In the distance, Raj waved its paw, its smug expression utterly infuriating - though it was night, and he couldn't even make out its face clearly.
'Thank you, Jiraiya, for the generous donation of over a thousand Points.'
Raj pressed his paws together in a gesture of sincere gratitude before retreating into the tent to resume his nap.
Such minor disturbances rarely woke Obito and Rin.
Only Kakashi seemed to stir, but he didn't even unzip his sleeping bag, maintaining an air of complete indifference.
'Nothing important anyway.'
Raj settled down, genuinely intending to rest properly.
Tsunade's unexpected appearance had caught him off guard, but even without her, he wasn't afraid.
Jiraiya might be formidable, but with the Flying Thunder God Technique at his disposal, Raj was virtually invincible.
Add to that his various Ninjutsu and nearly twenty thousand Points in reserve, and he dared Jiraiya to try catching him.
'Impossible! Impossible!'
Still, he wished these peaceful days could last forever.
Unfortunately, after this brief respite, chaos was likely to erupt again.
Given the belligerent nature of Iwagakure and Sunagakure, they would never abandon their aggression against Konoha.
Even if Kusagakure didn't defect, they would still attack.
The only change would be Iwagakure's target shifting from the Land of Fire to the Grass Country, but the situation would remain unchanged.
If the Grass Country were attacked, Konoha would still have to commit resources and manpower, leaving them trapped between two hostile forces.
"Control your Chakra. Imagine dispersing it throughout your hand, then condensing it into a Chakra stream at the moment of impact."
"Meow!"
'I'm doing it!'
Raj now understood what Tsunade meant by "dangerous."
True Superhuman Strength required circulating Chakra throughout the entire body, then channeling it into a violent, explosive stream.
The first step Tsunade taught him was essentially a variation of the Painful Sky Kick.
Because he was focused on mastering Superhuman Strength, Raj had no time to pay attention to Obito, Kakashi, or Asuma.
For them, this situation was even more agonizing than being directly tormented by Black Cat.
The Black-Hearted Cat had actually earned Lady Tsunade's favor, gaining the opportunity to learn Ninjutsu directly from her!
'No, this can't be real!'
Neither Obito nor Kakashi could accept this reality, let alone Asuma, who had only recently arrived and hadn't yet fully transitioned out of his previous role.
They didn't know exactly what Ninjutsu Raj was learning, only that it seemed to involve the Senju Clan...
'Damn it! I'm so jealous!'
Kakashi, fueled by frustration, intensified his training regimen, channeling his grief and anger into motivation.
He pushed himself even harder than before, which only made things tougher for Asuma and the others.
Catching rats while wearing weighted gear was already difficult.
The mountain rats had been nearly wiped out, and they kept catching the same few pitiful...
creatures they'd released earlier. In short, it was miserable.
In the middle of the training grounds, Raj paused for a brief rest, secretly checking the price on the System Panel.
5,500 points.
In just two days, it had reduced the price from 9,000 to 5,500 points.
'Excellent. Just a little longer...'
"You're getting the hang of it," Tsunade said approvingly. "It looks like you'll master Superhuman Strength in about a month. But remember, start with light force and gradually increase it as you get more comfortable."
Tsunade was pleased.
This cat truly possessed the talent she'd suspected.
Mastering the technique in just over a month, with virtually no adverse physical reactions, proved her gradual teaching method was correct.
Raj, however, wasn't pleased.
It had believed it would master Superhuman Strength in just a few more days, essentially getting this powerful technique for free.
But now, considering the increasingly slow progress...
'A month is too long! I, Raj, seize every moment!'
Raj waved its paw, feeling utterly imposing.
But to Tsunade, the cat was probably just being silly again.
She patted Raj's head and said, "Don't rush. While this technique isn't difficult for those with strong Chakra control, it's not something you can master quickly.
Take your time to avoid..."
Boom!
Raj slammed its paw into the ground.
A massive shockwave erupted from the combined force of its powerful Chakra and sharp claws, creating a huge crater in the earth.
Painful Sky Kick.
"Mastered it! I told you it was simple, meow!"
"This..."
Tsunade opened her mouth, momentarily speechless.
Strictly speaking, Raj's current level of mastery should still require at least a month of practice and adaptation before it could even begin to use Superhuman Strength.
Yet this strike wasn't just mastery; it was nearly the maximum power Raj could achieve.
This completely contradicted Tsunade's research and predictions!
"What's going on here?"
Naoki rushed down the mountain, his eyes widening at the crater in the ground and the faint paw prints.
He fell silent, realizing what had been happening.
So, that's what he's been practicing all this time.
Now, he stood even less of a chance against Raj.
His Crescent Moon Dance might not even kill the cat, but one swipe from Raj's paw would definitely kill him.
'Lady Tsunade, you're destroying Konoha's next generation!'
'Soon, when people think of Konoha, they'll only remember how its ninjas are less talented than a cat.'
And the worst part? Raj was barely over a year old!
'What a monster...'
Naoki covered his face in despair and trudged back to his duties, supervising the young trainees.
"What are you staring at? Run your own laps! Rat test later. If neither team catches them, no one's going home tonight-extra training!"
His furious roar revealed just how irritated he was.
But one man's frustration was Raj's joy.
He'd just spent 5,500 ryo and already earned back over 1,000, bringing his total cost down to 4,000...
"You just used Chakra-enhanced strikes on your hands. I call that the Painful Sky Kick. Now try it with your limbs and your whole body."
Tsunade composed herself and began teaching the next step.
"The principle is the same, just requires more precise control."
"It's actually quite simple, meow," Raj said, flicking his tail lightly.
He amplified the Expansion Jutsu, making his tail thicker and stronger.
Combined with his Superhuman Strength, he slammed it into the ground with a thunderous roar, leaving a deep, jagged trench in the earth.
"...Right."
Tsunade stroked her chin.
Even the Senju Clan members who specialized in Superhuman Strength couldn't replicate this level of tail-based power.
Was this cat expanding the technique's applications?
Wait, humans don't even have tails!
She shook her head, banishing the chaotic thoughts, and sank into another bout of contemplation.
What's this cat's deal?
He seemed so far behind before, and now he's suddenly mastered it?
Learning Ninjutsu is like child's play to him.
After a moment's thought, she asked, "How long did it take you to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique?"