Stuck in this ravine, getting beaten black and blue by other Genin every day.'
And Kurenai still glared at him, blaming him for insisting on coming to the front lines and causing her father to scold her.
'But who could have known that coming to the front lines meant being trapped in this ravine for training?'
He felt utterly wronged.
At that moment, he finally snapped.
"Ugh..."
"Meow~ I think I might have gone a bit too far."
"Please remove the 'might have'."
Genma Shiranui nodded slightly, then muttered under his breath, "Asuma's crying was truly pitiful. He was running and sobbing at the same time.
It's been years since I've seen him like this, not since Lord Third scolded him into tears."
Raj glanced at Naoki and declared, "That's not right, meow! You must have been mistreating Asuma!
How else would he have those bruises on his face? I'm going to report you to Lord Third!"
'???'
'Is this Black-Hearted Cat's brain malfunctioning?! How dare he cry? Doesn't he have any self-awareness? And then he has the nerve to play the victim and accuse others first?'
'Should I start crying too, just to show him how it's done?'
Of course.
Naoki only thought these words in his head.
'If he actually said them aloud, that damn cat would probably retort with something like, "Go ahead and cry, I'll watch."'
'Sigh... He has no sense of other people's feelings. How can he possibly fit into the ninja community like this...?'
'Oh right, he's just a fucking cat.'
The realization only deepened Naoki's frustration.
'How can a cat be so twisted? And his promotion is happening way too fast!'
'Forget it. I won't waste my energy on him.'
He sighed and said, "You've seen enough. If there's nothing else, leave now.
Asuma's had a rough day."
"Meow~ I need to speak with Lord Jiraiya. They're leaving you here for now."
Naoki waved his hand dismissively, signaling the cat to scram.
He couldn't stand the sight of it anymore; just looking at it made him feel irritated, as if someone were whispering "Promotion to Jonin" in his ear.
"Meow!"
Raj flicked his paw and vanished in an instant.
Genma Shiranui thought to himself, still pondering what it could be.
'This ability... it looks so familiar.'
Suddenly, he noticed a subtle shift in Naoki's gaze.
He glanced in Naoki's direction and realized he seemed to be staring at Ebisu.
'Hmm...'
"Child, you should change your appearance later," Naoki said earnestly, patting Ebisu's shoulder with an indescribable expression before turning and walking into the small hollow.
Since Raj had temporarily entrusted them here, he felt responsible.
But the boy's all-black attire was truly an eyesore.
Ebisu, completely bewildered, could only adjust his sunglasses in confusion.
Guy barely noticed Raj's departure and immediately followed after him.
"Don't worry about it. Let's go," Genma Shiranui said, patting Guy's shoulder.
This senior member of the gekko clan had been provoked by Raj.
Now, anything all-black seemed like an eyesore to him.
This wasn't Ebisu's fault, but Raj's.
The great camp had been moved much closer to the Grass Country, shifting from its original location to the opposite bank of the river.
Raj had initially planned to fly to the riverbank, only to discover the camp had already relocated across the water.
'No problem.'
Raj had placed a seal on Jiraiya, intending to teleport here solely to snag some Points from him.
Raj had become utterly obsessed with earning Points, driven to near madness by the pursuit.
Missing this opportunity wasn't a big deal.
The Flying Thunder God Technique locked onto its target again, this time teleporting Raj directly to Jiraiya's location.
At the Northern Great Camp, Jiraiya had just finished a new volume of
He was working on his novel and numbering the pages when a sudden surge of Chakra rippled through the air nearby.
Then a black cat materialized from the void, landing on his shoulder.
'A cat?'
Jiraiya's hand trembled, nearly dropping the manuscript.
He quickly regained his grip, preventing the loss of half a day's work.
His expression twisted into a grimace as he stared at Raj for a few seconds before asking, "Aren't you supposed to be with Tsunade?"
"Meow~ I recently got promoted to Team Leader Jonin. I was in the area and thought I'd drop by to discuss something with you," the cat replied.
Raj glanced down at the cover, noting the "Volume 2" inscription.
He secretly congratulated himself on his timing - Jiraiya had finished the second volume, meaning he must have settled the payment for the first.
He pointed a paw at the manuscript below, then gestured toward the outside.
Jiraiya lowered his head, thinking for a moment or two.
His lips began to twitch violently as he recalled some unpleasant memories.
He was now visibly agitated.
"If you're here about the royalties, I can only say... there's not a single coin left."
Raj was stunned, his eyes widening as he stared at Jiraiya.
His face was a mask of shock and disbelief.
'It flopped?!'
'That shouldn't be possible.'
'Apart from the Tsunade characterization fiasco, everything else was flawless.'
'Given the entertainment standards of this world and the future success of Jiraiya's Make-Out Paradise, this book should have been a smash hit.'
'How could there be no money left?'
'Could it be that you, Jiraiya, with your thick eyebrows and earnest face, pocketed my royalties as kickbacks for someone else?'
"Don't misunderstand! I didn't get a single coin either! Think about it! Think carefully about what happened! Tsunade... Tsunade!"
Jiraiya's expression was indescribable, a mixture of frustration and disappointment as he mentioned Tsunade.
Raj was stunned.
No matter how he looked at it, the royalties could only be related to Tsunade.
'Could it be?!'
"At first, he was just the owner of a shop that had been damaged. I didn't think much of it and agreed to let them have it. But before long, a whole bunch of Tsunade's creditors came knocking! My royalties... my royalties..."
Was it easy to write a book?
In the end, it had all gone to pay off Tsunade's debts.
When he found out, he was completely devastated.
He must have been out of his mind to base the female lead on that gambling addict.
"The royalties from the second volume?" Raj asked, his eyes darkening.
If the royalties from the second volume were also going to be split, he might as well abandon the series and rewrite a new one.
'That's what I'll do.'
"I've already told those people that the royalties from the second volume onward have nothing to do with Tsunade. I told them not to ask me for it.