you think it's time for something better?"
"This one's a little different," Kakashi said. "The cat isn't in the village."
Naruto stared. "So it's still a cat."
Kakashi tilted his head. "It's a ninja cat. Nekomata-class."
Naruto waved a hand dismissively. "Still a D-rank."
Sasuke ignored him. "Who's the client?"
"The Cat Lady in the Empty District."
Sasuke nodded once. "I'm going."
Naruto blinked. "Huh?"
"If Sasuke's in, I'm in," Naruto said quickly, glancing at Sakura. "Right?"
"Yes," Sakura replied without hesitation.
Kakashi smiled faintly. "Then prepare. Leave before noon. You'll handle this one alone."
Naruto squinted. "You weren't coming anyway."
"This time, I actually have work," Kakashi said. "Planning your next steps."
Naruto pointed accusingly. "See? He admits it."
Kakashi coughed and ignored him. "The Empty District isn't far. If you're quick, you'll be back tonight."
"Dismissed."
Smoke dispersed where he stood.
They reached the Empty District two hours later.
The ruins were quiet, buildings hollowed out and overgrown. Naruto looked around with open curiosity.
"You seem familiar with this place," he said. "What is it?"
"Someone the Uchiha once knew lived here," Sasuke replied. "An elder."
Naruto nodded and didn't ask further.
Sasuke's attention was already elsewhere.
The mission details lingered faintly in his memory. Claw prints. A book. Cats that didn't behave like animals should.
He stopped.
Naruto and Sakura halted immediately, instincts sharpening.
"Be careful," Sasuke said.
"Enemy?" Sakura asked.
"Not sure," he replied. "But whoever's ahead is strong."
Very strong.
The chakra ahead was vast. Dense. Unlike anything nearby.
They rounded the corner slowly.
A woman emerged from an underground passage.
Tall. Lean. Long hair the color of muted gold, braided down her back.
Sasuke's gaze locked.
Yugito Nii.
Everything aligned at once.
The missing prints. The cat spirit. The reason this place mattered.
Sasuke didn't move.
Neither did she.
The air between them tightened, heavy with something ancient and alive.