Light a candle for me.'
"Hmm, so you've met Orochimaru too? Interesting. Well, I'm not like him. Stick with me, and you'll eat well and live comfortably. As long as I have food, you won't go hungry," Tsunade declared, patting her chest, her vow echoing amidst the surging waves of her... ahem.
Matatabi didn't yet understand Tsunade, so it seemed somewhat submissive.
But once it learned about Tsunade's history, it would regret its decision.
During her time away from the village, she had mostly been in debt.
The promises of "living the high life" were nothing but empty words.
The only truly meaningful part of her statement was the last sentence: as long as she has food, she won't let Matatabi go hungry.
Conversely, if she has no food, Matatabi will have to find a way to get some.
A harsh reality.
Raj decided not to reveal this to Matatabi.
Surprises are best discovered on one's own.
"Don't worry, you won't lose out by sticking with me," Tsunade said, ruffling Matatabi's head.
She casually pulled out a packet of Ninja Cat-specific soldier pills she had left over from a previous batch.
Matatabi cautiously approached and sniffed the pills.
'Seems edible.'
So it ate one.
The taste was decent, and it restored chakra.
'Not bad!'
Matatabi's eyes lit up.
Raj secretly gave Tsunade a thumbs-up.
She had already recognized the cat's gluttonous nature - this was going to work out perfectly.
"Come on, let's go register you."
Tsunade was delighted.
Adopting him meant she could tease him every day.
This cat was strong and resilient, so she didn't have to worry about breaking him by making him do things.
He was far easier to care for than a typical black cat.
This was why she had changed her mind on the spot.
"Meow~ So lucky! I'm so jealous!" Raj gloated, practically adding a smug emoji.
Kabuto glanced at him, smiling faintly.
"Next time happiness comes knocking, please don't arrange it for me. I'm already quite happy."
"Meow! Lady Tsunade is handling your affairs - it has nothing to do with me!" Raj retorted, waving his paw dismissively.
They had already discussed this matter once before.
Kabuto suspected Raj of stabbing him in the back, but Raj insisted it knew nothing - which was true.
It only knew Tsunade wanted to groom a few successors, but it didn't realize Kabuto was among them.
"I'm not talking about that. I'm referring to things that haven't happened yet."
Kabuto closed his notebook and turned to leave.
Now that Tsunade had Matatabi, she had finally forgotten about them both.
But this bottle of sake...
Kabuto was too afraid of retaliation to throw it away.
He took a small sip, letting the sake linger in his mouth to create the illusion of having drunk more.
He tucked the rest into his pocket, planning to give it to the uncle at the orphanage later.
Raj, impressed by this tactic, mimicked him, taking a small sip as well.
This way, if Tsunade checked on them, they could immediately swallow and pretend they had just finished drinking.
Kabuto headed toward the newly opened pet service shop, and Raj quickly followed.
"Meow!"
"What do you want now?" Kabuto asked, eyeing Raj warily.
Having witnessed Matatabi being tricked by Raj firsthand, Kabuto's trust in the feline had plummeted to near zero.
So... he glared at Raj, his gaze growing increasingly hostile.
If Raj turned back, there must be a reason - either to repay a debt or seek revenge.
Kabuto considered the possibility of gratitude highly unlikely.
"It's a good thing, meow! Don't be so hostile. You're five years old now, you should act more mature."
"You know I'm only five years old."
"...!"
The boy and cat bickered in hushed tones as they returned to the pet service shop.
Along the way, Raj revealed his true purpose for the visit.
Besides getting massages and other services, he also wanted Kabuto to research cat food.
With the cat population growing rapidly, relying solely on the System for cat food was unsustainable.
No amount of System Points could keep up with the consumption of so many foolish cats.
Raj needed to find a way to develop a viable alternative.
The luxurious cat food was virtually irreplaceable.
Its Natural Energy was too advanced; even the other Holy Lands couldn't produce food that could store Natural Energy and be absorbed by humans.
However, the Ninja Cat Special Ration still held promise for improvement.
As for the Ninja Cat Special Ration... Kabuto's previous work had already come close.
If he could study the special ration, he should be able to refine it further.
The mention of research immediately piqued Kabuto's interest.
He loved research, especially when it involved Ninja Beasts.
He had long wanted to study the Raj Clan's secret cat ration, but asking about their secrets directly felt inappropriate, so he had suppressed his curiosity until now.
After bringing Raj to the research lab, Kabuto voiced his confusion.
"If you have the ability to produce this ration, why do you need my help to develop it?"
"Because of the ingredients, meow." Raj didn't elaborate.
When speaking to intelligent people, you only needed to hint at the truth; they would fill in the gaps themselves, especially after you'd already established your image as a powerful figure.
Sure enough, Kabuto pondered for a moment and understood.
With a thoughtful expression, he said, "So the ingredients for these cat rations are extremely rare. No wonder Lord Orochimaru said Ninja Cats generally lack significant abilities.
It seems their powers are only activated through this special ration."
"Meow!" Raj nodded.
'Exactly!'
It calmly glanced at Kabuto before quickly averting its gaze and continuing, "Many of these ingredients are only found in my homeland. I brought these with me, so..."
"I understand," Kabuto nodded gently.
Study the effects and then create substitutes.
He took the two bags of cat food, flipping them over in his hands as he casually remarked, "Not everything can be replaced. And I must reiterate, I'm only five years old."
"Meow! I know! I'm just over a year old myself," Raj replied confidently.
"How can that be the same?" Kabuto retorted, speechless.
Having never experienced his undercover life, Kabuto's personality was clearly different from what Raj had imagined.
If he had been the Kabuto Raj knew, it would never have dared let him study the cat food.
Who knew if that "Kabuto" might have added some "impurities" to it?
Kabuto examined the packages closely but couldn't discern anything unusual from their appearance.
However, he was certain that the two packages contained different types of cat food.
"Which one is the more ordinary?"
"Meow!" Raj pointed to the special cat food.
Rip!
Kabuto tore open the package, quickly retrieved another bag from beneath it, and poured a small portion of the cat food into the bottle.