The moment Rin and Obito left, Raj stealthily followed behind.
Rin and his wife hadn't yet adjusted to having a ninja cat in the house, so they didn't notice.
Raj had originally planned to follow them all the way to school, but halfway there, he spotted a distinctive figure.
Silver hair, a forehead protector, and a short sword strapped to his back.
That unmistakable attire, those familiar deadpan eyes-it was none other than the still-growing Kakashi!
Kakashi was the same age as Obito and Rin.
However, he had graduated from the Ninja Academy at just five years old and was now a highly skilled elite Chunin.
'If I could fleece some points off him, it'd be a substantial haul, right?'
After a moment's consideration, he glanced at Rin and Obito walking ahead toward school and decided to stick with Kakashi instead, hoping to find an opportunity to extract some points from the young elite Chunin.
At that moment, Kakashi was walking down the street, a rice ball in hand.
He was about to head out for training, having just returned from a mission and once again lost his team.
Not that his teammates had died or anything-they simply no longer wanted to work with him.
As a result, he was temporarily without assignments.
Raj stealthily followed from atop the walls.
Since becoming a Ninja Cat, his speed had increased significantly, allowing him to keep pace with Kakashi without making a sound.
However, elite Chunin were highly vigilant.
After a short while, Kakashi quickly noticed Raj's presence, turning to stare at him intently for several moments.
Raj pretended not to notice and continued walking forward, when a figure suddenly sprinted from a side street.
"Kakashi, duel me!"
Green spandex, a bowl cut-this iconic look belonged to only one person in Konoha: Guy.
Raj crouched down, watching the scene with amusement.
In the anime, his favorite part had always been the interactions between Kakashi and Guy.
Reality, however, was even more entertaining than the anime.
Besides... wouldn't Kakashi being distracted by Guy be the perfect opportunity to strike?
Excellent.
A true hunter possesses both patience and the ability to seize opportunities.
Raj felt himself evolving into a proper predator.
"No."
Kakashi didn't bother to acknowledge him.
Having just had another falling out with his teammates, his mood was foul.
He had no patience for Guy's antics today.
"Feeling down? Perfect! Let's wager our youthful passion in a duel!"
Guy's teeth gleamed so brightly they were almost blinding.
Even Raj found it hard to endure.
This was what made Kakashi so admirable.
As if professionally trained, he never cracked a smile, no matter how absurd the situation.
He simply stared blankly at Guy before slowly extending his hand.
'Great, another game of rock-paper-scissors.'
"Another round of rock-paper-scissors... Alright, if I lose, I'll do a hundred laps around Konoha on my hands!"
Guy declared, brimming with enthusiasm.
The two prepared for their "duel" with intense focus, as if it were a life-or-death battle.
But just as Kakashi was about to throw his hand, he suddenly startled, his head snapping around.
A cat!
No, an ordinary kitten couldn't move that fast.
Could it be a Ninja Cat?
Kakashi turned to react, but a burst of laughter erupted from in front of him.
"Kakashi, you finally lost! Look at your hand-I threw paper, I win!"
Guy, completely absorbed in the moment and caught off guard in the familiar surroundings of Konoha, assumed Kakashi was fully focused on their duel.
Little did he know, Kakashi wasn't even looking at him.
Raj, realizing Kakashi had noticed him, sensed immediate danger.
But it was too late to retreat; he had no choice but to charge forward.
Fortunately, he didn't use his claws.
'Kakashi would show mercy... right?'
Slap!
Kakashi sidestepped, and the pouncing cat's paws landed squarely on Guy's face.
The silver-haired youth stared expressionlessly at Guy and the Little Black Cat for a few seconds before nodding.
"Hmm, you win."
Seizing the moment before Guy could react, Kakashi turned and left.
"Kakashi, you can't take a loss! Sneaking in a surprise attack... Wait a minute!"
Guy froze, then peeled the Little Black Cat off his face.
He stared at it for several seconds.
'What is this? A cat? Kakashi's summoning beast isn't a cat, it's seven dogs, right?'
Though Guy had never teamed up with Kakashi, he knew perfectly well what Kakashi's summoning beasts were.
Once, Kakashi had even proposed a competition: a race between their summoning beasts.
"Hey little guy, who are you?"
Being slapped twice for no reason would irritate even Guy, especially since his lifelong rival had used this cat as a distraction to slip away.
"Meow~," Raj, his front paws restrained, could only stretch his neck, revealing the tag around his neck.
Guy leaned in to read it.
Raj Rin.
Rin?
That name sounds familiar, but I can't quite place it right now.
He pondered for a long moment, refraining from harming the kitten.
After squinting at it for a while, he suddenly grinned and said, "Kakashi ran off. Why don't you train with me instead?
It'll be a perfect way to apologize."
'Train with you?'
Raj's eyes widened, and he shook his head frantically, terror already etched on his face.
"My summoning beast trains with me all the time, and it's fine. You can do it too, kid! Believe in yourself!"
'Believe in you? What a joke! Your summoning beast is a tortoise-it can handle the abuse. I'm just a six-month-old kitten! I shouldn't have to endure such agony.'
"Let's go!"
Guy set Raj down and started running.
Raj immediately took off.
But the next second, it saw the hem of green spandex pants appear in front of it...
"Heh heh, no cheating! Stick with me and push your limits!"
'You won't even spare a cat? Are you a demon?!'
Raj cursed its own bad luck for picking this time.
'If I'd known, I would have waited for Guy to leave before ambushing Kakashi... No, I shouldn't have been following Kakashi in the first place!'
'Wasn't it good enough to stay in the Ninja Academy's newbie village? What made me think I could leave before reaching max level?'
Tears of regret streamed down its face.
Under the scorching sun, a pitiful little black cat was forced to run relentlessly by a green-clad youth.
Occasional passersby barely gave them a second glance.
The Inuzuka Clan often walked their dogs through the streets.
While walking a cat was unusual, it wasn't exactly earth-shattering.
"They seem to be getting along well," Kakashi murmured softly as he watched the scene unfold on the street, showing no intention of intervening to save the cat.
A mischievous cat must face the consequences of its actions.