A dozen children collaborated, each displaying their unique "superpowers."
Before long, the first group of three, aided by their temporary teammates, reached the foot of the mountain.
But instead of the Little Black Cat, they were confronted by a "Black Tiger" the size of a calf!
The Black Tiger charged, striking each child with a single swipe.
In the blink of an eye, all three were sent flying over a dozen steps, crashing into trees and lying motionless.
The children clinging to the cliff face, their feet anchored by Chakra, stared in stunned disbelief.
What's going on? Where's the cat from before?
Where did this massive thing come from? And its combat power is terrifying!
"Meow!"
A thunderous, terrifying cat's roar echoed through the forest...
'Is that the cat?'
The children were thoroughly shaken.
One lost his grip and fell from the cliff, only to be swatted away by Raj's paw.
The remaining children trembled, too afraid to descend further.
Seeing no escape below and their Chakra dwindling, the children from the Small Ninja Village gritted their teeth and turned back to climb upward.
"Sir, we forfeit."
Ah, the loneliness of the strong.
Raj canceled the Expansion Jutsu and vanished into the forest.
A chilling, terrifying laughter echoed from the mountaintop, nearly causing the children to lose their grip on the cliff face.
Trembling for a moment, they resolved to continue climbing.
The examiners were at the top; they wouldn't kill them.
Besides, their village had already told them this was just a formality - survival was paramount, and any chance of promotion was merely a pipe dream.
"Excellent," Orochimaru murmured, a feverish glint in his eyes.
What a magnificent Ninja Cat!
I'd love to capture it and study it...
He couldn't resist flicking his tongue across his lips, a gesture that sent the Grass Ninja child who had just reached the summit into a dead faint.
Ebizo's mouth twitched.
'Konoha is truly overdoing it. This Chunin Exams is a joke - aside from those two green-clad idiots, there's not a single normal person here. Even the cat exceeds the standards for a regular Chunin. Is this really necessary? It's just the Chunin Exams. Sunagakure will take this round!'
Of course, he conveniently ignored the fact that Sunagakure had sent an equally formidable team, including Sasori, who had been "demoted" from Chunin at age six to Genin for this mission...
However, the quality of Sunagakure's ninjas clearly couldn't match Konoha's.
If they were on par, they wouldn't keep losing.
Give up, give up.
Raj followed the scent trail and soon found Rin and the green-clad trio.
Rin wasn't in any immediate danger, but her expression was dark.
'Is she angry?'
He pondered this for a moment before cautiously approaching.
To his surprise, Rin, Obito, and Guy stood up and began walking in the opposite direction.
After following them for a few more steps, Raj sniffed the air and searched the surroundings.
He discovered a crumpled note hidden in the grass by Obito.
"Someone is secretly tracking us. Please don't reveal yourself. [ nâ–‚n ]"
Clearly, this was written by Rin.
Raj concealed himself in the bushes, tracking the group while carefully monitoring the surrounding scents.
There were too many trackers.
Many were Konoha ninjas, but some were from other villages, identifiable by the lingering scent of his own cat urine on their bodies.
However, what truly concerned him was the complex, lingering scent within the mix - a scent that, despite its complexity, carried traces of Sasori's presence.
Sasori's target was the Sharingan, or rather, Obito himself.
'Rin actually noticed him? Impressive, my Rin!'
Rin possessed a certain talent; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to become the Jinchuriki of the Three-Tailed Beast.
Of course, there was a slight misunderstanding - she believed the enemies she had discovered were Amegakure ninja, not Sasori.
However, Raj, conducting a thorough search from behind, managed to uncover the hidden Sasori.
Sasori was concealed within a puppet, its
exterior meticulously disguised.
Had Raj not relied on his keen sense of smell, he might never have found him.
Puppets from Sunagakure were dangerous to touch directly; who knew how many poisons coated their surfaces?
Raj quietly trailed behind.
Cats are exceptional trackers, their small size and silent movements allowing them to slip through the forest unnoticed.
As long as he carefully avoided snapping branches, he could easily follow Sasori.
Despite the puppet's disguise, a keen observer could still detect traces of its passage.
The cat and the man moved in tandem, one behind the other.
Soon, the sounds of battle reached them from ahead.
Raj immediately focused his sharp vision on the scene.
He saw Guy, Obito, and Rin fiercely defending themselves against an ambush by four or five Amegakure ninja.
'Should I...?'
It was about to rush in to help, but a glance at Sasori immediately suppressed its impulse.
After a moment's thought, it put on the claw gauntlets Orochimaru had given it.
Sasori was also poised to strike.
The puppet's mouth aimed at Obito, shifting back and forth.
The wooden puppet's mouth gaped open.
Suddenly, four strands of tangled black fur, resembling ropes, shot out and bound the puppet's joints.
A cat used the momentum to leap forward, a chakra ball held in its mouth.
Landing on the puppet, it slashed down along the puppet's mouth with its claws while simultaneously launching a Rasengan at the puppet's body.
Boom!
The puppet's mouth was sliced off and fell to the ground, while a small hole was blasted through its torso.
By then, Raj had already released the puppet and leaped away.
In mid-air, it spat out a string of Vacuum Sphere orbs into the hole.
Knowing that puppets might possess poisonous mist or counter-binding capabilities, it had no intention of getting trapped.
After a single, decisive strike, it immediately retreated.
The puppet immediately disassembled.
Sasori leaped out and landed on a nearby tree.
In an instant, the puppet reassembled, its intact side facing the Vacuum Sphere orbs.
The puppet's defenses were formidable; the Vacuum Sphere orbs couldn't penetrate its armor.
Sasori emerged from the puppet, wiping his face.
His expression darkened slightly.
Though the Vacuum Sphere hadn't hit him directly, the saliva accompanying the projectile had splattered across his face.
This infuriated him.
However, Sasori glanced around, realizing he had no further opportunity to strike at Obito.
He chuckled softly and said, "You're quite an amusing little thing. I'll definitely add you to my collection someday."
"Meow~"
Raj, perched on a tree a dozen paces away, stared intently at the scene, looking as if he were facing a formidable enemy.
'As expected of Sasori.'
He had launched a surprise attack with a series of coordinated moves, yet failed to inflict any damage on the real body.
Sasori likely possessed numerous puppets like this one.
Puppet masters were truly terrifying.
"Boring. I'm leaving."
Sasori waved his hand, retracted the puppet, and turned to leave without hesitation.
This cat was too troublesome.
Strong, small, and most importantly, cunning.