Flash

 Cats are the second most popular pet in human history, second only to dogs. In recent years, with a growing population and shrinking personal living spaces, few people can afford to own a detached house as their home. Coupled with the fact that dogs' barking habits easily spark neighbor disputes, the number of cat owners has shown a steady  trend. Cats possess more independent personalities than dogs. Before heading out to work, cat owners simply need to prepare food, water, clean litter boxes, and toys, and cats can usually get along just fine. This is unlike certain pet dogs raised by humans since puppyhood, whose separation anxiety flares up the moment their owners are out of sight—resulting in mild cases of constant barking or severe cases of self-chewing, leaving owners with no peace at work.

As an authority in genetic technology, Orochimaru accepted a request from the Mayor of Konoha to develop a distinctive new breed of cat. Orochimaru named this breed the "Uchiha." Their appearance features black fur, white paws, and a white chest and belly, making their coat color indistinguishable from ordinary tuxedo cats. Their characteristic trait is that in their infancy, they possess obsidian-dark, deep pupils. Once they reach three months of age, their eyes undergo a change: when emotionally agitated, their black pupils turn red and display a three-tomoe pattern. After passing adolescence, some Uchiha cats' red pupil patterns may even sprout bizarre shapes like stars, shuriken, or suns, resembling the versatile changes of the Sharingan. During a media interview, Orochimaru joked that the red eyes of Uchiha cats are the reflection of their souls, turning red when they spot delicious food or play with great excitement.

The Mayor of Konoha adopted over twenty Uchiha cats as a tourism feature. Tourists visiting Konoha's municipal cafe can walk in to patronize the establishment and interact with these rare cats who come naturally dressed in formal wear. Uchiha cats are a rare breed; female cats give birth to only one kitten per litter and at most five in a lifetime, making mass reproduction impossible. Consequently, Uchiha cats command a hefty price, and only the wealthy elite of the upper class can afford the expense of purchasing one. Ordinary people have no option to catch a glimpse of the Uchiha cats' splendor other than visiting the Konoha cafe.

As the developer of the breed, Orochimaru also kept two as pets. The original pair were named Fugaku and Mikoto. The two got along wonderfully and could often be found curled up together sunbathing. Mikoto gave birth to their first kitten, whom Orochimaru named Itachi, showering him with affection. The following year, Mikoto birthed a second kitten, named Sasuke. Regrettably, Mikoto's physical condition was frail after childbirth, and when Sasuke was only two months old, Mikoto passed away from illness. Following that, Fugaku—already a quiet cat by nature—grew even more silent. He ate very little, frequently staring blankly at the cat bed where Mikoto usually rested, and before long, Fugaku died of malnutrition.

Orochimaru was left with Itachi and Sasuke. Itachi was a steady adult cat who would help groom his younger brother, but lacking breast milk, the heavy burden of feeding Sasuke fell upon Orochimaru. As an authority in genetics, Orochimaru sometimes needed to travel to neighboring towns for lectures or academic conferences. Whenever he went away on overnight trips, he would entrust his nearby students, Suigetsu and Karin—whom he had tutored—to take turns looking after the two cats.

Itachi's initial reaction upon meeting the two strangers was to shield his younger brother Sasuke behind him, arching his back and hissing at Suigetsu and Karin with an expression ready for battle. Orochimaru had warned them: Itachi was acting in place of a mother and was extremely guarded against any creatures approaching Sasuke. The milk for Sasuke was placed on the floor, and he would drink it himself when hungry, but they must never get too close to him, or Itachi would launch an attack.

Not yet three months old, Sasuke had not yet developed a sense of territory. Unsure of how to react, he simply mimicked his older brother. As Itachi glared and hissed at Suigetsu and Karin, Sasuke copied his brother's hissing, puffing his entire little body into a ball of fur—a sight so adorable that Karin's heart fluttered with delight, prompting her to immediately pull out her phone to take pictures.

While Karin obsessed over the puffed-up kitten, Suigetsu was more fascinated by the patterns in Itachi's eyes. As Karin went wild photographing Sasuke, Suigetsu tried to capture a clear shot of Itachi's eyes, whose ocular patterns looked very much like a four-bladed windmill or a shuriken. Orochimaru frequently used similar rectangular items to photograph Itachi and Sasuke. Seeing strangers perform a familiar action, Itachi slightly reined in his hostility, sitting down to observe the two of them. Sasuke followed suit, sitting down and tilting his head to stare blankly at the strange humans. Seeing this, Karin blurted out that Sasuke was a copycat.

Karin brewed the special kitten formula milk and placed it in Sasuke's dedicated bowl. Sasuke walked over to the bowl, sniffed the scent of the milk, and—once he confirmed the food was identical to his usual fare—dared to lap it up. After finishing his fill, Sasuke busied himself with washing his face. The very next second, Sasuke did something else that Karin found adorable: he strolled leisurely over to Itachi's side, trod repeatedly on his belly, and began suckling on his older brother's nipple. Karin pulled out her phone to take photos once more. Suigetsu looked somewhat perplexed and asked, "Is Sasuke still not full? Karin, did you not make enough formula?" Karin indignantly retorted, "I followed the instructions on the formula tin to the letter, there's no way it's wrong!" Hearing this, Suigetsu stared at the spherical appendages behind the big cat and joked, "Sasuke, Itachi is a male cat! He doesn't have any milk! Are you suffering from an unfulfilled oral stage?"

"Suigetsu, you read way too much psychology! Sasuke is just acting spoiled with his brother!" Karin put away her phone after finishing her photos and turned to head to the kitchen to eat some cake.

Sasuke fell asleep while suckling on his brother. Suigetsu, squatting nearby and observing the two cats, suddenly felt that Karin's explanation might be correct. Disturbed by his younger brother, Itachi let out a yawn and closed his eyes in feigned sleep, though he did not fall into a deep slumber and still maintained a certain level of vigilance, keeping one ear turned toward the kitchen to monitor Suigetsu and Karin's movements with his hearing.

Karin sat at the dining table reading a book, while Suigetsu enjoyed his own share of cake. After finishing, Suigetsu suddenly remembered he hadn't fed Itachi yet and asked Karin, "Should we wake the big one up to eat?"

"They're still sleeping, wait until Itachi wakes up to feed them! Big cats are different from kittens, they're much more resilient against hunger. If you wake him up and get scratched, don't come crying to me!" Karin answered absentmindedly, flipping to the next page of her book. Having finished his cake with nothing to do, Suigetsu propped his head up in a daze.

Suddenly, Itachi darted into the kitchen and let out a series of urgent meows, as if he needed help. Karin and Suigetsu followed behind Itachi and discovered that Sasuke's left paw was tangled in the living room curtains. He looked like a bus passenger holding onto a hand strap. Suigetsu was amused by the comical scene, and Karin immediately rushed forward to untangle the curtains for Sasuke. Having regained his freedom, Sasuke ran over to rub against his brother to seek comfort. Itachi's expression carried a hint of helplessness; this was not the first time Sasuke's paw had been snagged by the curtains. The kitten was full of curiosity about the world and wanted to reach out and bat at anything he found interesting. Itachi secretly wondered when his little brother would ever learn his lesson and stop using his paws to provoke the trap known as the curtains. Itachi's focused, contemplative expression made him look like a philosopher, and paired with his tuxedo coat, it added an extra touch of intellectual aura. Suigetsu couldn't help but sigh, "As expected of cats raised by Professor Orochimaru." Karin slapped Suigetsu and scolded him, "You're just standing there schadenfreude-ing, go prepare Itachi's food! I'm the one doing all the work, and you ate the cake hosted by the Professor, so you need to help take care of them too!"

"Fine, fine! I'm going right now!" Suigetsu replied perfunctorily, going to grab the food and pour it into Itachi's bowl. The two of them still maintained a certain distance from the cats. While eating his food, Itachi kept a watchful eye on Sasuke, terrified that he might run off to play with the curtains again. Itachi swallowed his kibble while using a paw to press down on his younger brother, signaling him that he was forbidden to go near the curtains again.

Watching Itachi's bizarre eating posture, Suigetsu shook his head and sighed, "Raising kittens as an adult cat seems just as exhausting as parenting for humans."

Internet rumors claim that black-and-white colored cats possess a built-in chaotic attribute; tuxedo cats hosting midnight sports meets are an everyday occurrence, and opening doors, drawers, and cabinets is just standard performance. If one wishes to prevent them from making a mess in the middle of the night, the best approach is to play games with them to exhaust their excess energy.

After cleaning the litter box and pouring in fresh cat litter, Karin and Suigetsu took out teasers and balls to entice Sasuke and Itachi to exercise. Karin helped Sasuke get free from the curtains. Itachi determined that Karin could be trusted and allowed her to approach Sasuke. Karin gently rolled a small ball back and forth in front of Sasuke, who chased after the ball and had a blast; later on, Sasuke and Karin even started playing a game of playing catch. Meanwhile, Itachi fiercely lunged at the cat teaser Suigetsu was waving, his eyes turning red with excitement as he seemingly treated the feathers of the teaser like a living prey.

After playing for a good while, Sasuke and Itachi grew tired and hopped into the cat bed to sleep pressed against each other.

Karin took numerous photos of Sasuke and Itachi, reviewing them one by one on her phone. The adorable appearance of the cats in the photos made her feel thoroughly fulfilled, and she wouldn't mind being called upon again next time the Professor stayed away overnight to help look after the cats. Suigetsu, on the other hand, had simply been lured over by the high-end desserts prepared by the Professor; watching the Uchiha cats was merely secondary, and he wasn't as enthusiastic about caring for Itachi and Sasuke as Karin was.

Cats are very sensitive to human emotions. During Orochimaru's absence, Sasuke and Itachi grew even more fond of Karin, building a trusting relationship with her. Itachi even permitted Karin to pet Sasuke. When Orochimaru returned home, he was somewhat surprised that Itachi was actually willing to let a human other than himself stroke Sasuke. Karin was clearly a competent cat sitter, and in the future whenever he needed to take a long trip, Karin would be the top choice to look after Itachi and Sasuke.

Sasuke gradually grew into a big cat, learning under his older brother's guidance which items were dangerous and must not be clawed. He stopped playing with the curtains altogether, only strolling over to the window to observe unreachable prey through the glass whenever he heard bird song. As they grew older, Sasuke and Itachi's appearances became increasingly similar, making the two cats look like twins. Outsiders found it difficult to distinguish which one was Itachi and which one was Sasuke, and only Karin could accurately identify the two big cats based on their behavior. After growing up, Sasuke became somewhat less fond of acting spoiled around humans, at most rubbing against someone's legs as a greeting when encountering a familiar face. Even when his favorite canned tuna was opened, he wouldn't rush into the kitchen to check; only when the tuna was served directly in front of him would Sasuke's eyes turn red with excitement, blooming with a six-pointed star pattern.

The one thing that hadn't changed about Sasuke from childhood to adulthood was his habit of clinging to his older brother. They would groom each other and sleep squeezed together in the same cat bed (whenever a new cardboard box appeared in the house, they would also attempt to squeeze inside together, occasionally crushing the box out of shape). Sasuke and Itachi were practically inseparable. Watching the brothers curled up together sleeping, Orochimaru couldn't help but be reminded of Fugaku and Mikoto. Life fades away, but it is also born anew; all existing species pass their genes down through generations via bloodlines. Orochimaru began seriously considering whether he should find suitable matches for them to leave behind offspring. However, instances of new cats and resident cats failing to get along happen all too frequently, and Konoha Municipal Cafe had experienced chaos the previous year due to newcomer and resident cats not seeing eye to eye. Pondering this, Orochimaru abandoned the idea of getting two more female cats. Besides, the two fiercely loyal-to-each-other male cats at home probably wouldn't feel any happier with the addition of new cats anyway.

Flipping open his schedule, Orochimaru noted that the day after tomorrow he had to attend an academic seminar at a university in a neighboring town. He called Karin to ask her to come take care of Itachi and Sasuke. Karin happily accepted the mission, enthusiastically packing her bags and planning which games she would play with Sasuke and Itachi during her upcoming overnight stay at the Professor's house, along with buying ingredients to cook boiled chicken meat for them.