Raj waved his paw, then gestured for her to curl up and protect herself.
But after a moment's thought, he decided to send Matatabi a note first to avoid any misunderstandings.
The note didn't need words - a simple paw print would suffice.
The only problem was, he had no paper or ink.
After a quick glance around, Raj ruthlessly tore a piece from Ori's filthy, tattered clothes.
He pressed it into the nearby mud, leaving a paw print on the scrap.
'Then... Flying Thunder God Technique, let's go!'
In the attic of the Ninja Cat Castle, Matatabi had been awake for only half a day.
He stared at his body, lost in thought.
His growth, stagnant for years, had suddenly resumed with astonishing speed, and this new power seemed to be gradually reshaping his very form.
'What potent cat food!'
As he pondered, he suddenly felt something land on his head.
It grabbed the object and discovered it was a mud-soaked rag.
"Meow! Who...?"
Suddenly, a weight settled on its head, as if someone had sat down on it.
It sniffed the rag, then narrowed its eyes, its earlier furious roar dying into a feeble growl.
'That guy again... Food and cat food are one thing, but now he's throwing trash and people at me? Next thing you know, he'll be asking me to help sell humans!'
Matatabi remained expressionless, too embarrassed to simply swat Ori off its head with its paw.
Ori, experiencing teleportation for the first time, was clearly terrified, huddled into a trembling ball on its head.
"Meow~ Black Cat's woman, I've already shown great generosity by overlooking your filthy clothes staining my fur. Now, would you kindly get off my head?"
Matatabi raised a paw and nudged her.
Ori snapped out of her daze and scrambled off the cat's head, nearly falling in the process.
She continued to tremble as she stared at the enormous white cat.
"Speak. Why did Black Cat send you here?"
"He... he told me to stay."
The Double-Tailed Cat Matatabi sprang to its feet.
Though its face was feline, its expression clearly conveyed utter bewilderment.
It had assumed this place was merely a transit point, never imagining Black Cat would go so far as to let a human live here.
'Doesn't she know this is the Ninja Cat Castle? This is where the Ninja Cats live...'
"Oh, right, it said this was the reward."
Ori pulled a bag of 300-Ryo cat food from her pocket and carefully placed it before the white cat.
"Meow~ If you want to stay, go ahead, but you'll have to work. As for the work, just clean the pavilion every day."
Matatabi gestured toward the pavilion where it resided.
The pavilion was spacious, previously occupied only by Matatabi.
Now, with the addition of a girl, and the potential future ownership by Raj...
'Ah, enjoy the good times while they last!'
Matatabi suppressed its tears, but the sight of the cat food instantly sent it rolling around in delight.
'This is the good stuff!'
"Y-yes!"
Ori stared at the white cat with a strange expression, her initial awe completely gone.
She realized this cat was rather silly and nowhere near as powerful as Raj.
While the white cat's physique was imposing, Raj's Chakra was far stronger and denser.
The white cat seemed more bark than bite.
'Especially this scene - it lacked any semblance of a master's dignity...'
"Meow? Why are you still here? Find a room and sleep. Hmm, pick up a stray fur from the ground - that way, no other cats will bother you."
"Thank you."
Matatabi's imposing size was intimidating, but its actual strength and temperament...
'Heh heh heh.'
Raj could already picture the scene.
He knew the creature would initially refuse, so he had Ori bring a bag of cat food.
'Alright, job done. Time to head home.'
He patted his paw and pondered whether to walk back or use the Flying Thunder God Technique.
In less than a second, he made his decision.
'Flying Thunder God Technique!'
As a rising star among Konoha's new generation of Special Jonin, he couldn't waste time on pointless travel like the old-guard Special Jonin.
Without hesitation, Raj teleported directly to Rin's location.
Meanwhile, deep within the forests of Grass Country, Naoki was frantically chasing after the Konoha Camp, sweat pouring down his face.
Fortunately, his frail appearance belied his decent physical condition.
If Tsukiakari Hayate from the anime had run this far at full speed, he would likely have coughed up his lungs.
"H-how haven't I caught up yet? This shouldn't be happening!"
He was already nearing the border of the Grass Country, yet he hadn't caught even a glimpse of Raj.
By the time Naoki, exhausted and panting like a dog, finally reached the camp, dawn was breaking.
Still, there was no sign of Raj.
He grew worried, wondering if the creature had fallen asleep somewhere, explaining its absence.
'No matter. Rin knows the Summoning Technique. If necessary, we can just summon it back.'
Just then, a patrolling ninja, alerted by the commotion, rushed over to investigate.
Recognizing Naoki, he exchanged the secret code, then immediately saluted.
"Lord Naoki, you've finally returned! Lord Jiraiya is likely still resting. What would you like to do?"
"I'll rest for now," Naoki replied.
'Finally?'
The word struck Naoki as odd.
He pondered it, growing increasingly uneasy.
Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked, "Has Raj already returned?"
"Lord Raj returned to camp an hour ago and is resting in the same tent as Rin," the patrol ninja answered truthfully, offering no embellishments.
He knew this because Raj had deliberately taken a detour upon his return, ensuring their "accidental" encounter while the ninja patrolled the area.
Now, he had conveniently run into Naoki as well...
Of course, this wasn't a coincidence.
Naoki had to pass through this area on his way back from Grass Country, unless he took a massive detour toward Konoha and entered the camp from there.
Naoki didn't know what the Patrol Ninja were thinking, but his own thoughts were crystal clear:
'Holy shit, he arrived an hour ago?!'
'Damn it, the battle in Grass Country ended less than two hours ago.'
'There's no way that cat could have moved this fast - I'd eat all the tents in the camp if he did.'
'He must have used some other method. Like... Summoning Technique.'
'Raj could easily accomplish this. He could simply send Rin a note using the same method as before, instructing her to summon him.'
'If the distance were too great, the Summoning Technique would automatically dismiss the summoned creature once its Chakra was exhausted.'
'But Grass Country wasn't far from here, so that wouldn't be an issue.'
'Cheating! This isn't fair!'
Naoki felt dejected but had no grounds for complaint.