"Meow~"
Raj lay nestled in Rin's arms, barely moving despite having regained much of his strength.
He simply observed the situation quietly.
As soon as Minato arrived, the Sunagakure forces retreated in a frenzy, fleeing so desperately they seemed ready to tear off their puppets' legs and strap them to their own bodies.
Although the Third Shinobi World War hadn't officially begun, and the Yellow Flash's reputation hadn't yet spread, Minato's fame was already slowly taking root...
Rin glanced ahead, then stood up, cradling the Black Cat.
"We didn't exert ourselves much in that fight. Let's hurry and catch up."
Kakashi looked surprised for a moment, then nodded, gripping his short sword.
"Alright."
"There must be many injured ahead. Let's go see if we can help."
Obito quickly understood Rin's meaning.
In a chase like this, with one side pursuing and the other retreating, many comrades would inevitably be wounded.
Rin was eager to join the medical efforts.
"Let's go."
Kakashi strode forward.
Along the way, they saw many wounded being carried down the path.
Obito immediately joined the stretcher bearers.
After all, a Genin team without a Jonin leader wouldn't truly be sent to the battlefield.
"I'll go help with the healing."
Rin hesitated, wanting to ask Kakashi to watch over Raj, but she was uncertain.
During the previous battle, Kakashi's behavior...
"Meow~ It's okay, Rin. You go ahead," Raj said, pushing away from her warm embrace.
He jumped down, indicating he had recovered significantly and no longer needed to be held constantly.
"Alright, then be careful."
Rin immediately rushed forward, demonstrating her proficiency in Medical Jutsu and Healing Palm Technique.
She was quickly admitted to assist with the treatment, leaving Kakashi and Raj with nothing to do.
"I want to check the front lines. What about you?"
Kakashi clenched his fist.
He hadn't been much help in the previous battle.
Raj's Wild Lion's Mane Technique had been the decisive move, leaving Kakashi feeling deeply dissatisfied.
He wanted to prove himself.
Raj opened his mouth to protest, but then he reconsidered.
'If I could find a living, crippled Sunagakure Ninja, I could toy with them and earn some Points.'
He immediately nodded and leaped onto Kakashi's shoulder.
Normally, Kakashi would never allow Raj to perch on his shoulder, but now that he needed the cat's help, he couldn't afford to chase him away.
'What choice do I have? This cat is too powerful.'
Kakashi's request was simple: he needed Raj to use his cat hair to control the enemy's Ninjutsu at a critical moment, allowing him to deliver the final blow.
The reason Raj was brought along was because he had promised Rin to take care of Little Black Cat.
He had always been meticulous about keeping his promises and oaths.
The man and cat hurried along the path, encountering numerous Sunagakure Ninja corpses along the way - not a single survivor among them.
The Sunagakure Ninja corpses were dangerous to touch; they were skilled in using poisons, and their bodies might be contaminated even after death.
Kakashi and Raj avoided direct contact, confirming their deaths before continuing their pursuit.
After traveling some distance, they saw Konoha's forces returning, this time with even more wounded.
"What happened?" Kakashi asked, his voice filled with surprise.
"Meow?"
"A Jonin was critically injured - the one from the Shiranui Clan, Genma's father," Kakashi explained.
"Toothpick Man's father?" Raj asked, his gaze lingering on the injured man.
He noticed the wounds resembled countless tiny needle punctures.
'Toothpick Man?'
It took Raj a moment to realize they were referring to Genma.
Kakashi thought to himself, 'It does look a bit like him...'
"Toothpick Man's... Genma's father likely encountered the Third Kazekage of Sunagakure," he explained.
"Meow?"
Raj, of course, understood perfectly well but pretended ignorance.
"Those are wounds from the Iron Sand World Method," Kakashi explained.
He hadn't personally witnessed the Iron Sand World Method's capabilities, but White Fang had.
"Let's hurry. We might still catch Teacher in action..."
"Then hurry up! This cat will guide the way."
Kakashi glanced at the oblivious Black Cat before channeling Lightning Release Chakra to stimulate his physical activity, further accelerating his pace as he followed the cat's directions.
As they approached the final demarcation line between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire, they finally saw the battlefield where Minato and the Third Kazekage had clashed.
The scene was utterly devastated.
Minato was being treated for his injuries, while another figure stood beside him, seemingly reprimanding him.
'Teacher is injured?'
Kakashi's breathing quickened as he hurried toward them.
As they drew closer, Raj overheard the conversation.
"Your Flying Thunder God Technique is still unrefined. You can only use it with marked kunai, which are easily countered by Magnet Release. If I hadn't switched shifts with Orochimaru..."
"Yes, Teacher," Minato readily admitted his mistake, but the radiant smile on his face betrayed his true feelings.
He clearly believed that if he hadn't intervened, the Third Kazekage would have slaughtered even more Konoha shinobi.
"Sigh, you..."
Jiraiya sighed, about to say something, when a commotion erupted behind him.
Before he could turn, he heard a shout of "Watch out!"
Without hesitation, he tilted his head and dodged sideways.
As he moved, he saw a cat flying overhead.
'A cat? On the ninja front lines?'
'Where did this cat come from?'
Jiraiya's mind raced, but before he could react, the cat suddenly flicked its tail, snagging his forehead protector.
In a single leap, it snatched the "Oil" character from his headband and vanished.
"Hahaha... Raj, stop messing around and give Teacher back his forehead protector!" Minato roared with laughter.
Though one of Minato's arms was paralyzed, his other hand moved with lightning speed, snatching Raj out of the air.
"Raj?"
Jiraiya blinked in surprise, his anger instantly turning to delight.
"So this is the cat you mentioned! Come here, come here..."
He reached out to grab the cat, only to be met with a swift swipe of its claws.
"Not bad, huh?"
Jiraiya's playful side emerged, and he began teasing the cat.
As Raj dodged and weaved, he glanced at his interface.
No more Points after that initial wave.
'Looks like Jiraiya's another pushover like his disciple...'
'Come to think of it, I wouldn't dare provoke someone with a bad temper.'
'If I went to Danzo's place and caused trouble, I'd probably hit the jackpot.'
Raj felt much better after thinking this through.
"Teacher, be careful! This little guy is quite mischievous and might easily hurt you," Minato warned urgently.
During their first few days together, the Little Black Cat had scratched Minato several times.
He had also hesitated to bring the cat near Orochimaru earlier, fearing it would provoke Lord Leng.
"Relax, I have plenty of experience," Jiraiya assured him, gesturing for Minato to set the Black Cat down.
"Back on Mount Myoboku, Bunta and the other toads were far more formidable than this little furball. I survived that, didn't I? What's the big deal?"