He'd rather believe the silver-haired youth was the real leader.
At least he looked more reliable...
The caravan soon set off.
The Land of Snow was perpetually blanketed in snow.
After disembarking at the port, the caravan loaded their goods onto railcars and continued their journey to the Royal Capital.
Raj quietly followed behind.
Of course, even on the train, it didn't forget its duties.
It retrieved paper, brush, and ink from its dimensional storage, then used a transformation technique to create a hand and wrote a letter to Yahiko and the others.
'The plan begins!'
Convincing Hanzo to relax would take time, and the round trip for intelligence gathering would require three to four days.
Raj's escort of the caravan to the Land of Snow's Royal Capital would also take at least a day or two.
Sending the message now was perfectly timed.
'I wonder if there will be any trouble in the Land of Snow.'
Raj lay in the cargo hold of the railcar.
The day passed quickly.
The next day, Raj faintly heard the sounds of fierce fighting and screams ahead, but they soon faded away.
Sensing the area, he determined it was just a few bandits who had been dealt with by Guy and the others.
According to the map he had studied earlier, they were now quite close to the Royal Capital.
Raj jumped down from the back of the truck, activated Sage Mode, and expanded his senses.
Within his detection range, he detected no enemies.
He even sensed the Royal Capital of the Land of Snow.
'All clear.'
He tossed a bag of special cat food to Kakashi - their prearranged signal for Raj's departure.
At the front of the truck, Kakashi had been leaning against the wall when he suddenly felt something land in his lap.
'Hmm... has the deadbeat cat finally abandoned his post?'
He glanced down, then
He stood up and walked to the truck window.
With Raj around, Kakashi felt completely at ease.
But now that the Jonin had left, Kakashi realized he was genuinely worried and even afraid.
'What if we're attacked on the road ahead? Can I handle it alone? Kakashi, you need to learn to stand on your own. You're still far from being a true Jonin.'
He took a deep breath.
The Kakashi of this era was far more composed than the one from Naruto.
He was neither arrogant nor blindly confident, and he treated his teammates with genuine warmth - a transformation largely thanks to Raj's relentless beatings.
Of course, Kakashi himself would never admit this.
Such is human nature.
Raj was used to it.
As a cat who always did good deeds without expecting anything in return, he left the merchant caravan and followed the scroll and map given to him by the Third Hokage to locate the Snow Ninja Village.
The Land of Snow had a harsh climate, but Raj's urgency allowed him to find the village by nightfall.
At this time, the Snow Ninja Village was quite small.
Calling it a "village" was almost an exaggeration; it was more like a small, wandering ninja clan.
However, after settling here, they seemed to have established roots in this snowy mountain range for some time.
'Should I attack directly or follow protocol?'
Raj pondered this.
Just then, voices drifted from the corner of the room where he was crouching.
"Leader, the lord has sent word. The cargo has arrived, but Konoha's escort is led by the son of Konoha's White Fang. The lord has ordered us to hold back for now."
"White Fang's son? That kid?"
"I heard there was a Ninja Cat on the ship, but it disappeared after disembarking. We still don't know what happened to it."
The murmurs abruptly ceased as a cat appeared in the doorway.
The creature was as large as a snow lion, its fur entirely black without a single stray hair.
If not for the slight differences between its feline head and those of lions or tigers, they might have mistaken it for a snow lion that had wandered in.
For a moment, all breathing stopped.
With each step the cat took, everything in the room became covered in ice and snow.
In an instant, the ground beneath its paws transformed into frozen terrain.
'Ice Release? Or is this another flawed imitation like ours, a Water Release technique adapted to the environment...?'
"Meow~ You're probably wondering if my Ice Release is the same as yours," the cat purred.
With a swipe of its paw, the wall of the room instantly collapsed.
Through the gaping hole, they could glimpse a blizzard raging outside, along with mirrors reflecting the flickering firelight.
'What is that?'
Many were puzzled, but the leader immediately recognized it.
"A Kekkei Genkai... the Snow Clan?"
He took a deep breath, his voice trembling with fear.
Ice Release - true Ice Release.
The Kekkei Genkai Ice Release was nothing like their inferior imitations.
The Snow Ninja Leader vaguely recalled seeing these mirrors in ancient texts.
They were called Demonic Ice Crystal Mirrors.
The cat's Demonic Ice Crystal Mirrors had enveloped the entire village, meaning everyone was trapped.
Their lives hung by a thread, dependent on the cat's whim.
To put it bluntly, a single swipe from the cat's paw would be unstoppable.
The others, upon hearing "Snow Clan" and "Kekkei Genkai," were immediately stunned.
They didn't yet understand the connection between the Snow Clan, Ice Release, and Konoha, but the immediate threat was clear: their lives were now in the hands of this black cat.
No one doubted the cat's power.
Its ability to cover such a vast area with Demonic Ice Crystal Mirrors demonstrated its immense Chakra reserves.
And that claw strike earlier...
"Meow~ Do you surrender?"
"Lord, your arrival is an honor for the Snow Ninja Village."
The Snow Ninja Leader knelt, trembling.
Surprisingly easy.
Rogue Ninja lacked their own traditions, relying instead on inferior imitations.
Doto Kazahana had clearly failed to develop Chakra Armor, and without it, the Snow Ninja didn't even qualify for expansion.
Under the threat of force, they surrendered instantly.
Raj dispelled his Ninjutsu.
"Meow~ Well then, I'll settle in first. Tell the villagers that from today onward, you belong to me."
'Belong to you?'
The Snow Ninja Leader felt uneasy, but he dared not voice his concerns.
Whatever Raj said was law; preserving his life came first.
"Leader, what exactly..."
"Everyone, there's no need to worry. We were just testing some Ninjutsu. Go back to sleep."
This is not a spectacle you want to witness.
Anyone who does will die.
Truthfully, he felt like half his head had already been severed.
But everyone clings to hope.
If they obeyed orders, perhaps this cat would spare them.
With trembling limbs, he retreated into his quarters.
In an instant, he saw the wall behind him had been encased in a thick layer of ice.
In the Land of Snow's frigid climate, the ice wouldn't melt, providing a temporary barrier against the blizzard.