Raj lay sprawled on the desk, his face blank as he endured the grueling day.
Thankfully, Obito didn't seem to be "Guy-ifying" yet.
At least his words and actions were normal, which relieved Raj.
On the other hand, he noticed that Haimaru's hostility toward him had intensified today.
During class, Raj could feel the dog's constant gaze - a primal instinct at play.
'Is it because of Needle Jizo?'
'We will clash sooner or later.'
As they left the classroom, the cat and dog locked eyes, the atmosphere as tense as a final showdown at the Forbidden City.
Yet in the next instant, one was pinned down by Hana Inuzuka, while the other was cradled in Rin's arms.
They parted ways downstairs, each heading in opposite directions.
Their battle spirit burned fiercely, but their bodies were not their own.
Raj sighed inwardly.
'If that fool dog dares to make a move, I'll make him taste the full fury of Needle Jizo.'
'A Ninja Dog should fetch a decent number of points.'
But fate had other plans.
Rin and Hana Inuzuka understood the principle that two tigers cannot share one mountain.
They kept their Ninja Beasts on a tight leash, never letting Raj and Haimaru out of their sight, especially in the classroom.
For four or five consecutive days, Raj could only sneak out at night to hunt mice for points - even that meager income was dwindling.
Brave mice were few and far between.
After a brief hunting spree, the remaining rodents dared not show their faces.
'This can't go on!'
Raj pondered his next move.
'If I keep studying like this, my cat life will be ruined!'
'Although I've learned a lot in class and gained a deeper understanding of ninjas and Ninjutsu, what's the point of teaching this to a cat? Am I supposed to throw kunai and shuriken with my paws or something?!'
'Today, I've decided to create...'
"Raj, today's class is a practical combat exercise. Do you want to come?"
This morning, Rin didn't force him to go to school.
When he woke up, he looked even more listless than usual, as if he hadn't slept well.
Since today was a practical combat class, going in such poor condition would only hinder him, hence her question.
As soon as he heard it was a practical combat class, the black cat perked up immediately.
'Practical combat? That means I can actually fight!'
He sprang to his feet, shook his head to show he was fine, and even circled her legs a few times in excitement.
'Is it really that exciting?'
Rin was puzzled, wondering why the cat was so thrilled about fighting.
They hadn't been out long when...
"Rin, wait for me~"
"Obito?"
Rin and Raj turned simultaneously.
Their reactions to seeing Obito were quite different.
Rin was merely surprised, but Raj's fur stood on end.
Obito was clad in a full-body green jumpsuit, his running style eerily similar to Guy's.
Though he hadn't shaved his head into a watermelon cut, his outfit immediately reminded Raj of that self-proclaimed hot-blooded youth.
'Could this nightmare actually become reality one day?'
'How terrifying.'
"Obito, what's with the outfit?" Rin asked, bewildered.
Seeing Raj's obvious panic, she tried to reassure him while seeking an explanation.
"Oh, this is a tracksuit Guy gave me. I wore it a few days ago for training and combat - it's surprisingly comfortable. I brought it for today's practical combat class."
Obito beamed with confidence, as if he were wearing not a green jumpsuit, but a bronze Saint Cloth.
'It's over. This guy's mind has been Guy-fied beyond redemption.'
Raj instinctively edged away from Obito, who remained oblivious, continuing to extol the virtues of his tracksuit.
But it wasn't just Raj who failed to appreciate these "advantages"; even the usually kind and tolerant Rin found it hard to accept.
On Guy, the outfit seemed perfectly normal, but on Obito, something just felt... off.
"Oh, right, Guy said if you ever need..."
"No, thank you, Obito, but I don't need anything!"
"Obito's outfit... Did something happen to him?"
Upon arriving at school, Kurenai secretly pulled Rin aside to ask.
Rin sighed.
"I ran into Guy a few days ago, an old classmate. I asked him to tutor Obito, but the results seem to have... deviated somewhat."
"Maybe it's for the best," Kurenai said after a long pause, trying to comfort Rin.
Everyone in Konoha knew about Guy's legendary exploits.
Obito was also considered a "dead last," so Rin's intention to have Guy tutor him was well-meaning.
However, Guy's teaching methods were clearly... a little unorthodox.
Still, it was better than doing nothing at all.
If she had the ability, Kurenai naturally wished all her classmates could become Genin on time, rather than being held back another year.
Raj scanned the schoolyard, searching for a target to scheme against.
Asuma was too far away.
'Never mind, I'll find someone else.'
After surveying the area, Raj's gaze settled on Haimaru.
He seemed like the easiest target.
Aside from the Ninja Beasts, the only other options were the few slightly less talented students - the nameless background characters who never got any screen time in the manga.
'Even the background characters give points, and we don't even have to fight them.'
Raj stealthily slipped away from Rin and crept toward Tsume, Rin's neighbor.
Just the night before, Raj had secretly gone to Tsume's house to catch a rat.
Of course, he wasn't the type to do good deeds anonymously.
After catching the rat, he deliberately placed it on the little girl's doorstep, achieving his "prank" and earning an extra hundred points from her.
This time, Raj had no rat.
He glanced around, then...
Whoosh!
The little black cat darted out, weaving between the girl's legs, instantly triggering a chorus of screams.
Then he swiftly dashed toward another person.
With lightning speed and razor-sharp reflexes, Raj weaved through the legs of five or six people before finally being caught by Takuma, who had just arrived.
"Rin, it seems your cat's been bored out of its mind these past few days," Takuma teased.
"Y-yes, I'm so sorry, everyone," Rin apologized profusely, scooping Raj back into her arms.
It was just a harmless prank, and no one really minded.
The girls even found the fluffy black cat quite endearing and wanted to pet him again.
After this round of playful chaos, Raj checked his account.
'Over seven hundred points in one go!'
'A real jackpot!'
His account now held over twelve hundred points.
Twelve hundred - enough for ten consecutive gacha pulls.
Raj fell into contemplation again, but when he glanced at his black fur, his mind instantly calmed, as still as a placid lake.
'With this black fur, I should exchange for the Transformation Technique first.'
Once he had the Transformation Technique and could transform into a white-furred form, he could then consider the lottery.
After all, the Transformation Technique only cost 1,500 points.
'If I save up a bit, I'll have enough soon.'
"Alright,"
"The practical combat lesson is about to begin. Remember to hold back. You may only use Ninjutsu learned in class, as well as kunai and shuriken manipulation techniques. Understood?"
"Yes!"