The Little Black Cat, initially worried while hiding in the crevice, soon realized the dogs couldn't reach him.
He settled comfortably into a hollow space within the crevice, preparing for a nap.
"Aren't you going to eat?" Kakashi asked, his brow furrowing slightly.
"I have food," Raj replied.
"Hmph."
Kakashi didn't press the matter.
He let out a cold laugh, gestured to the seven ninja dogs, and headed toward the small river near the Forest of Death.
He needed to wash off the stench.
When one of the dogs tried to approach him, Kakashi shoved it aside with a look of disgust.
'This is just waiting for the rabbit to come to the tree... Well, I have cat food anyway. I'll rest up first.'
Raj quietly exchanged for a portion of Ninja Cat Special Food and began eating it right in front of the seven ninja dogs.
The dogs stared in bewildered silence.
"Hungry? Want some?"
Raj extended a paw.
The largest black dog bared its teeth, its gesture not a plea for food, but a desire to devour the cat itself.
Undeterred, Raj edged backward, deliberately positioning himself in a rock crevice beyond the reach of the big dog named Blue.
Paw extended...
Whoosh!
A smaller dog suddenly lunged, but Raj retaliated with a swift paw strike, retracting his claw in a flash.
"Awooo... Awooo..."
Bisc howled in pain.
Raj grinned, as if mocking their slow reflexes compared to a cat's.
'Asking for it.'
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"
"..."
The seven dogs outside resumed their frantic barking.
The Black Cat retreated further into the crevice, showing no urgency to leave.
That brief taunt had earned him over a hundred Points from the dogs combined.
Adding Kakashi's six hundred, he now had over seven hundred.
'Too bad I still have to eat cat food.'
If he didn't need to eat cat food every day, he'd already have over two thousand Points.
But knowing the benefits of Ninja Cat Special Food, he had no intention of stopping.
In fact, he was even considering exchanging for a portion of deluxe cat food.
You get what you pay for.
High Point values inevitably meant greater utility, but Raj worried that the luxurious cat food's benefits might not be relevant to his current needs.
Among the cat foods he had tried so far, the 100-Point variety primarily served to satisfy hunger and replenish stamina, while the 300-Point version enhanced physical strength and increased Chakra.
What about the 1,000-Point kind?
Raj was curious, but based on his experience with the 300-Point food, he suspected that consuming only one or two servings wouldn't reveal its full effects.
He decided to save such luxuries for later, when he had more Points to spare.
Kakashi summoned us here just to watch a cat eat? He must be incredibly bored!
Raj lay in the crevice, nibbling at the cat food between bites.
Outside, the seven dogs' eyes nearly blazed with frustration.
What infuriated them most was the cat's occasional deliberate taunts, provoking them before retaliating when they lunged with their claws.
Only two of the dogs had claws small enough to reach him, but Raj's superior reflexes and explosive speed easily
Raj countered their attacks.
For a moment, the seven dogs and Raj were locked in a stalemate.
As Raj accumulated another three or four hundred Points, Kakashi's voice finally echoed from outside.
"Still not coming out? Do I have to use Ninjutsu?"
Kakashi had changed into fresh clothes, likely including a new mask, suggesting he had just taken a bath.
'Ninjutsu? Could this kid have already mastered the second Chakra nature transformation? If it's Earth Release... Heart Severing Technique?'
Raj startled and swiftly extended his claws, scrambling upward.
The rocky cliff face was difficult to climb, but posed no challenge for a Ninja Cat.
Raj ascended rapidly, his paws finding purchase in the narrow crevices.
By the time he reached the top, Kakashi's hand had just emerged from below.
However, the ninja dogs were already in motion.
"Runs fast, doesn't it?" Kakashi remarked calmly, returning to his original position using Earth Release Ninjutsu.
At that moment, Pakkun was dragged out by a Shadow Clone, looking like a dead dog.
Seeing the scene, he was utterly astonished.
"What's going on here?"
"Special training," Kakashi replied tersely, waiting below.
However, after a long while, instead of the ninja dogs returning with the cat, he heard a series of miserable howls.
'What's happening?'
He paused for a moment, then suddenly remembered Raj's Hardened Fur technique.
'Damn, I forgot to warn them...'
He rushed over to find the five ninja dogs writhing on the ground in agony, their paws pierced with bloody holes.
But upon closer inspection, Kakashi realized Raj had held back.
That cat could block shuriken; there was no way its fur counterattack would only cause this much damage.
"Should we pursue?" Pakkun asked, finally managing to climb up.
The wounds on his body made him grimace in pain, but his curiosity compelled him to follow.
"Pursue. The training continues," Kakashi replied, glancing at him.
He sent the five injured dogs back, leaving only Pakkun and Blue, who had been chasing after Raj.
Blue was large and powerful, but his weakness lay in his lack of speed.
It couldn't possibly defeat Raj.
Of course not.
Kakashi had no intention of harming the Little Black Cat.
Despite being covered in its excrement and accidentally stepping in a pile, he was impressed by Raj's escape and combat prowess.
This little guy's strength already surpassed that of many Genin.
Following the Third Hokage's instructions, Kakashi considered his mission accomplished.
Still, further testing was needed.
He instructed Pakkun to track Raj's trail, following it from the outskirts all the way to the end, examining every trace of its passage.
Eventually, they followed the trail from the forest to a small path, which led to a riverbank.
"It ran across the water," Pakkun sniffed, the scent drifting downstream.
The cat had clearly used Chakra to walk on water, following the river toward Konoha.
"It's passed the test," Kakashi remarked, his gaze unwavering and his emotions undisguised.
"That guy's a battle cat! I... I'm just a reconnaissance dog! How can we be compared?" Pakkun replied timidly.
"Hmph," Kakashi chuckled, using the Summoning Technique to send Blue back as well.
The lumbering hound had no chance of catching up.
Escaping their grasp for seven months was truly remarkable.
Except for those two piles of cat excrement...
His lips twitched slightly, but he quickly dismissed the thought.
Konoha wasn't that big.
Sooner or later, he'd settle the score.
There was no need to rush.
Pakkun was still grumbling under his breath.
"He's a combat Ninja Beast," he muttered.
"And cats are faster than dogs in short bursts."