Rin paused for a moment, then immediately recognized him.
Guy.
Back in their academy days, he had been quite the figure.
Initially, he hadn't even been able to enroll.
He only gained admission by running five hundred laps around the training grounds, earning his place as a Genin.
Yet now, years later, he had already graduated two years ago.
'Perhaps Obito could ask Guy for advice...'
"I knew I recognized you!" Guy grinned triumphantly, then his gaze locked onto the small black cat in Rin's arms.
Raj knew there was no hiding now.
With the man right in front of them, trying to hide would be as pointless as burying his head in the sand.
He lifted his head and waved weakly.
"You know him?" Rin asked, surprised.
"We've been through some things," Guy said casually.
"We really hit it off. If I didn't already have a Summoning Beast, we might have become lifelong partners by now."
'This guy's ego is off the charts. Lifelong partners? Hah! Pfft!'
Rin asked about what had happened.
After hearing the full story, she apologized repeatedly, then couldn't help but laugh.
This silly Pipi Cat had actually tried to tail Kakashi and ended up running into Guy.
Serves the dumb cat right for messing with those two!
She then brought up Obito's situation and asked Guy to help him.
Guy readily agreed, saying he was happy to assist a fellow villager.
Raj, however, couldn't help but worry about Obito.
What kind of motivational pep talk could Guy possibly give?
By now, Raj was already picturing Obito in a green jumpsuit, sporting a watermelon haircut, shouting "Youthful passion!" and "Duel me, Kakashi!"
'Hiss~ Poor Kakashi!'
Raj shuddered inwardly, praying Obito would use his brain.
One Blue Beast in Konoha was terrifying enough.
If they got another one, this time with the Sharingan, Madara himself might lose his mind.
Rin bid farewell to Guy and carried Raj home.
That night, Raj didn't sleep well.
He dreamed he was blocking Obito's path, just like when they first met, only to be dragged around Konoha a hundred times by Obito in his green jumpsuit.
Just as he finally collapsed to rest, Guy returned to the village from a mission...
"A relay race too?!"
Raj woke up startled, his mind exhausted.
He lay there for a long time, unable to fall back asleep.
Glancing outside, he saw it was still dark.
After lying still for a while, he suddenly heard a rustling sound.
'A rat?'
Raj startled, his eyes instinctively darting toward the noise.
As he looked over, the rat spotted him too.
The two creatures locked eyes for a split second.
The rat didn't flee.
It recognized the cat before it as merely a "young cat," lacking the skills to hunt.
But Raj had already pounced with a whoosh.
The poor rat had no idea that Ninja Cats existed.
By the time it realized its mistake and turned to flee, Raj had already pinned it beneath his paw, crushing it instantly.
'Points? Did the rat contribute these before dying?'
Though only a dozen or so points, it was better than nothing.
Energized, Raj squeezed through the gap under the door.
Even in Konoha, the ninja world, rats remained impossible to eradicate.
While slightly fewer than in the slums, they were still plentiful enough to find if one looked.
The next morning, a row of dead rats lay neatly arranged along the street.
Raj had done this deliberately.
What was the point of catching rats if he couldn't show off?
It would be like wearing fine clothes in the dark.
Besides, a family of rats should be properly organized.
The early risers were immediately shocked and gathered to gawk.
While the sight of the rats lined up in a row was unsettling, people living in turbulent times had seen far worse.
Instead of fear, they voiced their admiration.
Many cats could catch rats, but few could catch a dozen in a single night at just half a year old, like Raj.
That morning, Tsume happily gave Raj extra food.
Of course, Rin couldn't resist whispering, "Catching rats is fine, but don't eat them unless absolutely necessary."
Raj was still young and his immune system wasn't fully developed.
Most rats lived in filthy places, and eating one without checking could easily lead to illness.
He wouldn't dream of eating a rat.
If it weren't for his insomnia and the opportunity to earn points, he wouldn't even bother moving to catch these idiots.
Fortunately, catching over a dozen rats that night earned him more than two hundred points.
Combined with the three hundred points he earned from displaying the rats outside for everyone to see, he'd still have over three hundred points left after exchanging for Needle Jizo.
Determined not to be toyed with by Guy, Raj was going all out.
He had already tested Needle Jizo once.
However, since it hadn't been used against weapons like kunai, its effectiveness remained uncertain.
After all, the power of Ninjutsu was directly tied to Chakra, and his own Chakra reserves were still too meager.
Chakra was formed by extracting and fusing physical and spiritual energies in a specific ratio.
While Raj's spiritual energy undoubtedly surpassed that of most Ninja Beasts, his physical limitations remained a significant weakness.
Fortunately, the Shop offered several solutions to address this. One option was to consume special cat food regularly.
Another was Ninja Cat-specific cat food priced at 300 points per serving, described as "highly beneficial for Ninja Cats when consumed regularly." Both were consumable items requiring long-term use.
With just over 300 points on hand, Raj secretly exchanged for a serving of the Ninja Cat-specific cat food before breakfast arrived. The taste was decent.
However, after finishing the serving, he noticed no significant changes.
'Perhaps it's just my imagination...'
He consoled himself, channeling his frustration into appetite and devouring an extra-large breakfast.
A Ninja Cat's breakfast was far from simple, always featuring a balanced mix of meat and vegetables for optimal nutrition. This family had consulted the Inuzuka Clan and learned some of their techniques.
Despite eating so much, Raj didn't feel full at all.
'As expected, when you're overweight, no meal is innocent.'
With her teacher's permission, Rin took Raj to school after breakfast.
Along the way, she let him down to walk on his own, to prevent him from becoming too fat from prolonged inactivity.
Raj didn't wander off; having learned his lesson from Kakashi, he decided to stay in the "newbie village" and develop his skills first.
'Only when I'm confident I won't be outsmarted will I consider exploring other "dungeons" in Konoha.'
'Otherwise, this little kitty might get tricked by these cunning ninjas until not a single whisker remains.'
However, school life was incredibly boring. Being brought to class was different from going on his own.
Like Haimaru, he had to stay on the desk, and any movement would draw attention.
Worse, he couldn't leave early. This was unbearable.