It was noon.
Guy finally stopped training, while Raj lay motionless on his shoulder, looking as if he'd just been thoroughly exhausted.
The only consolation was that he'd earned over 700 points.
400 points came from the two slaps, 200 more were awarded for "pranking" Kakashi,
and the remaining 100 were for the achievement of "attacking an Elite Genin." Compared to these 700+ points, running alongside Guy didn't seem so bad, especially since Guy had ended up carrying him for most of the run.
Raj barely exerted any effort, instead enjoying a tour of Konoha courtesy of his Guy-brand mount.
Raj wouldn't dare call himself Konoha's living navigation system, but he now knew his way home and to the Ninja Academy well enough.
With over 1,400 points in hand, he was now just over halfway to acquiring the Needle Jizo...
But the gacha pulls were tempting too, especially with the bonus pull for every ten consecutive pulls!
Raj clung to Guy's shoulder, his mind in turmoil.
One moment, he imagined a mountain of prizes, and the next, he unconsciously recalled the gacha systems from his past life in League of Legends.
'Same old tricks.'
'At least it's not the worst-case scenario, like EA's loot boxes. The real nightmare would be if it worked like Blizzard's overpriced pulls.'
'That would be a total rip-off.'
'Forget it. I can't afford to gamble.'
'Once I'm rich, I'll come back and see which company you're from.'
'For now, all my focus is on getting the Needle Jizo.'
The Needle Jizo offered both offense and defense.
Once he had it, he wouldn't have to fear physical attacks anymore.
'The future looks bright!'
Raj thought to himself, filled with quiet optimism.
"Speaking of which, you're a Ninja Cat, right? Regular cats couldn't handle this kind of intense training. It's a shame I already have a summoning beast, or I'd love to partner with you," Guy said, chatting effortlessly as he ran without even breaking a sweat.
It was clear that even at his young age, Guy's physical abilities far surpassed those of his peers.
No wonder he graduated from the Ninja Academy at just seven years old, mastering the Three Body Technique and Taijutsu.
This era was different from the Naruto era Raj knew well; after the Second Shinobi World War, the entire shinobi world remained in turmoil.
Therefore, graduating required not only skill but also considerable courage.
"Meow~," Raj replied weakly.
"You're looking forward to it too, right?"
Guy clearly didn't understand.
With his limited intellect, it was impossible for him to comprehend Beast Language.
The two were essentially talking at cross-purposes.
Raj couldn't be bothered to engage.
Talking to this guy was a complete waste of time.
He'd wait until he unlocked the Human Language Mastery skill before giving him a proper scolding.
'Right, and next time I'll bring some backup.'
Perched on Guy's shoulder, Raj surveyed their surroundings.
Noticing they were nearing the Ninja Academy, he quickly patted Guy's shoulder and darted off with a whoosh.
Guy could easily have caught up, but there was no need.
He wasn't truly a villain.
He'd initially grabbed Raj to retaliate for that slap, but later it was purely out of hunter's instinct.
But Rin...
"That name sounds so familiar," Guy muttered to himself.
"I feel like I've heard it somewhere before... Was she a classmate?"
Though he suspected the cat's owner might be a former classmate, he couldn't recall anything about the girl's appearance.
After all, this guy was a fitness fanatic who had eyes only for Kakashi during their school days.
Once Kakashi graduated, his sole focus became graduating himself.
This little blue beast kept running in place, only continuing his sprint after watching Raj scramble up the wall and leap to the second floor.
When Raj reached the second-floor railing, he glanced back and waved a paw in a silent farewell.
His arrival didn't alarm many, but Asuma, sitting in the last row, was an exception.
Normally a slacker, he glanced sideways and spotted a black cat sneaking up behind him.
'That damn cat is back!'
Asuma's face paled instantly, and he reflexively straightened up in his seat.
But when he glanced forward and saw Kurenai wasn't in the row ahead, he slumped back down, a hint of disappointment in his posture.
'Sigh... Even if Kurenai isn't in front of me anymore, what's there to fear from this little cat? Let it do as it pleases.'
Raj hadn't intended to prank him today, having already given Asuma a hard time the previous day.
He'd planned to target someone else for some mischief, but Asuma's nonchalant attitude irked him.
He quietly slipped into the classroom to investigate...
'Heh heh heh, so that's how it is.'
Kurenai had gone to sit with Rin, who, as the class's top student, always sat in the front row.
This meant Asuma and his goddess were practically worlds apart-no wonder he was so detached.
'Poor guy!'
Come to think of it, Kurenai and Rin didn't seem quite this close in the original manga.
'It looks like my first change to the Naruto World has already taken effect... though it's Asuma who's paying the price.'
Raj she'd a crocodile tear, then carefully squeezed through the gap between the desks.
Getting to the front row was quite a feat, but thankfully cats are naturally flexible, and Raj wasn't too chubby at the moment.
He could squeeze through any gap that wasn't too narrow.
As he reached the front, he noticed someone: a little boy wearing sunglasses.
He looked awfully smug, pretending to be completely focused on the blackboard.
'But if you're really paying attention, why wear sunglasses?'
'Something's fishy here.'
Raj muttered to himself, then quietly crept under the boy's desk.
Looking up from below...
'Bingo!'
'This creep's eyes are darting between the two pretty girls in front.'
'Perverted little wolf!'
Raj crouched there, staring for a few seconds, then gently tapped the boy's leg with his paw.
"Huh?"
Ebisu's face flushed crimson as he straightened up, snapping his gaze back to the teacher and pretending to pay attention.
But then he realized something was wrong.
'I'm wearing sunglasses. How could anyone see where my eyes were wandering? Besides, that touch just now...'
Ebisu looked down and saw a black cat crouching at his feet, its eyes fixed on him.
He nearly jumped out of his skin.
Though he managed to avoid such a dramatic reaction this time, his flustered movements still created a noticeable commotion.
"Ebisu, would you like to answer this question in place of the teacher?" Takuma asked from the platform, a smile playing on his lips.
"Ah? Yes, Teacher."
Ebisu froze for a second, then stood up to answer.
'If I don't answer, won't it look like I wasn't paying attention? I can't let my "model student" image crumble!'