Ninja Cats were different from ordinary house cats. While regular cats could be easily raised as long as they weren't fed forbidden foods, Ninja Cats would eventually participate in battles and needed to be strong and robust.
To achieve that, they absolutely had to be fed meat. But meat wasn't cheap.
"This little guy will be a great help to Raj on the battlefield," Tsume said. "And having him has already made her so much happier. Let's just put in a little extra effort."
Rin chuckled, said nothing more, teased the little black cat for a while longer, then got up and went inside to rest.
Whew~ Raj let out a sigh of relief.
He had been struggling with whether to draw or not, and when he snapped out of it, he was nearly scared to death by that huge face looming over him.
He lay back down, his eyes fixed on the panel.
'Draw, or not draw?'
After hesitating for a long time, he glanced at Rin nearby, then thought of Guy chasing after him with the Eight Gates activated...
'Let's gamble! A bicycle might turn into a motorcycle!'
He exchanged for a ten-pull.
A spinning wheel appeared, displaying twenty different prizes, with the number "11" in the center.
Raj scanned the wheel, feeling slightly reassured.
The spinning wheel didn't have any of those scammy rewards like "Thank you for your patronage" or "XX% off coupon." All twenty prizes were tangible items.
Whether they'd be useful or not... that was another matter entirely.
"Spin!"
Raj gritted his teeth and slapped the "Spin" button with his paw.
In truth, the lottery didn't require this action; the wheel would spin with just a thought. But Raj felt the ritual added a sense of ceremony, increasing his chances of winning something good.
Simply put, it was lottery mysticism.
"Congratulations! You've won ten strips of special dried fish, a specialty of the Land of Waterfalls. The reward has been automatically added to your item space."
'Dried fish. Well, at least it's a decent snack.'
Raj glanced up and spotted Rin reading nearby.
He quietly slipped out, hid behind a bush, and retrieved the dried fish.
He immediately regretted it.
The fish strips were tiny, barely the size of his paw.
He flicked his tongue out, licked the fish into his mouth, and before he could even savor the flavor, it was chewed and swallowed.
Still, the taste was quite good - fresher than the ones Obito had given him.
'Spin again.'
"Congratulations! You've won a portion of special cat food."
"Congratulations! You've obtained one recyclable 'Iron Ball' within a limited range."
'An iron ball? Is this a Ninja Cat toy or a ninja tool...?'
'Well, at least it's better than cat food.'
'A recyclable iron object could even be used as a hidden weapon in a pinch, making it the most useful item I've gotten in these three draws so far.'
"Congratulations! You've obtained one 'Quick Claw Sharpener'."
'...'
I used up several more draw attempts until only two remained, but I didn't get anything good. I even managed to scratch one of the Quick Claw Sharpeners to pieces.
'This thing really works! Just a few swipes and my claws are perfectly sharpened and comfortable. Plus, it's a great way to vent my anger and frustration. Too bad it's so fragile.'
'No matter. I still have two more Quick Claw Sharpeners in my inventory, along with consumables like "Special Dried Fish x39" and "Special Cat Food x1." Time to keep drawing.'
"Ninja Cat Outer Garment."
'One more draw...'
"Congratulations! You've obtained Canine Language."
'Canine Language? What am I supposed to do with this? Bully Haimaru?'
Raj fell into deep thought.
'I've got a whole pile of stuff. It's not completely useless, but I still feel like I got ripped off.'
'Sigh, there are no shortcuts in a cat's life. Let's just forget about lotteries and stuff.'
'What's the use of canine language?'
Raj pondered for a long time but couldn't think of any practical applications. Its primary use seemed to be for communicating with foolish dogs in the future.
Beyond that, it was useless.
After all, he had no reason to communicate with dogs.
As a cat, Raj looked down on those dim-witted canines.
They lacked agility and seemed utterly foolish.
Of course, this was a bit of racial prejudice, even though he had only been a cat for about ten days.
But that didn't stop him from quickly developing contempt for another species.
Contempt needs no justification.
He devoured over a dozen dried fish from Taki no Kuni in one go.
Surprisingly, the fish from Taki no Kuni - a land known for its waterfalls - retained a chewy, tender texture even after being dried, as if they still held the freshness of their pre-dried state.
Of course, this was all from a cat's perspective.
Humans might not find these dried fish so delicious, as cats and humans have somewhat different tastes.
Raj returned to the house, curled up, and pondered what to do next.
Undoubtedly, the lottery was a bottomless pit. He could occasionally test his luck when he had spare Points, but until he achieved financial stability, he couldn't afford to waste Points recklessly.
Currently, he was still far from achieving a comfortable life.
'Ninja Cat Special Food, Human Language, and Rasengan.'
Among these three, Human Language required 2,000 Points, but compared to the 5,000-Point Rasengan and the Ninja Cat Special Food, which would
Needing countless servings to show significant results, the 2,000 Points seemed much more attainable.
'I should learn to speak first. At least I'll be able to communicate with people and avoid talking to a brick wall all the time... Especially now that I've met Guy, not being able to speak is incredibly frustrating.'
Unfortunately, Raj couldn't find any human transformation exchanges.
Otherwise, he would have prioritized it as his top exchange requirement.
As for the Transformation Technique, it had a major flaw.
Ninja beasts could temporarily transform, but aside from the problem of the transformation dissolving with the slightest touch, the first issue to resolve was how to walk upright on two legs for extended periods.
He didn't know this technique, and the shop offered no similar exchanges.
Cats could stand on their hind legs for a few steps, but walking upright continuously... that was asking too much of a cat.
If the transformed human still crawled on the ground like the Inuzuka Clan's ninja dogs, it would be more dignified to remain a cat.
Lost in thought, the Little Black Cat let out a soft sigh.
'Well, being a cat isn't so bad after all. At least with the System backing me, I don't have to worry about food, shelter, or how to get stronger.'
'As long as I keep courting danger, my strength should grow steadily. Once I can speak Human Language, life will definitely get better day by day.'
The Little Black Cat tried to reassure itself, but when it glanced at the lonely three-digit number on its interface, it couldn't help but sigh again.
'Why did I have to be so impulsive with my paws earlier? If I hadn't wasted those Points on the lottery, I could've unlocked Human Language by now.'
'Now I have to save up over eighteen hundred more...'
Frustrated, it slumped listlessly onto its cushion.