Kakashi with his sword was a different beast entirely from Kakashi without it.
Especially now, before he had the Sharingan and before his skill tree had taken its strange detour, roughly half his strength lay in his blade.
'This is tough!'
Kakashi felt a growing sense of urgency.
He clenched his fist, then instead of shooing Raj off his shoulder, he dutifully carried the cat to the barbecue restaurant and ordered several dozen skewers of grilled meat.
And so, he found himself strolling down the street with dozens of skewers in hand and a cat perched on his shoulder.
Despite having paid for all the skewers, not a single one was his to eat.
To make matters worse, he had to hold them for the cat...
This was Konoha's best barbecue skewer shop, rumored to be run by a retired ninja from the Shiranui Clan.
The owner's grilling techniques had been honed during his days as a ninja, perfecting them through countless missions.
Raj devoured all the chicken skewers in no time.
The taste was excellent, but what truly mattered was Kakashi's devoted service.
There were probably few people in Konoha whom he would serve so diligently, and this cat was likely the first.
"Kakashi, why are you walking a cat today?"
Kurenai spotted them on the street and immediately greeted Kakashi and Raj.
She rushed over to pet the cat, and faced with the allure of a beautiful girl, Raj abandoned Kakashi without hesitation.
Kakashi paused for a second before replying, "This cat... uh, we met along the way."
"You're feeding it grilled meat? You shouldn't give it too much; it'll get fat easily, and overeating isn't healthy at all," Kurenai said gently, stroking the cat's head.
Kakashi nodded silently, deciding not to mention that he'd only bought the meat under duress, lest he end up having to give Raj extra meals later.
"But Raj is a Ninja Cat. A little extra food won't hurt him; he'll slim down on missions anyway."
"Meow~"
Raj purred contentedly at Kurenai's words, which perfectly suited his tastes and showcased her blatant double standards.
This left Kakashi feeling rather deflated, indirectly earning Raj some Points.
'Nice one! Thumbs up!'
Secretly pleased, Raj looked up and spotted a figure standing down the street - none other than Asuma.
'Heh, talk about bad timing for this guy.'
He'd finally worked up the courage to visit Kurenai, only to find her out.
'And now he'd run into Raj instead...'
'Well, no need to mess with his head.'
Raj wriggled out of Kurenai's arms and leaped back onto Kakashi's shoulder.
"Asuma seems to be looking for you. We'll be going now, meow~"
"Hmm? Oh, right."
Kurenai's expression shifted from cheerful to composed as she noticed Asuma in the distance.
She straightened her posture and walked toward him with a serious demeanor - a stark contrast to her affectionate treatment of the cat.
Getting treated worse than a cat? Asuma's really having a rough day.
Kakashi felt a pang of sympathy for the boy, but he didn't dwell on it.
Having graduated at the age of five, he hadn't spent much time with Asuma, and their relationship wasn't particularly close.
He didn't feel compelled to overthink things or do anything special for him.
As he walked with Raj, a figure suddenly materialized directly in front of him, causing him to flinch and instinctively reach for the hilt of his sword.
Fortunately, he quickly recognized Minato.
"Teacher, do you have a tracking mark on me?" Kakashi asked.
"No, actually... ahem, I was originally looking for Raj. Since you're with him, you can help me notify Rin. Raj and I will find Obito, and we'll all meet at Konoha's gates in an hour."
Minato smiled awkwardly as he explained the situation.
"A mission?"
Raj and Kakashi immediately straightened their postures.
Kakashi was visibly excited, while Raj seemed reluctant, knowing that leaving the village at this hour could only mean trouble.
"Yes, we'll be escorting a merchant caravan to the Grass Country," Minato nodded lightly, omitting the part about having to remain stationed at the border afterward to provide support.
"Understood!"
Kakashi immediately accepted the mission, tossing Raj aside and using a combination of Body Flicker Technique and body activation to swiftly dash toward the Nohara Family's residence.
As for Raj, he was tasked with guiding Minato.
Having just devoured a pile of grilled chicken skewers, Raj was eager to stretch his legs and digest.
'The only lingering question was: What were Minato's true intentions when he placed that mark on me? That man is seriously shady!'
Perched on Minato's shoulder, Raj relished the thrill of their lightning-fast sprint.
Along the way, he tracked Obito's scent.
Obito was proving difficult to locate.
The kid was just like A'Guy these days, dashing all over the village daily, leaving his scent practically everywhere.
The only way to pinpoint his location was by tracking the strongest, freshest traces.
Thus began a nearly ten-minute game of "Where's Obito?" before they finally found him in a remote corner of Konoha.
He had just helped an elderly woman home and was returning with a cheerful spring in his step.
"Go home and pack. We're leaving on a mission outside the village."
Minato wasted no time.
After delivering the news, he immediately left with Raj.
Now that Obito was located, he still needed to inform Kushina at home.
There was no help for it.
The mission had come so suddenly that even he was caught off guard.
Still, it was for the best.
Having been away from missions for so long, Minato found himself feeling a bit restless.
Yet he couldn't spend time with Kushina either...
"Kushina, oh, you're still here? Aren't you going to Rin's?"
After using the Flying Thunder God Technique, Minato noticed Raj still perched on his shoulder, surprising him and making him feel a bit awkward.
After all, he was essentially returning for a secret rendezvous with his lover, and there were no Flying Thunder God seals at Rin's place.
He'd have to hurry over there later - a bit of a hassle.
Raj fell silent.
'Good question. I'd like to know why I'm here too. If you didn't want me to come home with you, you could have said so earlier. There was no need to teleport me here first.'
Just as Raj was about to jump off Minato's shoulder, a figure swiftly approached and scooped her up, spinning her around joyfully.
"Hehehe, Raj, what brings you here to play?"
"Meow!"
Raj struggled, but she couldn't break free from those merciless hands.
Minato stood by, showing no intention of helping.
He scratched his head and grinned foolishly, probably trying to figure out how to tell Kushina he had to leave for a mission.
When Kushina was young, she dreamed of becoming Hokage.
Unfortunately, her status as a Jinchuriki meant she couldn't leave the village, making it impossible to gain the prestige needed to even be considered for the position.
For Kushina, becoming Hokage was always a pipe dream.
Marrying the Hokage seemed a more realistic goal, especially since Minato remained a strong contender for the Fourth Hokage position.