The progress bar for the Transformation Pill jumped to one-quarter full.
The Obito-brand Points-farming tool was proving remarkably effective!
The cat lay outside the door, quietly observing Takuma's lecture.
Takuma was teaching about the precise extraction and control of Chakra.
Raj found the lesson highly relevant, knowing he would eventually become a Ninja Cat.
This knowledge was like getting a head start on the technology tree.
Humans and cats were vastly different, but their Chakra was largely similar.
After listening for a long time and feeling he had gained much, Raj even tried extracting Chakra himself.
Unfortunately, cats and humans were fundamentally different; human methods simply didn't work for extracting Chakra from a feline body.
'Guess I'll just stick to farming Points the old-fashioned way.'
"That cat didn't follow me in after all...," Obito muttered in surprise as he took his seat.
He knew that if the little black cat had tried to enter, Teacher Shiranui would have thrown it out.
The teacher allowed cats to observe from outside, but strictly forbade them from entering the classroom.
"Cats are quite clever," Rin said with a smile from her seat beside him.
"Hmm... you're right," Obito replied after a moment's thought, the image of the black cat's gaze as it meowed at him flashing through his mind.
'Fierce? Ha, maybe it's just like me - a genius cat with ambition.'
Obito adjusted his goggles and focused on the lesson.
As a student, he was diligent, but his natural talent was lacking, and his foundation was shaky.
He struggled to grasp many concepts.
In contrast, Raj listened attentively and quickly understood the basics of Chakra manipulation.
Of course, understanding in theory was different from practical application.
He still couldn't extract Chakra - perhaps because he was too young, or perhaps he lacked the necessary training.
For Raj, it was better to focus on earning more Points than overthinking things.
Bullying its own kind?
That would definitely yield Points, but it lacked the strength.
Even a house cat could probably beat it to a pulp.
'Better to stick around the classroom and see what opportunities arose here.'
It lay down by the door, pondering its next move.
When it had stolen the fish earlier, it hadn't been seen, earning only thirty-odd Points.
But when it blocked Obito's path, it triggered a "prank" notification, and later, thanks to Obito's retelling of the incident, it gained another seventy-odd Points.
This meant pranks, having others spread tales of its "deeds," and similar actions could all earn Points.
With this realization, Raj twitched its paw.
The teacher was clearly a Chunin.
Pranking a Chunin would undoubtedly yield more Points, but it didn't dare act.
That was a Chunin, after all.
It couldn't even beat these kids, let alone a Chunin teacher.
For the sake of its life, it decided to settle for a safer approach.
It rose and padded along the wall toward the back door.
Several students were seated near the back door, including a girl.
The girl was strikingly beautiful, with captivating eyes.
Though still young, it was clear she would grow into a stunning beauty.
Behind her sat Asuma Sarutobi, the notorious pervert of a boy.
"So beautiful!"
Asuma tilted his head, his gaze fixed intently on Kurenai, completely ignoring Teacher Shiranui's lecture.
He already knew the material-the Third Hokage had taught him all this years ago.
As the son of a Hokage, Asuma had one commendable trait: even when he didn't need to study, he refrained from causing trouble, contenting himself with quietly stealing glances at Kurenai.
Still, a boy staring so intently at a girl was quite improper.
Raj decided to teach him a lesson.
Cats move silently, so it was easy for him to approach Asuma unnoticed.
Then... Whoosh!
'What the hell was that?!'
Asuma was so engrossed in his staring that he didn't see the black shadow dart across his vision.
Suddenly, a small cat appeared on his desk.
What truly terrified him was that the cat extended its paw toward Kurenai's back.
The students on either side of them froze, afraid to make any sudden movements.
They could only wait for Asuma to intervene.
'No, no!'
Asuma frantically reached out to stop it...
Whoosh!
The kitten swiped at Kurenai's back before leaping off the desk and fleeing.
Kurenai turned around, confused, and saw Asuma's outstretched hand.
"Sarutobi, is something wrong?"
"No, actually, that black cat just swiped at your back. I was trying to stop it."
Asuma's face flushed crimson.
"We can vouch for him," several students in the back row whispered in support.
They had indeed seen the black cat, but it had vanished in a flash.
Kurenai scanned the room but couldn't find the cat anywhere.
Then she glanced toward the door and saw it sprawled lazily by the entrance.
'What the-?!'
Feeling utterly deceived, she turned to glare angrily at Asuma.
"How did it move so fast?"
The cat had clearly tapped Kurenai's back just moments ago, yet it had somehow teleported back to the front of the room in the blink of an eye.
'How can a cat be so cunning and shameless?!'
"Enough, Asuma," Kurenai snapped, her voice tight with anger.
She turned back to face the podium, subtly sliding her chair forward to guard against Asuma's "wandering hands."
Raj smirked triumphantly, sticking his tongue out at Asuma.
'Is he mocking me?!'
Asuma seethed with rage, but since class was in session, he couldn't retaliate.
He had no choice but to swallow his anger.
'Damn cat! I'll flatten you after class!'
He vowed inwardly, his resentment burning fiercely.
Raj, meanwhile, glanced at the notification on his interface: 300 Points credited.
His mood soared.
This success led to a misunderstanding between Asuma and Kurenai, earning Raj double the points from the previous "roadblock cat" incident.
However, he was still nearly halfway short of the points needed to exchange for the Transformation Pill.
'The revolution is not yet won, comrades must continue to strive!'
But seeing Kurenai's disgusted expression toward Asuma, and Asuma's mortified rage...
'If I stay here any longer, I'll probably get beaten up after class.'
Raj lingered for a while before moving to another classroom, hoping to spot more familiar faces.
The Ninja Academy naturally had more than one class.
Downstairs, students from various grades filled the halls.
In one classroom, Raj spotted an adorable little girl.
Her striking hair and distinctive outfit immediately caught his eye.
Though she looked quite different from his memories, he recognized her as the young Anko.
A quintessential cute loli.