Even his teacher, Furukawa Makoto, didn't know about the Eight Inner Gates.
He had never used them before, yet Raj had not only mentioned them but also granted him permission to open the first two gates.
This meant the creature possessed an astonishing understanding of the technique.
"That's none of your concern, meow. Just attack me with everything you've got."
Raj cut off further questions.
With that, his body instantly swelled to the size of a lion, transforming from a cuddly black cat into a terrifying beast.
Genma Shiranui's mind flashed back to the scene of the cat's paw striking Guy unconscious.
He glanced at Ebisu and Guy.
'Mom, I might be eating hospital food tonight...'
Genma bit down on his senbon.
Even if he got injured, he couldn't let a cat see them defeated.
He had to show the team's spirit and display the pride of the Shiranui Clan.
Raj glanced at him.
The little boy looked calm and composed, but his inner monologue was a riot.
'Had he been infected by spending too much time with Ebisu? Never mind. We'll discipline them both later.'
"Let's go!"
Guy roared, then charged into the forest with another bellow.
Genma Shiranui's eyes lit up.
He and Ebisu followed, hiding in the trees to wait for their moment.
'Brilliant! Even Guy knows to bide his time. As expected, facing a strong enemy makes you stronger... Wait, what the hell?!'
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
A shout echoed through the trees.
After a brief retreat, Guy burst from the forest with blinding speed.
But Genma wanted to shout.
'You're facing a cat! A cat! Aren't cats supposed to be way faster than humans? This is going to end badly.'
"Save him!" Genma yelled, rapidly forming hand seals.
A second later, an earth wall rose from the ground, perfectly separating Guy from Raj.
Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall.
The earth wall blocked their teammate's suicidal charge.
Genma breathed a sigh of relief, but then he witnessed something astonishing.
The cat casually extended its paw.
Without any visible movement, the earth wall crumbled in an instant.
'What the hell was that? Is this the kind of power a cat should have? You've got to be kidding me! It's probably just a Tailed Beast in disguise!'
Genma Shiranui's jaw dropped, and the senbon nearly slipped from his mouth.
Fortunately, he valued his "eating utensils" and quickly clamped his teeth shut again.
"Meow!"
The Black Lion let out a cry and began stalking toward Guy.
Cold sweat trickled down Guy's forehead.
He knew it was time to use the technique his father had taught him, but he could only open the Gate of Opening.
'What if I accidentally injure the enemy?'
Guy still worried about hurting Raj with too much force, completely underestimating the strength of his opponent.
But in the next instant, his speed suddenly increased tenfold.
Whoosh!
In the blink of an eye, he vanished.
"Now's our chance!" Genma Shiranui spat out the senbon, and a single needle rapidly multiplied into countless projectiles.
Needle Rain!
He leaped down from the tree and charged toward Raj.
Ebisu, lacking any ninjutsu, could only throw a few kunai and shuriken.
His kunai accuracy was decent, but their impact was limited.
With a flick of its tail, Raj sent kunai, shuriken, and senbon flying, along with a certain rare creature.
Genma Shiranui slammed on the brakes, stopping abruptly.
In less than half a second, Raj was upon him.
He hastily erected an Earth Flow Wall for protection, but...
BOOM!
A single claw strike shattered the earth wall.
Without Raj even lifting a finger, Genma was knocked unconscious by the collapsing debris.
Raj turned his gaze toward the man in sunglasses.
Ebisu's hands and feet turned icy.
He glanced at Guy, the team's strongest fighter and tank, only to find him rolling on the ground, struggling to get up.
With Genma down, Ebisu was the only one left standing.
'Is it time for me to save the team?'
The thought stirred a flicker of excitement in Ebisu.
But then the question arose.
'How do I save the team?'
He possessed the highest-level Ninjutsu: Shadow Clone.
'Kunai? No, first I'll engage it in a skirmish. As long as Guy and Genma recover, I'll have saved the team! Stay calm, Ebisu. You can do this.'
Cold sweat drenched his palms as his mind raced.
Suddenly, he felt a claw rest on his shoulder.
"Young man, what's swirling in that little head of yours? Tell me, meow."
'How could this be?!'
Ebisu froze, realizing a layer of ice had encased his body, rendering him completely immobile.
'Ice Release? This cat even has a Kekkei Genkai.'
He stiffened, a bitter taste filling his mouth.
'I'm sorry, Teacher. I couldn't save the team...'
A moment later, just as the cold began to numb him, Raj released the Ninjutsu.
Its swift arrival beside Ebisu was surprisingly simple: it had created a Water Clone earlier and then used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport via a marked location.
After a while, the three shinobi began to stir, some regaining consciousness, others recovering their strength.
"To be honest, meow, I'm deeply disappointed in you all. Not a single one of you can fight properly, yet you dare to look down on this cat?!"
Raj perched on a tree branch, gazing down at them from above.
Ebisu's legs trembled, and he immediately dropped to his knees.
"Teacher, I was wrong," he said.
'This... Does it really have to be like this?'
Genma Shiranui's lips twitched.
He usually maintained a nonchalant facade, but his pride ran deep.
'Kneeling before a cat? Unthinkable...'
"Raj, I was wrong too," Guy declared, kneeling decisively on the ground.
Genma Shiranui took a deep breath.
Thump!
He knelt beside them, bowing his head.
"I was wrong. Please forgive me and continue to guide us."
"Very good, meow. Your attitudes are excellent. Stand up and let's talk calmly."
Raj was pleased with their humility.
Though their individual strengths were lacking, they admitted their mistakes remarkably quickly, rivaling even the most foolish cats.
He hoped they would learn from their mistakes faster than cats did.
He scanned them one by one, finally singling out Guy.
"Guy, your mastery of the Eight Gates is still immature and lacks systematic understanding. I'll focus my instruction on this. Genma, you lack a decisive, lethal ability - understand? Ebisu, you..."
"Teacher, I want to become stronger too! Please teach me!"
'Well, well, calling me "Teacher" already?'
Raj was taken aback, staring down at Ebisu.
The man was a closet pervert, and both of them were dark-haired.
Raj felt a twinge of distaste and quickly said, "Meow, calling me 'Teacher' is too much. I'm only teaching you temporarily.
You'll find better teachers in the future."
'You're a good person, but we're just not compatible.'
Ebisu had ambitions.