Obito, having finally awakened his Sharingan, spotted Hizashi Hyuga flashing through the distance first, even without activating his Sharingan.
Kakashi and Shibi Aburame hadn't noticed him yet.
'He's leaving? What a pity.'
But in the next moment, Hizashi skillfully tossed a black shadow toward them.
Hyuga Jonin were masters of Taijutsu, and their hand strength was legendary.
The throw wouldn't harm Raj; instead, it landed the creature precisely at Obito's feet.
Obito stared in bewildered annoyance.
'The mission was over - what did he need this cat for now?'
In that moment of confusion, Raj landed gracefully.
'Rejected again...'
Kakashi watched coldly, secretly lighting a candle for Obito.
Knowing Raj's vengeful nature, he was certain the cat would remember this slight and repay it sooner or later.
'Obito, may fortune favor you.'
"Hey, Raj, are you feeling alright? You seem a bit off," Shibi Aburame asked, crouching down with curiosity.
"Meow?"
Raj tilted his head, puzzled at first.
Then he realized the Chunin Ninja no longer seemed afraid of him.
The man had always avoided him before, but now he was even daring to reach out and stroke his fur.
Shibi Aburame repeatedly stroked Raj from head to tail.
Despite the cat's notoriously bad temper, its fur was genuinely silky smooth - even more luxurious than a girl's hair...
He was starting to get addicted.
'Damn it! This cat's pressure points have been struck, and even you dare to pet me?!'
Raj seethed with indignation.
It was true that the pressure point strike had blocked the Chakra flow in his limbs, but the Chakra in his body remained unaffected.
He didn't need hand seals anyway, so...
'Take this, Non-Chosen's Spear!'
In an instant, the cat's fur hardened like steel, imbued with a trace of Wind Attribute Chakra.
This was an unconscious reaction born of rage, and Raj himself didn't even realize it had happened.
If not for the Parasitic Destruction Insects' instinctive response and self-preservation, Shibi Aburame wouldn't have had time to pull back.
The hardened cat hair would likely have pierced straight through him.
"That's a Wind Attribute piercing effect!" Kakashi exclaimed in astonishment.
'This cat... has unlocked yet another new technique?! Damn it! Stop being so OP! Can't you give us ninjas a chance to shine?!'
'A piercing nature transformation?'
Raj was equally astonished.
It hadn't acquired any Ninjutsu of that type!
But then it remembered...
The Water Release: Toad Iron Cannonball and the Cannonball Technique weren't the same thing.
Even without having exchanged for the former, it could still combine its Wind Release Chakra with the Cannonball Technique to execute the Ninjutsu.
Therefore, spontaneously mastering a nature transformation wasn't impossible.
"Obito..."
"Understood."
Obito immediately activated his Sharingan to observe.
Kakashi crouched down and said gravely, "Raj, try that attack again."
Raj pondered for a moment, then channeled its Chakra into its fur.
Raj attempted to use Wind Release: Cat Hair Needles, but nothing happened.
Shibi Aburame was still shaken, but when he saw Raj couldn't replicate the technique, he realized he'd just gotten incredibly lucky - a burst of power triggered by the cat's rage.
"It's different. It doesn't feel the same," Obito said, shaking his head.
After several more attempts, Raj realized he hadn't mastered the ability.
The earlier incident had been a fluke.
Kakashi and Obito simultaneously turned to Shibi Aburame and, with perfect synchronicity, suggested, "Why don't you pet him a few more times?"
"..."
Shibi Aburame glared up at Obito and Kakashi, inwardly debating whether to unleash his Parasitic Destruction Insects on them.
'Is this really the best you could come up with? Why don't you try petting him yourselves? You're just trying to get me killed! I never thought even Obito, with his innocent-looking face, could be so devious.'
"Impossible, meow," Raj declared, flicking his tail and stretching.
He had only achieved that state earlier due to a perfect storm of extreme anger and sheer luck.
Even if Shibi Aburame kept petting him, now that he was mentally prepared, he couldn't replicate the earlier conditions.
'A bit of a shame. But no big deal.'
'Now that I know it's possible, with my talent, I'll figure it out eventually... Wait, the Shop just updated with the exchange for this Ninjutsu!'
[ Wind Release: Cat Hair Needles ]: A C-rank Ninjutsu that infuses Wind Attribute's piercing nature transformation into cat hair, granting it formidable piercing power.
Cost: 500 Points.
So cheap.
Cost: 500 Points.
So cheap.
This meant he had already mastered all the fundamental elements of this Ninjutsu.
All he needed now was a little help - just a little help, really...
Then, Raj used [ Wind Release: Cat Hair Needles ] again.
New skill acquired! New skill acquired!
"Success!"
Obito, observing the Wind Attribute's nature transformation through his Sharingan, nearly jumped off the branch in excitement and almost slipped.
But a moment later, he felt a strange unease.
'Why am I so happy? Why am I so happy? The cat is getting stronger. Isn't that bad for me? No, no... No, no... Whether Raj continues to grow stronger or not, he'll never surpass it. On the contrary, if it becomes strong enough to surpass Kakashi, Kakashi will suffer the same bullying he does. Hmm, you should hurry up and get stronger. Hmm, you should hurry up and get stronger.'
Obito offered Raj his heartfelt blessing, this time completely sincere, without a trace of ulterior motives.
Raj turned its head, its gaze fixed on the heavily wrapped and mysterious Shibi Aburame.
The Aburame Clan youth felt immense pressure under that stare, while Kakashi sank into deep thought.
The earlier techniques might have been inherited ninjutsu, but this one was definitely not.
They had personally witnessed Raj unintentionally use it, then develop and master it in just three or four minutes.
'And then there's me...'
He prided himself on his exceptional talent, graduating at five and becoming a Chunin at six.
Now, after three years as a Chunin, he hoped to advance to Jonin within the next three years with enough effort.
Yet he had yet to develop a single original ninjutsu.
Compared to this cat, he didn't even deserve to be called a genius.
"Let's head back to camp and get some sleep," Obito said, stretching lazily.
"I'm exhausted. Hopefully, those Sunagakure guys will behave tomorrow so we can actually rest."
Among the three, Obito was the most laid-back.
After all, he had spent the most time with Raj, witnessing firsthand how Raj had evolved from being completely outmatched by him to becoming a formidable menace that gave him endless headaches.
In short, familiarity breeds acceptance.
"Let's go," Kakashi agreed.