Between daily expenses like Cat Food and recent missions like catching cats and fetching water, its daily Points income relied entirely on Obito and Kakashi's contributions.
At best, it could afford one serving of Ninja Cat Special Food per day.
Accumulating Points for anything significant felt like a distant dream.
Beyond daily expenses, there were countless other ways to spend Points.
Just managing to avoid going into debt each day was already a victory.
After a moment's contemplation, Raj jumped down and approached Rin and Obito.
"Use Ninjutsu. There's no one alive down there."
"Sigh..."
Rin paused for a second before forming hand seals and initiating the Healing Palm Technique.
Ordinary Ninjutsu would be ineffective against these kind of injuries; only the Healing Palm Technique could offer any relief.
But even at its best, the technique could only restore limited mobility to his legs.
A full recovery was impossible.
Even the usually optimistic Obito couldn't think of a way to break the oppressive silence.
After all, he was Rin's father.
Soon, Minato returned with Kakashi, each carrying a corpse on their back - a Jonin and a Chunin.
They were both drenched, clearly indicating a river flowed at the bottom of the deep ravine, which the attackers had likely intended to use to dispose of the bodies.
It was only thanks to Obito's "underachiever" tendencies that he had stumbled upon the critically wounded Rin's father.
Otherwise, given the enemies' meticulous methods, they would have surely returned to finish the job and toss him off the cliff.
Fortunately, that hadn't happened.
Otherwise, heaven only knows how devastated Rin would have been, unable to save her own father.
For a Medical Ninja, such a failure could be either a driving force or a bottomless abyss.
A moment of heavy silence hung in the air.
Obito clenched his fists, his voice trembling with anger.
"Teacher, who did this?"
"We don't know," Minato replied.
"There were no clues at the scene, and the bodies had been stripped of any identifying marks. It's difficult to trace them. All we can determine is that they used Lightning Release, Water Release, and possessed immense physical strength."
Kakashi, after carefully examining the bodies, added, "They also used blades - at least two different ones, judging by the inconsistent wounds."
'Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?'
The Kirigakure combination flashed through Raj's mind.
Water Release was a given, and among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, there was Raiga Kurosuki, who wielded Lightning Release... Very likely!
He was about to speak when he reconsidered.
Kirigakure had been shrouded in secrecy for years, with few outside the village knowing their current state.
As just a small cat, revealing the name "Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist" would be too shocking.
"Was it Kumogakure?" Rin stopped treating the wounded and looked up at her teacher.
"It's hard to say for sure," Minato replied, shaking his head.
"Lightning Release and Water Release are techniques known in all five great villages. However, Kumogakure specializes in Lightning Release, while Kirigakure excels in Water Release. The wounds show no traces of any village's Secret Techniques, making it impossible to determine their origin from the injuries alone."
"Meow~ Maybe Kirigakure is trying to frame someone else?" Raj suggested, squatting and feigning nonchalance.
"That's not impossible. Rin, how is Senior Nohara's condition?"
"I've treated all the injuries I can, but his leg requires surgery, and we don't have the facilities here," Rin reported truthfully.
"You two return to the village first. Raj and I will search the area. If you encounter any danger, summon Raj immediately, and I'll rush to your aid," Minato ordered, reluctantly splitting the group.
The enemy was likely nearby, and he needed to ensure the plan was as thorough as possible.
After Rin and the others took Rin's father away, Minato placed the Little Black Cat on his shoulder and instantly teleported using the Flying Thunder God Technique to the cliff where he had previously embedded a kunai.
He quickly adhered his feet to the rock face using Chakra.
Raj, caught off guard, nearly fell, but Minato swiftly caught him.
"Can you still pick up the scent?"
"..."
Raj tilted its head, its eyes filled with disdain.
'By the river? Where am I supposed to track a scent here?'
It climbed down, sniffed around, then shook its head.
The enemy had walked on the water, and the scent had been quickly dispersed, making tracking impossible.
"Let's check the riverbanks."
Minato retrieved the kunai, and he and Raj began walking along the river.
The narrow valley soon opened into several smaller paths, and Raj sniffed each one to test for the scent.
Raj searched for what felt like an eternity.
Finally, at a crossroads, he sensed something amiss.
The riverbank here was damp, as if recently submerged.
"Should we pursue?" Raj called back.
Minato glanced around and nodded in agreement.
Raj took the lead, scouring walls, trees, and other potential hiding spots.
Eventually, he detected a faint, intermittent scent lingering on a cliff face - the lingering trace of ninjas.
Though faint and fragmented, the scent trail was enough to track them.
"Meow!"
With a sharp cry, Raj darted along the cliff face, Minato close behind.
The pair moved with incredible speed, following the scent trail.
After several minutes, the scent grew stronger, indicating their quarry was nearby.
However, as they closed in, Minato noticed something odd.
The group seemed to be heading to intercept Kakashi's team.
Their chosen route, if taken at full speed, would allow them to ambush the team at a river crossing.
"They might have a sensor type ninja," Minato murmured, his expression darkening.
Minato's expression grew serious.
"Keep our distance, meow?" Raj turned his head.
He wasn't very familiar with the abilities of sensor type ninjas...
"Lead the way," Minato said.
He placed the Little Black Cat on his shoulder and instructed him to guide the way, while he focused on tracking.
As they followed the trail, the lingering scent grew fresher and stronger, indicating they were closing in on their enemies.
After walking a while longer, Raj spotted several traps, making it clear their opponents had already detected them.
"Meow~ Have we been exposed?"
Earlier, Minato had mentioned the enemy might have a sensor type ninja.
Now that they were so close, Raj felt like they were right under the enemy's nose.
Although the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had suffered heavy losses against Guy, they could still cut through ordinary ninjas like butter.
Most of Raj's previous battles had relied on ambushes and surprise attacks, putting him at about Rin's level - a far cry from being able to face the Seven Swordsmen head-on.
"Don't worry," Minato reassured him.
"I'll protect you."
Minato smiled, then glanced ahead, his expression instantly hardening.
An ambush!