The team spent the rest of the day tracking down the scents and auras of different cat breeds. Most Ninneko's in Sora-ku were shy, fearful, or indignant. This made it challenging to get close.

Getting close, however, was the only way to tell if a cat was a whisper. The features of the breed were unique and distinct. Whisper cats had large oversized ears and glowing blue fur. Whisper cats were also one of the only creatures that had the ability to turn invisible. This was true invisibility. It wasn't an illusion that you could dispel.

They had no luck that day, so they went back to the abandoned building and made camp.

The next day, they continued their search. They tracked and sorted out more cat breeds until they finally landed success. Most C-ranked whispers could only fade up to the point of being ghost-like. This made most visible. Once they caught sight of the glowing translucent blue creature, it immediately scurried down a small hole into the sewers.

The team wasn't discouraged though. They now knew what type of aura and scent to look for.

Kioshi and Itachi scanned the surrounding area with a spiritual chakra. Kioshi felt a similar aura of a different cat a half-mile away. Itachi didn't sense anything closer on his side, so they headed in Kioshi's direction. They limited themselves to the abilities of a civilian, keeping their physical chakra sealed and undetectable.

Kioshi and Itachi kept track of the cat using spiritual chakra. Right now the aura stayed still and in place. They lead the way until they came to the door of a large rusted warehouse. Kioshi told Emi with hand signs that the cat was inside and up in the rafters.

Emi nodded.

Itachi signaled that he would go left, Kioshi should go right, and Emi should stay and guard the door. There were many holes and high broken windows in the building. The whisper cat could escape in any direction.

The team agreed.

Kioshi crept around the side of the warehouse and entered a hole in the far right side corner of the building. Inside was empty and spacious. The day was overcast, so the holes in the walls only provided dim light inside. The glow of the whisper cat in the dark rafters was easy to see. They were lucky. It was sleeping and hadn't been alerted.

Itachi climbed skillfully and silently through a broken window above. When the Uchiha was level and less than twenty feet away from the creature, he nodded. They were all in perfect position. Kioshi's heartbeat quickened as they got ready for action, unsheathing his sword.

Kioshi and Itachi locked eyes. Itachi was about to make a hand signal to attack when he suddenly froze. His eye widened. This wasn't the time or place for practical jokes, so Kioshi immediately turned around to see what Itachi was looking at.

Sitting in front of the hole that Kioshi had entered through was another whisper cat. This one was larger, being fluffier and thicker than the one they were hunting. It glowed brightly and stared back at Kioshi curiously with sparkling cyan eyes.

What?... When had the creature gotten there? No sound had been made. There was no aura either. Should he attack it? The cat was close for the taking, but the team also wasn't in a position to intercept it. Chasing it would also alert their original target.

Looking up to a high window, Kioshi saw that Akio was watching like he always did. The man shadowed and kept an eye on them wherever they went. His sensei didn't seem alarmed by the situation, but his brow was furrowed, indicating that this was not a common occurrence.

Kioshi shooed the smirking cat away with a silent hand gesture, indicating for it to go back outside. The glowing cat simply yawned and then proceeded to lick its paw, ignoring the command.

Kioshi looked at Itachi, then at Emi who was watching through a rusted hole in the warehouse door. Everything was still and silent. Nothing had been disturbed. Kioshi nodded to the whisper cat still sleeping in the rafters and signed that they should continue with the original mission. There was nothing they could do about the other whisper cat now.

Itachi nodded and then made a specific attack sign. Kioshi obeyed and flared chakra into his sword, sending a lightning bolt towards their prey.

The flare of chakra immediately woke the sleeping whisper, but it wasn't fast or aware enough to dodge. The lightning hit the creature squarely in the chest and it fell from its perch. Itachi immediately blasted away from the window ledge and caught it mid-fall, hugging the creature tight to his chest. Emi was the one with the sealing tag, so seeing this she immediately rushed through the doors towards the place Itachi would land, pulling out the tag from her jacket.

Just as she was about to slap the sealing tag on the twitching, struggling cat's stomach, a blue blur flashed by and snatched the tag from her fingers. Itachi then cried out in pain as a white energy beam hit him in the face.

The attack caused the panicked cat to escape, scurrying out of the weakened grasp and beelining for the door. Kioshi was too focused on the attacker to follow it. Apparently, their observer found it in itself to interfere.

Kioshi sent a bolt of lightning toward the smirking cat, and it dodge. Kioshi sent more bolts determinately, making the annoying combatant retreat to the edge of the warehouse.

Emi was in a defense position, covering Itachi who was getting up from the floor, blinking away tears and trying to focus his vision. His face was red, and his eyes were bloodshot.

Kioshi ran up to them. "Are you okay?"

Itachi nodded, glaring at the glowing blue creature across the room, a few tears still leaking from his eyes.

"Cats" Emi snarled, her beast-like rage coming out.

Koru growled in agreement from her shoulder.

The amused whisper cat didn't seem affected by the hostility. It simply covered half the distance between them in a lazy trot and released the sealing tag it had stolen from its mouth, the seal floating gently to the floor. It then backed up and waited silently with a tilted gaze.

"What should we do?" Kioshi asked, not taking his eyes off the creature.

Hearing Kioshi's question, the whisper crouched down playfully.

"It seems like the cat wants us to chase it," Itachi muttered.

The cat smiled in confirmation.

"It might be trying to lead us into a trap," Emi said. "Trying to catch us and humiliate us in front of all its cat friends. I wouldn't put it past it."

"Or it might just want to do something challenging and fun," Kioshi argued. "In either case, we are going to have to deal with it. If not, it will just sabotage us again. It's a whisper cat, so why not try?"

Kioshi was actually kind of excited to chase something who wanted to be chased. It felt a little mean to hunt down and disturb things minding their own business.

Itachi and Emi thought about it for a moment. Then they both nodded.

Emi walked up and picked the offered sealing tag on the floor. The fact the cat had given it back, was more indication that it wanted to play the game.

Emi rushed at the cat, not retreating back to the group, the cat now only three yards away. The cat turned and ran up the wall, twisting in a spinning flip into the rafters. Kioshi attacked the cat with lightning bolts, lightning sizzling out along wooden beams. The glowing blue cat was fast and agile. It dodged the attacks with ease.

"I can't penetrate its mind with genjutsu," Itachi said, who was currently standing still beside Kioshi, concentrating hard. "It has a strong shield."

"You two just try to grab it and throw it to me," Kioshi said. He gave both Emi and Itachi a sign, and they nodded. Kioshi was going to try to catch the whisper cat in a purple portal.

Itachi and Emi chased the creature while Kioshi continued to fire lightning bolts at it from a distance. The whisper cat never left the building, despite the many opportunities, zigzagging along the floor, walls, and beams, evading every attack that came its way. It sent out white energy beams from its fur on occasion, causing both Emi and Itachi to duck and retreat.

Itachi enhanced his body and dashed straight at the whisper cat for the fifth time. When the Uchiha came close, Kioshi yelled out "Pellet!" waiting two seconds before stepping down on a green marble. Kioshi couldn't hear anything, but the pellet seemed to work, the high-frequency sound making the whisper cat stumble. Itachi used this opening to grab one of the cat's hind legs and threw it into the air.

Kioshi spun a large purple portal in front of the airborne cat. The cat, however, blasted energy out of its fur and rocketed itself away.

Kioshi cursed.

"Your team knows how to work together. I'm impressed." A deep mesmerizing voice commented. Kioshi started and looked up at the cat now perched in the rafters. The sound had not echoed through the room nor gone through his ears, but the tone and direction were clear. Everyone paused to take a break after the failed portal attempt. The room was quiet and still except for labored breathing.

"Did you just speak to me?" Kioshi asked, instinctively portraying the question mentally. It wasn't a surprise that the cat could communicate through thoughts. Nennekos were intelligent, just like Ninkens. But this didn't feel like a genjutsu. No foreign energy was detected in his mind. Didn't you have to have a bloodline or some sort of special bond first to accomplish this otherwise? If not, then why did Koru never speak to him?

"Yes, I can speak into and hear your mind." The whisper cat affirmed. "Most Nenneko's need to form a contract bond to do so naturally, but I don't like to bind myself to humans. I have found a way around it."

Kioshi nodded, brow furrowed. "So, why are you talking to me? Are you ready to give up?

The cat smirked. "No"

Kioshi sighed. "Yeah, I was afraid of that. Honestly, I'm running out of ideas on how to catch you. You're skilled, and even if we do come up with something clever, I know you're holding back." The cat's movements were a bit too lazy at times to be something pushed to the limit. The confidence that the cat emitted was also a dead giveaway. It didn't seem arrogant. "Could you just leave us alone? We can pick another target. I think you are above our abilities."

The cat pondered the statement. "Humm… You may be right. Perhaps we can make a deal?"

Kioshi's eyes narrowed warily. "What kind of deal?" Whisper cats were supposed to be prideful, shy, or aloof. This cat, however, gave off an air of mischief and mystery. What did the cat want from him? The cat seemed to be talking to him specifically. Was this something to do with his Dojutsu?

"I'll give you two vials of my blood, in exchange for two things." The cat said. "I want you to imagine something for me, and I want you to keep a secret."

Kioshi blinked. Okay, that was unexpected.

"Kioshi is something wrong?"

Itachi's voice broke Kioshi away from the cat. Both Itachi and Emi were staring at him with concern. It appeared that him silently staring and making varying expressions at the whisper was disconcerting. They were supposed to be attacking it after all.

"The cat wants to make a deal with me," Kioshi said.

Itachi frowned. "How are you hearing it?" Being a sensor, the other boy probably noticed the lack of invading chakra as well.

Kioshi shrugged. "It's an ability of his. He can communicate and hear my thoughts outside of genjutsu." The voice sounded male, so he decided to refer to the cat as such.

"That's impossible," Emi said. "You need to form a bond first."

Kioshi shrugged again and turned back to the cat. "I will keep a secret of yours as long as you don't hurt Konoha or innocent people," he agreed. If that happened, then the cat would become his enemy. "I will also imagine something that you tell me to." Why the cat would want such things, he couldn't fathom. But doing this would complete the mission. A part of him was also curious about what the cat would say.

"Excellent!" the cat beamed. "I agree to your terms." The cat hopped down to the floor and walked up until he was only a few yards away, sitting down and swishing its soft glowing trail along the floor. The creature was truly beautiful. It reminded Kioshi of a mystical spirit animal from fantasy shows.

Itachi and Emi backed away, giving Kioshi and the cat some distance. They didn't seem to be against solving the situation diplomatically.

"You interest me, Kioshi." The cat said. "You hold mysteries that I wish to explore and understand."

Kioshi's eyes narrowed. "How do you know my name?" He hadn't introduced himself, and his teammates hadn't spoken it during the fight.

"I have been observing your team for some time," the cat answered. "I know a lot of things about you. But you do not have to worry. I will keep your secrets, as I hope that you will keep mine."

"I don't understand," Kioshi said. "What exactly do you know about me?"

The cat sighed. "One of my most powerful and frightening abilities is the ability to see and experience another person's thoughts. This is not only things projected, but I can see and envision everything that you see and envision. The ability is very similar to the bloodline of the Yamanaka clan, though others often see it as a greater threat.

"I do not hold servitude to the Hokage, and I have learned to make my examinations undetectable. I am curious about what motivates and drives people. Some view this invasion as a horrible act. Disrespectful. But what they don't know won't hurt them.

"This is the secret I want you to keep. Many creatures would avoid or try to kill me if they knew the full extent of my abilities.

"As for why I find you interesting… Well, I have never met a creature that has memories of a past life. Some show dreams or fears that illude to other world experiences, but you seem to have flashbacks regularly. These flashbacks are clear and easy to grasp. As you looked over Soru-ku on your first day here, I saw amazing images of metal machines that moved along streets or soared high overhead like giant metal birds.

"These things are foreign to me. The names you call these things are also foreign. You sometimes even think in an entirely different dialect. It's quite fascinating. It is also remarkable that you can remember and imagine things so clearly. You realize that this is not common, right?"

Kioshi nodded. He'd always been good at visual awareness. Because of this, he had become quite a talented movie animator in his past life. He loved creating and bringing things to life. It was one of the reasons he loved being in this world so much. With chakra, you weren't limited to only your hands and technology. You could form and create tangible things with just energy and thoughts.

The correlation wasn't lost on him that as an animator, he was now currently stuck in an animation. It was one of the reasons why there was still a small suspicion that this was all a subconscious dream. How many times had he imagined himself in another world? This was a wonderful dream.

But the theory didn't hold up. Things felt too real. Time and events were steady and clear. If this world was in his mind, then who's to say Earth wasn't also an illusion.

"Yes.. the great contemplations about life," The whisper cat nodded. "The purpose for it, what it truly is. It's something many people think about. If it makes you feel better, I do not think this world is a dream, not a normal one anyway. You learned an entirely new language on this planet without any prior knowledge. Your imagination would have to be astounding in order to create something new without realizing it."

Kioshi nodded. Japanese wasn't a new language, but the cat had a point. He'd learned the dialect just like he had learned English. It didn't feel sporadic and made up. Kioshi had only known a few words and phrases back on earth. It was the only reason he knew the language was Japanese in the first place. Now he was fluent.

That was another question. How did Japanese words even exist here? The language of the elemental nations was called "common" but the words and writing were the same. Japan didn't exist, and neither did its history. It was all very confusing.

Perhaps worlds were connected and people learned subconsciously from each other? It was either that, or there was an infinite amount of universes, and by design or bizarre chance, he'd somehow landed in one that correlated precisely with a story writer's imagination.

"It's hard to know for sure," The whisper cat mused. "Life is an unending path of discovery. Even now, the new knowledge I gained from you has made more questions than answers. But that's what makes things fun."

Kioshi couldn't help but smile a little at this. Still, he wished he could see the entire picture.

"So what exactly do you want me to imagine?" he asked, getting back on topic. They had been talking mentally for some time, and his team must be wondering what was being discussed. It was best not to take too long. The cat could see his thoughts, so it was obvious now why such a request was made.

"I want you to imagine something unique from your old world," The cat said. "Think about something that does not exist here."

Kioshi pondered on it. The elemental nations had almost all the electronic technology that Earth had, so that was out. All he could show were newer or different models. And the cat had already seen cars and airplanes.

"Think about the movie of this world," the cat suggested. "I find this most interesting. I've only seen glimpses, but there seem to be some true correlations between the cartoon images you think of and this reality."

Kioshi was hesitant. The Naruto TV show held knowledge of the future. It wasn't something to give away lightly. He'd already made differences in the timeline, and having another entity change its behavior based on knowledge would make more ripples. But was that so bad? The future was not exactly pleasant.

For some reason, he felt he could trust the cat. This could be a mind manipulation, but what difference would it make? With the cat's abilities, there was a high chance that it could just get answers forcefully. If not, all the cat had to do was continue to follow him around and wait for him to think about things. The cat was stealthy. He couldn't control his thoughts forever.

"Will you use this information against me?" Kioshi asked.

"I am not in the habit of harming others unless necessary." The cat said. "I am not your enemy."

Kioshi believed the firm reply. He decided to focus on the Fourth Shinobi war. It was something that affected all the elemental nations and was an event full of bloodshed and pain. Kioshi showed the cat the Akatsuki and how their capturing of the tailed beasts gave Tobi, Zetsu, and Madara unlimited, overwhelming power. He also showed the great amount of death and destruction upon the land.

"Not a great future…" the cat agreed solemnly.

"I hope to find a way to change it." Kioshi said.

The cat nodded but didn't say anything more on the subject. After a minute of silence, the cat then walked up to Kioshi and held out its arm. "Your friends are getting anxious. We best get this over with."

Kioshi nodded. "Before I do, would you tell me your name?" The creature knew his deepest secret. It was something even his parents didn't know.

The whisper cat smiled. "My name is Shaed"

"It's nice to meet you Shaed," Kioshi said. "Perhaps we can meet again some time?" It would be nice to have someone to talk to. Kioshi's two main fears of sharing his past life were becoming a bigger target, or people seeing him as crazy. The cat however seemed truthful, and there was no question in the cat's mind about his reincarnated experience.

"I would like that." The cat said with true emotion. "Thank you. Most do not want me near them after learning the truth."

Kioshi shrugged. "I can't fault your ability. It's amazing, and I'd use it if I had the chance. As long as you are sincere about not causing me harm, we can get along."

Shaed smiled and nodded.

Kioshi then looked to Itachi. "I need the syringes. He is going to give the blood willingly."

Itachi came forward, pulling the two 100 ml containers from his leg pocket. He gave one to Kioshi, and Kioshi knelt down in front of Shaed. "Where do you want me to stick this?" He asked, pulling off the lid covering the thin sharp needle.

"Doesn't matter," Shaed shrugged.

Kioshi nodded and stuck the needle in the antecubital vein located on the inner arm below the elbow joint. This was a good place to extract blood or insert fluids for humans. Kioshi hoped it was a good place for cats as well. Thick fur covering the spot made the vein hard to find, but once he did, blood was extracted easily.

Shaed's blood was silver in color. It also glowed. It was so bright that the light caused Kioshi to squint even with sunglasses. The color and brightness almost made him jerk away in surprise, but thankfully he held steady. It wouldn't be kind to jab the cat more than necessary.

Once the syringe was filled, Itachi shaded his eyes with a hand as he took it, handing him the empty one. Kioshi filled that syringe as well.

Shaed lowered his arm after Kioshi had finished. "It seems like our business here is complete."

"Yes. Thank you," Kioshi nodded in return.

Shaed smiled and faded away, disappearing like a transparent image. Kioshi knelt there stunned for a moment, before brushing his hand through the empty space in front of him. It wasn't just the cat's image, but Shaed's presence had also disappeared, something that had been present for a while. The bright silver glowing syringes were the only proof that the cat had even existed.

Kioshi looked around the warehouse. "Is he gone?"

The question was directed at Emi. The girl sniffed the air, and her eyes turned to one of the exterior cracks in the warehouse. "Yes, I believe so, but I cannot be sure. I did not hear a sound." She seemed disturbed by this.

Their attention turned to Akio, who had hopped down from the window ledge and now walked up to join them. Instead of being happy and congratulating as expected, Akio was somber. The man was looking at the syringes in Itachi's and Kioshi's hands with surprise and fear.

"Is something wrong?" Kioshi asked. Was the blood something it wasn't supposed to be?

Akio swallowed. "Kioshi, what did that cat say to you?"

Kioshi blinked. "Uh…why do you want to know?" He needed to stall for time. His own secrets aside, he'd made Shaed a promise. He needed to think of a good answer.

"Kioshi, do you realize what rank that cat was!" Akio whispered harshly, a bit hysterical, not taking the evasion well.

"No…?" Kioshi said truthfully, though as he thought about it, he realized it must be high. Mind reading abilities aside, Shaed was a complete master at disappearing, at least to the eyes and ears of a genin.

"S-rank!" The man said, not calming his tone. "That cat was S-rank! And a powerful one at that. I've never seen blood glow so bright! S-rank whisper blood is extremely rare and valuable."

Akio seemed to realize what he had just said, and scanned the area around them. "Kioshi," he whispered urgently. "Store the blood in one of your portals. We will speak on this once we are out of the city. It's not safe here."

Kioshi nodded, quickly taking the glowing syringes and obeying the instruction.

After they grabbed their packs, Akio led them quickly away from the criminal-infested land, only slowing down as they passed through the main streets and front gate. It was impolite not to, and they didn't want to draw attention. Based on Akio's reaction, deals and treaties would not stop criminals from attacking if they knew what they held.

Luckily no one stopped or pursued them, and as the distance between them and Soru-ku grew, Akio became more relaxed. They traveled hard for the rest of the day and stopped to make camp for the night.

Akio didn't say anything about the mission that night or the next, wanting to get closer to Konoha before broaching the subject. Skilled ninjas could overhear. It was best not to take the chance. Itachi and Emi seemed to understand this as well and also stayed quiet.

On the morning of the last day, Akio finally spoke. They were only 20 miles from Konoha and had passed many patrols. Akio slowed down to a walk, a pace better for conversation. "Kioshi, I need to know what happened. I need to know why that cat cooperated with you."

The question was serious. Kioshi would need to answer. Luckily he was prepared for it. "He was interested in me," Kioshi stated truthfully. "He said he would give me his blood if I would tell him of my past." Technically, Shaed had wanted him to imagine things of his past, but it was basically the same thing.

Akio looked puzzled, and a bit skeptical. "The cat gave you its blood… to hear your life's story? Why? Was it interested in your Dojutsu?"

Kioshi shrugged. "Maybe. He didn't bring it up. I only told him of my life before Konoha. It didn't seem that high of a price. Knowing now what I got in return, I think it was a good deal."

Akio nodded and stayed silent for a long moment. "Are you sure that's all?" he finally asked. "The cat didn't ask or say anything else to you?"

Kioshi shrugged again. "He told me his name."

That got the man's attention. "Oh?"

"He said his name was Shaed."

The name seemed to have some effect on Akio, there being a slight halt in his step. "I see…" he said after a moment.

The man then stayed silent until they reached Konoha.