Returning to the tent area, Raj found Obito still awake, standing at the entrance waiting for someone.
'Probably not me.'
He knew his place.
In this world, unless someone wanted to fight it, no one would deliberately wait for it.
But today was different - Obito was genuinely waiting for it.
"Thank you, Raj," Obito said, bowing deeply.
"Meow?"
Raj froze in surprise.
"Um... anyway, thank you. Thank you for teaching me that technique," Obito said, scratching the back of his head with an awkward laugh, before ducking into the tent to sleep.
Raj stood outside, momentarily stunned, but after a second or two, it followed suit and went to sleep as well.
For Obito, today had been extraordinary.
His Teacher had finally noticed him, and the perpetually annoying Black Cat had finally stopped bullying him, turning its attention to Kakashi instead.
If they weren't on the front lines, he would have wanted to go out for a proper meal to celebrate.
Too bad.
While Konoha remained peaceful, the Kiri Ninja and Kumogakure ninja faced a different reality.
A dragged Kishimaru back, initially intending to hand him over to the Kirigakure Assassination Squad.
But after some thought, something felt off.
After escorting the prisoner back, the Kiri Ninja discovered Samehada was missing. How would they explain this later?
They couldn't possibly tell the Kiri Ninja, "Your Ninja Sword was stolen by a rat."
Not only would the Mist Village's Anbu think they were idiots, even A himself would find that explanation ridiculous.
But the problem was, that was the truth...
This put them in an awkward situation.
Unable to decide, he instructed his men to consult his father first, then consider whether to hand over the prisoner.
If all else failed, Kishimaru would have to be buried in the Land of Lightning.
Minato waited at the border all night, expecting A to arrive with his men demanding answers.
Instead, he was summoned by Tsunade.
He was puzzled, and his confusion only deepened when he reached Tsunade's office.
"Raj needs to return to the village? Why? Given the current situation, we need his strength. Lord Third should understand this better than anyone."
Minato was dumbfounded.
Calling Raj back at such a critical time? Even he thought Lord Third had lost his mind.
"It's probably related to his promotion," Tsunade said, her voice tinged with frustration.
She clenched her fist, but seeing the pristine new desk below, she changed her fist to an open hand and slammed it forcefully on the surface.
Tsunade took a deep breath and lowered her voice.
"Those old ghosts might be stirring up trouble."
Minato looked up, his eyes widening, momentarily speechless.
The "old ghosts" Tsunade referred to were undoubtedly the two elders and the Shadow of the Ninja World from Root.
While Minato had no particular fondness for the former two, he harbored no deep animosity toward them.
The latter, however...
"Then... what should we do?" Minato asked, his mind blank for a moment.
He had gleaned some understanding of Konoha's darker side from Jiraiya and knew Danzo was far from a benevolent figure.
"That's why I called you back. You'll be stationed here from today onward. The Kiri Ninja have been thoroughly beaten recently and won't dare attack again until they reach some agreement with Kumogakure. If you stay vigilant, you'll be fine," Tsunade continued.
"Understood. I'll handle it. You can rest easy," Minato replied, his expression serious as he nodded solemnly.
Tsunade returned his grave expression, as if she were about to undertake a momentous task.
Outside the tent, Raj eavesdropped on their heartfelt exchange, pondering whether to barge in and expose Tsunade's hidden agenda.
After a few seconds, he decided against it.
Tsunade emerged from the tent, grabbed Raj, and turned to Minato.
"There's no time to waste. Raj and I are heading back to the village immediately. Be careful out here."
"Yes, Lady Tsunade."
Raj sighed softly.
'Minato, you've been tricked.'
He remembered an episode from his past life's anime where Tsunade transformed into a child to swindle her creditors...
'As expected, beautiful women are the best liars.'
"Let's go."
Tsunade swiftly led Raj away from the camp, her speed rivaling that of a Jonin renowned for their agility.
After covering a considerable distance, she finally grinned triumphantly.
"Come on, I'll take you somewhere fun."
"Meow~ No casinos, please. You're broke and you'll just end up asking me for money," Raj refused weakly.
A vein throbbed on Tsunade's forehead.
She wanted to punch this Dead Black Cat so badly.
'How did it know I was going to the casino? Cats being too clever is really a problem. That's it. I'm never getting another cat. A pig would be better. Pigs don't think much, and even if they gained intelligence, they wouldn't be as cunning as cats. Just feed them well, and when you're hungry later, you can... Anyway, no more cats.'
Tsunade thought irritably.
However, Tsunade wasn't entirely deceiving the honest child.
Her decision to return to Konoha with Raj did serve as a warning to the village elders, but it was also an excuse to get out and have some fun.
Staying cooped up in the camp was getting boring.
The journey back to Konoha wouldn't take long.
To conserve chakra, Raj didn't use the Flying Thunder God Technique with the kunai Minato had left with Kushina as a coordinate.
Instead, he rode on Tsunade's shoulder for the return trip.
Hitching a ride was comfortable, and the occasional glimpse of the scenery made the journey quite pleasant.
By afternoon, Tsunade had brought Raj back to the village.
"Meow!"
"What do you think?"
"The village is still the same, but the people are different now," Tsunade sighed as she gazed at Konoha's gates.
Then, she slowly walked toward the entrance.
"Lady Tsunade?"
"You're back! Please come in. Are you here to see Lord Hokage?"
No need for introductions.
While few in Konoha might recognize Raj, no one could mistake Tsunade's appearance.
Even those who could mimic her form couldn't capture her essence.
"Yes, I'm here to take care of some business," Tsunade replied with a nod, leading Raj into the village.
Konoha was vast, the largest city in the Land of Fire after Kyoto.
The first sight upon entering was the striking trio of sculpted faces on the earthen wall.
Raj felt a wave of emotion.
Having been away for so long, it had almost forgotten what Konoha looked like.
Seeing this scene stirred a mix of feelings in its heart.
But the sentimentality didn't last long, as Tsunade suddenly announced:
"Go see the old man yourself. I have some business to attend to."
'Business? Is that what you call it? You're going to gamble! You degenerate!'
If it could, it would slap Tsunade across the face.
But for now, it didn't want to provoke her, so it reluctantly set off alone toward the Hokage Office.