Obito activated his Sharingan, while Kakashi's expression turned serious.
The tent filled with a tense atmosphere.
Raj, perched on Rin's shoulder, glared disdainfully at the two.
Just then, Shino Aburame lifted the tent flap.
Seeing the two about to clash, he immediately moved to intervene.
But in the next instant, both fighters struck.
Swish!
Scissors against scissors.
Uh...
Shino Aburame froze, his raised hands and expression stiffening.
The Parasitic Destruction Insects he had released retreated back into his sleeves.
'You two are making such a big deal out of... rock-paper-scissors?!'
Swish, swish~
Their hands moved so quickly that the rock-paper-scissors match became a blur.
Rin and Shino Aburame couldn't even follow their movements.
Ten seconds later...
"Hmph, loser," Kakashi said, withdrawing his hand with an air of casual ease.
Despite Obito's Sharingan, Kakashi had deduced his reaction time through repeated trials.
By timing his hand gestures precisely within that window, he could consistently win.
At that moment, Raj leaped down.
As it landed, it had already transformed into Minato, crouching low to the ground and standing roughly the same height as Kakashi.
Everyone stared up in stunned silence at Raj turned "Minato."
"Meow~ Let's fight!" Raj extended a paw, glaring at Kakashi.
Kakashi sighed, feeling utterly exhausted.
He used to only have to deal with Guy.
Now he had to contend with Guy, Obito, and Raj - and the worst part was that the latter two were his teammates, meaning he'd be stuck with them throughout their missions.
'This is awful. I should just cremate them all.'
Slowly, he extended his hand.
"Come on."
This time, the atmosphere was anything but tense.
Raj was relaxed and carefree, while Kakashi remained stiff and rigid.
He sensed he was about to lose.
In the next instant, both threw their punches simultaneously.
After striking, they rapidly switched hand gestures based on each other's movements, exchanging hands countless times in the blink of an eye.
But the final result was...
Paper against Rock.
Kakashi paused for a moment before withdrawing his hand, feigning composure as he said, "You win."
"Meow~ Loser!" Raj tilted his head back, mimicking Kakashi's earlier expression.
"Great job! I'll treat you to barbecue when we get back!" Obito exclaimed excitedly, his brain overheating as he made a promise that would wipe out the profits from two missions.
In that moment, all past grudges and resentments vanished into thin air.
Raj licked his paw.
When it came to reaction speed, no one could outmatch a cat.
Even when Hyuga used his Gentle Fist technique, he had to bypass Raj's claws to strike its body.
If Raj hadn't been worried about the Needle Jizo injuring his meal ticket, he would never have been caught off guard.
But the next second, a head poked through the doorway.
"What are you guys... uh."
Minato met Raj's gaze, and the rest of his sentence froze in his throat.
'What's going on here?'
"Meow! I was just playing rock-paper-scissors. My cat paws aren't suited for it, so I transformed a bit," Raj quickly explained, reverting to his original form.
"Forget that for now. Get ready - we have a mission."
"Yes, sir!"
The team immediately sprang into action.
As ninjas, they traveled light.
With medical kits strapped to their backs, Minato's Team was ready to depart.
Shino Aburame watched with envy, yet a faint worry for Obito lingered in his heart.
Though Obito was skilled, Minato's Team's missions were inevitably high-level, especially during these turbulent times.
The mission likely involved Sunagakure...
Soon, the trio and their feline companion gathered outside.
Besides Minato, another figure loomed - one who instilled a sense of dread in both Raj and Obito: Orochimaru, one of the Three Legendary Sannin.
"Lord Orochimaru, my team is assembled."
"As planned, let's depart."
Orochimaru licked his lips, his form dissolving into a puddle of mud before vanishing completely.
'Another Earth Clone, huh?'
"Teacher, what's our mission?"
Obito swallowed hard.
This mission required cooperation with Orochimaru.
Were they, still so young, truly qualified for such a perilous task?
"Meow!"
Raj was equally unsettled.
It didn't know Orochimaru's true intentions, but any mission involving the Three Legendary Sannin was undoubtedly life-threatening for
Ordinary ninjas. The worst part was that this mission had fallen upon them...
"Don't worry, everyone," Minato explained.
"Our mission isn't to infiltrate the Land of Wind. Officially, we're assisting the Land of Rain with their defense efforts. Specifically, we'll be monitoring the movements of Sunagakure and Iwagakure. We're responsible for the Iwagakure side."
Kakashi and Rin nodded thoughtfully.
Both Sunagakure and Iwagakure were making simultaneous moves, concentrating their forces in two separate directions.
Regardless of their official explanations, this situation seemed highly suspicious.
If even they could see through it, there was no reason the village wouldn't have reached the same conclusion after receiving intelligence reports.
As for the Third Kazekage's disappearance... It could be genuine, or it might just be a pretext for attacking Konoha.
The Land of Wind had always prioritized gains over appearances, so such a deception wouldn't be beyond them.
Of course, Raj knew perfectly well that the Third Kazekage was indeed dead.
But it couldn't reveal this truth-doing so would mean being summoned to Danzo's tea ceremony and possibly ending up in Orochimaru's laboratory again.
Besides, even if it spoke up, it wouldn't change anything.
Once the spark of war had been ignited, the underlying cause no longer mattered.
Perched on Obito's shoulder, Raj added weight to his training, kept an eye on the surrounding scents, and multitaskingly browsed the System Shop.
Raj's points balance stood at 10,700.
The natural energy had been almost completely digested.
Logically, it could now eat a Deluxe Cat Food, but consuming one would induce a one- or two-day slumber, severely hindering its mission progress.
After browsing the system store, it exchanged its points for two bags of Ninja Cat Food.
For now, it would ensure three daily meals of Ninja Cat Food to boost its Chakra reserves and physical conditioning.
As for Ninjutsu, its current skills seemed sufficient for the time being.
Even if it acquired more advanced techniques, it wouldn't be able to use them without sufficient Chakra.
Excellent, the general strategy was now established.
Back again... the Land of Rain.
Raj, like Nagato, disliked the country's weather.
Rainy days were oppressive, especially for cats.
When their fur got soaked, their bodies felt heavy, making running feel like their limbs were filled with lead, completely lacking their usual speed and agility.
Moreover, the rain washed away scents, hindering their tracking and reconnaissance abilities, leaving the cat feeling less secure than usual.