Upon seeing the ninja, Minato immediately responded with the password. The ninja nodded slightly and vanished with a Body Flicker Technique.
"We're almost there," Minato said with a smile.
"Y-yes!" Obito gasped, swallowing nervously.
This was his first time at the border! Rin was clearly nervous too, though she hid it better than Obito, barely letting Raj notice.
"Meow~ Blood scent," Raj suddenly jumped off Obito's shoulder mid-run, hissing repeatedly in alarm as he stared in one direction.
"Let's check it out," Minato said, his eyes sharpening as he immediately changed course.
"Raj, don't you dare lie about something like this!" Rin whispered urgently.
"Meow!"
"I don't mean to doubt you, it's just... just... I'm sorry. Let's hurry and catch up."
Minato's team followed the scent to the location, only to find that another ninja had already arrived, though he was unconscious and unable to provide any information.
"Rin."
Minato threw a kunai and grabbed Rin's shoulder.
Using the Flying Thunder God Technique, they teleported to the kunai's location, instantly appearing beside the injured, unconscious Konoha ninja.
"Lord Minato..."
"Save him first," Minato said, waving his hand and signaling Rin to begin medical treatment.
Raj leaped onto the shoulder of the Konoha Chunin who had arrived to provide backup.
The Chunin flinched in surprise, then trembled even more when he turned his head and saw the black cat's face.
"Lord Minato, what's this?"
"A Ninja Cat, meow~" Raj raised a paw in a friendly greeting.
The Chunin paused, then nodded slowly in understanding, though his face still twitched uncontrollably as he swallowed hard and continued speaking to Minato.
"Lord Minato, he collapsed as soon as I arrived, so I couldn't get any information. But..."
"He's a ninja from the Sunagakure border. I'll go check the situation immediately."
Minato glanced back.
"Take my students back to rest. If I haven't returned by tomorrow, Kakashi, bring Rin and Obito here."
"Yes, Teacher," Kakashi replied, bowing his head.
Having served on the border, he understood the gravity of the situation.
Minato vanished in an instant.
Obito desperately wanted to follow, but he knew the battle must be fiercely contested if it required a messenger to be sent.
It was no place for Genin like them, who had traveled so far.
To be honest, he was terrified, especially after seeing the blood.
Rin was also frightened, but as the team's only Medical Ninja, she had to steel her resolve.
How could she possibly fulfill her duty as an accompanying Medical Ninja otherwise?
"Get down. I don't like cats," the Chunin said.
Raj was pulled down, taking the opportunity to glance at his System Panel.
'Over 1,100 Points.'
'Just a casual shoulder pat earned me over 300 Points.'
'Don't like cats? More like you're afraid of them.'
This guy was wearing sunglasses and dressed like a Ninja from the Aburame Clan-the insect-breeding family-yet he was afraid of cats?
'Who knew you were such a Chunin Ninja!'
Raj felt confident he'd found a reliable source of future Points.
Of course, now wasn't the time.
People were being rescued nearby, and there was a time and place for everything.
After a long while, Rin finished treating the injured.
She stood up, wiping sweat from her forehead.
"I've healed all the external and internal injuries, but he's been poisoned. I can't neutralize it."
"Get him to the camp quickly. You two, help carry him."
After a flurry of activity, the Chunin's life was saved.
Raj, who had been observing nearby, learned the Chunin Ninja's name: Shibi Aburame.
A fifteen-year-old Chunin, Shibi couldn't compare to Kakashi, but he still had a chance of being promoted to Special Jonin later in life.
That wasn't important.
What mattered was that he could provide Raj with a substantial number of Points.
Throughout the journey, the Little Black Cat deliberately brushed against Shibi, occasionally teasing him.
Although Shibi possessed Parasitic Destruction Insects, they were his own Ninja Beasts, and he couldn't possibly use them against an ally.
Just like Obito, Shibi was a kind and honest person!
Upon reaching the camp, they received Soldier Pills and temporary lodging-the small tent they were currently occupying.
This was a perk for newcomers.
Raj lay at the tent entrance, watching the passing Ninja, his thoughts a tangled mess.
After arriving at the camp, Shibi Aburame immediately returned to patrol duty.
The Little Black Cat maliciously speculated that Shibi had fled in a panic to avoid him.
Otherwise, if he'd stayed longer, the cat might have squeezed out another thousand Points, instead of the mere eight hundred he had now.
The total wasn't bad, but for a cat-phobic Chunin, there seemed to be untapped potential.
'Treasure Ninjas are so hard to find...'
Raj lay sprawled out, completely unconcerned about future dangers.
With Minato leading the team, any mission short of the Kannabi Bridge Battle should pose minimal risk.
Of course, this assumption hinged on one crucial condition: that Raj didn't act recklessly.
Raj didn't consider himself reckless.
He simply wanted to acquire new ninjutsu as quickly as possible.
Thanks to the Chunin Ninja's assistance, his Panel Points had already exceeded 1,600.
Another thousand would be enough to exchange for the Wild Lion's Mane Technique.
Once he obtained this technique, he planned to initiate combat with a wave of control techniques, then use the momentum to entangle and charge forward, finishing with a Rasengan-enhanced palm strike to send enemies flying.
A flawless combo.
Therefore, Raj prioritized this technique as his first exchange option on the front lines.
As for the Hell Viewing Technique, it had no immediate practical use and could wait for later.
The next day, Kakashi decided to head to Sunagakure's border camp.
Lord Minato hadn't returned by morning, and according to their mission orders, they had to depart.
Yes, the guy was being stubborn again.
Kakashi in mission mode was a completely different person from Kakashi off-duty.
In Raj's view, this was likely a manifestation of childhood trauma that needed treatment.
Unfortunately, the Ninja World lacked the position of psychological therapist.
Countless individuals across the villages suffered from mental distortions, and Kakashi was merely one among them.
"Let's wait a bit longer. The adults haven't given us orders yet..."
"Teacher said that if he doesn't come today, we'll head to the front lines. Dead Last, are you scared?" Kakashi shot him a cold glare, his tone utterly unforgiving.
Rin and Raj looked up at the sky, momentarily speechless.
The sky was still dimly lit, barely past dawn-around 4 or 5 a.m. at most.
'Is this considered the next day already? Why not start counting from midnight?!'
Raj, who hadn't slept well, was furious.
He glared at Kakashi for a few seconds before lunging forward, unable to resist trying to tear out his hair.
"Kakashi, it's way too early! Plus, we don't have the password. If we go now, they might mistake us for spies and attack!"
"We can ask. Whether you come or not is up to you. I'm going."
Kakashi brushed the cat aside, grabbed his already packed gear, and stood up to leave.
Rin and Obito exchanged a glance, then reluctantly followed.
"Come with me."