"It's written. Now to send it back to Konoha..."
Jiraiya summoned a Communication Frog to deliver the message.
He needed a reply; otherwise, having Minato use the Flying Thunder God Technique would be simpler and faster.
"Meow~ Is the old Third Hokage still 'online' this late?"
Online?
Jiraiya and Minato paused, then quickly realized Raj meant "still awake."
"Lord Third works tirelessly for Konoha. He's definitely in his office right now," Minato immediately replied.
"Meow," Raj responded dismissively, though inwardly scornful.
'Of course he's in his office. But whether he's actually working is another matter.'
'He might be working, or he might be gazing into his Crystal Ball... Teacher and student, cut from the same cloth.'
"Ahem, it shouldn't be that bad," Jiraiya said awkwardly, sensing Raj's skepticism.
"The Teacher is reliable when it counts. Besides, our goal is the Flying Thunder God Technique. Obtaining that is more important than anything else."
At that moment, in the Third Hokage's office in Konoha, the Third Hokage ran his hands over the Crystal Ball.
The village's scenes flickered across its surface, occasionally lingering on certain locations.
Just then, a croak echoed through the room as a frog leaped out of thin air.
The Third Hokage quickly pressed his hand down, nearly knocking over the Crystal Ball.
Seeing it was a frog, he cleared his throat and asked, "Did Jiraiya send you?"
"Jiraiya asked me to deliver this letter and requested an immediate reply." The Communication Frog spat out a scroll.
The Third Hokage took the scroll, his expression turning grave as he recognized the highest-level encryption.
He used the Crystal Ball to scan the surroundings before breaking the seal.
After reading the scroll, he pondered for a moment, then said to the frog without writing anything down, "Tell Jiraiya I agree."
"Understood." The Communication Frog clapped its hands together and vanished from the office in a flash.
The Third Hokage frowned slightly, pulled out his pipe, and began to smoke.
Normally, teaching a Forbidden Technique like the Flying Thunder God Technique would require consultation with Konoha's elders.
But these were wartime conditions, and waiting for a meeting could delay the decision by days.
Every additional person who mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique was a boon, even if that person was... a cat.
Still, something felt deeply unsettling about this.
He exhaled a puff of smoke, a faint unease lingering in his heart.
At the northern camp, a Communication Frog leaped out from beside Jiraiya, relaying the Third Hokage's message verbatim.
Jiraiya's face lit up with joy, and he rewarded the frog with a treat.
After the frog departed, he chuckled, "It's done."
"Meow~ No written agreement?" Raj asked.
"Written agreement?" Minato paused, surprised.
"What need is there for proof? The Hokage's word is enough, isn't it?"
"What if he denies it later... Meow!" Raj was cut off mid-sentence by a smack from Jiraiya.
Despite his flaws, Jiraiya remained fiercely loyal to his teacher.
He waved Minato and Raj out, instructing them to focus on "teaching" the Flying Thunder God Technique first, regardless of the circumstances.
After they left, Jiraiya fell into deep thought.
'There is indeed a risk.'
He wasn't worried about the Third Hokage refusing to acknowledge it.
His concern was that if something happened to the Third Hokage one day, and Minato had to compete for the Hokage position, some villagers might deny his claim.
'Hmph.'
After pondering for a moment, he wrote another letter, summoned the Communication Frog, and sent it back to the Third Hokage with instructions to obtain a handwritten confirmation.
Raj stormed out of the tent, turning back to snarl and claw angrily.
"Haha, don't worry, Teacher will take care of it," Minato said, patting the cat's head.
Minato was naturally optimistic, trusting both the Third Hokage and his teacher to resolve the matter.
"Meow~ Flying Thunder God Technique," Raj declared, waving its paw impatiently.
If he weren't incapable of using Illusion Techniques, he would have even considered teaching within an illusionary realm.
"The most crucial aspect of the Flying Thunder God Technique is establishing coordinates. Once you've done that, you need to sense the spatial passage and then traverse it. This process is extremely dangerous, and even I might not be able to protect you. Are you sure you want to learn it?" Minato warned beforehand.
While the Flying Thunder God Technique was invaluable, its risks were undeniable.
When he first learned it, he had steeled himself for certain death.
Spacetime was the most enigmatic force in the world.
When traversing space, no one could predict what might happen.
You might be randomly teleported to an unknown location, or perhaps only part of your body would
Teleporting while the rest remained behind - either outcome meant certain death.
Calling it a Rank-S Forbidden Technique was no exaggeration.
"Don't worry, it's quite simple."
Of course, this was only true for ninjas who had already mastered the method of establishing spatial coordinates.
Without these coordinates, attempting to use the Flying Thunder God Technique based solely on someone else's coordinates would be terrifyingly difficult.
"Try using the spatial coordinates you placed on the table earlier," Minato said. "I'll do my best to ensure your safety."
"Meow~" Raj replied, arching his back and feigning cautiousness.
He then carefully retreated a few steps...
Minato began to wonder if he had made the explanation too serious, scaring the cat.
But in the next instant, the cat vanished silently from its spot, reappearing on the nearby table in the blink of an eye.
His expression seemed utterly bewildered.
'It's only natural to be disoriented by the spatial shift. Good, bewildered is the right reaction,' Minato thought to himself.
"Hmm, I'll give it a try," Minato said with a gentle nod, and began channeling Chakra into the Rat Puppet.
Ten seconds passed.
A minute passed...
A full three minutes went by before the Rat Puppet could no longer withstand the Chakra.
Minato stopped channeling and glanced at Raj.
But the next moment...
"Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!"
The Rat Puppet shrieked, then slipped from his grasp and darted away, covering several meters in an instant with astonishing speed.
'This rat can move that fast? Good thing I set up a safety measure, or I might not have caught it...'
Raj grumbled inwardly.
'Minato channeled way too much Chakra.'
Raj prepared to use the Flying Thunder God Technique, but Minato had already dashed forward.
'Hmm, he didn't mark it, but the rat has my mark. Even if Minato can't sense it precisely, at this close range, he can just find the spatial passage and jump through.'
"This thing is incredibly fast! Are all Ninja Cats this skilled?"
"Meow~ They're just the outer perimeter."
Minato looked genuinely shocked.
He had initially assumed the Ninja Cats were part of the Stray Cat Alliance, but now it seemed they possessed even deeper, hidden powers...
Raj sighed.
He truly didn't want to lie.
But he would need to use all sorts of strange and wonderful things in the future.
He couldn't keep explaining everything as "self-made" - it simply wouldn't hold up.
It was better to invent a CNinja Cat Realm.