'These points are getting harder and harder to come by.'
'Looks like I'll need to find an opportunity to leave Konoha soon.'
'Not yet, though.'
Konoha was currently in a precarious situation.
While Raj had established the Ninja Cat Castle as a fallback, the foundation of their operations remained rooted in Konoha.
The higher their status here, the easier it would be to act in the future.
'But first... Danzo had to die!'
That man's mind was twisted and his schemes unfolded layer upon layer.
Raj couldn't rest easy until he was eliminated.
Now, an opportunity had presented itself: the Land of Rain.
Raj quietly swiped a sheet of paper and some ink, left the camp, and transformed into human form by the riverbank to begin writing.
At first, it felt incredibly awkward.
The Transformation Technique only altered physical appearance; Raj's hands still retained the habits of cat paws, making writing difficult.
To overcome this, he had to activate Sage Mode.
Raj was likely the first person to write using Sage Mode.
He quickly finished, the message simple: "Beware Hanzo of the Salamander and Danzo."
Hanzo and Danzo were remarkably similar.
Both started with noble intentions, but as they climbed the ladder of power, they became increasingly seduced by it, trapped in a vicious cycle of ambition that gradually eroded their original ideals.
After finishing, he used the Flying Thunder God Technique to deliver the note.
Border of the Land of Rain.
As promised, Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato had been monitoring the movements of Iwagakure and Sunagakure, relaying the information to their teacher, Jiraiya.
They were now effectively collaborating with him.
Being able to help their teacher filled them with a sense of accomplishment.
Konan was gathering ingredients to prepare a meal when a sheet of paper suddenly materialized from thin air.
Highly sensitive to paper, she immediately noticed the new addition.
She picked up the note and glanced at it.
"Beware of Hanzo of the Salamander and Danzo?"
'Lord Hanzo?'
Konan was puzzled.
The note had appeared out of nowhere, and the handwriting was crooked and strange.
Unable to make sense of it, she immediately abandoned her cooking and rushed to find Yahiko and Nagato.
Soon, the three of them were staring blankly at the note in the middle of their small hut, none of them understanding its meaning.
Beware of them? Hanzo was the spiritual and practical leader of Amegakure, while Danzo was a high-ranking official in Konoha.
Why would someone send Konan a message warning them to be wary of these two?
Moreover, it had appeared out of thin air.
"Nagato, what do you think?"
"Hmm, space-time ninjutsu, not a Summoning Technique. That leaves only the Flying Thunder God Technique. It might be that Senior Brother from Konoha."
Nagato pondered for a long time before answering, but the handwriting didn't match.
'It's too ugly!'
Yahiko thought deeply, then sighed softly.
"If he's using this method, it means this message can't be verified through our Teacher. It's a pity we don't have his private contact information; otherwise, we could ask him directly."
"Mm," Nagato nodded in agreement.
The trio always deferred to Yahiko's leadership; the other two rarely took the initiative.
"For now, Lord Hanzo hasn't made any moves. In fact, he's been secretly supporting our activities and hasn't blocked our supplies. But Danzo... we'll have to take things one step at a time."
In the northern Land of Fire, after delivering the letter, Raj pondered his next move.
Sending a single letter wouldn't change anything; further planning was essential.
Only the personnel from Ninja Cat Castle could participate in such matters.
'I'll send a cat first,' Raj thought to himself.
With a Ninja Cat monitoring the situation, he could obtain firsthand information.
As for communication, he would have Ori sign a Blood Contract later, allowing them to use Summoning Techniques for communication.
Ori couldn't appear publicly.
Who knew if Madara's spies were watching Nagato?
Raj's presence could be explained by his previous interactions, but if Ori, a member of the Uzumaki Clan, showed up, Black Zetsu would immediately become suspicious.
'That settles it.'
As Raj considered this, he realized that sending Ori to Ninja Cat Castle had been a truly wise decision.
Though, to be fair, the young girl had chosen to go there herself...
After another Flying Thunder God Technique, Black Cat returned to the small mountain hollow.
Everything was fine in the hollow.
Kurenai immediately pulled Black Cat into her arms, clearly overjoyed to see him.
Girls tend to be less competitive, so Raj's promotion to Jonin didn't particularly bother her.
Instead, she was genuinely happy for Black Cat's advancement.
Now that he was a Jonin, her strict father couldn't criticize their friendship.
As the saying goes, "One who keeps company with vermilion becomes red, and one who keeps company with ink becomes black."
You can't fault her for being friends with a cat who became a Jonin in less than a year.
But if she actually tried to use that argument on her father, Yuhi Mahiro would likely worry even more.
Black Cat's reputation had spread far and wide in less than a year.
With such a terrible personality, no father would be comfortable letting Kurenai play with him.
What if their precious daughter spent time with Black Cat and, instead of learning his talent, developed a venomous tongue?
At that point, Yuhi Mahiro might go so mad he'd want to eat cat meat for every meal.
"Meow!"
It was difficult to forcefully break free from the soft, cuddly embrace of the girl.
Though Kurenai hadn't fully developed yet, the cat still found the tender sensation intoxicating.
Raj glanced sideways and noticed Asuma's seemingly calm demeanor, which concealed a turbulent undercurrent of emotions.
A secret smile crept across the cat's face.
'Even as the Third Hokage's son, you're still trapped in this little ravine, seething with impotent rage.'
'Tsk~ That face is a mess. Truly pitiful.'
'But bullying Asuma like this isn't right.'
'The kid's fundamentally good; our clashes are just youthful squabbles.'
Besides, he'd been consistently contributing points since the beginning, which was more than fair to Raj.
'And... I even made him cry this time, creating such an awkward scene. I should at least offer some comfort.'
With that, Raj beckoned Asuma over.
"Meow~ Want to get stronger? If you do, I'll teach you."
Tsukigake Naoki's eyes widened in disbelief.
'The cat's trying to surprise me again! Has the sun risen in the west today?'
Asuma remained skeptical.
In the past, he would have scoffed and turned away without a second thought, never believing the cat would genuinely teach him anything.
But now, things were different.
He wanted to get stronger.
Most importantly, this cat had become a Jonin in less than a year, mastering a considerable number of techniques.
If Asuma could learn even a few of them, he might finally grow stronger.