Raj had sensed a powerful threat and used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport here without hesitation.
He'd expected an enemy, but when he focused his gaze, he saw a head of golden hair and two... mountains.
'Wait a minute... this looks familiar! Isn't that Lady Tsunade?! How did she get here? Did Jiraiya rat me out?! That ungrateful bastard! He was quick to take his share of the money, but when it came to taking the blame, he's nowhere to be found. Seriously...'
"Lady Tsunade, what are you doing here?!"
Tsunade had left Konoha years ago.
Despite the village's efforts to find her, there had been no news.
Yet here she was, appearing out of nowhere.
This was truly...
Kakashi couldn't decide if he should be surprised or terrified, but for Raj, it was definitely terror.
Just meeting Tsunade's beautiful eyes made its limbs tremble uncontrollably.
'No, I have to do something.'
Taking a deep breath, Raj prepared to offer an explanation.
But before it could speak, Tsunade smiled.
"Nothing much. I came to the front lines to see Jiraiya about something and noticed someone training here, so I thought I'd check it out."
'Looking for Jiraiya?'
'Huh? So she hasn't found Jiraiya yet and came here first?'
'Then I'm safe for now.'
Raj breathed a sigh of relief.
If Jiraiya had reported first, the situation would have been dire.
But now, at least it had a chance to explain its side first.
'With the first move, how could it possibly lose?'
"By the way, can I borrow that tumbler to try it out?"
"This..."
"Is that a problem?"
"No, please go ahead."
Raj desperately wanted to refuse, knowing full well the terrifying power of Tsunade's punches.
One strike could shatter the daruma doll into dust, scattering it across the earth.
But after a moment's thought, it realized that letting Tsunade break the doll first might make her feel slightly guilty.
'Better the doll be destroyed than me,' Raj thought, immediately abandoning any thought of refusal.
"Excellent! Then let me give it a try," Tsunade said eagerly, stepping forward to face the daruma doll.
She initially intended to use her full strength, but then worried about frightening the children and the intriguing Ninja Cat.
So she reduced her power to about thirty percent.
One punch...
Boom!
This time, the daruma doll didn't bounce back.
Its head had been driven deep into the ground, the entire doll buried upside down and impossible to dislodge.
'What a terrifying woman!'
Obito and Kakashi couldn't help but swallow hard, but Raj was the most terrified.
It knew this punch wasn't even her full strength.
'If a full-power strike landed on me, would I just... die?'
Raj couldn't help but admire Jiraiya.
Even after taking a full-power blow, he had only nearly died.
'This is the power of the Three Legendary Sannin,' it thought.
Tsunade turned with an embarrassed smile, scratching her head.
"I guess there's a limit to how much it can withstand..."
"Raj, can this still be used?" Obito asked, both worried and secretly relieved.
If it was broken, he wouldn't have to endure any more beatings.
"I..."
"Wait, you're called Raj?"
'Holy shit?! Obito, I swear I'll never let you live this down!'
Raj immediately sensed trouble.
It cursed inwardly, then forced itself to nod and let out a cute meow.
"Raj... Hmm, Kakashi, is there another Special Jonin named Raj in the village?"
Tsunade's mind flashed back to Raj's sudden appearance earlier.
She already had a suspicion, and her expression gradually darkened.
'Damn it!'
Raj's mind raced, quickly devising a solution.
Before Kakashi could speak, it declared, "If you're looking for a Special Jonin named Raj, then that must be me, meow!"
"Heh heh heh, so it really is you!"
Tsunade was no fool.
Any deception now would only lead to a brutal reckoning later.
Raj decisively chose to confess.
"Yes, I am the 'Raj' you mentioned, the Special Jonin."
But it feigned ignorance.
"Meow~ You know my name?"
"Come, sit beside me and let's talk."
Tsunade's smile was beautiful, but the more radiant it became, the more terrifying it seemed.
This reminded Raj of a line from a novel in its past life, spoken by a female character: "The more beautiful they are, the more likely they are to deceive you."
It hadn't understood its meaning before, but now Tsunade was giving it a live demonstration.
'This is exactly what "the prettier they are, the more they'll lie" means!'
If not for that novel, she wouldn't even be here.
Left with no choice, Raj forced itself to appear calm as it sat beside her.
Tsunade's hand, which had just smashed the daruma doll, gently stroked its fur.
The touch seemed soft, but her aura was overwhelming.
Kakashi averted his gaze, desperately trying not to laugh.
'Black-Hearted Cat, your day of reckoning has come!'
"Raj, tell me, do you know Jiraiya wrote a book?" Tsunade smiled brightly.
"I know, meow~"
Raj squatted calmly and recited the story it had already prepared in its mind.
"But I only told a story. I heard it from another cat. It's about a young lady from a noble clan who went to bathe and was seen by a cowherd. He then..."
It slightly modified the tale of the Cowherd and Weaver Girl, making it almost perfectly match the plot of Jiraiya's novel.
"Is there more?"
"No, meow."
"Why did you tell this story to Jiraiya?"
Tsunade nodded gently, her warm smile carrying an icy indifference.
For a brief moment, the cat's heart had raced, proving it was still lying.
As a medical expert, detecting such a subtle physiological change was effortless for her.
Raj deliberately paused, saying nothing for several seconds before finally asking, "Meow~ Can I not say?"
"No, unless you want to end up like that," Tsunade said, pointing to the tumbler doll still stuck upside down in the ground.
Now, without needing to guess, Kakashi and Obito understood what had happened.
Raj had collaborated with Jiraiya on a book, but somehow the book had enraged Lady Tsunade, who had returned specifically to take revenge.
Kakashi had already silently lit a candle, burned incense, and spat on the Black-Hearted Cat in his mind.
A cat this wicked deserved no sympathy, even if it were punished or beaten.
As for Obito...
"Why didn't you say anything? There's definitely something wrong."
"Meow~"
Raj glanced at Obito, then nervously felt the demonic hand on its body.
"This involves one of Lord Jiraiya's less... honorable little secrets, meow."
"Oh?"
Raj felt the hand on its body tighten slightly.