"Raj, what did Lady Tsunade want you for?" Rin asked, her curiosity piqued.
Tsunade was the idol of all Medical Ninja, and Rin aspired to become a great female Ninja like her.
"Meow~ She wanted to take me as her apprentice, but I refused," Raj declared proudly, his head held high.
"Tch, if you're going to brag, at least make it believable," Obito scoffed dismissively.
He didn't believe a word of the Black-Hearted Cat's claims.
The great Tsunade would only take a Medical Ninja like Rin as her apprentice, not some Black Cat. What a joke.
"Believe it or not, meow~"
Raj glanced at Obito and Kakashi, noticing their utter disbelief.
Rin, too, clearly didn't take him seriously, covering her mouth to stifle a giggle.
'Hmph. Such shallow people. Just wait until I master Superhuman Strength, then you'll see I wasn't lying.'
He didn't bother arguing.
The more vehemently he protested, the less they'd believe him.
Just like how even Minato had doubted a cat could master the Flying Thunder God Technique until Raj actually did it and then ruthlessly exploited it.
'This must be the principle of "suppressing to elevate".'
Tsunade had temporarily taken command of the North Line Camp.
Jiraiya was confined to his tent, nursing his wounds after a brutal beating.
Under strict orders, no one was allowed within ten steps of his tent except to deliver his daily ration of food.
The food, of course, consisted of Soldier Pills.
The only consolation was that these were Tsunade's specially made Soldier Pills.
She had deliberately made them taste absolutely awful, but in a twisted way, it was her way of showing "good intentions."
Jiraiya's suffering was far from over - this was the price of his recklessness.
He harbored no resentment, only joy that Tsunade had returned and was actively helping Konoha.
Yet he couldn't understand why he was confined to his tent with broken bones, too afraid to venture out, while that cat roamed free, unpunished, and seemingly sleeping soundly.
Judging by what he remembered before losing consciousness, that damned cat must have said something to Tsunade - something that turned it into a traitor, leading her straight to his secret writing spot.
This was betrayal!
He had painstakingly obtained permission from the Third Hokage to use the Flying Thunder God Technique, not so some cat could stab him in the back.
Jiraiya resolved to confront the feline traitor and, if possible, give it a good thrashing.
As a contract holder of Mount Myoboku, Jiraiya possessed a number of secret techniques.
One such technique was the Hiding In A Toad Technique.
Raj was asleep, but he suddenly jolted awake, drenched in a cold sweat, sensing something ominous.
Immediately afterward, he detected a faint chakra signature approaching from outside.
Though faint, he recognized the chakra type instantly: Mount Myoboku toads!
He had sensed similar chakra on Manta before.
Within the camp, only Jiraiya and Minato could summon toads.
'That guy's brought a toad to get revenge.'
Raj's eyes darted around.
He left behind a Water Clone marked with a teleportation seal and quietly hid beside Obito's sleeping bag, observing.
His small size and black fur allowed him to blend perfectly into the shadows near Obito.
Of course, this concealment would only work if Jiraiya wasn't paying close attention.
After a short wait, Raj saw a toad leap into the tent.
Just a toad? No, that's unlikely!
Raj quickly recalled Jiraiya's ninjutsu.
It didn't take long to remember the Hiding In A Toad Technique.
This meant Jiraiya himself, or a Shadow Clone, was likely hidden inside the toad.
'Heh heh heh, if you came at me directly, I might've been worried, but just a toad...?'
Raj's anxiety vanished.
The Water Clone charged forward.
The toad opened its massive maw, and a hand reached out from within.
But before the hand could fully extend, Black Cat swiftly arrived using the Flying Thunder God Technique, kicking the hand back into the toad's mouth with a powerful rear leg strike.
"..."
The poor toad, which had been about to regurgitate its captive, choked violently from the kick and rolled painfully out of the tent.
Raj and the Water Clone pounced, their claws striking the toad repeatedly.
They held back, knowing that their razor-sharp claws could easily tear the creature to shreds if they used their full strength.
But in this situation, survival proved more agonizing than death.
The toad was tossed around like a ball by the "two cats," while Jiraiya's Shadow Clone, hidden inside, was flung about like clothes in a washing machine drum.
After enduring this torment for several dozen seconds, the toad finally retreated to Mount Myoboku, forcing the Shadow Clone to dissipate.
Inside the tent 'prison,' Jiraiya, who had been eagerly awaiting news from his Shadow Clone, suddenly felt a sharp pain in his hand, followed by a disorienting dizziness that left him unable to distinguish up from down.
This state persisted for several dozen seconds.
When the dizziness subsided, Jiraiya sat up, wincing at the pain in his ribs, and stared blankly into space, questioning his very existence.
'This cat is poisonous! Cunning, truly cunning!'
Jiraiya gritted his teeth.
He should never have let the Third Hokage agree to let it learn the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Disciplining it wouldn't be so difficult now.
How could the mighty Jiraiya have to rack his brains just to discipline a cat?
"I'm the Toad Sage! Disciplining a dead cat..."
'It's the middle of the night. Why not just walk out?'
He rose and lifted the tent flap, only to find Tsunade standing outside, with Raj peering out from behind her at a slight distance.
"Jiraiya, using Chakra while under house arrest? And daring to bully Raj? You've gotten stronger in the years we've been apart, haven't you?" Tsunade's tone dripped with sarcasm.
'Where were you when I was the one being bullied? Now that I'm about to teach this cat a lesson, you suddenly appear? You can't just pick sides like that!'
Jiraiya stared at the beautiful woman lifting the tent flap, his mind overflowing with complaints he dared not voice.
He wouldn't push his luck again, at least not for a while.
"Raj needs to practice Ninjutsu with me tomorrow. Rest is crucial for him. Stop causing trouble, understand?"
Tsunade raised her fist, the threat unspoken but unmistakable.
'Since when did you become so close to that cat? And who's bullying who here? I've been the one getting bullied all day! This Immortal's life is too hard!'
Jiraiya retreated into his tent, watching Tsunade leave in sullen silence.
"Meow~"
Before the tent flap closed, he faintly heard a cat's meow.