After pondering for a moment, Raj used the Transformation Technique to assume the appearance of the man's companion.
He awkwardly stood upright behind him and tapped his shoulder.
"Huh?"
The drunkard turned, his eyes glazed over, barely registering someone standing behind him.
The face seemed vaguely familiar.
"No drinking during missions."
"Uh... Captain? I-I didn't drink. Not drunk... The... the mission hasn't even been-"
"Hasn't been decided yet, right?" he slurred, many syllables garbled beyond recognition.
Raj barely understood him.
But the phrase "hasn't been decided yet" rang clear.
"Even if it hasn't been decided, you can't drink. If the higher-ups order an attack, you'd deserve to be executed in your current state."
"Y-yes, sir... I'll go sober up right away. On the way, I saw a... a female beggar... Pretty... uh!"
He was still rambling incoherently when Raj approached him directly and used the Hell-Viewing Technique to trap him in an illusion.
Already drunk, the ninja's mind was further destabilized by the mention of "launching an attack" and "punishment."
He immediately plunged into a hallucination of being executed by beheading.
Raj stood before him, expressionless.
Raj stared at the man for a long moment, its mind wavering between killing him and sparing him for now.
Ultimately, it decided to simply cast the Hell-Viewing Technique and leave.
The man's incessant screams would likely attract attention soon.
As Raj darted out of the house, it spotted several figures rushing toward the scene.
Their appearances identified them as the local Genin and their "Captain."
The Captain's face was twisted with anger, clearly furious at being interrupted mid-revelry by the screams.
"Sir, he seems to be..."
"Let me see."
The Captain arrived and checked the man's pulse.
With a furious kick, he struck the drunkard, who didn't even flinch.
Dead?
Raj was stunned.
It had only used the Hell-Viewing Technique - could that thing actually kill someone?
Did he die of fright?
Suspicious, Raj worried they might discover something.
But then it remembered that not every village possessed the Yamanaka Clan's Secret Technique.
At most, they could examine the body for injuries; accessing the man's final memories would be impossible.
After a moment's thought, Raj swiftly departed.
It realized it had been lurking around the drunkard's house for quite some time, and by the time it emerged, the sky was already growing dark.
If it didn't leave soon, Naoki would likely be furious.
Fujii Restaurant, which Naoki had mentioned, was easy to find, located right along the main road and bustling with patrons.
Raj spotted it on his first pass.
Upon arriving, he followed the scent trail.
Initially, Raj assumed Naoki might be waiting inside the restaurant.
After searching for quite some time, however, he finally found him in the back kitchen.
Leaping through the window, he froze in surprise.
What was Naoki doing?
Chopping meat?
Was this really the task of a Special Jonin?
He crept closer, intending to eavesdrop on whatever Naoki might be muttering, but the man suddenly turned and said, "You're here."
"Meow~ What are you doing?"
"Chopping spices. I'm preparing a cat meat feast tonight. Everything's ready - just waiting for the cat to come and be thrown into the pot."
Naoki said this with a completely expressionless face.
'Heh heh heh... You'd better have the skill to back that up.'
Raj didn't voice the thought, but his expression alone was enough to provoke Naoki, who nearly swung his knife.
Remembering his mission, however, he sighed softly and said, "Come with me."
A hidden wine cellar lay beneath the Fujii Restaurant, accessible from the kitchen.
Naoki led Raj there.
It was clear now: Fujii Restaurant served as a covert outpost for Konoha.
"Two new ninja arrived this afternoon," Naoki said, his eyes fixed on Raj.
"The others were recently transferred here as well. There were no ninja stationed here before."
The implication was obvious.
"That's all, meow?" Raj tilted his head.
"They're here on a mission. One of the newcomers is a captain, but there was a little accident, meow..."
He recounted how he had used the Transformation Technique to question the drunken man, including how he had later frightened him with a genjutsu, inadvertently scaring him to death.
Of course, he omitted any mention of the female beggar or the Hell-Viewing Technique, simply stating that he possessed a unique genjutsu.
Naoki listened thoughtfully.
This information confirmed that a faction within Kusagakure was indeed leaning toward the Iwagakure.
Of course, Danzo's faction likely had some intelligence on Kusagakure, but distant water can't quench immediate thirst.
For now, they had to rely on gathering firsthand information themselves.
"Excellent, meow! You're answering before I even ask!"
Raj rose, shook his fur to scatter the dew, and stepped back slightly, pondering what "answering before I even ask" meant.
Before he could figure it out, Raj had already darted away.
"See you in Kusagakure!" Raj called out as he raced down the mountain.
"Wait-!"
Naoki tried to stop him, but the cat had vanished into the moonless night.
Raj's stealth was truly exceptional; he was completely invisible to the naked eye.
He actually wanted to tell Raj to wait until dawn and sneak in with a merchant caravan from another village.
After all, there was nothing to do inside the village now but huddle in some corner.
But Raj had already darted off too quickly for him to stop him.
'Oh well, let him go.'
He leaned against a tree, closing
His eyes to rest.
Raj raced down the slope and spotted several Kusagakure ninja patrolling the perimeter.
Sensing something, he realized there was a barrier around the village. Anyone crossing it would likely be detected immediately.
'Sensory ninja everywhere... How annoying!'
Raj conveniently forgot that he himself possessed considerable sensory abilities. Hypocritical cats are everywhere.
Oblivious to his own hypocrisy, Raj crouched in the grass outside the barrier, pondering how to breach it.
'The Flying Thunder God Technique?'
He remembered the retrieval iron ball he had obtained earlier and immediately pulled it out. After slapping it once, he successfully imprinted his space mark onto it.
'Throw!'
The iron ball soared over the barrier. After a few seconds, Raj appeared beside it, landing smoothly.
He crouched near the wall, observing for a long time, but no ninja approached. Raj wandered around, confirming that no ninja were heading his way.
'Looks like it's just a perimeter sensory barrier. Once you cross that line, it's gone. Nothing like Konoha's grand barrier.'
While Konoha's barrier system had its flaws-the Kushina and Hinata incidents were the Barrier Team's fault-it was still far superior to this shoddy setup.
There didn't seem to be much to investigate at night. Raj wandered aimlessly, looking for a suitable place to sleep.
One reason he'd come at this hour was to avoid ending up like Naoki, sleeping on the streets. As a cat, he didn't need much space; a sheltered spot under an eave or in a small courtyard would do, anything better than sleeping under a tree like that guy.
After searching for a while, he found a well-maintained courtyard with no signs of recent habitation. The surrounding area was eerily quiet, with no traces of human activity.