The crowd buzzed with speculation, while the top students - Asuma, Kurenai, and others - noticed something amiss.
Even Obito himself seemed bewildered.
Sure enough, Obito quickly raised his hand and confessed honestly, "Teacher, I only created one clone."
Hmm?
Takuma stared at the third "Obito," who had transformed into Takuma.
This "Obito" was in a different posture from the other two, who were standing.
Only this one was kneeling.
Apart from the kneeling posture, his transformation was nearly perfect.
Unfortunately, the kneeling position gave him away.
Spotting the flaw wasn't difficult; the real question was, who was this guy?
"Student, stop disrupting the exam or you'll be disqualified," another teacher said, frowning.
Rin didn't react at first.
But for some reason, seeing Obito in that peculiar kneeling position instantly reminded her of how her Ninja Cat often sat upright on its hind legs.
'It's... kind of similar.'
The thought froze her for a moment, then she shot to her feet, her face a mask of disbelief.
"Raj, what's wrong?" Kurenai asked, tilting her head in confusion.
Rin suddenly realized everyone in the class was staring at her, including the two teachers.
Her abrupt movement had clearly drawn too much attention.
Her face flushed crimson, and after a tense moment, she stammered, "Teacher... I think it might be my cat."
Takuma looked utterly bewildered, then lunged forward.
But before he could act, Raj dispelled the Transformation Technique.
It was indeed the Little Black Cat.
A deathly silence fell over the classroom.
The students who had botched their Transformation Techniques lowered their heads in shame.
"I'm sorry, Teacher," Rin said, bowing swiftly in apology.
After adopting Raj, her bowing skills had become second nature.
Whenever the Little Black Cat made a mistake, she would immediately bend over and apologize without hesitation.
"It's alright, this isn't your fault... Hana, your clan knows a lot about Ninja Beasts. Have you ever seen anything like this before?"
Takuma picked up the Little Black Cat.
The entire class stared at its innocent, watery eyes, feeling both amused and slightly tearful at the sight.
'Our Transformation Techniques aren't even as good as a cat's.'
'Our Transformation Techniques aren't even as good as a cat's.'
Previously, this might have been considered an insult, but now it was likely an undeniable truth.
If not for some innate limitations, the cat's transformation would likely have been even more perfect.
"I've never seen anything like it before, but it might be related to the inheritance of ninja dog techniques. This cat's origins might be more complex than they appear. In any case, it's definitely not an ordinary Ninja Cat," Hana replied.
Hana wasn't just guessing; she had solid evidence.
Haimaru, as a ninja dog, was significantly larger than the cat and over half a year older.
Logically, Haimaru should have easily defeated the Little Black Cat in a fight, yet he had suffered a crushing defeat that left him traumatized.
This meant the Black Cat must possess a Ninjutsu that allows it to harden its fur into needles.
And now this Transformation Technique...
The ninja dogs of the Inuzuka Clan can also transform, but their transformations typically require the master and dog to stack on
Top of each other, allowing the master to manipulate the Ninja Beast's Chakra to activate the technique. The dogs themselves lack this ability.
Hana gave a slight bow and sat down, refraining from discussing the Little Black Cat further. When it came to Ninja Cats, the Uchiha Clan were the true experts.
Below, the Uchiha clansman continued to stare at Raj, his expression shifting between dark and uncertain, his thoughts unreadable.
"I understand," Takuma said after a moment of contemplation, then set the Little Black Cat down.
Raj swiftly slipped back to Rin's side.
Of course. Returning meant enduring a scolding, but compared to the points earned, the reprimand was a small price to pay.
Previously, Raj had been quite far from acquiring the "Human Language" ability. However, its performance as Obito's transformation had directly earned it nearly a thousand points.
Now, its total points exceeded two thousand one hundred.
Without hesitation, Raj proceeded with the exchange.
Seeing the "Human Language" entry appear in its ability list, Raj felt deeply satisfied.
The ability to speak was crucial. For instance, if it could have spoken earlier, its dislike for Guy would have been resolved long ago, instead of relying on a series of coincidences for Rin to finally understand.
Raj wasn't the only Summoned Beast or Ninja Beast in Konoha capable of speech, but talking Ninja Beasts were generally quite rare.
Even without the ability to speak, others would still recognize its "noble lineage." After all, possessing a strong heritage meant mastering Ninjutsu and speech independently at a young age - a feat achieved by very few.
Similarly, no one would suspect an enemy of using a Ninja Cat as a spy, especially a kitten only half a year old. At that age, they barely retained any memories.
Raj didn't try to speak, but after exchanging for the ability from the System, he could feel a strange change in his throat.
'If I wanted to, I could speak human language right now. If I just opened my mouth, I could probably earn a huge amount of Points, right?'
The thought crossed his mind, but after careful consideration, he decided to abandon the idea for the time being.
Orochimaru hadn't fled yet. To avoid the wildly imaginative Ninja World scientist from conjuring up the absurd notion of a "Fourth Holy Land" existing in the world, Raj felt it was best not to push his luck too far.
Having made up his mind, Raj curled up on the table, ready for a nap.
His interruption had forced Obito to retake the exam. In his panic, Obito nearly failed, but fortunately, his barely passing performance earned him a passing grade from Takuma, who considered both attempts.
However, Obito remained completely unaware of this. His face was deathly pale, as if all hope had drained from his life.
Kurenai covered her mouth, stifling a giggle for a few seconds before saying, "Obito, don't worry. You passed."
"Don't try to comfort me. I was perfect the first time, but... but..." Obito was on the verge of tears.
He had finally managed to perform exceptionally well, only to have Raj interrupt him and force him to retake the exam. How utterly tragic.
Raj felt a twinge of guilt, but when he saw his panel's points jump from 200 to 300, all remorse vanished instantly.
'For me to become stronger, Obito, you'll just have to sacrifice a little.'
The Little Black Cat reached out a paw to comfort Obito, but the boy, already spooked by the Black Cat's earlier antics, immediately recoiled warily.
"What do you want?" he whispered, his voice tense.
Raj froze, withdrawing his paw.
"Obito, it probably just wants to comfort you," Rin explained.
"Is that so?" Obito asked, still skeptical.
Ever since encountering this cat, he felt like he'd been cursed with bad luck, thoroughly traumatized by its antics. If he knew the fable "The Scorpion and the Frog," he would have undoubtedly written his own version: "Obito and the Cat," a tale of kindness repaid with misfortune.
"Actually, Raj isn't bad," Kurenai chimed in, trying to put in a good word for the cat.
"He just likes to be mischievous."