At half speed, the Rat Puppet was indeed quickly overtaken. But in the next instant, the puppet abruptly changed direction, narrowly evading Kakashi's grasp.
It was a close call - had he been just a fraction faster, with quicker reflexes, he might have caught it. Yet, just like the Chidori's flaw, when speed reaches a certain point, it becomes a liability if the eyes and reaction time can't keep up.
Kakashi watched helplessly as the Rat Puppet escaped.
"Giving up, meow? Even if it keeps going, its Chakra will eventually deplete, slowing it down enough for you to catch it. But what would be the point then?" Raj taunted from the sidelines, his voice like a devil's whisper.
Kakashi's composure shattered. He had been supremely confident earlier, scoffing at the idea of failing to catch a Rat Puppet moving at half speed.
Through his recent training, he had thoroughly studied the rats' habits and felt certain he could capture them. Yet, when faced with this particular puppet, he was utterly helpless.
He even suspected Raj was controlling it remotely. Otherwise, how could this puppet be so intelligent?
"You're controlling it, aren't you!" Kakashi's voice was filled with grief and anger.
They were already on their way back to camp, but the young Kakashi refused to admit defeat. After much deliberation, he remained convinced that Raj had interfered.
Whack! Raj slapped Kakashi on the head with a paw, his expression utterly indifferent.
Kakashi didn't cry out in pain, but instead glared fiercely at Raj. Beside them, Obito sighed softly.
'Kakashi never learns! What does this have to do with controlling anything? It's just because you kept running straight instead of turning! If you'd turned faster, you would have caught up ages ago.'
But he couldn't say any of this aloud. Throughout the night's events, Obito had been even more silent than Kakashi.
The moment the Rat Puppet turned, he froze in shock. Though he used his teleportation jutsu to chase after it, the distance was too great.
Even if he had extra legs, he couldn't have caught up in time. Four or five days isn't a cheat code.
The speed increase wasn't that significant; the Rat had simply slowed down, now moving at only half its peak velocity.
"Are you controlling it?"
'Stubborn as ever!'
Black Cat sighed inwardly and pulled out the Rat Puppet, explaining, "Its function is to flee when it detects an enemy. You and Obito ran ahead of it, so naturally, it changed direction."
"This is ridiculous! You couldn't keep up because you didn't turn fast enough, and now you're blaming Raj's puppet for being too good? Does that even make sense?" Obito complained.
This was what he truly believed. In fact, he thought that if he were in Kakashi's position, he might have caught the Rat tonight.
It wasn't that he was significantly faster than Kakashi, but with the Gate of Opening activated, he could perfectly control his body for high-speed turns, something Kakashi couldn't do.
"Hey, loser, don't blame me!" Kakashi snapped through gritted teeth, his mood souring.
He was already on edge, and Obito's taunts only made it worse. Still, he knew Obito had a point.
While his speed was impressive, his turning ability seemed lacking at high velocities. And this was just chasing a Rat.
What if it were a person? The kid was stubborn but not stupid.
He wouldn't admit it, but deep down, he knew this was a warning sign. On the battlefield, failing to catch a rat wasn't just a minor setback.
"Alright, let's go. Stop arguing, you two." Rin was exhausted.
It wasn't emotional fatigue, but physical exhaustion. Besides training, she had to treat herself, Kakashi, and Obito afterward to prevent hidden injuries from the rigorous training.
Raj led the way. Midway through their journey, they suddenly saw several figures dart past ahead.
The trio and their cat froze, momentarily doubting their eyes. They exchanged glances before Obito spoke first.
"Did I just imagine that?"
Raj sprinted forward, sniffed the ground where the figures had passed, and looked up.
"No, it was Asuma's team."
The scent of Asuma and Kurenai lingered in the air. What puzzled Raj was the team's makeshift composition.
Besides Asuma and Kurenai, Tsurugi was also present. This wasn't their usual team formation.
But what truly baffled Raj was the identity of the Team Leader Jonin: Masaki Uchiha. During their previous mission at the border, Minato's Team had been immobilized by two Hidden Mist Jonin.
Raj located their base and obtained assistance, allowing them to escape the perilous situation. An Uchiha and the Third Hokage's son working together...
Its mind clouded with suspicion, Raj couldn't help but question the Third Hokage's motives.
'Why had he assembled these four and deployed them to the front lines? What was his agenda?'
"Let's catch up and see what's happening," Kakashi suggested.
"Good idea! I could use the exercise. I'll take the lead!" Obito declared, sprinting forward.
With the "Special Training" concluded, they had resumed wearing their weighted gear. However, this time they could use Chakra, significantly increasing their speed.
The trio strained to keep pace, while Raj moved effortlessly. Without any added weight, it could accelerate at will or slow down to perch comfortably on Obito's shoulder for a rest.
Obito had grown accustomed to this arrangement. There were pros and cons.
The advantage was that Raj no longer needed to worry about Obito resisting. The downside was that it couldn't earn any Points from him.
'This kid's like a rubber ball - nothing I do seems to faze him anymore.'
Despite their weighted gear, Kakashi and Obito managed to keep up with the lead, a testament to their rigorous training over the past few days. The extreme training was indeed effective.
Although Raj's speed hadn't improved significantly, the combination of cat food and Soldier Pills, along with relentless training with minimal rest, had noticeably enhanced his physical stamina.
Upon spotting the four figures ahead, Raj swiftly leaped off Obito's shoulder and darted forward. Had he not been mindful of Obito and the others, he would have already sprinted far ahead.
"Halt." Masaki Uchiha had long sensed their approach, but he waited until Raj and the others caught up before signaling his team to stop on the road.
He turned to face Raj and Kakashi's group.
"Raj? What are you doing here?"
Kurenai's eyes lit up. In stark contrast, Asuma's expression soured as if he'd swallowed a live fly, his face practically screaming "unwelcome."
Tsurugi stood silently to the side, having little interaction with Raj.
"Meow~," Raj responded, then fearlessly leaped onto Masaki Uchiha's shoulder.
This Uchiha Jonin was remarkably approachable, lacking the typical arrogance of his clan. This made Raj feel comfortable enough to get close.
"Hahaha, Raj, it's been a while! I heard you've been promoted to Special Jonin - that's incredible! You're the first Ninja Beast in the entire Ninja World to become a full-fledged Ninja!"
"What? He's a Jonin now?" Asuma blurted.
Masaki Uchiha chuckled and rubbed his cheek against Raj's paw in greeting.
A black cat? How could it possibly become a Special Jonin?
In Asuma's memory, Raj was still just a mischievous cat who constantly caused trouble and even framed him for it.