"Let's celebrate Raj's promotion to Jonin! Cheers!"
"Cheers."
Masato Nohara was so demoralized that he barely had the energy to drink, let alone enjoy it.
If this continued daily, Tsume Nohara figured the family could save a fortune.
Besides, now that Raj was a Jonin, he'd start earning money.
That was a good thing, right?
The Nohara family wouldn't ask a cat for money, but if Raj could earn his own, he could cover many of his own expenses, like toys or even his own house.
Hmm, Jonin salaries were quite high - more than enough for that.
Plus, Raj was like their own child.
Seeing him achieve such success filled Tsume, a non-ninja, with overwhelming joy.
Her feelings were completely different from Masato's.
After finishing his meal, Raj curled up in his cozy den, preparing to exchange for Sage Mode.
'Should I take a bath first?'
'Bathing and changing clothes before a major event is a must!'
Raj went to the bathroom to bathe himself.
Masato Nohara cautiously peeked in, and only after confirming that Raj was indeed bathing and not up to anything else did he return to his book with a sigh of relief.
After his bath, Raj emerged and settled back into his den, where he exchanged for Sage Mode.
Nine thousand Points wasn't a significant sum given his current wealth, but he had so many things he wanted to acquire that even the remaining seventeen thousand Points after the exchange left him feeling unsatisfied.
'I still need more Points.'
The results, however, were remarkable.
Upon exchange, a flood of memories surged into his mind, many closely resembling Tobirama Senju's research, while others diverged significantly.
'No wonder Tobirama Senju never mastered Sage Mode. He must have made some critical errors in his calculations, leading to flawed conclusions...'
These nine thousand Points were well spent.
If he had followed the Old Toad's training method for Sage Mode, the risks would have been astronomically high.
The System's version, by contrast,
offered the lowest possible danger. Still, the cost is considerable...
Raj hesitated for a moment before finally exchanging for a bag of Deluxe Cat Food.
According to the System's knowledge points, Deluxe Cat Food was the key to mastering Sage Mode.
It functioned like the Toad Oil used by the Toads to sense Natural Energy, allowing the body to perceive the Natural Energy of the outside world.
That's right, Raj had been using it incorrectly all along.
But there were no instructions!
This System was so unintelligent-not even a simple notification sound, unlike other systems that would at least give a friendly "ding" as a reminder...
System use comes with risks; exchange with caution.
'Absolutely true!'
Raj mentally cursed the System from head to toe.
Before eating the cat food, he followed the System's instructions, removing the cushion from his nest and lying directly on the ground to maximize contact with the earth and nature.
Then, he ate the cat food.
A surge of Natural Energy flooded his body.
Using this energy, he opened channels connecting his body to the outside world, allowing him to sense the surrounding Natural Energy.
So simple!
Raj remained conscious, quickly sensing the Natural Energy seeping up from the earth.
He then slowly guided it into his body using the System's method...
This was different from before.
Previously, when Raj ate cat food, his body would naturally digest and assimilate it.
He didn't actively participate in the refinement process.
But this time, to extract Sage Art Chakra and enter Sage Mode, he needed to actively engage in the process.
This was the most challenging step, one that even Jiraiya had failed to overcome, which is why he required the assistance of the two Sage Toads, Fukasaku and Shibi.
After a few moments, Raj felt his body enter a strange state.
His agility and strength had significantly increased, and his sensory abilities had become far more acute.
For example, he could now sense the Third Hokage, that old codger, using his Crystal Ball again in the Hokage's Office.
'Tsk~ Burning the midnight oil is bad for your health, Third Hokage.'
Raj continued to sense other areas.
He discovered Tsunade had returned to the Casino, while Danzo and his Root squad were nowhere to be found within the village.
It seemed something truly had happened.
'I wonder if my body has changed...'
He crawled out of the house and tested his abilities.
He discovered he could now stand on his hind legs and perform more complex movements.
While he couldn't yet execute advanced techniques like the Thomas Flair, running upright was no longer a problem.
Of course, running upright wasn't as fast as moving on all fours, making this new ability somewhat impractical.
Still, it offered Raj a small measure of comfort.
Seeing Masato Nohara still engrossed in his book, Raj quickly dashed to the bathroom.
'It's much faster than when I open the Gate of Opening, and my control is far greater. High-speed turns and jumps are effortless now.'
Raj calculated mentally.
Rushing to the mirror, he saw his current appearance.
'How to put it...'
There wasn't much change.
It still looked pitch-black, but there were subtle differences around its eyes, and under Sage Mode, the black fur on its body had a more lustrous sheen.
Other than that, nothing else had changed.
'Excellent. No change is the best kind of change.'
As a proper modern-day transmigrator, Raj understood the principle of quietly amassing wealth.
If others couldn't tell whether it was using Sage Mode, it could strike with surprise.
Unlike some people's flashy Sage Modes that immediately alerted enemies to their ultimate move, forcing them to be cautious and evasive.
Next, it tried storing Sage Art Chakra within its body, but after several attempts, it could only integrate a portion of it.
Upon deactivating Sage Mode, the remaining Sage Art Chakra converted back into Chakra and Natural Energy before dissipating.
Still, the small portion that remained was enough to match the effects of half a bag of cat food.
This remaining Sage Art Chakra could be used to open the channel for absorbing Natural Energy during the next Sage Mode activation, eliminating the need for cat food next time.
Moreover, Raj could feel his body had grown slightly stronger.
The nine thousand ryo had been well worth it.
He was quite satisfied.
Raj had initially expected to feel sleepy after eating the cat food, but instead, he felt more energetic than ever and had no desire to sleep.
Since he couldn't sleep anyway, he decided to take a stroll around Matatabi's territory.
"Huh? Where's Raj?"
"Probably out playing. Honestly, how can the village make such a playful cat a Jonin? Sigh..."
"Stop being jealous and go take a bath!"
Tsume and Masato Nohara exchanged a few words before Tsume resumed her daily chores, such as mopping the floors.
Ninja Cat Castle.
Matatabi was sound asleep.