Perched on the Ninja Academy's rooftop, Raj gazed out over Konoha.
This was probably the most prosperous place in the Ninja World.
Yet, from its previous-life perspective, it was nothing special.
There wasn't even a proper veterinary hospital, let alone specialized toys or ninja tools for Ninja Beasts.
Raj retrieved an iron ball from its inventory.
The iron ball could automatically return within a certain range, making it a decent hidden weapon if used skillfully.
But Raj had tested it one night.
With his limited strength, throwing the iron ball was like a fool's dream.
'Better save my energy,' he thought, putting it away.
He leaned against the rooftop edge, suddenly finding life much duller without Kakashi chasing after him.
Raj was doing her medical training at the hospital, and the others...
His eyes narrowed slightly as he noticed two peculiar figures sprinting down the road below.
Guy and Obito.
'You two are becoming more alike every day,' Raj murmured to himself.
Obito was incredibly diligent.
Every time Raj returned, he would see Guy and Obito running together, and occasionally spot them practicing taijutsu in the forest.
Of course, this wasn't a formal master-disciple relationship; it was
More like training partners.
Obito wasn't just focusing on taijutsu either; he occasionally practiced his ninjutsu as well.
Obito had indeed made remarkable progress. He had some natural talent, though not the same kind as geniuses like Kakashi.
If he had graduated early like Guy, he might have progressed even further by now.
'I wonder if his rapid improvement will affect the Third Hokage's team assignments...' Raj pondered, then dismissed the thought as unlikely.
Obito, hailing from the Uchiha clan, possessed a kind and enthusiastic nature.
Though he couldn't quite match the likes of Kagami and Itachi, he was still a decent kid.
The Konoha leadership had assigned him to Minato's team partly to help resolve tensions with the Uchiha clan.
Unfortunately, subsequent events unfolded in ways no one could have predicted, and Obito's personality transformation was even more unexpected.
The cat crouched there, its paw automatically swatting away persistent flies.
Then it rose, stepped off the rooftop edge, and departed.
Having failed to meet Kozakura, it saw no reason to linger.
Raj stood up, preparing to head home, when a casual glance caught sight of an unusual boy with silver-white hair.
The boy stood outside the Ninja Academy, hidden in a thicket near Konoha's outskirts, secretly watching the academy grounds.
His eyes would occasionally widen or narrow slightly.
With its sharp vision, Raj clearly saw that the boy wasn't wearing glasses, yet he bore a striking resemblance to Kabuto from the manga.
The squinting likely stemmed from his lack of glasses.
After observing for a moment, Raj swiftly darted toward the boy, leaping into the forest behind him.
Kabuto, startled by the sudden movement, whirled around to flee, only to find a ninja wearing a forehead protector perched in a nearby tree.
Without his glasses, he couldn't make out the person's features clearly.
"Who are you? Why are you hiding here?"
"My name is Kabuto. I'm from the orphanage. Are you... are you a ninja?"
Kabuto swallowed hard, forced himself to calm down, and bowed to the ninja before him.
'So it really is Kabuto,' Raj thought to himself.
Still crouching, he nodded slightly, then stared at the boy for a few seconds before saying, "You've been watching for a long time. Do you want to become a ninja?"
"Of course! If I become a ninja, I can earn money by doing missions. If I earn enough..."
Kabuto paused, not finishing his sentence aloud, but in his heart, he secretly added, 'If I can earn money, the director won't have to run around trying to make ends meet.'
"There are many ways to earn money," Raj said. "You don't have to be a ninja. You could open a pet snack shop, a pet service shop, or even a pet hospital..."
Pet snacks? Pet services?
Pet hospital?
A flicker of confusion crossed Kabuto's face.
With his limited knowledge, he couldn't imagine that pet snacks and services could be profitable.
As for a pet hospital... what was that?
"Kabuto! Kabuto!"
A woman's voice faintly carried from the distance.
Kabuto immediately turned his head, but by the time he turned back, the ninja had vanished without a trace.
Slightly disappointed, he searched around, but without his glasses, he couldn't see clearly and had to give up.
He turned and ran toward Nono Yakushi.
Only after he left did Raj emerge from behind the tree.
It dared to play the role of a deity before Kabuto, but Nono Yakushi was a formidable ninja.
She would see through its Transformation Technique tricks in an instant.
'Oh well,' it thought. 'It was just a whim anyway.'
If Kabuto hadn't been caught up in that incident, his talent would undoubtedly have made him an extraordinary Medical Ninja.
It was a pity the village had such a troublemaker...
Raj followed at a distance, watching Kabuto reunite with Nono Yakushi.
The gentle woman, reborn from Root, smiled as she placed a pair of glasses on Kabuto's face.
The moment he received them, Kabuto immediately looked back.
But the ninja was nowhere to be seen.
"Kabuto, what are you looking at?" Nono asked curiously, following his gaze.
She saw the Ninja Academy and touched Kabuto's head with a slightly complicated expression, unable to make any promises.
While the Ninja Academy was open to all villagers, the orphanage couldn't show favoritism by sending only Kabuto to school.
Yet, they couldn't afford to send all the children.
Moreover, Kabuto's status as an orphan from a war-torn village complicated matters.
After a moment's thought, Nono's face lit up with a radiant smile.
"Kabuto, would you like to learn ninjutsu?"
"Huh? Yes!"
Kabuto turned to face the director and nodded emphatically.
"When we get back, I'll teach you the basics of ninjutsu. Later, you can learn medical ninjutsu from me," Nono said as she patted his hair.
At that moment, she noticed a small black cat perched on the nearby wall, its eyes fixed intently on her.
The cat looked rather adorable, and the director initially assumed it was a stray, feeling a pang of pity.
A closer look revealed that this was no ordinary stray - it was a Ninja Cat, and a remarkable one at that.
'How curious,' she thought. 'Could it belong to the Uchiha clan?'
The thought flashed through her mind.
Kabuto, noticing the cat's reflection in her glasses, glanced back.
'So, it's a Ninja Cat.'
"Let's go," she said.
Nono patted Kabuto's hair and stood up to return to the orphanage.
There were still many tasks to complete at home, and she couldn't stay any longer.
"Mm," Kabuto nodded and followed her.
After a few steps, he glanced back at Raj.
For some reason, the cat always gave him an odd feeling, as if something were off.