After much deliberation, Asuma decided to swallow his pride and humbly ask Raj for instruction.
He looked at Raj with a serious expression.
"Meow?"
'Is this how you ask someone to teach you Ninjutsu?!'
Raj glared at him.
Asuma gritted his teeth, stood up, and bowed deeply.
"Please teach me Ninjutsu."
"Raj is a Jonin," Ebisu said sternly. "You should address him as 'Lord'."
"Lord..."
"Meow~ No need for formalities! We're all friends here, right? This Ninjutsu is the Cat Clan's Wind Bullet, similar to your human Vacuum Sphere, but it doesn't require hand seals."
Raj leaped from Kurenai's arms.
Kurenai was delighted.
Raj was so generous, while Asuma seemed petty and insincere in his request.
Raj was willing to teach him Ninjutsu, yet he still acted reluctant.
'Tch~ How did I never notice all his flaws before?'
Kurenai sighed inwardly.
If Asuma could just let go of his pride and learn from Raj, he wouldn't be in this predicament.
Tetsu Tetsu remained silent throughout the exchange.
He wasn't familiar with Raj and couldn't interject.
Still, seeing Raj willing to teach Asuma Ninjutsu filled him with envy.
"Meow~ Learn from me, hmph... tui!"
Asuma's eyes widened in surprise.
The others were equally dumbfounded.
You're casting a jutsu, but why are you making such a bizarre sound? Is that spitting?
Before they could ask, a series of azure Wind Bullets erupted from Raj's mouth, striking distant rocks with devastating force, piercing straight through them.
Quite powerful, actually.
Tsukigake Naoki reluctantly admitted to himself that the technique was indeed formidable, requiring no hand seals.
"How... how do you do that?" Asuma stammered, bewildered.
The simple "hmph... tui!" offered no clue as to the jutsu's mechanics.
He lacked the Byakugan or Sharingan to perceive chakra flow.
"Imagine you're spitting, but instead of saliva, you're projecting a ball of Wind Release chakra. Then just spit it out! It's that simple, meow!"
Raj waved its paw, gesturing for Asuma to practice.
The System's explanation was more technical, but the essence remained the same: the jutsu itself wasn't particularly difficult, but mastering it without hand seals required considerable research and effort.
Raj had achieved mastery of the seal-less Vacuum Sphere through a combination of natural talent and System assistance.
"Hmph... tui!"
"Hmph..."
After practicing several times, Asuma noticed no reaction.
Instead, his mouth grew dry, and his throat became sore.
He paused, pondering where he was going wrong.
The sound had...
A somewhat eerie quality.
Raj listened for a while before leaving.
'Hmm, adding the sound is a bit of a mischievous touch.'
'It reminds me of how counterfeit artists in my past life would leave their mark - a signature sound - so others would know it was Raj's Ninjutsu if they fell victim to it later.'
'Indirect contribution points, anyone?'
Of course, another reason Raj was teaching Asuma was to test whether the System-modified Ninjutsu could be relearned by humans.
Everyone kept their distance from Asuma.
Kurenai's expression was complex as she glanced back.
"Raj, you're not messing with him, are you?"
"No, meow~. It's definitely learnable, but it depends on his persistence."
Raj shook its head.
Theoretically, its Vacuum Sphere should be learnable.
The System had only simplified the hand seals; the essence of the Ninjutsu remained unchanged.
However, mastering it was far more challenging than the standard Vacuum Sphere.
Whether Asuma could master it depended on his talent and perseverance.
With enough determination, he would eventually learn the seal-less version of Vacuum Sphere.
If he gave up, he couldn't blame Raj for constantly fleecing him.
'I've given you the advantage. If you don't want it, what can I do?'
'Heh heh heh... I hope you can persevere...'
'Later, when Asuma is fighting someone with the Flying Swallow and suddenly spits out a Vacuum Sphere, his opponent will be utterly bewildered.'
'Oh, and if we ever get the chance to ambush Danzo, I can get right up in his face and unleash this Vacuum Sphere, turning his own methods against him.'
Just imagining that scene made Raj feel a little thrilled.
"Are you leaving already?" Tsukigake Naoki asked thoughtfully.
According to Raj, he had come here to discuss something with Jiraiya.
Now that the Flying Thunder God technique had returned, their business must be concluded.
"Meow!"
Raj nodded slightly.
If he didn't leave now, he'd have to work overtime back in the village.
He had no desire for that - the pay wasn't even worth it.
He'd rather use that time to discuss new cat food options with Kabuto.
The wealthy ladies in Kyoto have far more money than those in Konoha.
They're swimming in cash, but they lack avenues to spend it.
Kurenai bid Raj a reluctant farewell.
Their brief meeting had made her happy and deeply inspired.
If even Raj could reach the Jonin rank, she couldn't afford to lag behind.
She needed to become a Chunin as soon as possible.
'I've decided! Starting today, I'll train my Ninjutsu and Taijutsu diligently. I can't let all my friends become Chunin while I'm still a Genin.'
Kurenai resolved inwardly.
Raj led Guy and his team out of the small mountain hollow.
Genma Shiranui and Ebisu, still shaken by what they had witnessed, kept glancing back even after taking several steps.
"Meow?"
"Sir, compared to Asuma, we're fortunate," Ebisu remarked.
"Even though we handle various missions in the village, at least we haven't suffered such a fate."
Genma Shiranui's emotions were complex.
He had once felt envy and resentment when Asuma proudly announced he had persuaded the Third Hokage to let him join the front lines.
Genma had believed Asuma was receiving special treatment as the Third Hokage's son.
Now, seeing the reality, he realized it was anything but privilege.
A darker thought crossed his mind: perhaps Asuma's fate had been sealed the moment he left Konoha's gates.
"Hmm," Genma murmured.
Ebisu adjusted his glasses and nodded solemnly in agreement.
"Youth should be about striving and pushing oneself, not cowering in a mountain hollow getting beaten up," Guy added.
"Meow~ Good to know you understand," Raj warned sternly.
"Go back and train diligently. You've seen how close I am to Jonin Naoki - it wouldn't be hard for me to send you back here for more training."
The trio nodded vigorously, showing no resentment, only complete agreement.
Even Ebisu resolved to continue training even if Raj no longer supervised them.
To become stronger.
To avoid becoming the next Asuma!
"Raj, will we have to change teachers when we get back to the village?" Guy asked, his voice tinged with reluctance.
Before Raj arrived, Guy had trained alone every day.
His teammates secretly called him a fool, thinking his relentless training was pointless.
Guy knew this, but he stubbornly persisted.
When Raj came, his methods finally gained support.
Though Raj never explicitly said so, having Genma and Ebisu train alongside him was clear endorsement, at least in Guy's mind.