"Exactly. However, Kakashi has already been promoted to Chunin, so he can't join. The village plans to assign you a temporary teammate."’
Jiraiya rested his chin in his hand, a faint smile playing on his lips as he looked at Obito.
"I hear you and Guy get along well?"
"Ah? Yes, Guy has helped trendously with taijutsu. You could even say he's half my taijutsu teacher," Obito replied candidly, his words carrying genuine respect for Guy.
"Team harmony and synergy are crucial," Minato said with a smile. "After careful consideration, the village has decided to temporarily add Guy to your team. The three of you will participate in the Chunin Exams together."
'Why is Guy getting involved?!'
According to the manga, Obito, Guy, and Rin were all promoted to Chunin at the age of eleven.
In the original Naruto storyline, they likely wouldn't have even participated in this year's Chunin Exams.
Because this year's exams were being held after a small-scale war, both sides were still simring with tension, making the competition far more brutal than usual.
But now that Raj was involved...
'Hmm, so Rin and Obito are both eligible to participate. Among the remaining children of their generation, only Guy barely qualifies.'
'Next in line would be Sarutobi Asuma from the Sarutobi clan. Why couldn't it be Asuma?!'
Raj felt a wave of resentnt.
Asuma might be a bit... eccentric, but at least he could farm Points from him.
Guy, on the other hand, was such a rare beast that Raj would be lucky if his own Points weren't completely drained.
Guy's thought processes were utterly alien to normal people, making him impossible to predict using conventional logic.
Raj, by contrast, considered himself still within the realm of normalcy...
The al was quite enjoyable, except for Kakashi, who was even more expressionless than usual, completely ruining the atmosphere.
Kakashi had grown even colder, likely due to the loss of his father's White Fang Short Sword.
Though he spoke sarcastically, he still deeply loved his father.
The sword's shattering had dealt him a heavy blow, and even obtaining the Thunder Blade, which Konoha had reforged, couldn't cheer him up.
Having a stone-faced person at the table, who only lifted half his mask to eat, made it impossible to enjoy the al.
Of course, everyone was used to it by now.
After careful consideration, Raj realized just how cunning Jiraiya was.
He claid to be treating everyone to barbecue, but in reality, Minato had paid for most of it.
Half the at was sliced by Kushina, and the rest was prepared by Minato.
Jiraiya had only made a token effort, truly living up to his reputation as the man who would shalessly take all of Naruto's savings to chase won.
Experienced and utterly shaless.
At the table, Obito's antics infuriated Kushina so much that she nearly flipped the entire table.
Fortunately, Minato managed to calm her down.
Despite her anger, Kushina quickly returned to her usual self, showing no lingering resentnt toward Obito.
Obito was the sa.
He had been terrified by Kushina's earlier outburst, but after eating, he quickly forgot his fear and sat chatting with her.
Before long, another roar erupted from the room.
Of course, Raj deserved much of the credit for instigating this, earning himself two to three hundred points in the process.
By the end of the day, Raj had accumulated over two thousand points.
However, more than fifteen hundred of those points ca from Jiraiya.
The incident where Raj transford into Tsunade had thoroughly frightened Jiraiya, making it unlikely he could ever earn so many points from him again.
The sa trick would rarely work twice on Jiraiya, unless Raj could sohow find Tsunade, lure her into a similar situation, and then reveal himself as the one who had brought her there...
'Hmm, a good plan. I'll try it if the opportunity arises.'
Raj ntally noted the idea.
Jiraiya's good-natured but emotionally volatile personality made him
Raj's primary source of Points.
Any strategy to extract points from him was worth rembering.
If not for the risk of exposure, Raj would have written them all down on paper.
After the al, the group dispersed, and Raj went ho and fell into a deep sleep.
His peaceful days were numbered.
According to Minato, the Chunin Exams would begin next week.
These exams weren't just simple joint exercises; they were, in essence, another battlefield.
Konoha sent their most promising candidates, excluding even Asuma and his team.
It was clear that this year's Chunin Exams would focus heavily on combat.
Rin's own combat skills were lacking, so her battle strength included Raj, the Ninja Beast she had raised.
Raj could fight alongside her in any combat scenario.
'There's no choice. To ensure Rin's safety, I have to work harder.'
After going to bed early, Raj woke up in the middle of the night and began hunting rats.
This ti, he didn't limit himself to the civilian district.
Wherever he sensed the scent or movent of rats, he would hunt them down, then arrange their bodies in conspicuous places, even jumping onto windowsills to display so.
Only after the rats had gone to sleep did Raj wash his paws in the pond and return ho to rest.
The next morning, piercing screams echoed through parts of Konoha.
However, the screams were few.
Many of Konoha's residents were ninjas who had seen death firsthand.
A few dead rats were hardly worth screaming over; only the children tended to react that way.
Those were the ones Raj had deliberately placed on windowsills.
When Raj woke up at noon, his account had gained nearly five hundred Points.
Not a huge sum, but far more profitable than simply leaving rats on the streets.
'Still a thousand Points short!'
Over the past few months, Raj's Chakra reserves had grown significantly, and his physical strength and claws had beco much sharper.
Once he acquired the Expansion Jutsu, he would possess a well-rounded combat capability.
However, his increased strength wasn't solely due to the Cat Food; his age also played a crucial role.
Kittens experience rapid growth after eight months, and Raj, as a Ninja Cat, was no exception.
As a result, his current strength far surpassed what he had demonstrated during previous missions.
Even without the Expansion Jutsu, he didn't consider the Chunin Exams a challenge.
After all, it was just the Chunin Exams.
No village would stoop so low as to disguise Jonin as Genin or, like in the Naruto storyline, send Jinchuriki directly.
During a postwar period, such actions would be blatant provocations.
No matter how fiery their tempers, no village would dare to take such a step unless they wished to reignite the war.
'Sigh, I hope the Chunin Exams aren't too dangerous.'
Raj curled up at ho with a sigh.
He was feeling a bit lazy and didn't feel like going out.
He also feared running into Guy, who was always running around the village.
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