Chapter 132: Information Gathering

He just went home, simply said he was tidying up, and prepared some necessities like food.

The next day, Dong Shilang received the proof for leaving the village to purchase supplies, sent by someone from Uchiha Fugaku.

He set out on the road to the Empty Zone.

The so-called Empty Zone used to be a place where humans lived long ago. It is said that, due to war or similar reasons, people gradually left, leaving it empty.

Afterward, a group of ninja cats occupied the area, breeding and continuing to the present.

After leaving the village, after traveling for most of the day, Dong Shilang, via a hidden path, saw ahead a relatively concealed Empty Zone.

He involuntarily recalled the records left by some elders in his family.

According to this record, Dong Shilang knew that the cooperation between the Uchiha and the ninja cat clan had lasted a long time.

Even before the ninja village was established, during the Warring States period, both sides had signed a long-term cooperation agreement.

Because of their excellent ninja tools and intelligence system, they formed a good complementarity with the Uchiha.

The Uchiha family provided them with military support, enabling them to survive in whichever chaotic Warring States era.

They, in turn, provided the Uchiha with excellent ninja tools and intelligence support.

With the Uchiha's discerning eye, one can imagine what level of quality the ninja tools that satisfy them would reach.

Furthermore, their intelligence system, benefiting from their status as 'pet' cats, also has a considerable advantage in intelligence gathering.

Otherwise, the Uchiha would not have established a cooperative relationship with them.

On the contrary, their combat strength seems somewhat dispensable and insignificant to the family.

After passing through a small path, he arrived at his destination for this trip, looking at the two small cats that had been faintly following him behind.

He took out a bottle of matatabi drink and a pack of dried fish he had bought from the clan's general store from his backpack behind him, placing them on the ground. At the same time, to show his sincerity, he also displayed his Sharingan to them.

"So it's the Uchiha!"

Upon seeing Dong Shilang's Sharingan, the lead tabby cat immediately let down its guard.

He sniffed, then happily lunged at the snack Dong Shilang had prepared.

Matatabi is a flavor cats love, somewhat like catnip from a previous life, and it has a deadly attraction for these cats.

After the two cats had swept away the food Dong Shilang had prepared, he then said: "I have business to see the Cat Granny; can you show me the way?"

He licked his paws and whiskers with his tongue, cleaning off the last bit of residue, seemingly savoring the flavor just tasted; the tabby cat then lazily replied: "Oh, you're looking for Granny? No problem! Jumaru~ it's up to you now!"

While saying that, he also gave a paw, causing the nearby Jumaru, who was stretching his head to lick the bottom of the drink bottle, to stumble.

Meanwhile, he himself had chosen a nearby building, lounging lazily.

Obviously, it had no intention of personally guiding Dong Shilang, but instead delegated such trivial matters to his own underling.

"Come with me! Uchiha ninja..."

Being squeezed by his boss, Jumaru had no choice but to bring this unfamiliar Uchiha to find the Cat Granny~

Following this cat, walking the streets of the Empty Zone, Dong Shilang was observing the surrounding streets.

It's hard to imagine that a group of cats could actually form a town by themselves.

They have their own shops, barbershops, restaurants, and so on~

【Whether these cats or other spirit beasts that can speak human language, it's unknown why exactly; could it be due to chakra or natural energy?】

Looking around, familiar voices occasionally sounded; Dong Shilang found this strange, but now is not the time to investigate further.

Not long after, Dong Shilang followed Jumaru into the living room of a building.

In the center of the living room, a middle-aged woman in her forties sat cross-legged, holding a long-stemmed pipe, puffing out clouds with a 'pa! pa! pa!' sound.

Around her, many small cats frolicked wildly in the living room.

"Nice to meet you, I am Uchiha Dong Shilang; please look after me from now on..."

After giving a proper greeting, Dong Shilang produced the scroll sent this morning by someone from Uchiha Fugaku and presented it.

Naturally, a cat handed it over to the other party~

"Hmm! For these supplies, they can probably be gathered in about a month; then you can come back to pick them up."

"If so, then in a month..."

Having finished the matters entrusted by the clan head, Dong Shilang, at this point, did not rush to leave but instead spoke again.

I don't know how the intelligence-gathering mission I issued to the granny via the ninja cats has turned out~

"Oh! So that mission was commissioned by you..."

Seeing Dong Shilang hand over the mission commission again, the Cat Granny glanced at him curiously, but she did not ask further.

Mission commissions also have rules, especially for this kind of intelligence-gathering task~

He flipped through the small table beside him, found a scroll, handed it to Dong Shilang, and then leisurely began to smoke his dry tobacco.

Unfolding the scroll, Dong Shilang began to carefully examine the records on it.

This mission was issued by Dong Shilang through the ninja cats active in the village, without him personally going to the Empty Zone to find the Cat Granny.

Since the Uchiha and Senju jointly founded Leaf Village, the intelligence system in the Empty Zone has remained in a semi-abandoned state, and Dong Shilang also lacked confidence that the other side could gather the information he wanted.

He could only adopt a tentative attitude, seeing if there might be any unexpected gains.

As for Dong Shilang's mission, he wanted these ninja cats to help gather information, to see if any place existed with large-scale giant spirit beasts.

Exactly, what Dong Shilang wants to find is the 'Island of Oblivion' that appeared in TV.

If I remember correctly, it is an island with abundant natural energy; the animals on the island have all become extremely huge.

Moreover, some people have begun researching an ultimate spirit beast based on this!

However, in the end the spirit beast went out of control and ate everyone on the island.

In the end, it was the protagonist Naruto who past-collected the tail~

I also don't know whether the Cat Granny has found this place.

Her subordinates are all ninja cats; surely it would be much more convenient than him going himself, and he is still quite eager……