Before Pakkun could unravel this mystery, Black Cat had already moved beside him, pressing a paw against his head.
The other dogs immediately tensed, as if facing a formidable enemy.
Pakkun looked around in confusion, then glanced at Raj, whose expression remained unreadable.
Slowly, he lowered himself to the ground, almost as if begging for mercy.
"Meow~"
Raj retracted his claws.
This was wartime, so he'd spare this useless dog for now.
He'd already secured the points, and further threats wouldn't yield more.
It was better to let the dog live for sustainable development.
Besides...
There seemed to be movement on Kakashi's side.
"Woof woof!"
The Eight Dogs barked loudly before vanishing from their positions.
They'd been summoned away again.
This time, however, it seemed to be combined with some Earth Release Ninjutsu, likely indicating Kakashi had discovered enemies.
Raj's eyes lit up.
Enemies meant points, and while not every foe would be as powerful and lucrative as Sasori, the advantage was that he didn't have to worry about running out of targets.
As long as he found enemies, he could fight to his heart's content.
Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed nearby, followed by a surge of Lightning Release chakra spreading through the air.
"Raj!"
"Meow~"
Raj had already darted forward before Minato could give the order.
Minato called out his name belatedly, then nodded approvingly as the cat shot ahead.
Mischievous, but reliable.
"So fast! Raj's gotten even stronger!" Obito glanced over, catching a glimpse of the cat's phantom-like form.
A sudden sense of crisis washed over him.
He increasingly felt that the team's strongest member might soon be this Black Cat.
Although this cat was undeniably extraordinary, possessing various abilities and even the strange power to absorb Natural Energy, it was still, at the end of the day, just a cat.
Being surpassed by a cat felt humiliating, even if they attributed the credit to Rin.
'Ugh, would being beaten by a Medical Ninja be any better?'
Obito clenched his fist, his resolve to master advanced Taijutsu growing stronger.
"Be careful!" Rin gripped her kunai tightly, silently praying for Raj and Kakashi.
Nearby, Raj charged forward, spotting five figures emerging from the area where the Lightning Release chakra had erupted.
In the air, one ninja was entangled by Eight Dogs before being decapitated with a single strike.
Kakashi had flushed out the enemy!
The remaining four didn't engage in close combat but scattered, forming hand seals as if preparing a Ninjutsu.
Their seals were swift.
But just as they completed their seals, the sprinting cat opened its mouth, inhaled deeply, and spat out a series of cyan Wind Release "saliva" projectiles.
This was only the beginning.
A split second later, a massive column of water erupted.
Water Release: Iron Cannonball.
Forced to react, one of the Iwa Ninja abruptly switched his seals to summon an Earth Flow Wall to block the water column.
The impact was tremendous, draining a significant amount of his chakra as he struggled to maintain the earthen barrier.
In the next instant, the young Iwa Ninja reappeared, wreathed in lightning.
But by then, the others had already completed their hand seals and simultaneously punched the ground.
Earth Release: Landslide.
The combined Earth Release: Landslide transformed the entire road into a churning sea of quicksand.
Under the Iwa Ninja's control, massive waves of sand surged forward like a tidal wave.
Though Kakashi knew Earth Release techniques, the relentless assault of quicksand made forming hand seals extremely difficult, preventing him from immediately countering their Ninjutsu.
Minato acted swiftly.
However, against this terrain-altering Ninjutsu, he had few effective options.
While the Flying Thunder God Technique could teleport him away, dealing with such a massive volume of sand would consume an enormous amount of chakra.
Summoning Gamabunta seemed a more efficient solution.
He instantly teleported beside Raj, bit his finger, and rapidly performed the hand seals for the Summoning Technique.
Raj, initially intending to flee from the surging quicksand, changed its mind upon seeing Minato's hand seals.
Just as the Summoning Technique was about to complete, it leaped into the air.
A split second later, when Gamabunta materialized, Raj landed perfectly on the toad's head.
"Hmm? Minato, what's this furry little thing on my head?" Gamabunta asked, puzzled.
"This..."
"Meow~"
Minato's expression froze instantly, unsure of what to say.
Gamabunta was not to be trifled with!
Just as Minato was about to intervene, Gamabunta reached up to grab the cat on his head.
But in the next moment, Raj dug its claws into Bunta's head, causing the toad to jerk violently and fling the cat off.
Of course, this was exactly what Raj had intended.
Using the momentum from being thrown, Raj activated the Expansion Jutsu, rapidly expanding in size.
He curled his limbs tightly against his abdomen, transforming his entire body into a massive, spiky black sphere as his fur bristled into sharp, needle-like quills.
Meat Tank: Black Cat Enhanced Edition!
The colossal black cat sphere rolled relentlessly down the landslide.
The three Iwa Ninja, upon seeing two such massive Summoned Beasts - one of which was rapidly growing larger and barreling toward them - were instantly terrified out of their wits and didn't dare linger.
They retreated frantically, simultaneously casting defensive Ninjutsu on
Kakashi was equally startled.
He quickly formed hand seals, using Earth Release to escape Raj's path while canceling his Summoning Technique to send the Eight Ninja Dogs back.
He feared his ninja dogs would be killed by this devastating technique.
Even after narrowly escaping, his hands still trembled slightly.
'That cat is too reckless!'
Spotting the fleeing Iwa Ninja in the distance, he immediately gave chase.
'We can't let them get away!'
Boom! Boom!
With earth-shattering roars, the entire valley was carved into a path.
The three Iwa Ninja stood no chance against Raj, who had activated the Opening Gate, and were quickly overtaken.
Though they attempted to escape underground using Earth Release, the sharp spikes that pierced the earth still managed to wound them one by one.
Normally, Iwagakure's Jonin would be the least likely to be injured.
But the one who stayed behind to cover their retreat, attempting to block Raj with an Earth Flow Rampart, ended up being crushed under its face and suffering the worst injuries.
As for the remaining three, after being wounded, Kakashi forced them out of the ground with Lightning Release.
Back on the surface, they were immediately pinned beneath Raj's massive paw.
Nearby, Gamabunta combined his Technique with Minato's Wind Release Ninjutsu to block and stabilize the landslide's debris.
Puffing on his pipe, he asked in a low voice, "So... Minato, you summoned me just to be a mud worker?"
"Hahaha, Bunta, you're still as humorous as ever," Minato said, awkwardly scratching his head and chuckling sheepishly.