The Jonin secretly marveled, now convinced that the cat indeed possessed the strength of a Special Jonin.
The most dramatic reaction came from Shibi Aburame.
His body instantly dispersed into countless insects, his true form reappearing outside the tent.
A direct insect clone?
The group stared in astonishment before realizing that Shibi Aburame had been standing exactly where Raj had entered.
The cat's bristling fur and apparent target of attack had clearly been Shibi Aburame himself.
Minato swiftly stood up, bowed apologetically, and rushed forward to grab Raj.
But Raj had already retreated through the same path, escaping the tent.
Such speed...
The group murmured in awe.
Minato had simply hesitated to use the Flying Thunder God Technique out of politeness.
Otherwise, with the technique's speed, capturing Raj would have been effortless-assuming Raj didn't use it himself.
"My subordinate has offended you. I sincerely apologize," Minato said.
"It's nothing. I attacked the cat first, so it probably perceived me as an enemy."
Shibi Aburame paid little attention, finding everyone's reactions rather odd.
The moment the cat appeared, their expressions and movements seemed forced and unnatural.
'Hmm, could there be something wrong with that cat?' he mused inwardly, stepping back to his original position.
Lost in thought, he remained silent, allowing the others to quickly resume their previous conversation and forget about him.
"By the way, was that cat a Special Jonin?"
Shibi suddenly recalled.
During their initial encounter, Raj had introduced himself as "Special Jonin Raj."
If Raj was his name, then the preceding title must be his rank.
Good question.
A heavy silence fell over the group.
After a long pause, Naoki nodded gravely.
"That's right. He's my equal in rank."
'You didn't need to emphasize the "equal in rank" part...'
The other Special Jonin inwardly groaned, their eyes darting to their comrades' gazes before they lowered their heads in shame.
How humiliating!
"My apologies, I... uh, never mind. Let's get back to discussing Iwagakure. Onoki clearly has designs on Kusagakure. Lord Jiraiya, what should we do?"
Shibi considered apologizing, but realized bringing it up again would only twist the knife further.
Better to return to the main topic.
Raj emerged from his tent, feeling a bit disappointed that his points had only increased by 700.
He grumbled about how quickly these Jonin adapted, but just seconds later, his points surged by another thousand.
Though he didn't know why, he figured he should just thank the "old bro" for the points.
Over 1,700 points!
The title of Special Jonin was proving its worth.
He resolved to grind more missions and earn more merits to secure a promotion to Jonin.
That way, he could expand his "points-farming" territory.
Black Cat had suddenly found his next goal.
Now the question was: when would missions become available?
Missions meant merits.
Ordinary tasks like fetching water or catching cats wouldn't cut it.
Even if he did them his whole life, he'd never get promoted.
Otherwise, Guy wouldn't still be a Genin.
Only warfare and battlefield achievements could lead to Jonin status quickly.
Having been transferred to the northern front, his only hope now was that Iwagakure might stir up some trouble...
'Hmm, let's eavesdrop and see what's happening.'
Raj hid outside the tent, listening in.
Of course, there were Sensory Ninja inside who knew he was there.
But since he was a Special Jonin and their meeting was informal, they figured letting him listen wouldn't hurt.
Otherwise, it might lead to messy disputes later.
"Kusagakure has been Konoha's ally since ancient times. We absolutely cannot lose this territory. Based on my observations of Kusagakure's leader, he seems to fear Konoha's strength and is unlikely to defect anytime soon," Minato said.
'That makes sense,' Raj thought to himself.
'He's the only one here who's interacted with Kusagakure's leader. No wonder our squad was assigned to this mission.'
"Then..."
"Meow! What if they do defect?"
Black Cat slipped into the tent, voicing his concerns with a meow.
At first, everyone found the idea absurd, but they quickly adjusted their mindset.
After all, they were all Jonin, renowned for their adaptability.
Jiraiya, in particular, remained unfazed, having witnessed far stranger phenomena on Mount Myoboku.
He simply continued, "If they defect, we'll have no choice but to fight."
Jiraiya yearned for peace, but he understood that Konoha was currently facing turbulent times.
Without a fight, they would only be waiting for their demise.
'Peace... it's never that easy,' Minato sighed inwardly, then nodded silently.
"I've drafted a contingency plan for Kusagakure's defection to Iwagakure. Lord Jiraiya, please review it," Shibi Aburame said, producing a scroll.
His status as a Jonin wasn't solely due to his abilities; his intelligence played a significant role as well.
Of course, when Shikaku was present, everyone tended to favor Shikaku's plans.
Konoha was never short on capable individuals.
No matter how humble Kusagakure appeared, everyone would still factor in the possibility of their defection.
This particular plan had been devised and written by Shibi Aburame on his way back.
After reviewing it, Jiraiya nodded slightly and said, "Feasible. According to your plan, we first need to send someone to infiltrate Kusagakure and observe their internal situation.
Who do you think would be best suited for this mission?"
"The Anbu would be our first choice, but with most of their forces deployed to the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind, we'll have to rely on our own personnel," Shibi Aburame said, without specifying who should go.
Jiraiya fell into deep thought.
After a few seconds, he glanced at the cat's head that had burrowed up from below.
"Meow?"
Raj was astonished.
'Why are they all staring at me? Could it be... my chance for promotion to Jonin has finally arrived?!'
"It's certainly a good choice, but should we really send just one cat?"
"Ahem, well, I could go with it," Naoki said, clearing his throat and raising his hand.
For missions involving infiltration, reconnaissance, and assassination, no clan was better suited than the Gekko Clan.
Of course, many others were also capable, but most were reluctant to partner with this particular cat.
It was too rambunctious and its temperament was unpredictable.
"Meow~ Actually, this cat could handle it alone."
Raj also preferred to work solo.
Operating alone offered unparalleled freedom-going wherever he pleased and doing whatever he wanted.
Having a partner would only complicate matters.
"Don't worry, we won't send you alone. Naoki, then. Thank you for volunteering."
Jiraiya smiled warmly.
"Meow!"
As soon as Raj emerged from the tent, he lashed out with a triple claw strike at Naoki.
Naoki didn't mind the scratches.
He smiled lazily and patted the cat's head, saying, "Let's continue working together diligently."