Just have half, and Raj can help you with the rest," Tsunade said casually.
With a wave of her hand, she signaled the two to follow.
The Ninja Cat Castle wasn't in Konoha, but rather some distance away. Still, at their pace, the journey wouldn't take too long.
Even if Kabuto's stamina was lacking, Raj was there to help. That was Tsunade's plan.
Raj, however, had his own ideas.
If Kabuto couldn't keep up, there was always Matatabi. The giant cat could easily carry Kabuto without any trouble.
'Huh? Wait a minute.'
A thought struck Matatabi, and it quickly dashed to an open area.
Raj pondered for a moment, then raised a paw and said, "I'll summon a cat to carry Kabuto."
"Summon?" Tsunade glanced over, then watched as Raj unfurled a summoning scroll.
With a quick press, a white cat materialized above the scroll, its expression bewildered as it looked around.
Finally, its gaze settled on Raj, Tsunade, and Kabuto.
'What a huge cat!' Tsunade thought in astonishment, her eyes gradually lighting up.
"Shrink down a bit, meow~," Raj said kindly.
"We're going to Ninja Cat Castle, and Kabuto's only five, so he doesn't have the stamina. Could you help carry him?"
The cat shrank down, its face now utterly bewildered.
'Why the hell are they asking me to do this? The other two are much stronger now - they could carry him just as easily. Wait, something feels off...'
Before it could pinpoint what was wrong, the beautiful woman began circling it, finally patting its paw and declaring, "No need to look any further. This one's perfect."
"Meow?" Matatabi was completely bewildered.
'What's going on? Why is this woman circling me and patting my paw like we're old friends?'
Raj wore a troubled expression.
Noticing Tsunade's gaze, he explained, "I've just been promoted to Jonin, so Matatabi is now Rin's assistant. Besides, he's my loyal subordinate, and I have no right to make decisions for him."
A flawless defense!
He had considered Matatabi's feelings, invoked Rin as a figurehead, and ensured that no matter what Matatabi did, he himself wouldn't get beaten up.
Raj mentally gave himself a thumbs-up.
"Meow! What are you two even talking about?" The Two-Tailed Cat raised its tail, glaring warily at Tsunade and Raj.
Though it didn't understand the specifics, one thing was clear: it had been tricked, and badly so. Raj's unusually gentle and reasonable demeanor was always a sign that he was about to pull a fast one.
Normally, he never bothered with reason.
"To put it simply, I want to adopt you."
Tsunade spoke the most tender words in a fierce, bold tone. But.
Matatabi probably couldn't handle such tenderness.
"Actually, I originally wanted to raise a pig. Keeping one would be an investment in the future. But then I realized I have a natural affinity for cats - I can even understand their language - so I thought about getting a cat instead. I never imagined there was a creature that combined the appearances of both pigs and cats."
Tsunade expressed her surprise and fondness for Matatabi. However, her affection only intensified Matatabi's terror.
The creature shuddered violently, its fur bristling as it arched its back and hissed at Tsunade, "Meow! Stay away!"
"Good, it seems quite lively." Tsunade flexed her fist, her knuckles cracking loudly.
Spikes erupted from Matatabi's body as its fur grew wildly, attempting to bind Tsunade.
Needle Jizo, Wild Lion's Mane.
But...
Boom!
One punch. The fur snapped, and Matatabi went flying.
The creature soared through the air, but before it could collide with anything, Tsunade was already upon it again.
In desperation, Matatabi opened its mouth and unleashed a torrent of water.
Water Release: Iron Cannonball.
But it was useless.
With her monstrous strength and incredible speed, Tsunade feared no head-on confrontation. One punch shattered the Iron Cannonball's water column into a shower of droplets.
"Excellent! I didn't expect you to know so many techniques. Again!" Tsunade shouted excitedly.
Boom!
With a resounding crash, Matatabi was sent flying into the sky. It dared not grow larger.
Enlarging itself would only make it an easier target. Instead, Matatabi reversed its strategy, shrinking itself even smaller.
This increased its speed, allowing it to evade some attacks. But its speed still paled in comparison to Raj's.
Tsunade couldn't keep up with Raj, but catching Matatabi posed no challenge at all.
"Amazing! This Ninja Cat actually knows ninjutsu! Lady Tsunade's notes never mentioned this..." Kabuto watched excitedly from the sidelines, quickly scribbling in his notebook as Matatabi unleashed its techniques.
Seeing Matatabi getting pummeled, Raj felt a pang of sympathy, like a fox mourning the death of a rabbit.
'I'll have to help Matatabi get stronger later... If it gets defeated too quickly, Tsunade will gradually lose interest. And Tsunade's relentless pressure will also force Matatabi to desperately improve. Perfect.'
"Speaking of which, isn't it a bit much to treat your subordinates like this?" Kabuto murmured, scribbling notes.
"What do you mean 'treat them like this'? Lady Tsunade is excellent. Not only can she take care of it, but she also pushes it to grow stronger every moment. Once it reaches my speed, it can run away, meow~," Raj said, showing no remorse whatsoever.
If subordinates weren't meant to be used, they'd be pointless, especially these incorrigibly mischievous cats.
"Whatever makes you happy," Kabuto said with a soft chuckle.
Tsunade was clearly in a foul mood today, and the alcohol had only emboldened her recklessness. But...
It felt real.
Ever since Kabuto began studying Medical Ninjutsu and interacting with Medical Ninja, the name he'd heard most often was Tsunade's.
From proposing Medical Ninja accompany teams to perfecting the Medical Ninja system, to developing ninjutsu for treating entire armies -
In a way, Tsunade was half his idol.
Yes, only half.
Because Kabuto's true ambition was to become a medical expert specializing in researching and treating Ninju and pets, a field Tsunade clearly wasn't involved in.
Boom!
Another punch landed. Matatabi lay on the ground, its limbs trembling.
No blood was drawn.
Tsunade swiftly crouched down and began healing Matatabi with Medical Ninjutsu.
'It's really pitiful.'
Raj felt a tiny pang of guilt surface in his heart - but only a tiny one.
"Well, are you convinced now?" Tsunade asked Matatabi after finishing the treatment.
Matatabi nodded.
The Reverse Summoning Technique differed from the Summoning Technique in that the latter allowed the summoned creature to leave when the time was up. The Reverse Summoning Technique, however, offered no such escape.
Matatabi had no choice but to submit.
'How I hate this,' Matatabi thought, its resentful gaze fixed on Raj.
If looks could kill, Raj would have died a thousand times over.
"Alright, meow. This is Lady Tsunade, a classmate of that person you met earlier," Raj reminded him kindly.
Matatabi looked up, only to see Kabuto again.
'I'm done for.