Chapter 22: Pakkun's Help
"Pakkun, I need you to help these kids with today's mission."
"No problem."
Pakkun waved his paw and looked at the three Genin.
"So these three brats are your new subordinates, huh? Hmm… those two boys have decent eyes, but this girl…"
Sniff sniff—
"Huh? You're using the same shampoo brand as me?"
!!!
Sakura stared at Pakkun in disbelief, then instantly deflated like a dead fish, all spirit gone.
"I… I'm using the same shampoo as a dog~"
"Don't look so depressed. Using the same shampoo as me isn't that embarrassing."
Pakkun jumped onto Sakura's shoulder to comfort her. "Aren't you guys on a mission? Tell you what — if you complete the mission properly, I'll reward you by letting you touch my paw pads~"
"..."
Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto looked at Pakkun speechlessly.
Who wants to touch your paw pads?!
"Alright, break time is over. Let's start the mission."
Kakashi clapped his hands, stopping them from continuing the conversation.
"Naruto."
"Hm?"
"Pakkun is good at scent tracking. Of course, talking to animals is also possible. I'll teach you that this afternoon. Make sure you finish the mission properly. Got it?"
Naruto didn't reply, simply gave an OK gesture.
"Perfect. Then let's begin — again!"
...
"Naruto, what should we do next?"
After spending these past days together, Naruto had naturally become the leader of the team. Both Sakura and Sasuke had developed the habit of asking him whenever they were unsure.
"I'll take Pakkun to ask the stray cats and dogs nearby if they've seen Tora."
"You and Sasuke go ask Lady Shizumi for something that has Tora's scent on it."
After receiving Naruto's instructions, Sasuke and Sakura immediately went to find Lady Shizumi.
Naruto followed Pakkun to search for nearby stray animals.
"I didn't expect you to be the leader of the three. I thought the taller guy was the boss," Pakkun said as he walked ahead.
"Mhm."
Naruto gave a soft reply, showing no interest in chatting.
He didn't think he had much in common with a dog.
What were they supposed to talk about? The brand of shampoo Sakura used?
Pakkun could sense Naruto's disinterest but didn't shut up.
A confident dog like him had zero sense of embarrassment or inferiority.
"You're a lot like the old Kakashi, though the current Kakashi is much gentler now."
"Speaking of which, that kid Sasuke is also quite similar to Kakashi… That guy really is something. Is he looking for subordinates or sons?"
"Go ask that one."
Naruto spotted a passing black cat and instructed Pakkun.
Pakkun obediently walked over and asked, "Hey, little black cat, have you seen a cat named Tora? If you tell me, I'll let you touch my paw pads."
"..."
"You need to ask if it's seen a brown cat with a red butterfly bow on its head," Naruto interrupted the cat-and-dog conversation.
"Oh, right. Hey, little black cat, have you seen a brown cat with a red butterfly bow on its head named Tora?"
"If you have, please tell us. As a reward, I'll let you touch the paw pads on my palm~"
"Meow meow meow~"
"Oh, it says it hasn't seen it."
Naruto narrowed his eyes at Pakkun, hesitated, but ultimately said nothing.
He really wanted to tell Pakkun to stop offering the "touch my paw pads" reward — it might make some animals refuse to speak even if they knew something.
But Naruto felt Pakkun wouldn't listen to him anyway.
In Pakkun's world, letting someone touch his paw pads was the highest possible reward.
As a dog living firmly in his own universe, no one could persuade him otherwise.
With Pakkun leading the way, Naruto searched several more streets and finally encountered a white cat that seemed to have seen Tora.
However, the cat only said it had seen the cat that morning and didn't know where it was now.
The information was almost worthless.
Naruto had Pakkun ask for the location where Tora had appeared that morning and decided to head there to try their luck.
At that moment, Sakura's voice came through his earpiece.
"Naruto, we're back! Where are you?"
"I'm on Mingcha Street. Come over."
Shortly after, Naruto met up with Sakura and Sasuke.
"Got the item?"
"Here!"
Sakura pulled out an expensive-looking little outfit from her pocket.
Cats these days live better than people, Naruto thought as he took the clothes and handed them to Pakkun.
"Pakkun, track the owner of this clothing."
"Leave it to me!"
Pakkun's expression turned serious. He sniffed the clothes carefully, then quickly determined a direction.
"This way!!"
With Pakkun leading, Team 7 no longer had to wander around like headless flies.
They crossed several streets of Konoha and entered a forested area, where Pakkun suddenly stopped.
He sniffed around and said, "It should be inside here. The scent is very strong — it was left not long ago!"
"So it really is in the forest?" Sakura said, surprised that Kakashi's earlier guess had been correct.
"Split up."
"If either of you finds the target, don't act on your own. Notify me first. Understood?"
"Understood!"
Sasuke and Sakura nodded, then headed into the forest from different sides.
Naruto took Pakkun and entered from the middle.
"You're surprisingly reliable, Naruto. Interested in signing a contract with me?" Pakkun jumped onto Naruto's shoulder and asked.
"No."
Naruto rejected him flatly. "Can you pinpoint its location?"
"You're really cold, huh."
Pakkun sniffed again. "To the left!"
With Pakkun guiding him, Naruto had the highest chance of finding Tora first.
But Sasuke and Sakura on the other sides might also locate it.
After all, the forest was complicated, and no one knew where Tora had hidden after entering.
Not long after, Sasuke's voice suddenly came through the earpiece.
"Suspected target sighted!"
Upon receiving the message, Naruto and Sakura quickly moved toward Sasuke's direction.
"I'm within five meters of the target. It hasn't noticed me yet. Should I act?"
Sasuke followed behind Tora. Seeing that Naruto and Sakura were taking time to arrive, he asked for instructions through the earpiece.
"Are you confident?"
"Yes!"
"Permission granted, but do not fail!"
"Understood!"
After getting Naruto's approval, Sasuke took action immediately.
He moved stealthily, closed in, then burst forward at top speed to pin the target down.
"Target secured."
"Mission complete!"
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