"Lord Osamu, we've detected an Iwa Ninja's trail three miles away."
"What's the situation?"
Osamu nearly lost his composure at this news.
"Dead. There's a massive crater at the scene, and the body is unrecognizable. We only confirmed it was an Iwa Ninja by the headband we found."
"Can you tell what ninjutsu killed him?"
"I can't tell. It looks like they were crushed by something. Oh, right, there were also traces of Wind Release... They died horribly, and the attacker was likely the same person."
The messenger shuddered as he spoke.
Osamu's face went deathly pale, but thankfully it was night, or his expression would have given him away.
'One person... All of them, including the one who fled, were killed by a single person.'
'And Wind Release again... Who could have done this?'
The question echoed endlessly in his mind.
In the end, Osamu could only arrive at one answer: Konoha.
Perhaps the Shadow of the Ninja World himself had taken action.
Apart from him, Osamu couldn't imagine anyone else in the world possessing such overwhelming power - enough to annihilate so many Iwa Ninja in such a short time.
Osamu's body turned ice-cold.
He lost track of what he was saying, his mind drifting into a daze.
Naoki, observing from the sidelines, felt a complex mix of emotions.
These men were scared half to death, likely still wildly guessing who was responsible.
The clues - Wind Release, overwhelming power - might even point to the Root operative.
But who would ever suspect that the real culprit was just a one-year-old black cat?
'Humans really are inferior to cats!'
Naoki watched Osamu and the other Kusa Ninja linger in the area for an extended period.
He began to suspect they were too frightened to move.
As a member of Konoha, Naoki should have been pleased to see them so terrified.
'But... he was still here!'
The Invisibility Technique could conceal his form and suppress his aura, but masking his footsteps required experience.
Normally, Naoki was confident in moving as silently as a cat, but not now.
Raj's antics had thrown him into emotional turmoil, inevitably affecting his performance.
With Osamu, the leader of Kusagakure, nearby, even a slight misstep could alert the enemy.
"My lord, perhaps you should return first. We can handle things here."
"Let me take another look. Bring the corpse over here. I... I need to examine it again."
'Examine what? What's there to see? The Iwa Ninja died, so they should just pledge allegiance to Konoha and be done with it! Why do they have to overthink everything?'
Naoki seethed inwardly.
They had arrived at the worst possible time.
With no tree to lean against, he stood motionless in the center, able only to glance up at the sky and the moon.
'Oh, right. There's no moon tonight.'
Raj watched from a distant tree, his feline belly aching with laughter.
Though he couldn't see Naoki directly, he could clearly sense the man's position through the space mark, confirming he hadn't moved an inch.
Still, as an ally, Naoki couldn't be abandoned.
The man had contributed significant Points, and failing to rescue him would make Raj no better than that "universally despised" Kakashi.
The rescue plan was simple.
Whoosh!
Raj darted through the forest, creating a faint rustling sound.
Instantly, all eyes snapped toward the noise, giving Naoki the split-second window he needed to slip away.
"Lord..."
"I'm feeling unwell. I'll return for now. Clean up this mess. We'll discuss the specifics with the elders tomorrow."
Osamu's face was deathly pale, but as the leader, he maintained his composure, refusing to let fear make his voice tremble or his legs buckle.
He calmly turned and walked back.
Unbeknownst to him, the "elders" he was so concerned about were currently lying headless in the empty wine cellar.
Outside Kusagakure, Raj and Naoki successfully reunited.
The veteran Special Jonin's emotions were complex.
He remained silent for a long moment after they met, as if pondering what to say.
After a few seconds...
"I was afraid that making any noise would shatter his sense of awe. Otherwise, with my skills, Osamu would never have been able to catch me, and I could have even killed him."
"I understand, I understand, meow~," Raj replied with an expression that clearly said, 'Yeah, right.'
They both knew perfectly well that he didn't believe a word of it.
'Your face screams disbelief! You're just laughing at me!'
"Meow~ You're too slow. I'm in a hurry to get home. See ya!"
Raj waved a paw, then leaped away in a series of rapid bounds, vanishing into the forest in an instant.
"Hey! Wait! I wasn't finished talking..."
Naoki sighed heavily.
'A loser's excuses sound hollow no matter how elaborate they are.'
If Raj hadn't intervened, he'd still be standing there, waiting for Osamu to leave.
'Well, might as well head back.'
The mission was complete.
It had taken a full five or six days, longer than expected, but the results were gratifying.
After this ordeal, Osamu would likely be unable to sleep tonight.
Now, all that remained was for Lord Jiraiya to send someone over with a few kind words, pairing the carrot with the stick from tonight's beating.
Kusagakure should obediently return to Konoha's fold.
'Just go back...'
He felt a surge of irritation, not even bothering to wonder where Raj had gone.
After running a considerable distance, Raj glanced back to confirm Naoki was far behind before activating the Flying Thunder God Technique, targeting Ori.
Since Raj had accidentally killed the drunkard earlier, Ori was safe.
When Raj teleported in, the little girl was still sound asleep.
As she slept, her hair had reverted to its natural red, with a strand peeking out from under her hat.
'She'll never learn...'
Raj sighed softly, transforming into the guise of a Kusagakure ninja.
He gently patted her head.
Ori immediately woke up.
Upon seeing "Raj," her hands swiftly formed a hand seal within her oversized robe, and her hair instantly turned pink.
"Meow~"
Raj reverted to its true form.
If the girl remained this careless, he wouldn't send her to Matatabi.
That would
It would be a betrayal of the cat spirit and would jeopardize their future plans.
Her hand speed and reflexes were commendable, barely passing muster.
"Y-yes, I'm sorry. I'm just so tired, s-so..."
Having not spoken for days, her words came out haltingly.
"Meow~ Remember, always be fully alert around strangers, understand?"
Raj pulled out a packet of special cat food to temporarily replenish his Chakra, preparing to send her to Matatabi.
After all this time, the Two-Tailed Cat should have awakened.
"Mhm, mhm, mhm," Ori nodded repeatedly.