I'm still good."
"Guy, stop now. Your body can't handle continuous use yet," Tsunade said, jumping down to stop him.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade. I'm sorry," Guy replied, bowing apologetically.
He knew better than to ignore a doctor's orders.
Tsunade performed a routine check and found that Guy's body hadn't suffered much damage this time.
A short rest would be enough for recovery.
"Rest well," she instructed.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade."
After a brief exchange with Guy, Tsunade beckoned Raj to follow her.
Raj immediately complied.
Guy was quick to grasp and develop new techniques, making teaching him effortless.
But teaching Guy was truly exhausting.
Explaining the Morning Peacock alone took half a day.
It was best to slip away while she could.
'Lady Tsunade came to see me privately? Could it be...?'
Raj rubbed his paws together.
'Time to divide the spoils!'
"Meow!"
"I squeezed an extra sum from the Kiri Ninja. We'll split that money fifty-fifty as agreed. But we can't touch the regular compensation - that goes to the village or as compensation for injured or deceased ninja. Understand?" Tsunade was uncharacteristically serious.
Raj nodded vigorously in agreement.
It understood the gravity of the situation.
The money Tsunade had secured was an extra benefit she had negotiated, while the rest belonged to the village.
But...
Was Tsunade really this principled?
It remained skeptical.
Perhaps sensing its skepticism, Tsunade nearly punched it in frustration, her face flushed with embarrassment.
She inwardly admitted she had taken a small cut, but not from the village's share.
Instead, she had accepted funds from Jiraiya and Orochimaru, who had written to her in recent days, urging her to assist them.
For this, the two were willing to pay.
Of course, she saw no need to mention such trivial matters to Raj.
'Money corrupts.'
Raj's suspicions only deepened.
However, when it saw the staggering sum Tsunade had extracted from the Kiri Ninja, it immediately dismissed any concerns about her potentially pocketing some for herself.
The amount was simply too enormous.
Even split in half, Raj would receive ten million ryo - equivalent to one-third of Asuma's future compensation.
Kabuto's earnings were nowhere near this level.
Most importantly, this was merely extra income.
The village's official rewards would undoubtedly be substantial as well.
"You must have taken a cut, meow~. But since it's such a large sum, I'll consider your hidden share as compensation for your hard work."
Raj waved its paw dismissively.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Tsunade coughed violently.
'How can a cat talk like that? Hidden share? I earned that through my own skills!'
"Meow~ Where's Rin? I need to teach her Sage Mode. We might not have much time after we return to the village."
Raj still had around 18,000-19,000 points.
It wanted to use them to settle important matters while it still had them, knowing it might impulsively spend them all in a few days.
With its eyes set on the Sealing Technique, it couldn't guarantee it wouldn't do something rash.
"Cough, we're returning to the village in a few days, so I've assigned Rin and Shizune to patrol."
"Isn't that your job, meow?"
Raj tilted its head.
A vein throbbed on Tsunade's forehead.
This cat had been growing increasingly impudent lately.
'Getting too big for its britches?'
Before she could explode, Raj had already vanished in a flash.
'The Flying Thunder God Technique is truly amazing!'
At the camp, Rin emerged from her tent only to find something heavy had landed on her shoulder.
"Raj?"
"If there's an emergency, I can handle the patrol alone. It's not a particularly difficult mission anyway," Shizune offered kindly.
Though their relationship had been lukewarm before, their recent patrols together while assisting Tsunade had forged a bond through shared experiences, and they had quickly grown close.
"Meow~ Thank you, Shizune."
"Mm, Senior Shizune, I'll be in your care. I'll try to return as quickly as possible."
Rin realized Raj intended to teach her Sage Mode.
This was a crucial matter.
Raj had initially planned to find a secluded spot to add some ceremony, but then he reconsidered.
Formalities were too troublesome; it was better to get straight to it.
"Meow~ First, let me explain that Sage Mode can cause slight transformations depending on the individual. This is perfectly normal, so don't panic if your body changes later."
Rin nodded gently.
She had heard some explanations about Sage Mode from Minato.
For example, the transformation at Mount Myoboku involved frog-like changes.
She wondered what kind of changes the Cat Clan might experience.
Growing cat fur?
If that happened...
Eek, that's a bit scary.
Rin's anxiety grew.
Then she saw Raj take out a bag of cat food.
She recognized it - she had been eating it recently and always felt extremely full afterward.
'Sage Mode requires eating this?'
"Meow! Before you eat, let me explain the System version of Sage Mode induction. Memorize this now so you don't forget later."
Raj paused, then began explaining the System version of Sage Mode induction.
Rin listened carefully several times, finally nodding solemnly.
"I understand. But what if I can't master it? Will there be any other risks?"
"Not really, meow. At worst, you'll sleep for a few days like I did."
'Still a thousand points left.'
He wasn't too worried.
Rin had excellent chakra control, and she'd already eaten a bag of cat food, allowing her body to gradually adapt to the power of Natural Energy.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, success seemed almost guaranteed.
The only question was to what extent she could
Master Sage Mode.
Humans and cats were fundamentally different.
His own Sage Mode only caused a slight change in fur color, while hers... Raj decided it was best to wait and see.
Rin quickly consumed the entire bag of cat food.
This time, the full dose triggered a significant reaction.
Her chakra briefly surged out of control, but she quickly regained her composure and began slowly regulating the influx of Natural Energy into her body.
This process had been occurring unconsciously in her body for the past few days.
Now that she was consciously regulating it, the process naturally accelerated.
'No surprises, she's got this.'
Raj let out a sigh of relief.
Next, he scanned the surroundings to ensure no one would suddenly interrupt.
The area wasn't close to the camp, but it wasn't too far either.
Some bored children, like Obito and his group who exercised daily, often wandered around.
Those kids were utterly bored.
Guy and Guy were training the Eight Inner Gates together, leaving the others to lead their own training, which mostly consisted of running.
Once he confirmed no one was approaching, Raj focused entirely on observing Rin's transformation.
Sage Chakra was forming.
Rin had a remarkable aptitude for this.
The key factor, of course, was that her body had already adapted to Natural Energy; otherwise, she wouldn't have achieved such rapid progress.