Raj, perched on Minato's shoulder, instinctively arched his back - a feline's primal reaction to danger.
"Hold on tight!" Minato said, accelerating.
forward as he subtly drew a specially crafted kunai with his left hand.
As they closed the distance... A blade resembling an axe.
Helmet Splitter Kabutowari!
The massive weapon seemed unwieldy, yet in the enemy's hands, it moved with astonishing speed, the blade flashing before their eyes in an instant.
However, a kunai pierced through the Kabutowari, striking a hidden corner behind the tree.
The next moment: Flying Thunder God Technique!
After teleporting, Raj immediately used the Wild Lion's Mane Technique to restrain the enemy.
But he quickly realized the opponent possessed immense strength; a sudden yank nearly pulled him off balance.
Seizing the opportunity, Raj leaped onto the enemy's iron hammer, using the leverage to slash his claws across the enemy's neck.
The enemy dodged swiftly, likely escaping with only a minor wound.
The real danger came the next instant: the massive hammer swung wildly, and the chained axe followed in its wake.
Raj was merely a decoy.
The true killing blow came from behind as Minato's foot crashed down on its head, instantly dissolving the clone into a puddle of clear water.
"Water Clone," Minato murmured.
He continued his pursuit, his mind focused on the axe and the hammer connected to it.
'So, this is the ninja wielding such immense strength.'
The enemy wore no forehead protector, but their fighting style strongly suggested they were from Kirigakure rather than Kumogakure.
'Kirigakure ninja...'
Minato's head throbbed.
After years of recuperation, Kumogakure, Iwa-nin, and Sunagakure had regained much of their strength and were beginning to stir.
Yet Kirigakure remained isolated, cut off from the world for over a decade.
Even Konoha's Anbu rarely received intelligence from that region.
'Now they've emerged, targeting Konoha again... What a cursed fate!'
"Keep chasing, meow?"
"Mm-hmm," Minato nodded.
He had left a kunai with Kakashi, allowing him to return instantly using the Flying Thunder God Technique if necessary.
Gathering enough intelligence now would ensure his comrades were well-prepared when facing Kirigakure ninja in the future.
In many situations, intelligence determines victory or defeat.
Raj had already formed a rough guess in his mind.
The Lightning Release user was undoubtedly Raiga Kurosuki, wielder of the Thunder Blade Kiba.
The one they'd encountered earlier was likely Jinin Akebino, the Helmet Splitter user.
Identifying the third and fourth members was difficult, but considering the presence of a sensor type ninja, there was likely another member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist among them.
If they were surrounded, Minato could escape, but Raj wasn't so sure about himself...
'I hope the other pulls through.'
As Raj guided the way, he nervously sharpened his claws on Minato's shoulder.
He unconsciously accumulated some Points, but he was too preoccupied to even glance at the Points Panel.
They were approaching a narrow mountain pass when Minato suddenly felt Raj on his shoulder leap off with a powerful kick.
A split second later, a bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky.
Lightning Release: Thunder Blade Kiba!
Though Minato lacked the cat's heightened instincts, his reaction speed was lightning-fast.
The moment the lightning appeared, he immediately activated the Flying Thunder God Technique, teleporting to Raj's location.
The lightning struck with incredible speed, instantly blasting a massive crater into the ground after Minato escaped using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
If Raj hadn't dodged the attack first, Minato would have fled immediately.
But now...
"Stay safe," he said, leaving Raj alone in the wind.
The cat was bewildered.
'What am I doing here?'
'Why am I here?'
Worse, when Raj took refuge in the forest and sniffed the air, it discovered to its despair that there was more than one enemy.
Knowing nothing about these foes, Raj cautiously tracked them, advancing with utmost care.
Fortunately, Raiga Kurosuki was preoccupied with Minato and couldn't unleash any more lightning.
As long as they weren't facing the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Raj stood a chance of survival.
But in the next instant, Raj's vision blurred.
"Meow!" it cried out sharply, and vanished from its spot.
Summoning Technique.
In another part of the forest, Kakashi, Obito, and their ninja dogs were locked in fierce combat with a ninja wielding an axe and a massive hammer.
This was none other than Jinin Akebino, the Helmet Splitter Tsugusa Kumade, whom Raj and Minato had encountered earlier.
Boom!
The moment Raj was summoned, he heard a massive explosion and the sound of trees crashing down.
"Raj, where's Teacher?" Rin asked, her voice filled with anxiety.
"Teacher's facing two opponents. I wouldn't count on him, meow~" Raj replied, his eyes scanning the battlefield.
Jinin Akebino was here.
It seemed only three of them had come: two to hold off the Jonin and one to deal with the other team members.
For ordinary ninja, Helmet Splitter's attacks were utterly unreasonable, especially since his true body's speed and strength far surpassed those of his Water Clones.
In short, it seemed there was nothing Raj could do to help in this fight...
"Then what do we do?!"
Rin was on the verge of tears.
Against such an enemy, even her Medical Ninjutsu would be useless.
Anyone struck by that hammer would suffer shattered bones-injuries she couldn't heal.
"Stall for time..."
As a Ninja Cat with limited strength, Raj had no better plan against this brute.
It glanced into the distance.
Kakashi and Obito were leaping and dodging around Jinin Akebino, desperately avoiding his attacks.
One hit could mean death or crippling injury.
It was like dancing on a tightrope.
"Raj, go support them... but be careful."
"Meow!" the little black cat turned back with a startled cry, but when it met Rin's pleading gaze, it had no choice but to agree.
'Brace yourself and go, but... How?! This guy is huge! One touch could be fatal! My skills are nowhere near enough for this!'
It cautiously weaved through the trees.
Close combat was out of the question-one hit would be the end of its small body.
But its ranged abilities were lacking.
After some frantic thinking, Raj came up with a plan.
It climbed above Jinin Akebino, retrieved an iron ball from its inventory, and hurled it down at him.
Kakashi and Obito, locked in a fierce exchange and preparing to switch positions, were startled by the sudden appearance of the iron ball.
They quickly adjusted their escape routes.
Jinin Akebino, focused on battling Kakashi and Obito, only noticed the iron ball at the last moment.
He swiftly blocked it with his hammer.
Clang!
With a sharp crack, the iron ball soared into the sky like a batted baseball, disappearing into the distance.
Raj stared at his inventory for several seconds, realizing with despair that the ball wasn't returning.
'What a loss!'
Kakashi seized the opportunity, swiftly drawing his blade to strike.
His attack was lightning-fast, the blade poised to strike in the blink of an eye.
Yet the Kirigakure Jonin showed no fear, bracing himself to take a slash to the chest in exchange for a counter-hammer blow.
In his eyes, Kakashi didn't warrant a proper attack with the Helmet Splitter.
A single hammer strike would suffice to take him down.
And he was right.