Kakashi forced himself to stop thinking about such a painful topic, or he felt like he might punch someone.
"The next phase isn't our concern," Shibi Aburame said quietly.
"Tomorrow should be quiet. In a few days, the fighting might die down again."
Having served alongside the Aburame Clan's Jonin in this region for years, Shibi was the most knowledgeable about the war between Konoha and Sunagakure.
Since last year, Suna and Iwagakure had been provoking Konoha, but mostly with hit-and-run tactics, never daring to fully invade.
Another factor was that Konoha shared no
Direct borders with either nation.
Generally, the Land of Fire, Land of Wind, and Land of Earth suffered minimal damage, leaving the smaller countries caught in the middle to bear the brunt of the conflict.
"Meow~ Obito, let's go!"
Raj leaped onto Obito's shoulder.
Its debuff hadn't worn off yet, so Shibi Aburame and the insects within him felt no fear of it.
If it weren't for the Points, who would willingly approach a man who had turned himself into a living insect hive? At least Raj wouldn't.
"Let's go back to sleep," Obito said, completely unfazed.
He was used to it.
Raj nodded inwardly.
'He's so good - great teamwork, steady shoulders, and impressive speed. He's far more reliable than Shibi Aburame. Besides...'
As a former Hokage fan, he knew perfectly well that the Third Shinobi World War was about to erupt, with the starting point being Sasori of the Red Sand's mysterious assassination of the disgraced Third Kazekage.
He had never dared to mention this to anyone.
During the Chunin Exams, Sasori had been collecting kekkei genkai users.
This suggested his Human Puppet technique was now complete, and his next target would likely be the Third Kazekage.
Given Sunagakure's current reaction, it was highly probable that... the Third Kazekage was already dead.
'Stockpile resources, bide your time, and focus on development. That's the true path to power. Only when you reach the level of a Sage from the Three Great Sage Lands should you make your move.'
War inevitably brings injuries and sacrifices.
Though the conflict was small-scale, Raj and his team still saw many wounded being carried back on their return journey.
Some might survive, but many were clearly poisoned.
Konoha and Sunagakure had been clashing for years, and they had a comprehensive set of methods for dealing with poisons.
However, if treatment was delayed and the toxins penetrated the bone marrow, permanent disabilities might result.
With an increasing number of casualties, Rin wouldn't be able to rest for quite some time.
Raj followed the others back to camp.
As the others gradually fell asleep, he waited for a while, but Rin still hadn't returned.
Unable to sleep, he followed her scent trail to find her... He couldn't shake his worry about the girl being alone outside.
Generally, frontline medical facilities were relatively rudimentary.
However, this camp had been established for over a year, and given the difficulty of countering Sunagakure's poisons, many specialized medical devices had been transported from the rear.
As a result, the Medical Corps' area was quite extensive.
After searching for a while, Raj finally located Rin.
She had just emerged from her tent and slumped down wearily against a nearby wall.
By the time Raj approached, she had already fallen asleep.
'Man, she's really pushing herself!'
Raj walked over and stared at Rin for a few seconds.
The girl was sleeping soundly, clearly having exhausted her Chakra.
From inside the tent, urgent commands could still be heard.
Raj glanced around before poking its head into the tent.
'Everyone's so busy.'
It used the Transformation Technique to assume human form, then crouched on its hind legs and carefully lifted Rin onto its back with its front paws.
After that, it used the Expansion Jutsu to enlarge its body, reverting to its cat form.
Just then...
"Y-you... who are you?"
A startled cry came from behind.
Raj strained to turn around and saw a female ninja, about thirteen or fourteen years old, who appeared to be a medical ninja.
Raj's current form had clearly frightened her badly.
It stared at her for a moment, then whispered, "I'm her companion. Is there a place to rest around here, meow?"
"Yes, yes, there is. Uh, should I carry her?"
The female ninja instinctively offered to help, but after speaking, she realized Raj probably didn't need it.
After all, with its massive size, it must be much stronger than her.
However, Raj cheerfully replied, "Okay, meow~ I'm actually quite tired."
"Uh..."
The female ninja was momentarily speechless.
After a moment, she stepped forward to lift Rin onto her back.
Rin was still small and light, but the ninja couldn't help but think Raj was all bark and no bite - all that size, yet so weak.
"Meow! No need to carry her, big sister. Just hold her steady so she doesn't fall."
Raj stuck out its tongue playfully and began walking forward slowly.
Guided by the female ninja, it successfully brought Rin to the medical ninja's rest tent.
During their brief conversation, Raj learned her name: Sumire - a simple, unassuming name that immediately revealed her commoner origins.
To Raj's surprise, she wasn't a medical ninja at all, but just an ordinary Genin.
She had once considered learning Medical Ninjutsu, but this type of ninjutsu wasn't suitable for everyone; it required extremely precise Chakra control.
Sumire didn't qualify.
She had come to the medical unit simply to contribute to her team, taking on the dirty and tiring tasks of an assistant.
No wonder her points were so low.
'Naruto has poisoned our minds too deeply...'
Ninjas like Sumire were the true reflection of most commoner ninjas.
With ordinary talent and humble origins, they were destined to remain Chunin at best for their entire lives.
Talented individuals like Rin were rare, whether among commoners or within the noble clans.
The next morning, Raj woke up early.
He might have slept longer if he hadn't heard Minato's voice.
Raj slipped out of the room and followed the sound.
After only a few steps, he spotted that striking head of golden hair.
'Too conspicuous. Good thing I'm not a golden cat. It would make hiding so much harder.'
He tried to reassure himself, but a pang of envy still lingered.
'Golden cats are so cool. Why didn't I meet a white cat or a golden cat back then?'
Squatting there, Raj couldn't help but feel a twinge of melancholy about life.
Concealing oneself was just a matter of using the Transformation Technique, but looking good was a lifelong pursuit.
'There was no "one-click skin swap" feature for this sort of thing...'
Sigh, dwelling on it was pointless.
All Raj could do was envy.