The Nohara family, or whatever clan she later formed, would also gain prominence through this connection.
Of course, there was always the risk of encountering a sterile...
Fortunately, Raj knew he wasn't sterile.
This had been confirmed by veterinary expert Hana.
The sensation of signing the Blood Pact was subtle yet profound.
Raj could sense a faint connection with Rin, but it only lasted for the moment the contract was sealed.
After that, nothing.
The war here was over.
The three of them had followed the Jonin to join the tail end of the excitement, but Little Black Cat understood that the war was far from over.
The Third Shinobi World War was likely to begin within the next few years.
Even if they returned home, they'd probably only have a month or two of downtime.
Still, experiencing the atmosphere of the battlefield was already a great opportunity.
As for Asuma and the others, they were probably still in Konoha, either catching stray cats for the noblewomen of Kyoto or helping elderly women outside the village carry water.
The fact that they had made it to the front lines was already remarkable.
Raj and Obito stayed at the camp for several days.
During this time, Kakashi continued practicing the Wild Lion's Mane Technique.
His once-beautiful hair had become ragged, uneven, and full of bald patches.
While he disdained techniques that required both hands for sealing and maintenance, he saw potential in reducing it to a single-handed seal.
This would free his other hand to wield a sword or use the Rasengan.
He felt he could perform hand seals with a single hand, so he kept practicing.
As for Jiraiya, his current favorite was Rin.
He wished he could stay by her side every day, teaching her everything he knew.
Unfortunately, he wasn't a Medical Ninja.
Rin's ambition lay in healing and saving lives, not battlefield combat.
In the end, she only valued the Needle Jizo technique, refusing to learn any other Ninjutsu to avoid distractions.
Human energy was finite.
Rin wasn't a prodigy like Tsunade.
While talented, her abilities were limited.
She needed to dedicate more time to Medical Ninjutsu to make significant progress in that field.
Raj had been earning a steady stream of Points from Jiraiya, who was as carefree as a wandering child.
Obtaining Points from him was ridiculously easy.
Yesterday, Raj had finally accumulated enough Points to acquire the Hell Viewing Technique.
According to its original plan, it would use this technique to extract Points from Jiraiya's trusted companions.
However, before it could put this plan into action, Minato's Team received a new mission.
They were to escort a Land of Amegakure Ninja across the border.
"Why do we have to escort these Amegakure ninja...?" Obito grumbled, reluctant to leave.
He had just started bonding with his "Grandmaster" and was eager to learn a technique or two from Jiraiya when he was suddenly ordered to leave camp for a mission.
'We all came here together, so why does Kakashi get Wild Lion's Mane, Rin learns Needle Jizo, and I get nothing?'
Leaving camp, Obito's mood sank further.
"Who told you to carry the stretcher, meow...?" Raj yawned, unable to resist.
These past few days of tormenting Jiraiya had exhausted both of them, but the rewards were substantial.
After exchanging for the Hell Viewing Technique, Raj had already saved over two hundred more points.
Unfortunately, today it had to leave the Diamond Bachelor.
How depressing!
"Why is everyone so gloomy? Going on a mission is a good thing - we all get paid!" Minato said as he returned with the mission report.
"Teacher, what are the specifics?" Kakashi asked, more concerned with the mission itself.
He had already mastered the Wild Lion's Mane Technique to perfection and planned to gradually study and further develop it, aiming to perform the hand seals with just one hand.
"This Amegakure ninja was originally infiltrating Iwagakure to gather intelligence. When Iwagakure discovered him, he fled all the way to our Konoha border, where we rescued him. Our mission is to escort him safely to Amegakure for the handover," Minato said, handing over the intelligence report.
After the Second Shinobi World War, Amegakure had allied with Konoha.
With only a few years passed since the alliance was formed, Konoha and Amegakure were still in their honeymoon phase, making it perfectly normal for Konoha to expend such significant resources to assist them.
Raj glanced at the report, noting terms like "escort" and "intelligence exchange."
Clearly, their team's mission wasn't just about escorting the ninja; they also needed to exchange for the intelligence he had gathered in Amegakure.
As for the intelligence in the mission target's possession, it was likely already in Konoha's hands.
Rin arrived belatedly, carrying a new medical kit.
Inside were not only basic first-aid supplies but also antidotes and other medicines, all gifts from the Medical Corps ninjas.
Raj glanced at the kit and leaped onto it.
'Perfect fit!'
"If you keep being this lazy, you'll turn into a fat cat! Many cats in our clan end up like that," Obito warned before darting away.
He knew he'd face retaliation for saying that, but he couldn't resist.
Such an adorable little cat!
He didn't want the team to end up with an ugly, lazy, and I'll-tempered fat cat later on!
He ran as fast as he could, but...
"Meow!"
A sharp cry pierced the air as clumps of long, sturdy cat fur shot from behind, instantly binding him and immobilizing him.
"Ahhh! Teacher! Raj! Help me!" Obito screamed.
After the commotion subsided, the team erupted into joyful laughter.
Before long, they met their mission target.
"Hello, we'll be escorting you this time," Minato said, stepping forward.
"You're the Genin Squad?" The Amegakure ninja frowned.
Amegakure was only an hour's journey from here, but the area was within Iwagakure's potential operational zone, making the mission at least B-rank in difficulty.
Why would they assign a Genin Squad to such a dangerous task?
Is Konoha really that short on manpower?
"Our squad may be newly formed, but our individual strengths are considerable," Minato explained with a smile. "We're more than capable of handling this mission."
Normally, this task wouldn't fall to them, but the situation was tense.
Sunagakure had just withdrawn, Onoki remained inactive for unknown reasons, and there were few other skilled ninja available besides Minato himself.
Of course, if Jiraiya had issued the orders, he would never have sent their squad.
But the mission directive came from Orochimaru.
"I was already a Chunin three years ago," Kakashi stated coldly.
"If you think you can handle it, then let's move out," the Amegakure ninja said calmly. "With Minato here, we should be able to complete the mission, at the very least."
"You-!" Obito bristled with anger.
'Isn't that just saying we might die? Who do they think they're talking to?'
"Obito..." Rin tugged at his sleeve.
"Let's go," Minato said, dismissing the petty concerns.