Apart from Rin, no woman in the world could ever attract him.
But he dared not voice these thoughts aloud.
This cat held grudges fiercely, which had its advantages - like the swift retribution Yahiko received for injuring him earlier - but also its drawbacks.
"I've been hearing you mention Akatsuki a lot," Minato said, touching a photo on the wall before turning to face Yahiko and his companions, focusing primarily on Yahiko, as he seemed to be the group's strategist, while Konan and Nagato appeared to be more executors of his plans.
"Could you explain your group's goals?"
Yahiko stepped outside, gazing up at the gloomy sky before suddenly turning back to ask, "Do you understand the Land of Rain?"
Everyone nodded.
They had previously escorted Amegakure Ninja, so they weren't entirely unfamiliar with the Land of Rain.
"The Land of Rain is a land of sorrow," Yahiko continued.
"Caught between the three great nations and perpetually shrouded in rain, peace for us is like that elusive yet desperately yearned-for sunlight. I want to use our strength to pierce through the clouds and bring light back to this nation."
At that moment, Yahiko radiated vitality - sunlit, confident, and strikingly handsome.
'Even the best anime depictions can't capture the presence of a real person,' Raj thought.
As the saying goes, a man who's truly serious is undeniably the most charismatic.
No one could resist such charisma.
That's why he had gathered a group of Amegakure Ninja, who willingly served him and were ready to die for his cause.
"This is Akatsuki!"
With just a few simple words, he conveyed his intentions and emotions, making everyone understand him perfectly.
Such individuals are terrifying, for they are natural-born Mouth Jutsu Ninjas.
Minato's Team fell silent.
They knew of the Land of Rain, but it was difficult to truly empathize with its people's feelings.
After all, the Land of Fire was their homeland.
Sensing the heavy atmosphere, Raj glanced around before leaping onto Yahiko's shoulder.
Waving his paw, he quipped, "Wake up, buddy. You think you can beat Hanzo?"
"...Ouch, that hits hard."
Hanzo was known as the Demigod.
During the Second Shinobi World War, he had led a small village against multiple major powers, proving his unparalleled strength.
Yahiko wasn't delusional enough to think he could defeat Hanzo alone.
However, he believed collaboration was possible because that esteemed figure shared their concern for Amegakure and other small nations, yearning for peace in the Shinobi World.
Since Raj and Minato were ultimately Konoha people, Yahiko couldn't fully reveal his innermost thoughts.
"Does Konoha have any intelligence to share?"
At that moment, Konan stepped forward.
Even though they had initiated the attack, since they were now cooperating, they should exchange information to some extent.
They had already shown their sincerity, so next...
"The Third Kazekage of Sunagakure has gone missing. Sunagakure is currently searching everywhere for him. It's still unclear whether this is a Sunagakure plot or if the Kazekage has truly disappeared," Minato said after a moment's contemplation, revealing the information Konoha had gathered.
"No way!"
"How could that be?!"
Akatsuki hadn't heard this news yet, as such intelligence was beyond the reach of their spies stationed in the Land of Wind.
The three members were visibly shocked.
Yahiko was particularly stunned.
He had entertained many theories, such as Sunagakure allying with Iwagakure to target Amegakure, or the two villages joining forces to pressure smaller nations around the Land of Fire into defecting.
He never imagined that the root of Sunagakure's turmoil would be the Third Kazekage's disappearance.
At first, it sounded like a joke.
"This information was extracted from the mind of a Sunagakure Anbu ninja by the Yamanaka Clan," Minato emphasized.
Every organization involved in intelligence work knew of the Yamanaka Clan's secret techniques.
Though Akatsuki was a small group, they were well aware of the clan's formidable capabilities.
With that, Yahiko and his companions had no further doubts.
"Let's cooperate. We have the numbers, but lack elites. You four... uh, five are all elites. We can locate the enemy's position, and then the three of us will work with you to gather intelligence."
Yahiko carefully considered his words, correcting "four" to "five" mid-sentence.
'Very perceptive,' Raj thought.
Raj lowered his paw and sprawled lazily on the medical kit, observing the other two members of the trio, especially Nagato.
Nagato's long hair deliberately obscured his eyes, and his position at the back made it impossible for Raj to see his eyes clearly, even from his low, almost Voldemort-like angle.
However, a glimpse revealed a hint of purple.
The color of Nagato's Rinnegan.
But these eyes might belong to Madara.
Zetsu or one of his clones could be lurking nearby, spying in the shadows.
If Raj were to shout, "Zetsu, are you there?" Zetsu would undoubtedly offer a massive sum of points.
He might even persuade Madara to offer a grand points package, though that package would certainly come with a death sentence.
Raj wasn't ready to die yet.
After discussing official matters, Yahiko pleaded with Rin to treat their injured comrades.
Now that they were cooperating, Rin readily agreed.
For Raj, this was an opportunity.
Raj had his own principles.
While at the hospital, he generally avoided tormenting patients, considering them heroes of Konoha who had bled and suffered for the village - Kakashi being the sole exception.
When Raj was just a few months old, that bastard Kakashi had relentlessly tormented him, a grudge he would hold for years.
This situation was different.
Just moments ago, they had been enemies.
No matter how much cooperation was now involved, Raj couldn't resist strolling past them, provoking them with a casual taunt.
Akatsuki was still in its infancy, their base consisting of temporary shelters.
They likely lacked a permanent headquarters and were operating wherever they could find space.
As Konan began to introduce the group, Raj leaped onto her shoulder, his defiant gaze sweeping across...
The crowd stirred.
"This cat isn't the one..."
"It injured the leader and now it's here, flaunting its arrogance! How infuriating!"
"..."
The Amegakure Ninja present sprang to their feet, muttering curses under their breath.
Konan was undoubtedly their angel, and now this black cat was trampling on her dignity.
What infuriated them most was that Konan seemed utterly unbothered.
Instead, she wrapped her arms around the cat and turned to Rin behind her and said, "Don't be alarmed. We've already established a cooperative relationship with the Konoha ninja."
"Hello everyone, my name is Rin, and I'm a medical ninja. Please come forward if you're injured, and I'll treat you according to the severity of your wounds."
Rin smiled warmly as she swiftly retrieved the medical kit from behind her.