Hell-Viewing Technique!
The cat fur tightened around his neck, constricting relentlessly, shrinking smaller and smaller.
It was unexpectedly easy.
Still a Jonin?
No wonder he died at the hands of Two-Tomoe Obito.
What a disgrace.
Raj maintained the stranglehold until the Jonin stopped moving, then carefully lowered him to the ground.
After jumping down, he tightened the grip for several more minutes before slipping deeper into the shadows.
Half an hour later, all three were dead.
Raj had expected a prolonged battle, but after taking out Oishi, the remaining two were surprisingly easy to kill.
They were just ordinary Chunin, relying on basic Earth Release techniques and taijutsu, not the freakish Chunin with overpowered Kekkei Genkai or inherited sword arts.
But they were just small fry.
Even Oishi had relied on his camouflage concealment technique.
Once the secret technique was neutralized, the threat diminished significantly.
The next group returning would be different.
They were undoubtedly formidable, and the Iwa Ninja were renowned for their defensive prowess.
Even a simple Hardening Technique would be enough to frustrate Naoki.
There was no chance he could pull off a one-man massacre and assassinate them all; if he possessed such capabilities, he wouldn't still be a Special Jonin.
Raj began making preparations.
Regardless of the situation, he needed to set up the Flying Thunder God Seals first.
He also couldn't use any large-scale destructive weapons - not because he feared drawing attention, but because he doubted they would kill the enemy.
The Iwa Ninja had too many defensive techniques, and they were all like groundhogs.
If he failed to kill them immediately, they would burrow underground, making things incredibly troublesome.
After waiting for so many days, Raj was eager to return home early.
Wasn't the allure of a gentle embrace far more appealing?
Staying here with this gruff old man - who also happened to be a stealth enthusiast - offered no amusement whatsoever.
In fact, during the final days, Naoki had grown numb, no longer as entertaining or willing to reward Points as before.
The sheep had been milked dry; it was time to go back and tease Obito.
With his preparations complete, Raj sharpened his claws, dragged the corpses outside, and disguised himself as one of the Ninja, sitting in the center of the room.
Half an hour later, he sensed a surge of Chakra.
'They're back! Three... Just as I thought. Naoki didn't take down a single one of them. He only went after the easy targets.'
Raj mentally scoffed.
Fortunately, it had prepared to fight alone and hadn't expected any help from that guy.
With the Flying Thunder God Technique and numerous Secret Techniques at its disposal, it refused to believe it couldn't defeat a mere three Ninja.
Within seconds, three figures emerged from the ground outside.
Seeing Raj sitting inside, they frowned slightly and exchanged glances.
One of them stepped inside while the other two stood guard at the entrance, scanning their surroundings.
They're on guard!
No chance for a sneak attack now.
Raj sighed softly.
'You think staying outside will save you? But I've already placed Flying Thunder God Seals at every exit, just for paranoid types like you.'
As the Ninja reached a certain spot, Raj rose to its feet and said, "Him? Well..."
At that moment, surrounding rocks suddenly surged upward, rapidly sealing the room.
Earth Release Barrier: Earth Prison Dome.
An old trick.
But they couldn't have anticipated that Raj could never be trapped by such a Barrier technique.
In the next instant, a flash of light and shadow revealed a black figure.
The night itself offered little light, and Raj's black fur, combined with his incredible speed, made him nearly impossible to discern.
In an instant, a bloodcurdling scream pierced the air, and the barrier shattered.
"Watch out!"
The two ninjas at the entrance swiftly formed hand seals, activating Earth Release ninjutsu to protect themselves.
One even prepared an Earth Release escape technique, but Raj moved too fast.
They didn't even realize when they had been struck.
A few seconds later, one ninja managed to escape using Earth Release, but the remaining two weren't so lucky.
Raj's speed left them no chance to evade.
Had he not feared exposing his Rasengan, he could have instantly killed them both.
Even so, in just ten seconds, Raj pierced their earthen armor with Wind Release: Cat Hair Needles, sending them to their deaths.
Then, he turned his attention to the fleeing ninja...
Naoki, having swiftly dealt with the three Kusagakure trash, hurried toward the scene.
When he arrived, the first thing he saw was three ninjas strangled and piled in the forest.
Further ahead lay the Iwa Ninja, their bodies covered in countless needle holes and strangulation marks.
Even just looking at the scene made Naoki's scalp tingle.
Fortunately, the blood covering the bodies obscured the needle marks, preventing his trypophobia from kicking in.
'These two were Jonin... How could it be this strong?'
Naoki questioned his entire existence.
He had rushed here to help, only to find himself reduced to cleaning up corpses.
The gap in power was simply absurd.
Just then, he heard a faint rustling and immediately activated his Invisibility Technique to conceal himself.
A group of Kusa Ninja arrived, led by their village leader.
Naoki had studied Osamu's file.
Osamu had risen to power three years ago, and since then, Kusagakure's attitude and actions had subtly shifted.
This was normally a natural phenomenon.
Each leader had their own governing style, which influenced policy direction.
However, it now seemed highly likely that Osamu was the mastermind behind Kusagakure's alliance with Iwagakure.
"Lord Osamu, the two deaths occurred less than a minute apart. The perpetrator's strength..."
A ninja accompanying Osamu knelt to examine the bodies, his expression immediately turning grave.
Osamu and the other Kusa Ninja paled visibly at the report.
Not just the others, even Naoki was stunned, nearly giving himself away.
'Less than a minute apart? It seemed so.'
The corpse had still been warm when he arrived.
Raj was truly terrifying.
Even a Jonin, let alone a Special Jonin, would struggle to achieve such a feat.
'Impressive, truly impressive!'
He was genuinely impressed.
Now, he'd gladly wash floors or do any menial task.
Admitting defeat wasn't shameful; stubbornly refusing to acknowledge it was.
But the greatest pressure wasn't on him, but on Osamu.
As the leader of the Kusa Ninja, he knew exactly what his forces and the Iwa Ninja had been up to lately.
Tonight, he had deliberately diverted the Kusa Ninja patrols to ensure the Iwa Ninja could operate safely.
Yet, the entire Iwa Ninja force had been wiped out...
Wait, there was still one survivor.