Lost in thought, he observed for a few more seconds and realized the injuries on the clansman's body couldn't have caused him to lose consciousness.
Curious, he asked, "How did this kid get hurt?"
"He's not injured," Minato replied casually.
"He probably just exhausted himself awakening his Sharingan."
"Awakening his Sharingan?" Masaki Uchiha paused for a moment, then said with a hint of delight, "A good night's sleep will fix him right up. He can even help carry people later."
'Ouch, right in the heart.'
Raj silently lit a candle for Obito.
The kid hadn't even woken up yet, and they were already eyeing him for labor.
'Good thing I'm small...'
This further solidified Raj's resolve: he absolutely couldn't grow too big in the future.
If he got too bulky, he'd end up carrying people too, and that was completely unacceptable.
But what if he couldn't control his Sage Art Chakra if it became too abundant?
A wave of anxiety washed over him.
After resting for a long while, Minato had mostly recovered, and Obito finally stirred.
Upon learning he had awakened his Sharingan, the boy grinned like a fool, so overjoyed he nearly threw away his goggles.
He immediately raced to the riverbank to confirm it.
Reflected in the water's surface, Obito faintly saw a single tomoe swirling in his eye.
'Just one tomoe?'
He felt a pang of disappointment, but upon reflection, he was immensely satisfied.
'How many in the clan never even awakened their eyes?'
'At least I've taken the first step.'
'The elders said the eyes could evolve further.'
'Someday, I'll develop them into three tomoe!'
Suddenly, he heard a strange gurgling sound.
The boy turned his head upstream and saw Raj urinating into the river.
"Damn it! I'm down here, and you're peeing up there! Can't you act like a normal cat for once?"
Obito fumed, rising to confront the Little Black Cat.
But Raj completely ignored him, strutting back toward Minato and the others with its head held high, as if it hadn't just deliberately soiled the river upstream from Obito.
Enraged, Obito chased after the cat, which quickened its pace.
When they reached Minato, Rin greeted him with a smile.
"Obito, you're finally back! Masaki and Senior Yuuki have already made the stretchers. We can start heading back now."
"Ah? Sorry, I was just too excited, so..."
"It's fine. Let's go."
Minato patted his hair and went to retrieve the stretchers.
At Rin's suggestion, Masaki Uchiha and Yuki Yamashiro fashioned two makeshift stretchers to prevent further injury to the wounded during transport.
The journey back to Konoha would take at least half a day, and carrying two people would significantly slow their pace.
Throughout the journey, Rin repeatedly treated Rin and Kakashi.
Kakashi fared relatively well.
He had suffered several broken ribs and internal organ damage from the impact, but after realignment and Medical Ninjutsu treatment, he was mostly recovered.
The stretcher was merely to prevent the fragile healing sites from reopening.
Raj trailed behind, his mind replaying the scene he had just witnessed.
'Obito only activated his One-Tomoe Sharingan? It seems Kakashi's near-death experience didn't shock him deeply enough. If Rin had been sent flying by that hammer and remained unconscious, he might have awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan or even the Mangekyo directly. Tch, men... Too bad I won't give the enemy another chance to harm Raj. If you want to awaken your Sharingan, you'll have to rely on Kakashi.'
The Little Black Cat's heart brimmed with malice.
It wasn't targeting any particular Uchiha; it was simply driven by a genuine desire to protect Rin.
All it could offer was a silent apology.
On the way back, Obito and Yuki Yamashiro took turns carrying Kakashi, while Minato and Masaki Uchiha carried the severely injured Rin, with Rin following closely to tend to him.
Raj had the easiest task: it simply walked ahead, scouting the surroundings.
With a cat's keen sense of smell, this was effortless.
The group encountered no obstacles until they reached the outskirts of the village, where Masaki Uchiha and Yuki Yamashiro met another team tasked with capturing cats.
After handing off the injured, they hurried back to the coast.
By the time they returned to the village, it was already the next morning.
Since its prank on Obito the previous day, Raj hadn't had another chance to earn Points.
After eating some Cat Food, its total Points had dropped significantly, but it remained optimistic about the future.
Its most reliable source of Points, Obito Uchiha, would likely contribute even more now that his Sharingan had awakened.
Raj was confident it would earn back those Points sooner or later.
The Nohara family was currently facing a major crisis.
By the time they arrived, Konoha's Medical Corps couldn't fully heal him.
The initial diagnosis revealed that while Masato would be able to walk again, his right leg would never be fit for normal ninja missions.
In Raj's understanding, Masato was about to lose his job.
As the family's primary breadwinner, Masato's retirement would inevitably lead to a sharp decline in their income.
If the village provided subsequent arrangements, they might manage, but without such support, the family would have to rely solely on Rin's earnings as a Genin.
Oh, right, and himself. But his wages were all counted under Rin's name, making little difference in practice.
Thinking about his wages, Raj couldn't help but feel resentful.
'If only I had money! I could eat whatever I wanted, buy whatever I wanted.'
'Rin controls all the money, and I have to ask her permission even to buy a snack. This life is too hard.'
Raj had been struggling to find someone to farm Points from.
Obito, having awakened his Sharingan, was undergoing intensive training with the Uchiha Clan and hadn't left his compound for days.
Kakashi remained unconscious in the hospital.
After much deliberation, Raj decided to wait for Minato to fulfill his promise and take him to Kyoto, where he could find Kabuto.
This was the opportunity he had been waiting for.
As for the Nohara Family's hardships, Raj believed they might not be entirely negative.
Being unable to fight on the battlefield at least meant they had a chance to survive.
Though this might sound cowardly, it was the truth.
In the original manga, Rin had likely died, but here, he at least had a chance to live.
In Konoha, Raj only wanted to survive and protect those he cared about.
'The Will of Fire? We can't afford to inherit that.'
'Speaking of which, I still haven't visited Minato's house since coming here. I wonder where it is.'
Raj strolled through the streets, casually searching for Minato.
'That blond-haired guy must be too busy fooling around with Kushina to remember anything.'
'I need to pay him a visit and remind him of his promises. He can't just forget his word now that he's back in the village.'
I wandered around Konoha, sniffing for Minato's scent, but after half a day, I still couldn't find him.
Instead, I spotted a distinctive woman.
She had fiery red hair and carried a small basket, glancing around as she walked down the street, looking left and right.
She seemed to be shopping for groceries.
Kushina.
Raj's eyes lit up.
'I can't find Minato, but I can find his wife... Perfect. I'll stick to her like glue.'
I quietly followed her for a few steps until she turned a corner.