Peering through the headband at his eyes in the moonlight, he saw that his left eye had evolved to three tomoe, while his right eye remained at two tomoe.
'Can that even happen?'
He was puzzled.
The Uchiha clan had no records of Sharingan evolution, and awakening and advancement seemed largely random.
'But only one eye evolving? That was...'
"I'll ask Senior Fugaku about it later," Minato said, patting Obito on the shoulder.
He knew Obito didn't get along well with his clan members; otherwise, someone would have guided his training long ago.
'It's quite sad,' Minato thought.
After exchanging a few more words, Minato led Obito back to camp to sleep.
The next morning,
Before dawn, Obito dragged Kakashi out for training, brimming with energy as if he had too much strength and nowhere to channel it.
Kakashi was bewildered. Obito had been downcast lately, and Kakashi had often comforted him.
How could he suddenly be so lively and energetic today?
He wanted to resist, but Obito's raw strength had already begun to surpass his own.
It wasn't that Kakashi was weak; it was simply a matter of specialization.
Kakashi's Taijutsu training focused on speed and technique, not brute force.
His goal wasn't to kill with his fists and feet, but to complement his White Fang Blade Technique.
Obito, however, was different.
Having trained under Guy and Guy, his path had completely veered off course.
He was now practicing the Hard Fist style, his physical strength increasing daily through relentless Taijutsu training and a steady supply of Rin's Soldier Pills and food.
Thus, Kakashi was dragged away.
Only after they left did Raj cautiously open his eyes.
'Good thing they didn't drag me along...'
Still, he'd been woken up.
He never slept soundly at night anyway, waking at the slightest disturbance.
Now that he was awake, he couldn't fall back asleep.
Even so, he had no interest in joining those two idiots for their training.
'Focusing on my own matters is more important.'
If Tsunade hadn't promised to obtain Tobirama Senju's journals, he would have exchanged for Sage Mode today.
But since she'd offered, he could wait.
'Twenty-three thousand Points... If I could get a discount, I'd spend just over ten thousand on Sage Mode and still need Points for the Rasengan Shuriken... Hmm? Looks like I'm a bit short. And I've only planned for two techniques?'
Raj paused, snapping out of his illusion of being "rich."
He still needed to exchange for Tobirama Senju's Water Release Ninjutsu, like the Water Severing Wave.
At this rate, he'd burn through all his Points with just two techniques.
'No, I need to find a way to get a discount. Relying on myself won't work. I understand my own strengths and weaknesses. My innate talent is decent, but when it comes to researching Ninjutsu, I'm no expert. I need a tool.'
Raj quickly identified the perfect tool: Minato.
Minato developed the Rasengan, so his understanding of it was undoubtedly the deepest.
Plus, he happened to have Wind Release Chakra Attribute.
'Perfect!'
With this realization, Black Cat sprang out of bed and hastily dressed.
This part was a bit tricky, but thankfully, he had a Ninja outer robe he'd won in a lottery, so he could get ready with a single motion.
As soon as he stepped outside, he spotted Minato with Obito and Kakashi.
The trio seemed to be heading out, already carrying Tsunade's travel passes.
"Meow?"
Black Cat darted forward and leaped onto Minato's shoulder.
"Obito and Kakashi have been cooped up in the camp for so long without any patrols," Minato explained. "I thought I'd take them out for a walk."
"Take me too, meow!"
"How could you forget me for such a good thing?"
Being confined to the camp was nothing to worry about.
As for the two swords, they had been surrendered upon arrival yesterday.
A cat had no need for weapons anyway, so giving them up was no loss.
Besides, with Tsunade around, there were bound to be benefits for him.
"Hmm? That's fine. Having you along will provide extra security if we encounter anyone."
Minato nodded lightly.
Two Flying Thunder God Techniques were always better than one.
If he got caught up in a fight, Raj could safely evacuate Kakashi and Obito, ensuring their safety.
Kakashi and Obito, however, found this very strange.
The lazy cat usually couldn't wait to retreat to his tent and never come out.
His sudden enthusiasm today was definitely suspicious.
Could this guy be plotting another scheme against us?
Obito and Kakashi exchanged uneasy glances, a sense of foreboding settling in their hearts.
But this time, they were wrong.
Raj's motives had nothing to do with them.
Those two brats barely had any Points - even if he squeezed them dry, he'd only get a thousand each.
Jonin like Minato were the real big spenders.
'First, I'll guide Minato to master the Wind Release: Rasengan. Then, if he's still struggling after a few days, I'll perfect it myself. Points will come rolling in!'
As his power grew, so did his ambitions.
Raj left with the group, leaving Rin alone at the camp.
However, Rin was already busy herself.
Studying under Tsunade was nothing like learning from other Medical Ninja; Tsunade's assignments were incredibly challenging, far exceeding Rin's current knowledge.
She had been cramming constantly, with Shizune, her peer, as her tutor.
It wasn't that Shizune was more talented; she had simply been with Tsunade longer and accumulated a broader range of miscellaneous knowledge.
In terms of raw talent, Shizune was actually slightly inferior to Rin, a fact Tsunade herself had acknowledged.
Meanwhile, after leaving the camp, Raj immediately began guiding Minato to develop the Wind Release: Rasengan.
"Teacher Minato, I've been wondering lately if we could combine different Ninjutsu. Based on clan knowledge, I've developed the cat hair needle and Ice Release. Could the Rasengan also have such potential, meow?"
"When I created the Rasengan, my original intention was indeed to infuse it with Wind Release Chakra. But over the years, I've focused all my energy on the Flying Thunder God Technique and haven't thoroughly researched the Rasengan."
Minato scratched his head awkwardly, his unspoken words hanging in the air: 'I have no idea either.'
"Teacher, does this mean the Rasengan still has room for further development?"
Obito and Kakashi asked in unison.
As soon as the words left their mouths, they exchanged a glance before turning their heads away in opposite directions...
"Of course," Minato replied, extending his hand.
Chakra gradually began to swirl in his palm.
"But to be honest, I'm not sure how to develop it further. In recent years, I've only managed to vary the Rasengan's size."