"Meow!"
Raj leaped onto Jiraiya's shoulder.
This man was a major benefactor, having already contributed over 1,600 Points since they met - the highest contribution so far.
"You?"
Jiraiya couldn't believe it.
No matter how talented a cat might be, it couldn't possibly be enrolled in a class, especially a kitten.
"Teacher, the third student is its owner, a Medical Ninja. I have a small request: Rin and Raj haven't formed a Blood Pact yet. Could you help? Her family is poor, and I don't have the money..."
Minato lowered his head, having spent ages bonding with the Little Black Cat before finally managing to voice this request.
Summoning Scrolls weren't cheap, and they were also extremely rare.
Given Rin's family circumstances, she had no way of obtaining a scroll sufficient to complete the Summoning Blood Pact.
Minato had no choice but to turn to his wealthy, single, and doting teacher for help.
"Let's meet her first. Blood Pacts are serious business. If the little one ends up with the wrong person, it'll be ruined," Jiraiya said, stroking the Black Cat's head.
A Ninja Cat with such talent couldn't be wasted.
If it ended up with the wrong person, it would be like casting pearls before swine.
Take Kakashi, for example - that genius actually complained that the Secret Technique I taught him couldn't be performed without hand seals!
What kind of nonsense is that?!
"Master Jiraiya and I are going to find Rin. Kakashi and Obito, you two should go back and help care for our injured comrades. Don't come with us."
The Medical Corps' tent was the most important in the camp, and they generally didn't allow too many people inside.
Normally, even cats wouldn't be allowed.
But since one of them was the current leader of the territory and the other was the leader's disciple, it was only natural they'd have some privileges.
"Teacher, Sunagakure should really be retreating this time. Given their nature, they'll probably send someone to sue for peace soon, right?"
"Yeah, Sunagakure and Iwa Ninja Village attacked together, but Iwa-nin didn't put in much effort this time. Sunagakure will probably turn on Iwa Ninja Village like dogs fighting over scraps. For now, it's over," Jiraiya said in a low voice.
The two didn't bother to hide their conversation from Raj, so the Little Black Cat openly eavesdropped while pretending to be cute and clueless.
"The war has dragged on intermittently for over a decade. It's finally over," Minato sighed.
The large-scale wars in the Ninja World had ended several years ago, but sporadic conflicts persisted.
Tensions between the Land of Fire, Land of Earth, and Land of Wind remained constant.
However, the Third Kazekage's intervention was merely a rearguard action.
The Sunagakure ninja retreated swiftly and decisively, effectively conceding defeat and signaling their intention to refrain from further hostilities for at least several years.
Of course, this wasn't an explicit agreement, but rather an unspoken understanding among the nations.
"Hmph, the Kazekage was injured this time, yet Onoki's forces remained idle. If Sunagakure tries to settle scores with Iwa Ninja Village, they'll only suffer further losses. Sunagakure will be crippled for at least a decade," Jiraiya sneered.
He and Orochimaru had anticipated the Kazekage's potential intervention.
Since Orochimaru was reluctant to confront the Kazekage himself, they had reassigned Jiraiya to this mission.
For some reason, a phrase flashed through Raj's mind: 'The more you know, the faster you die.'
He hunched down, aware that these details weren't exactly top-secret, but as an eavesdropper, his past life's memories of melodramatic TV tropes flooded back.
This was just him scaring himself.
Raj was curious about one thing: before the Third Shinobi World War began, the Third Kazekage had mysteriously disappeared, which
Then triggered the full-scale conflict.
'Could it be that he was... Never mind, no need to overthink it.'
Raj focused his mind and followed Minato and Jiraiya into the Medical Corps.
"I want to take a good look at this disciple you mentioned. Even though the cat is hers, a person..."
"Teacher, the girl over there is my third student."
Minato smiled as he introduced her to his teacher, pointing from a distance rather than bringing him closer.
Knowing his teacher well, he figured that seeing her in person would dispel any reservations.
He was right.
Jiraiya's eyes lit up, his eyes widening like copper bells.
A girl! And such a cute little girl...
Raj swiped his paw across Jiraiya's face.
"Who's there?!" Jiraiya snapped, turning angrily to see the cat waving its paw, showing no intention of retracting it.
He glared at the cat, then at his disciple, before shooting Raj another glare and chuckling.
"Alright, this girl looks just like Tsunade-talented and kind-hearted."
"Teacher, what do you mean?" Minato scratched his head sheepishly, feeling a bit guilty for eyeing his teacher's wallet.
"Alright, I'll use the Summoning Technique to have a toad deliver the scroll. Don't worry about it," Jiraiya waved him off, signaling him not to disturb him.
"Meow~ Pervert Sage!"
"What Pervert Sage? I'm not a pervert! Besides, Rin's just a little girl. Do you think I'd stoop that low? Back when Tsunade..."
Jiraiya trailed off, glancing around nervously.
Every time he mentioned that name, he half-expected someone to leap out of the shadows and send him flying with a single punch - a common occurrence in his younger days.
Raj stared at him, then lazily flopped down, wearing an expression of disbelief.
At the same time, he discreetly checked the System Panel.
In just a short time, Jiraiya had already provided him with over four hundred more Points.
'Jackpot!'
Less than a day, and he'd already amassed two thousand Points.
'No wonder they call him Mad Demon Jiraiya.'
He desperately wanted to stick with Jiraiya and milk him dry every day, but he also knew that prey grew wary after being hunted too often.
Asuma Sarutobi had been a prime example of this back at the academy.
'Speaking of which... I wonder if Asuma and Kurenai have been assigned to the same team again? We never ran into them before, so I never knew which team the Sarutobi family's pervert ended up on.'
Raj lay sprawled nearby, only lifting his head when Rin was brought back by Minato.
The process of forming a Summoning Blood Pact was simple enough.
Raj imprinted his mark on the scroll, and Rin wrote her name in blood.
This scroll could be passed down through generations, provided there were other members of the same clan bound to the pact.
Many Summoning Scrolls originated this way.
With this scroll, if Raj proved fertile enough, he might even establish a Summoned Beast clan in the future.