Hearing this sudden announcement, it was no wonder he couldn't maintain his composure. Kurenai was equally surprised, though her astonishment stemmed more from Raj's remarkable strength and rapid advancement.
She secretly rejoiced for Raj, harboring not a trace of jealousy. Masaki Uchiha scratched his head, grinning.
"Didn't Lord Third tell you? I thought he would have mentioned it. I brought you here to temporarily"
"Train with Kakashi and the others."
This time, it wasn't just Asuma who was dumbfounded.
Kurenai and Tsurugi wore equally bewildered expressions.
'Training? And Raj is going to train us?!'
"Yeah, ha ha ha! No wonder you're surprised. But you're all classmates and will be training together from now on, so there's nothing to worry about. Besides, Kakashi and the others seem to be making good progress."
Masaki Uchiha waved his hand, acting as if they were old friends.
He exuded a natural familiarity, showing no awkwardness despite their recent reunion.
"Lord Kura," Obito, Kakashi, and Rin said in unison, landing and bowing respectfully.
Obito then shot a smug, gloating glance at Asuma before nodding casually to the rest of the group.
"Hey guys, you're here too?"
"Excellent. Let's head to camp together."
Masaki Uchiha nodded with a smile, but Raj suspected things weren't so simple.
Masaki Uchiha was responsible for patrolling and defending the eastern border of the Land of Fire.
His presence here with Asuma and the others meant he must have returned to the village recently.
Therefore, the commander of the Eastern Front had likely been replaced.
'Uchiha or Hyuga?'
Raj pondered silently, then shook its head, having exhausted some brain cells.
'What does this have to do with me?'
'The real problem is the village dumping three more people on me!'
'What's the meaning of this? Are they expecting me to lead the team now?'
The thought left Raj bewildered.
As a Special Jonin, it was barely qualified to serve as a Team Leader Jonin.
'But Konoha wasn't short on manpower - why would they need a cat to lead a team?'
'Impossible.'
'This looks more like they're here to mooch off the Special Training.'
'It's the Third Hokage's son, after all.'
'If it were anyone else, they wouldn't have the connections to snag frontline Special Training experience.'
'They'd probably still be hauling water.'
'The Third Hokage's son is such a nuisance...'
'Hmph, I'll never admit it, but Asuma and his classmates were considered one of the top groups in their rank.'
In Raj's eyes, Asuma remained as weak as ever.
'That last wave only earned him a measly hundred-odd points - utterly pathetic.'
"Raj really became a Special Jonin?"
Upon arriving at the camp, Asuma still couldn't believe it and tugged at Kakashi's sleeve to ask.
Though Kakashi was aloof, he had been quite approachable before Sakumo's death, so Asuma's relationship with him wasn't bad.
"Mm-hmm," Kakashi nodded slightly, his expression unchanging.
Still lost in his own thoughts and withdrawn, he had no patience for Asuma's banter.
His mind was entirely focused on solving the problem of high-speed turns.
Among the swift ninjas, his first thought went to his teacher, Minato.
Although Minato hadn't yet earned the title "Yellow Flash" and was primarily known in Konoha for his Flying Thunder God Technique, Kakashi, as his subordinate, was acutely aware of Minato's extraordinary speed.
That said, relying solely on high-speed movement was often enough to overwhelm opponents.
The only real concern arose when facing equally matched adversaries, where this reliance could become a fatal flaw.
Kakashi refused to leave any weaknesses unaddressed.
Coincidentally, they returned during mealtime, so he joined the group for a meal and seized the opportunity to ask Minato about his concerns.
Raj observed this without intervening.
Executing sharp turns at high speed was no simple feat, requiring either exceptional dynamic vision or precise anticipation of upcoming situations.
As for Asuma, he trailed closely behind Kakashi, lost in his own brooding silence.
"Rin, what kind of training are you doing with Raj? What exactly does it involve? I want to be prepared..." Kurenai inquired from the other side, equally eager to gather information.
Tsurugi alone sat calmly, unfazed.
He was neither part of the Crown Prince Faction nor a Jonin's daughter.
All he could do was obediently follow orders and train in whatever exercises were assigned.
As a commoner, this was his only option.
"..."
Nearby, Raj scratched his head with a paw before rising and padding over to Jiraiya.
It wasn't just the humans who were worried and apprehensive; Raj felt the same.
Kakashi and the others could still cling to the hope of "graduating" soon, but the three of them...
It wasn't that Raj looked down on Team Asuma, but the truth was, their skills fell far short of frontline standards.
Even Obito could completely overwhelm Asuma, their team's strongest member.
While Asuma's abilities were decent among Genin, who would dare send the Third Hokage's son to the battlefield at such a young age?
Not to mention, the other member was the precious daughter Kurenai.
How could such a team be led?
If Raj were to become their Team Leader Jonin, it would be better to send them back to the village immediately.
Cutting out the unnecessary complications would save everyone a great deal of trouble.
Since Kakashi had gone to Minato, Raj decided to vent his frustrations to Jiraiya.
Jiraiya was eating, seemingly lost in thought, likely pondering some plot points.
Raj quietly approached...
"Hmm?"
The moment Raj drew near, Jiraiya snapped awake as if triggered by a "Black Cat Alarm."
He turned his head sharply, his gaze wary, and subtly raised the piece of meat he hadn't yet eaten.
After taking a few ravenous bites, he finally asked, "What do you want?"
"Me? Want your meat?" Raj scoffed, making no attempt to hide his disdain.
"That meat looks terrible. I have plenty in my inventory. Besides..."
'What about trust between people?'
Jiraiya curled his lip, mirroring the cat's contempt.
Ignoring Raj's words, he continued eating, equally uninterested in the cat's intentions.
'If it tries anything, I'll teach it a lesson.'
Raj leaped onto Jiraiya's shoulder and leaned close, whispering, "Asuma and the others... they won't let me take them, will they?"
Ninjas have sharp ears, especially the Jonin stationed at the camp.
Don't think Jonin are above gossip; bored on the front lines, they gossip even more fiercely than ordinary ninja.
'Good thing I'm a cat; I can get close enough to talk.'
"..."
The mention of Asuma gave Jiraiya a headache.
As someone in the know, he understood the real reason Asuma had been clamoring to come to the front lines: Obito had been promoted to Chunin.
Obito was an Uchiha, and back in the academy, he had been notorious for being the class's dead last.
Only Rin had ever believed in him.
Yet, after just a short time on the front lines, he had suddenly leaped to the rank of Chunin.