Even though Kakashi was feeling utterly pissed off, Obito couldn't tell.
This dampened Obito's amusement considerably, but Raj could see from the Points panel that Kakashi's composure was far from calm.
Expressions could lie, but Points never did.
In that brief moment, Kakashi had contributed over four hundred Points.
Such a significant gain from a single sentence proved how deeply Kakashi cared about this matter.
However, Obito soon faced retribution.
Rin, who had been gathering medicinal herbs and various jars from the surrounding forest, made him carry everything.
These items weren't just heavy; they had to be moved with extreme care.
Not a single bump or jostle was allowed.
Some of the medicinal herbs were poisonous, and if they leaked out and pricked someone...
In short, it required far more focus and effort than simply carrying miscellaneous supplies.
Obito's theoretical knowledge was lacking, and he couldn't even identify most of the herbs.
The instruments, though not particularly heavy, felt like carrying a mountain on his back, the pressure immense.
Raj escaped retaliation for two reasons: first, he was just a 'kitten,' and second, he was a Special Jonin.
Jonin always received preferential treatment.
The journey from their frontline camp to Jiraiya's location wasn't short.
After meeting Rin, she offered to carry her own pack, which Obito was carrying, but Kakashi persuaded her otherwise.
Kakashi's reasoning was that this would force Obito to be more careful, which would benefit him in the long run.
Rin knew he was full of it, but Obito seemed to agree with Kakashi's explanation, so she reluctantly went along with it.
Raj sighed inwardly.
Guy often fell for such tricks, but Obito was just being completely scammed out of his resources.
He had no one to blame but himself.
After Rin returned to the team, she learned about Raj's promotion.
It was a pity they were on the front lines; if they were in Konoha, Raj could have enjoyed a proper celebratory feast.
War was the fastest path to advancement.
Under normal circumstances, Obito and Rin would have needed at least another year or two to pass the promotion exams.
But now, with sufficient skill and merit, they could be assigned to higher positions immediately.
While Rin couldn't offer a celebratory feast, Jiraiya might be able to.
As the commander of the Grass Defense Line, he had the authority to order the cooks to prepare something special.
At the very least, with his connections, he could easily find a skilled ninja chef to prepare a meal.
Truthfully, Raj was craving hot pot.
Since arriving in Konoha, he hadn't had hot pot once.
Though he wasn't sure if cats could even eat such a thing, he missed it after so long.
Unfortunately, Konoha didn't have any...
'Hmm, I'll have to arrange that later.'
He'd get Kabuto to develop a hot pot recipe suitable for cats.
After all, Kabuto had mastered medical ninjutsu and medical knowledge, and with his talent for development, this shouldn't be too difficult.
Excellent, the plan worked perfectly.
Raj mentally gave itself a thumbs-up, then felt an even stronger urge to return to Konoha, fueling its hatred for Iwagakure and Sunagakure, the villages that had ignited the war.
'These troublemakers will pay sooner or later!'
By the time Obito reached Jiraiya's camp, it was already afternoon.
He arrived drenched in sweat, his legs trembling, but at least he had safely delivered the supplies.
Upon arriving, he had to report to Jiraiya first.
Raj was eagerly anticipating this meeting.
Jiraiya always managed to surprise it, and it hoped he would contribute some Points this time.
With only a little over a thousand Points left, it was running dangerously low.
For itself, that would be enough, but the Two-Tailed Cat had been a great help to Rin, and since they had formed a contract, Raj felt obligated to occasionally give it gifts as a token of appreciation.
Besides...
'Hmm? Since I'm giving gifts anyway, why not roll the gacha and give it whatever I get - dried fish, jerky, meat skewers? If I happen to pull Ninjutsu or cat food, I can give it some of that too. A guaranteed win-win! I'm such a genius!'
It was a perfect plan, mainly because it gave Raj a reason to roll the gacha.
Having acquired the Flying Thunder God Technique, Raj now lived a worry-free life.
All it needed was enough Points to buy cat food, so...
Whenever it had surplus Points, its paws couldn't resist the urge to roll the gacha.
Before, after rolling, it would scold itself for its lack of self-control.
But now, there was no need for such worries.
It could simply discard the trash as gifts for the white cat while keeping the good stuff for itself.
Raj mentally applauded its own brilliance.
Driven by the desire to hoard Points, it began scheming how to extract something from Jiraiya even before meeting him.
"Raj, even though you've been promoted to Special Jonin, you must show utmost respect to Lord Jiraiya. He's one of the legendary Three Sannin, and everyone in Konoha should revere him..."
Rin, knowing her cat's mischievous nature, grabbed Raj before they even reached the camp and whispered sternly to him, "Don't cause any trouble this time."
Raj, of course, responded with a perfunctory agreement.
Since Jiraiya and his group had just arrived, their camp was still quite rudimentary, far from the orderly setup of Orochimaru's camp, which was largely due to Shikaku's efforts.
At Orochimaru's camp, the main tent was easy to find.
But here, even Jiraiya himself was crammed into a tent with others, and the meeting tent hadn't even been set up yet.
So when they arrived, they found several other ninja already gathered.
Raj recognized only Kurenai among them.
The only other recognizable figure was a somewhat gaunt Jonin with a katana strapped to his back, likely from the Gekko Clan.
"Teacher, are you having a meeting?" Raj asked.
"No, just chatting. Come sit down," Jiraiya replied with a smile.
His greatest pride in life was his ability to mentor students.
So far, he had taken on several exceptional pupils, far superior to those of that Orochimaru fellow.
Minato bowed politely to the group before stepping forward.
Seizing the moment, Raj leaped gracefully onto Minato's shoulder.
Rin tried to stop him, but her speed was no match for a cat's agility.
By the time she reacted, Raj had already slipped away.
"Ugh..."
"No, it's fine. Let it come."
Jiraiya's lips twitched as memories of his recent ordeal in Konoha flooded his mind.
If it weren't for that damned cat meddling, he wouldn't have been forced to leave so early.
He could have stayed in Konoha for at least a few more days.
But thinking of that inevitably reminded him of Tsunade.
If only Tsunade were still in Konoha, he thought.
Not only would she be a sight for sore eyes, but she could also help shoulder the burden.
But remembering what she had endured, he could only sigh softly to himself.
No one could have endured something like that.