A perfect plan, indeed, mainly because Takeshi found a reason to draw Gachas. After acquiring the Flying Thunder God, Takeshi felt a rock lifted off his chest, he can now live a carefree life. As long as he has enough points to buy cat food, he's content.
Every time he accumulates a lot of points, he can't control his paws, and he becomes eager to draw Gacha more.
In the past, he would scold himself for not being able to control himself, but now he doesn't have to worry about it.
He can dispose of the unwanted items as a gift to the Nekomata while gaining appreciation and keeping the valuable things for himself. Profit for him either ways.
Takeshi praised his own ingenious idea. With the mindset of grabbing points, he started thinking about how to get some points from Jiraiya soon.
"Takeshi, although you have been promoted to a Special Jonin, you must respect Jiraiya-sama. He is the legendary Sannin, and everyone in Konoha respects him..." Rin knew the moral character of her cat, and before reaching the tent, she immediately grabbed Takeshi and whispered to him to prevent it from causing trouble again.
Takeshi naturally agreed with her. Since Jiraiya and his subordinates had arrived yesterday, the camp here was still basic, far from being comparable to Orochimaru's camp - his camp was well organized, though most of it was Shikaku's work.
The big commander's tent was easy to find. But here, even Jiraiya was feeling abit congested. As a separate tent for meetings wasn't put up yet, so Jiraiya had to deal with everyone one by one to assign tasks.
Among them, Takeshi only recognized Jonin Shinku Yuhi (Kurenai's father). Apart from him, the only one who Takeshi might know would be a Jonin who looked a little weak and carried a sword on his back. With physical features be from those of Gekko clan.
"Sensei, are you having a meeting?"
"No, not yet, we're just talking for the moment. Come and sit down." Jiraiya smiled. The Jiraiya was most proud of was his ability to train disciples.
So far, the few he had trained were quite good, far better than Orochimaru.
Minato bowed slightly to everyone with mild greetings, and then walked forward. Takeshi saw the right moment and leaped lightly, landing steadily on Minato's shoulder.
Rin wanted to stop him, but her speed was no match for the speed of a cat. By the time she made a move, Takeshi had already slipped away.
"Uh..." leading Rin to stand there hesitant on what to do.
"No, it's okay, let him come." Jiraiya's mouth twitched, and he recalled his previous experience in Konoha. If it weren't for this damn cat, he wouldn't have been kicked out so early.
He could have stayed in Konoha a few more days. The thought gnawed at him, especially when Tsunade came to mind.
If Tsunade were still in Konoha, it wouldn't just be a feast for the eyes, she could also share the mounting pressure. He hoped for that, even though she often saddled him with tedious and boring tasks.
But thinking of Tsunade and the trials she had endured, a soft sigh escaped him. No one could bear through such suffering.
Takeshi successfully approached Jiraiya, but before he could say a word, Minato held him with one hand, carrying him as if he were petting a cat. In a calm and gentle tone, he said, "Sensei, did you know about Takeshi's promotion?"
"Promotion?" Jiraiya's confusion was evident. He had been swamped with tasks and missions at the border camp, leaving him with a backlog of low-ranked intelligence reports. Minato's words caught him off guard.
Shinku Yuhi pondered for a while and asked suspiciously, "I heard Hizashi praising this cat for helping with certain tasks. Is that why he's being promoted?"
"Actually, we completed a difficult mission a few days ago, and Takeshi made significant contributions. Orochimaru-sama strongly recommended his promotion to Special Jonin, and the Hokage has approved it."
Jiraiya was stunned, his gaze fixed on Takeshi. He couldn't help but imagine a scene of a cat leading three Chunin on a mission, the image both absurd and impressive.
(E/N: For high ranking ninjas it is common for them to be assigned Chunins and Jonins as teammates for A+ ranked missions, and depending on complexity of B rank mission, the same could happen.)
Onoki would be laughing to death when he would hear it! It would be a good thing if that could really make Onoki die of laughter, but no matter how anyone looked at it, a one-year-old cat as a Special Jonin just screamed of unreliability. How much battlefield knowledge could a kitten possibly have?
"I don't know what kind of combat it is suitable for... um, Special Jonin Takeshi," Gekko Naoki asked, his expression a mix of curiosity and skepticism. Naoki, also a Special Jonin, couldn't help but feel a bit conflicted.
"Tracking, reconnaissance, assassination, frontal combat, I can do various kinds of missions, meow~" Takeshi said proudly.
"..." Gekko Naoki silently fumed. 'Far more than me,' he grumbled in his heart.
Naoki had earned his Special Jonin rank through his swordsmanship and assassination skills, but he was slightly inferior in other areas. Only slightly, of course.
Moreover, he lacked experience in leading teams, which had prevented him from being promoted to the full Jonin rank for years. 'Am I really that bad compared to a small cat?' He shook his head. Comparisons like this would only lead to unnecessary suffering.
Shinku Yuhi Yuhi watched from the side, remaining silent. His daughter had a good relationship with Takeshi, and his responsibilities mainly involved training and managing Chunins and Genins, as well as overseeing the Genin corps. He saw no need to comment.
But the few Special Jonins in the tent were feeling a bit insecure. Jiraiya, in particular, was cursing under his breath. He had also been directly promoted to Special Jonin after becoming a Genin, and he remembered the years of struggle it had taken to earn that rank.
He rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. "Takeshi will continue to stay in your team. Though Rin may be reassigned at any moment when battles start. So, it's okay for your team to have a fifth person."
"Thank you, Jiraiya-sama!" Rin immediately bowed to thank him.
"Sensei, if there is nothing else, I want Rin and the rest of the team to go back and rest..."
"No problem. I heard about your missions. You must be exhausted from the past few days. Let Takeshi go as well and let them rest together."
"Meow?" Takeshi was confused. He hadn't had time to collect points, and now he was being sent away. That seemed unfair!
So, he struggled. Sadly, the world often seems against honest souls. While he wanted to "cheer up" Jiraiya with his pranks, Minato held him down firmly, and Rin came to support from behind, leaving Takeshi with no chance.
Jiraiya silently praised his own wit after seeing the scene.
Minato hadn't mentioned the details of the mission, which suggested it might have been high-ranked or had complications that escalated its difficulty. But before he could talk to Minato privately, he knew the cat must be sent out first. If Takeshi stayed, the Special Jonins here might get too focused on him.
Sure enough, everyone watched as Takeshi was led out of the tent. Seeing him taken away, all the Jonins and Special Jonins breathed a sigh of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from their hearts.
(E/N: For those wondering why the Jonins cared, it's because Special Jonins are already half-way to Jonin status, and most Jonins start getting complacent and stagnate after reaching that rank. So, Takeshi almost reaching their rank and surpassing them would light a fire under them.)
The Special Jonins started praying in their hearts for war to break out, so they could get battlefield promotions. During wartime, it's not uncommon for some to be promoted twice within a year, though that's usually for Genins.
Battlefield promotions have fewer restrictions; performing important missions well and bringing back high-ranked enemy heads are often enough to earn a promotion.
They hoped this cat would get lower-ranked missions, so Takeshi wouldn't get promoted to Jonin before them.
As soon as Rin caught Takeshi, she ran out of the tent. When she stepped outside, she breathed a sigh of relief.
In the tent, she felt that Takeshi wanted to do something to Jiraiya. If it was just Jiraiya and their team, it might have been manageable.
But with so many Jonins present, if Takeshi embarrassed Jiraiya-sama, she didn't know how she would be able to apologize and beg for forgiveness. After all, if apologies were enough, what would be the point of rules and laws?
Minato was also quite relieved.
"Meow~ Boring, what are we going to do next?"
"We wait here," Kakashi said coldly. They had just arrived and didn't know anyone, and without any orders, all they could do was wait.
Even though Rin was a medical ninja, she couldn't just walk into the medical tent and offer to help. Entry required prior approval.
Takeshi understood this, but he still felt a bit put out by being pulled out of the tent. Everyone in that tent was ranked above Chunin.
It made sense for Kakashi, Rin, and Obito to leave, but why did Rin drag him along too?
'Starting today, I'm almost Jonin ranked! Do these people look down on cats or something?' He was indignant, but when he opened the system panel and saw the number "3,500," his mood immediately brightened.
The nearly 2,500 points provided by the Special Jonins and Jonins in the tent made him appreciate their generosity.
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