Rin's greatest strength lay in medical ninjutsu.
While she had learned Needle Jizo early on and later acquired the Wild Lion's Mane technique from Lord Jiraiya, she had to admit her combat skills were merely adequate - enough not to hold the team back.
Reconnaissance and tracking were different from combat, requiring more physical strength, endurance, and speed - none of which were her strengths.
"Meow~ Call me if there's danger. Obito doesn't need to worry."
Raj cruelly stabbed Obito with his words, but Obito didn't argue much.
In his eyes, if Rin faced danger, she should summon Raj without hesitation.
"It's okay, I still have Shirobai," Rin said with a gentle smile before hurrying toward the Medical Corps.
Obito froze for a moment, then immediately chased after Kakashi and Shibi Aburame, but the phrase "I still have Shirobai" kept echoing in his mind.
'Who is Shirobai? Could it be another Summoned Beast? Does Rin have two Summoned Beasts? As expected, I'm a complete Dead Last.'
He had given up.
Instead of comparing himself to Rin, he should focus on catching up to Kakashi.
Judging by the situation, Kakashi might be easier to surpass.
"Raj, you'll cover Obito's search later. I have Pakkun and the others, so I'll be fine," Kakashi shouted from ahead as he ran.
"Meow~"
"Understood."
Obito suddenly accelerated, quickly catching up to Kakashi and Shibi Aburame.
The three moved swiftly, and before long, Raj caught the scent of other ninja.
Most were Konoha ninja, but the air was also thick with the scent of ninja dogs, indicating that nearly the entire reconnaissance team had been mobilized to hunt down the hidden Anbu operatives.
"Meow~ What's the plan if we encounter enemies?" Raj asked seriously, perched on Obito's shoulder and tilting his head toward Shibi Aburame.
It wasn't that he was afraid, but the lack of a Jonin in their group was deeply unsettling.
Even with a Genin present, Obito was neither a Jinchuriki nor capable of using the Eight Gates Formation, and he didn't possess the Mangekyo Sharingan...
"Whether we discover their tracks or encounter them directly, we'll fire a signal flare and track them carefully, avoiding combat," Shibi explained.
"Why?" Obito asked, confused and puzzled.
In his mind, finding the enemy's trail meant pursuing them and taking them down.
Why would they avoid fighting?
It made no sense.
"Dead Last will always be Dead Last," Raj muttered.
"Idiot."
Raj shot him a disdainful sideways glance, too lazy to say more than a curt 'Idiot' before falling silent again.
Shibi Aburame glanced at him, then chuckled dryly.
"We're a reconnaissance and tracking unit. Our job is to find the enemy and send out a signal. Once we've pinpointed their location, they won't stand a chance of escaping."
"The Hyuga Clan?" Obito asked, realization dawning.
He immediately understood Shibi's unspoken implication: 'He's afraid I'll get upset if I hear about the Hyuga.'
The strained relationship between the Uchiha and Hyuga Clans was no secret.
Both clans possessed ocular Kekkei Genkai, making them natural rivals who had engaged in open conflict and covert strife for generations.
During his time at the academy, Obito had clashed with Hyuga Clan members on numerous occasions, fostering a lingering resentment toward them.
But these were personal grudges, irrelevant on the battlefield.
Obito, ever clear-headed, acknowledged this.
"In this area, the Hyuga Clan is undoubtedly far superior," he admitted. "Our clan's Sharingan excels in combat, not reconnaissance."
"Are you implying that the Hyuga Clan is weak in combat?"
A voice cut through the air from nearby.
A ninja wearing a flak jacket, his eyes gleaming white, emerged from a side path, glaring menacingly at Obito.
'Damn it! A Hyuga Clan member, and a Jonin at that!'
"Meow~ You're done for."
Raj stood up, considering whether to switch "vehicles."
Obito's heart turned ice-cold.
He didn't know what to say.
'Why can't I control my mouth? I knew there were Hyuga Clan members around, yet I still said that! This is bad!'
"Senior Hizashi, Obito definitely didn't mean it. Please don't scare him," Shibi Aburame said cautiously.
Although Hizashi Hyuga had a good temperament, his reaction to Uchiha was unpredictable.
"I'm sorry, Senior. I..."
"I was just joking too. These old conflicts have nothing to do with you young ones. Just focus on protecting yourselves. I'll be going now," Hizashi Hyuga said, smiling as he turned to leave.
A black cat suddenly darted from Obito's shoulder to his own.
He immediately sidestepped, but the cat's front paw instantly elongated and latched onto his shoulder.
Whoosh!
"Meow!"
Raj draped himself over Hizashi's shoulder and meowed, then carefully observed this "Neji's father."
Without looking at his eyes, Hizashi was still handsome and dashing, but those eyes gave him an eerie aura.
Overall, he remained strikingly handsome, which explained how he could father a handsome man like Neji.
Hizashi Hyuga stared at Raj for a few seconds, realizing the cat had no intention of getting down.
His gaze sharpened with a hint of killing intent, but the foolish cat still refused to budge.
Finally, he activated his Byakugan.
Instantly, veins bulged around his eyes, contorting his face into a ferocious expression.
Most ninja cats and small ninja dogs would flee at such a sight, which was Hizashi's intention.
But this Black Cat didn't run.
Instead, it stared intently at the Byakugan, its unblinking eyes daring him to a staring contest.
However, Hizashi's attention was focused elsewhere.
Judging by the cat's size, it was no more than one or two years old.
Yet, after activating his Byakugan, he discovered that the cat's Chakra far surpassed that of many peak-condition ninja dogs from the Inuzuka Clan.
But the most crucial thing wasn't the Chakra itself, but the distinct, special Chakra within its body.
He had seen this kind of power in the Summoned Beasts of the Three Great Sages.
Could this cat actually absorb Sage Art Chakra like the Summoned Beasts of the sacred lands?
Incredible!
Hizashi Hyuga was so shocked that his foot slipped, nearly causing him to fall from the tree.
"Meow!"
Raj twitched its lips, struggling to mimic a mocking expression.
Though it didn't know what Hizashi had seen, the sight of a Jonin nearly falling from a tree was exhilarating, well worth a good laugh.
"..."
Hizashi Hyuga narrowed his eyes, then thrust his shoulder upward, sending the cat flying.
The strike was infused with Chakra, launching it with a powerful jolt.
Raj flipped through the air, its tail fur extending to wrap around the tree branch above.
After a brief pause, it dropped onto Shibi Aburame.
Yes, it was.
'Intentional. The greater the fear, the more one must suppress it. We're helping him overcome his psychological barriers,' Raj thought to itself.
'Get lost, you terrifying cat!'