"No, meow. Are you practicing Medical Ninjutsu?"
Seeing the surrounding environment, Raj immediately understood the situation, feeling both secretly ashamed and relieved.
Thank goodness it's not surgery.
"Mm, I'm fine. I'll take a Soldier Pill first," Rin said, swallowing the pill.
Raj didn't stop her.
While premium cat food was essentially natural energy supplemented with ingredients to enhance the body's absorption of natural energy, it still required a certain amount of Chakra to combine with the body and form Sage Chakra.
Besides, who knew how well premium cat food would digest in a human?
If any abnormalities occurred, it would be disastrous.
That's why Raj planned to not only give
Rin the cat food but also teach her Sage Mode, ensuring she could control the natural energy in case anything went wrong.
After a while, Rin's stamina recovered somewhat.
"You're not injured, so you must have something to discuss with me?"
"Meow! I'm going to teach you Sage Mode. But Sage Mode carries risks, so first, you'll eat my clan's secret Sage Art Food."
Raj finished speaking and pulled out the cat food he had prepared in advance.
Next, it explained the method for achieving Sage Mode and the effects of the cat food, while also reiterating that Matatabi was its "distant relative," resolving Rin's lingering doubts about the cat.
"So, you fainted earlier because you ate this?" Rin asked.
Raj nodded slightly.
"The ancient recipe passed down through generations must be correct, but it still needs testing. You can't just eat things randomly like that! Don't do it again."
Rin's voice was filled with concern and worry.
She remembered how Raj had been so young, yet already tinkering with such complex things on his own.
She hadn't realized he had already established familial ties with Matatabi back then.
These cat foods were the result of Raj and Matatabi's joint efforts.
Matatabi took the blame, but it had long been mentally prepared for this.
Without its involvement, there would never have been such a stable supply of luxurious cat food.
Moreover, its unusually large size for a cat lent credibility to Raj's explanation.
Rin, with little suspicion, tore open the packaging, checked the quantity, and swallowed a quarter of the portion.
Immediately after swallowing, she felt a sensation as if her stomach were about to explode...
"Meow?"
"It's nothing, just a little... a little full."
Fortunately, Raj had warned her not to eat all of it.
Otherwise, she couldn't imagine what state she might be in now-possibly unconscious.
But if she woke up, she might end up as bloated as she had been after her first encounter with Raj.
'How could I ever face anyone like that?!'
Rin was immensely grateful.
"Meow, do you feel anything unusual?"
Raj tilted his head.
This was the first time he'd let someone eat his deluxe cat food, and he was genuinely worried.
However, they had tried his special cat food before, so even if there were any issues, they wouldn't be too severe.
Rin focused on her senses, then shook her head gently.
"Nothing unusual so far. Just feeling very full."
"Meow! Do you feel a gradual increase in your strength?" Raj pressed.
Rin concentrated intently, then replied vaguely, "It's hard to tell... maybe? It might just be digesting slowly.
I'm so stuffed right now..."
"Keep the rest with me for now. We'll observe again after you've digested this portion. Summon me when you're done."
This kind of thing couldn't be rushed.
To be cautious, Raj stored the remaining three-quarters of the cat food, planning to give Rin another portion after she had fully digested the first.
"Alright," Rin nodded solemnly.
Rin had heard Tsunade mention Sage Mode and knew Raj had been researching Water Release and Sage Mode recently.
But to be honest, she hadn't expected Raj to make progress so quickly, let alone ask her to train with him.
Rin trusted Raj wouldn't harm her.
After chatting with Raj for a while, Rin, who had been cooped up practicing Medical Ninjutsu, seemed to have pent-up energy.
With Raj's company, she immediately became talkative.
After their conversation, Raj bid her farewell and returned to Ninja Cat Castle.
Sage Mode cannot be mastered overnight.
Jiraiya endured years of hardship to achieve Sage Mode, and even now, his training remains incomplete.
Raj never expected Rin to master it instantly.
Not everyone has a System.
Raj's own instant mastery of Sage Mode relied on the System and luxurious cat food; otherwise, he too would have faced years of arduous training.
Upon returning to Ninja Cat Castle, Raj found Takuma still waiting nearby.
"Meow?"
"I forgot to ask earlier, Master. Would you like me to give you a massage? I finished reading the manual you gave me recently and learned some techniques."
'A massage? Meow! Alright!'
Raj turned his head and glanced at her calmly.
"Meow! If you want to try, go ahead."
He lay serenely on the chair, seemingly indifferent to whether anyone massaged him.
Takuma didn't call his bluff and went to her room to fetch her "tools"-which were simply some cloths she had woven herself.
'What a kind girl.'
Raj glanced sideways, his heart filled with indignation.
'Those Kusa Ninja Village bastards are truly animals. How could they lay a hand on such a gentle girl?'
Soon, Takuma began massaging him.
Her technique couldn't match Kabuto's, but her touch was far gentler.
After all, she was a soft-hearted girl, and her soothing scent made even a cat feel blissful.
'This is heavenly!'
Raj luxuriated in the massage while secretly resolving that when Konoha and Iwa Ninja inevitably clashed, he would make the Kusa Ninja Village pay dearly.
'The damned dogs deserved to suffer losses, and their leader, Kono Shu, had to die.'
As she massaged him, Takuma reported on the training progress of Amakusa's four cats.
Matatabi, the fool, had returned home that day and buried his face in his cat food, leaving her no chance to instruct him.
Overall, things were progressing well.
Raj sharpened his claws and, after a thorough massage, returned comfortably to Konoha.
It was already noon.
'I wonder how Kakashi and Guy are doing.'
As the first day of his new position, he couldn't just abandon them completely.
He should at least check on them.
But when he found them, Raj realized his worries were completely unfounded.
They were farming.
The catch? They had to plant the rice upside down, supporting themselves with one hand while holding the seedlings with the other.
'Kakashi, you really know how to have fun.'
And that wasn't all.
Glancing at the System Panel, Raj noticed his points had increased by several hundred today.
He wasn't sure if Kakashi or Guy and the others had contributed, but it didn't matter.
As long as the points kept coming in, it meant he was doing things right.
For the next day or two, Raj remained out of sight.