Standing tall, he could see directly into the Third Hokage's office, where the Third Hokage was using his Telescope Technique...
The Third Hokage immediately sensed the presence and turned his head.
"Meow~"
"Get lost!!!"
Amidst the roaring farewell, Raj and the merchant caravan departed Konoha.
After Black Cat transformed into its larger form, its power index skyrocketed.
No one questioned its Jonin status anymore - its formidable appearance spoke for itself.
Once they left Konoha and began chatting, Raj learned that the caravan leader this time was Sora Uemori, nephew of Kazuhiko Uemori, the previous leader.
This was Sora's first time leading a caravan alone.
"How's the northern region been, Meow~?" Raj asked.
"With Lord Orochimaru and Lord Jiraiya stationed there, things have been relatively stable recently. However, there's been a surge in refugees fleeing the area, causing quite a bit of chaos."
Sora Uemori sighed softly.
If not for this, he wouldn't have wasted his money on an urgent mission to Konoha, requesting a Jonin team to protect the caravan.
Jonin teams were expensive.
This caravan wasn't involved in international arms trading, so while the profits were still substantial, after paying Lord Chimei's team and the other staff, little remained.
Sora Uemori wouldn't be leading this mission alone if the Uemori Clan hadn't specifically assigned him.
Why would he risk his life when he could be living comfortably off his uncle's connections?
After grumbling to himself for a while, he finally sighed, "All I want is to coast through life. Why is that so hard?"
"Exactly! I just wanted to be a lazy Ninja Cat, but now I'm a Jonin, Meow!" Raj exclaimed, his voice full of emotion.
Genma Shiranui, who was about to retort, was immediately silenced by Ebisu, who clamped a hand over his mouth and shook his head frantically.
Genma raised a finger to signal understanding before Ebisu released him.
He pushed up his glasses, relieved.
That was close!
A cold sweat trickled down Genma's forehead.
He had a bad habit of constantly making sarcastic remarks, and sometimes he couldn't resist the urge to comment.
If he had voiced his thoughts just now, this peaceful and stable journey would have been ruined.
He was grateful for Ebisu's intervention, but his mind remained uneasy.
"You're right, Lord Chimei," Genma said, trying to sound sincere. "It seems we have some common ground. Speaking of which, you were only on missions with Lord Minato last time, and now you're leading your own team. That's truly impressive!"
"Actually, I didn't want to bring them along either, Meow! They're such a handful!"
'How infuriating! One's a rich kid, the other's a cat royalty, and they're just bragging to each other!'
Genma Shiranui was barely holding back his frustration.
Konoha's surroundings were generally safe, with little risk of bandits.
Raj and Sora Uemori hit it off immediately, chatting endlessly about their shared interests, much to the dismay of Guy and his team, who were forced to listen in.
As for the rest of the merchant caravan... They were used to Sora Uemori's antics, but they remained wary of Raj.
'Can we really trust this creature?'
Beyond Konoha's borders, the roads deteriorated, and everyone grew more vigilant.
Even Sora Uemori stopped chatting and focused, warning cautiously, "Lord Chimei, this area is often plagued by Missing Ninja and refugees from the Land of Rivers. We must be careful."
"Understood, Meow!"
'Taking someone's money means taking on their troubles. Besides, I'm bored anyway. Might as well get out and do something.'
Raj leaped from the cargo truck, his feet touching the earth as Natural Energy slowly flowed into his body.
In the next instant, Sage Mode activated, sharpening his senses and making the surrounding aura feel clearer.
Activating Sage Mode served two purposes: locating people and enhancing his physical abilities with Sage Chakra.
Before Raj could even enter to search for anyone, the sound of approaching footsteps grew louder, and over twenty figures charged out, each wielding a blade with menacing ferocity.
"Hey, the Uemori Clan's merchant caravan only hired three kids. Hand over the money, or we'll kill you all!" the leader, a Rogue Ninja, snarled.
Half his men were Rogue Samurai.
Sensing their strength, Raj estimated the strongest among them was at most a Genin.
They probably couldn't even defeat Guy.
Don't let Guy's eccentric behavior fool you - his strength among Genin was top-tier.
Asuma certainly couldn't match him.
"Guy, take on their leader. Ebisu and Genma, you each take a side. I'll help whoever's struggling the most... but afterward, you'll need to help unload the boss's cargo."
Raj flicked his paw.
"Yes, sir!"
Without hesitation, Guy charged straight at the enemy leader.
Genma Shiranui followed, a senbon needle clenched between his teeth.
Ebisu would likely face the greatest challenge.
Raj had stipulated that each of them handle their assigned side alone.
Whoever failed would be stuck with manual labor afterward.
Sora Uemori couldn't understand why they'd make people carry cargo when they had wagons...
Under such severe punishment, even the most reluctant would become brave.
Guy charged ahead, bellowing as he ran, "Aww yeah! Watch this-!"
"Are they idiots?"
The Rogue Ninja exchanged glances with his subordinates, barely suppressing their laughter.
Guy, Genma Shiranui, and Ebisu were just
Children, and their team leader was a cat.
Could there be a more ridiculous group in the world?
But just as they prepared to attack the three children, in the next instant...
Whoosh!
Where did the little kappa who was running in front go?
The next moment:
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
With a powerful kick from behind, Guy sent the Rogue Ninja flying.
Before he could land, Guy was already beneath him, delivering another upward kick that sent him soaring into the sky.
This was the Gate of Opening in action.
Seeing this, Genma Shiranui abandoned all concern for Ebisu's fate and sprinted sideways, spitting out the senbon needles from his mouth.
Ninja Tool: Thousand Needles Rain.
Genma was still weak, and this technique would be ineffective against opponents stronger than him.
But these Rogue Ninja were clearly no match for it.
The Thousand Needles Rain proved devastatingly effective against them.
In mere moments, the entire group collapsed to the ground.
"Meow~ Looks like you need help."
"No, I don't! Please don't interfere! I don't...," Ebisu shouted.
His strength might still be lacking, but dealing with these rogue samurai wasn't difficult.
Given enough time, he could handle them.
The problem was time...
Meanwhile, Guy's aerial kick had already taken down the Rogue Ninja.
Poor Ebisu hadn't even reached the enemy before the other two had finished their fights.
He stood there, dumbfounded.
As he continued sprinting forward, a black shadow flashed before his eyes, followed by the earth-shattering impact of a colossal beast landing.
BOOM!
The ground cratered, the forest trembled, and the fractured earth buried the bandits who had crossed over from the Land of Rivers.