In the past, when he went on missions with others, he would use his Kekkei Genkai to gather intelligence, then have his teammates carry out the mission or report back. But now, it seemed like everything had been reversed.
Upon closer reflection, he realized he was just doing odd jobs. While Naoki was having an existential crisis, Raj quietly began its operation.
Its claim about uniting all the cats in Kusagakure wasn't just talk; it had come up with the idea after disciplining a cat that had blocked its path earlier. Compared to Konoha, Kusagakure was relatively small.
It would take at most an hour to discipline all the cats in the village and instruct them to monitor the movements of the Iwa Ninja. To ensure the cats understood, Raj even drew a picture of the Iwagakure's forehead protectors.
These Iwa Ninja were burrowing underground, making it nearly impossible to track them without such methods. Unfortunately, Kusagakure's economy couldn't compare
to Konoha's, so the number of cats and strays here was less than a third of what Konoha had.
Thinking about it, it made sense.
Not every village had Uchiha.
Those Uchiha people were particularly fond of cats.
It was a pity that cats were so proud; despite their lack of real power, they stubbornly refused to sign Blood Contracts with the Uchiha.
Fortunately for Raj, otherwise he wouldn't have such a reliable worker.
Returning to the courtyard, Raj quickly located Naoki.
The guy was still trying to play hide-and-seek, but with the space mark on his body, Raj could sense him with ease.
His efforts were doomed to fail.
Naoki had been remarkably effective.
Setting aside his operational skills, the Points he'd accumulated over this period totaled over two thousand.
Raj's current total of nearly six thousand Points was largely thanks to him.
Raj was deeply grateful.
After all, this guy had volunteered to step forward.
If Raj had partnered with a seasoned veteran like Kakashi, he might not have achieved such impressive results.
"Is the meeting place for the Iwa Ninja and Kusa Ninja below?"
Naoki didn't go to the wine cellar but remained hidden inside the house.
For some ninja, even the slightest change in the wine cellar would catch their attention.
Therefore, Raj decided not to enter and disturb the scene until those individuals returned.
"Meow!" Raj nodded.
The crucial question now was how often the Iwa Ninja and Kusa Ninja met.
Until they reconvened or the village cats uncovered more clues, he could only lie in wait like a hunter watching his trap.
Naoki was equally helpless.
Lacking Earth Release techniques, he could only remain hidden and patiently await the enemy's reappearance.
With nothing else to do, Raj had Naoki draft another report, which they sent to Rin using their usual deceptive methods.
Unlike before, they received a "reply" within half a day.
The note, delivered by Minato, contained a single word: "Annihilate."
According to Naoki, the handwriting belonged to Jiraiya.
This meant they were ordered to completely eliminate both the Iwa Ninja and the Kusa Ninja collaborating with them.
The problem was that neither Raj nor Naoki currently knew the whereabouts of the Iwa Ninja or the Kusa Ninja.
Despite the direct order, they could only remain hidden, biding their time for an opportunity to strike.
For three or four consecutive days, the pair either wandered aimlessly through the village or holed up indoors, staring blankly at each other.
Raj had food, but Naoki had to subsist solely on Soldier Pills.
Fortunately, he had brought a generous supply, or they might have run out.
For a seasoned Special Jonin like Naoki, such periods of waiting were commonplace.
But Raj couldn't bear the frustration and spent the days investigating the Iwa Ninja's whereabouts.
Finally, on the fifth day, he discovered a faint trail.
With the help of the village cats, Raj located another Iwa Ninja hideout.
Though only two ninjas were present when they arrived, it didn't matter.
They took a quick "paw-print photo" for posterity, making any future pursuit or assassination attempts easier.
It was impossible for only two Iwa Ninja to have come.
The rest must be active elsewhere.
"We don't fear the enemy moving," they reasoned. "We fear them staying still. As long as they act, we'll have opportunities to pick them off one by one."
They agreed that when the enemy approached, Naoki would conceal himself in the wine cellar to gather intelligence, while Raj would assassinate the two Iwa Ninja.
Sure enough.
That night, familiar chakra fluctuations emanated from below.
The Iwa Ninja and Kusa Ninja were meeting here again.
Assassination was Naoki's specialty.
After more than a decade in the field, he could discern whether an opponent was a clone through perception and observation, ensuring he never struck the wrong target.
His caution proved necessary.
All the Iwa Ninja in the wine cellar were Earth Clones; only the three foolish Kusa Ninja had come in their true forms.
However, Earth Clones had a significant weakness compared to Shadow Clones: they couldn't act independently, meaning their original bodies must be nearby.
Raj, unaware of the situation below, saw the meeting begin and immediately executed his plan, using the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport to another Iwa Ninja stronghold in the area.
With only two of them - himself and Naoki - they had to eliminate the enemy forces piecemeal.
If they waited for the Iwa Ninja to finish their meeting and regroup, even Raj would hesitate to engage.
Contrary to Raj's expectations, the other Iwa Ninja hideout wasn't occupied by two ninjas, but three.
Two were in plain sight, while the third lurked in the shadows.
The hidden ninja was a familiar face.
Skilled in camouflage, Raj initially failed to recognize him.
But upon closer inspection, he realized it was likely Oishi, the Jonin who had made a brief appearance in the anime.
This individual was one of the participants in Obito's "death" during the anime.
Raj was now immensely grateful that it had placed the Flying Thunder God Seal on the tree beside the house that day.
Had it casually affixed the seal to the roof or some other exposed location, it would likely have been discovered by now.
Raj had been maintaining its camouflage invisibility throughout its pursuit.
Combined with the lingering scent trails, this allowed it to quickly locate its target.
But finding the target was only half the battle.
It needed to eliminate the Jonin swiftly and silently, ensuring a one-strike kill that left no trace of its presence.
Raj retrieved its treasured iron ball, but after a moment's thought, it reconsidered.
Jonin possessed exceptional hearing; tossing the ball might alert the target.
A slow, stealthy approach would be more reliable, as a cat's padded paws guaranteed near-silent movement.
The Jonin caught an unusual scent, glanced sideways, and saw camouflage-patterned cat fur twisted into a rope-like mass, with a pair of eyes staring back