The Konoha's Ninja Cat's antics were best watched from afar. If he stayed too close, he might be mistaken for one of them.
Stealthy observation was the way to go.
He darted into a nearby bush.
Through a gap in the foliage, he spotted a red-haired boy standing behind the bush, quietly watching Obito Uchiha.
His eyes burned with intense emotion.
'Sasori. Should I give him a scare?...Nah, better play it safe and stay hidden.'
Just as Raj thought this, his body involuntarily crouched forward, inching closer.
Sasori, completely absorbed in his observation, suddenly glanced down and spotted a pair of bright eyes and jet-black fur peering from the grass.
He instinctively recoiled a step.
His expression quickly shifted to indifference as he lowered his head, feigning surprise at noticing the cat.
He crouched down, staring intently at the Little Black Cat for a long moment.
The youth had always loathed being startled by hidden figures!
Man and cat locked eyes.
Raj's heart pounded with fear, but he couldn't back down now, lest he arouse suspicion.
After a few seconds, Sasori smiled faintly and said, "Konoha's little creatures are quite amusing. Too bad..."
'Too small. A little rough handling and its body would probably break.'
He stood up and walked away, his gaze indifferent.
Raj's heart raced.
He secretly regretted his impulsive paw movements-why couldn't he resist moving forward?
But when he glanced at his status panel and saw the extra 500+ Points, he instantly felt a surge of feline contentment.
'With this many Points, taking a few risks is worth it.'
'Was Sasori afraid of the dark, or of eyes watching from the shadows?' Raj wondered inwardly.
Five hundred points couldn't have appeared out of nowhere; he must have violated one of Sasori's taboos...
'Well, whatever. What's done is done.'
'What can he do about it now? I've got Orochimaru backing me up!'
Raj glanced around nervously, making sure Orochimaru wasn't nearby before emerging from the forest.
He then gave Obito a complicated look.
It was clear Sasori had already mastered human puppetry, as his gaze toward Kekkei Genkai users held a peculiar intensity.
In Raj's view, this was simply a collector's obsession.
Whether useful or not, Sasori wanted to collect every Kekkei Genkai he saw.
'Good thing I don't have one, or I'd probably end up on his list of figurines to collect.'
'Hmm... I should warn Obito.'
After a moment's thought, Raj leaped onto Obito's head.
Obito naturally erupted into a commotion, drawing considerable attention.
Raj, unable to speak, could only ruffle his hair into a chicken coop-like mess again.
Sasori, standing nearby, frowned slightly.
Could it really be a coincidence?
He had always sensed a peculiar intelligence in this cat, as if it were aware of something.
That's why he had become more attentive to it after it startled earlier.
But now, he wondered if it was simply a mischievous prankster...
'I'll keep watching. I'll keep watching.'
A faint smile curled Sasori's lips as he strode toward the second examination hall.
Raj seemed to sense something.
Just as Sasori suspected, cats possess far sharper instincts than humans, allowing them to perceive things humans often miss-like Sasori's gaze.
It was certain: Sasori had been watching it, not Obito.
'He's really got his eye on me. This is bad...'
'Well, I've already crossed him. I'll just have to find more opportunities to fleece him.'
The Little Black Cat thought to itself.
If Sasori truly targeted Obito, a conflict with Rin and the others would be inevitable.
Whether it had offended him or not, a confrontation was unavoidable.
In Sunagakure, Sasori's strength had undoubtedly reached the Jonin level.
However, their mastery of poison and puppets meant that with proper countermeasures, they weren't necessarily invincible.
After all, Raj still had his Summoning Technique.
The key was for Rin and Obito to stay hidden.
Glancing at Guy and Obito, Raj realized that all his meticulous plans might be useless.
In the end, it would come down to improvisation.
Of course, the best outcome would be if Sasori didn't show up at all.
The second stage of the Chunin Exams began in the mountainous, forested terrain outside Bellflower Mountain Castle.
This place held bitter memories for the Sunagakure Ninja.
Many of their comrades had fallen here, and just recently, a group of Sunagakure ninja had been defeated and even captured.
Seeing this location, many Sunagakure ninja clenched their fists.
Killing the heart is worse than killing the body!
Raj couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
'Did Konoha's exam organizers deliberately choose a location to provoke a fight?'
He muttered to himself, observing the Sunagakure Ninja's reactions.
Pakura, the supervising Jonin, wasn't present.
Raj didn't recognize most of the other Sunagakure ninja... except for Sasori and another man.
'Gaara's uncle, Yashamaru!'
'The examination hall had been so vast earlier that I hadn't noticed he was here until now.'
'I have to admit, he really does seem a bit effeminate, and his demeanor doesn't quite match someone who's been weathered by the desert winds...'
'Sunagakure is truly a peculiar place.'
I stared intently at Yashamaru, lost in thought.
Noticing my gaze, Obito glanced over casually before declaring with smug disdain, "Perverted cat, he's a man."
"Meow?"
Raj tilted his head, feigning ignorance, then added, "You're quite the expert, aren't you?"
"Of course! Keen observation is an Uchiha... What do you mean 'expert'? I'm just relying on my eyes-it's the power of the Sharingan, got it?"
Obito's face flushed crimson as he immediately turned to Rin.
Rin wore a peculiar expression.
"Rin..."
"Obito, the exam results are out. I'm going to check them," Rin said quickly, and hurried away, her mind racing.
'So the Sharingan's observational abilities are this strong? I'll have to be more careful around Obito from now on. I can't let him... Ahem!'
She cleared her throat, trying to clear her mind of these wild thoughts.
Obito felt like crying but had no tears left.
He glared fiercely at Raj, wanting nothing more than to strangle the creature and jump off the cliff.
But then he remembered the dead cat's owner...
'Forget it.'
Obito sat down, joining Guy in their shared existential crisis.
Moments later, the petite Rin squeezed through the crowd, running over excitedly.
"Guy, congratulations! You passed!"
"What? I passed?!" Guy exclaimed in disbelief.
'How could I have passed?'
'I know how badly I did on that test!'
Guy might be a bit dense, but he wasn't stupid.
'If that test could pass... I'd eat the table!'
"You passed as an alternate! That's amazing!"
Rin's gentle, adorable smile sent Obito into his usual infatuated daze, while Guy's eyes widened in utter disbelief.
Raj twitched his ears, shocked by Konoha's shamelessness.
'They actually passed someone with that kind of test score?'
"No time to celebrate! All candidates who passed, please proceed to the second testing ground for practical combat exercises. The passing criteria are posted at the testing ground."
The Supervisor's voice echoed from afar.