Raj successfully approached, but Minato immediately pulled the cat forward with one hand, pressing it against his chest as if affectionately petting it.
In a calm, gentle tone, he said, "Teacher, have you heard about Raj's promotion?"
"Promotion?"
Jiraiya blinked in surprise.
He had been busy preparing for frontline duties these past few days and hadn't had time to pay attention to such matters.
"I heard Hizashi mentioned at the camp that someone was being given special treatment for promotion to Special Jonin, but no one agreed to it, right?" Kurenai asked suspiciously after a moment's thought.
"Well, we completed a high-difficulty mission a few days ago, and Raj made a significant contribution. Lord Orochimaru strongly recommended its promotion to Special Jonin, and it's already been officially registered in Konoha."
Jiraiya froze, staring at the pitch-black cat.
He couldn't help but imagine a cat leading three Chunin on a mission.
Onoki would laugh himself to death if he saw this!
If they could actually make Onoki laugh himself to death, that would be a good thing.
But no matter how you looked at it, a cat becoming a Jonin seemed utterly absurd.
And it was only a year old!
What battlefield knowledge could a one-year-old cat possibly possess?
"I wonder... um, Special Jonin Raj, what kind of combat is it suited for?" a ninja from the Gekko Clan asked.
His name was Naoki, a Special Jonin - exactly the same rank as this cat.
"Tracking, reconnaissance, assassination, and direct combat - this cat can handle it all, meow!" Raj declared proudly.
'Even more versatile than me,' Naoki thought silently.
He had risen to Special Jonin through swordsmanship.
and assassination techniques, but his skills in other areas were somewhat lacking.
Coupled with his lack of experience leading teams, he had been stuck at this rank for years.
This cat... Well, you can't compare humans to cats.
Kurenai stood nearby, keeping her eyes lowered and her mind focused.
Her daughter had a good relationship with Raj, and her own responsibilities primarily involved training and managing Chunin and Genin.
She chose to remain silent on the matter.
The few Special Jonin inside the tent felt uneasy.
'A cat as a Special Jonin? Even if it was strong, this was absurd...'
Jiraiya cursed inwardly.
'"Special Jonin" was the first thing they mentioned. Would it kill them to promote him to Chunin first?!'
Rubbing his temples in exasperation, he said, "Raj will remain with your team. Rin might not always be available during wartime, so having a fifth member won't hurt."
"Thank you, sir!" Rin immediately bowed in gratitude.
"Teacher, if there's nothing else, I'd like to let Rin and the others rest..."
"No problem. I've heard about your recent mission. You must be exhausted. Let Raj rest too."
"Meow?"
Raj was stunned.
It hadn't even had a chance to earn Points or do something reckless before being dismissed!
It struggled frantically.
Reality was cruel.
It wanted to court disaster, but Minato held it down firmly from the front, while Rin came to its rescue from behind, leaving it no opportunity whatsoever.
Jiraiya mentally patted himself on the back for his cleverness.
He hadn't heard a damn thing.
Everyone had been working themselves to the bone these past few days.
Minato hadn't mentioned a word about the mission's details, which meant it must be extremely important.
As part of the Northern Frontline Theater, how could he possibly know anything about it?
What he did know was that this cat had to be sent away immediately.
If they didn't get rid of it, they'd all be in serious trouble, and the Jonin wouldn't be able to maintain their composure.
Sure enough.
As everyone watched Raj leave the tent, seeing it truly being taken away, all the Jonin and Special Jonin collectively breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if a heavy burden had suddenly been lifted from their shoulders.
'Let's hope Minato's Team gets fewer dangerous missions...'
They secretly prayed.
In times of war, capable ninja could advance at lightning speed.
It wasn't unheard of for someone to be promoted twice in a single year.
If they kept assigning high-difficulty missions and letting this cat run wild, they might end up having to promote the Ninja Cat to Jonin.
Then what the hell would they do with it?
'Hmm, better keep it as a Special Jonin for now.'
On this point, everyone tacitly agreed.
Rin sprinted away from the tent with the cat, only stopping when she reached the outside.
Inside the tent, she had immediately sensed that the cat was planning to make a move on Jiraiya.
If it had just been Jiraiya and them in the tent, it wouldn't have been a problem.
But with so many Jonin present, if the cat did something to embarrass Jiraiya, even bowing until her back broke wouldn't make up for it.
After all, if apologies worked, why have rules at all?
Once they were outside the tent, both she and Minato felt much more relaxed, and she treated everyone with extra kindness.
"Meow~ Bored. What's next?"
"We wait," Kakashi said coldly.
Newly arrived in this unfamiliar place, surrounded by strangers and without specific orders, they had nothing to do but wait.
Even Rin couldn't simply walk into the Medical Corps and ask to participate or learn; such matters required official directives from higher-ups.
Raj understood.
So, being dragged out here really was just for "rest."
The tent was full of Jonin-it made sense for Kakashi and the others to leave, but why did Rin insist on dragging him along?
'From today on, I'm a Jonin too! Does she look down on cats or something?'
Indignation simmered in his heart, but when he glanced at the System Panel and saw the number "3,500," his mood instantly brightened.
'Nearly 2,500 Points! Jonin really are generous with their rewards.'
'For the sake of the Points, I'll let it slide.'
"After we get there, will we still have a chance to participate in missions?"
Obito kept fidgeting beside them.
Raj and Kakashi exchanged glances.
This guy had just been promoted to Chunin today, and now he had all this pent-up energy and enthusiasm with nowhere to channel it.
He seemed to have completely forgotten the hardship of carrying medicinal herbs earlier, and now he practically wanted to walk on his hands.
Kakashi glanced at him before drifting off into his own thoughts.
He was used to this kind of atmosphere.
No matter what Obito did, he just treated him like Guy.
While Obito wasn't as easy to handle as Guy, a little maneuvering was usually enough to keep him in line.