Like a Hero

Just three little brats, and they wanted to carry out a reconnaissance mission?

What a joke!

Once their jonin captain had been lured away, their fate had already been decided!

What a pity.

With the situation so tense, there was no time to waste. Otherwise, Lord Iwagane would have loved to toy with these cute children!

A savage grin appeared on Iwagane's face as he looked at the black-haired boy in goggles before him, especially the fan crest on his clothes...

"A brat from Konoha's Uchiha? How interesting!"

With that—

He stepped forward, baring a ferocious grin and licking his lips. "Looks like I can recover your corpse too!"

"..." Cold sweat trickled down Uchiha Obito's forehead. Teacher Minato had been lured away, and it seemed he would not be able to come rescue them anytime soon.

So they could only rely on themselves!

But he was a jonin!

A jonin from Iwagakure!

With just the three of them, it would normally be impossible to kill him. Of course, if it were Kakashi...

He glanced at Kakashi. Kakashi should be able to escape on his own.

That bastard was always spouting nonsense about the mission coming first, the mission coming first. He would probably run away by himself, right?

Glancing at the equally vigilant Rin, Obito knew he could not keep going like this. Remembering those words from that day... he gritted his teeth. "Let's do it!"

As soon as he spoke—

Under Iwagane's disdainful gaze, Obito launched the first attack. He darted around the jonin in a wide arc, his hands using Uchiha... Obito's unique throwing technique. With a casual flick, he sent more than a dozen kunai flying at Iwagane in a completely irregular pattern.

In the blink of an eye...

"Thunk, thunk, thunk~"

They embedded themselves in the ground and the trees.

"..."

Were you outlining him?

The scene fell silent. Kakashi sighed, looking both unsurprised and helpless.

"Hahaha! This is the Uchiha Throwing Technique?" Iwagane snapped out of his daze and burst into laughter. "That's it?"

As soon as he spoke—

Suddenly.

The other Stone Shinobi facing off against Kakashi changed expression and shouted, "Watch out! Explosive Tags!"

That's right.

Obito had tied Explosive Tags to the kunai, a method commonly used by shinobi.

However—

Hearing his companion's warning, Iwagane immediately became alert, inwardly cursing himself for underestimating them. But when he saw the kunai some distance away, his expression froze again... What was the point at such a distance?

He casually dodged—

Just as he was about to widen the distance and avoid the blast radius—

The Explosive Tags detonated!

But he paid them no mind. Just as he had said, with the blast center so far away, the shockwave would only give him a little jolt. It could not hurt him at all.

Iwagane laughed. "Uchiha brat! You should go back to the ninja academy and—"

Before he could finish—

No one except Obito noticed.

A lump of black matter carrying a strange, foul stench flew straight at him. In the blink of an eye... it splattered over his eyes, mouth, nose... his entire face!

"..."

Everyone froze again. They watched the disgusting stuff rain down from above, and even Kakashi's face darkened as he hurriedly dodged out of the explosion's range.

But the blast crater from firecrackers... How could its range be so easily avoided?

They were still within the attack range; only the size of the lumps and the intensity of the attack differed.

While everyone else dodged, only one person... under everyone's gaze, charged bravely into danger like a hero. Even with Olikge smeared across his face, he did not care!

Only Fuyou's teaching from that night echoed in his mind as he rushed toward the enemy.

Taijutsu?

He was no good at Taijutsu!

Ninjutsu?

He was no good at ninjutsu either!

So there was only one way.

The forbidden technique that guy had mentioned, left behind by the legendary Uchiha Legend!

But Uchiha Obito still found it a little disgusting, so he decided to use a kunai instead.

With a devout look on his face, he gripped the kunai tightly in both hands, ignored the black matter flying everywhere, and swiftly arrived behind Iwagane.

As a jonin, Iwagane's reputation was well-earned. Though disgusted, with even his mouth covered in the stuff and the urge to spit, battle was battle.

Unfortunately—

With his eyes covered, how could he clean them so easily?

Just as he was about to turn around, Obito had already appeared behind him with lightning speed. His legs formed a bow stance. Recalling the posture that guy had taught him that day, he gripped the kunai tightly, took a deep breath, his expression sharpened, and thrust forward!

At once!

"Ah~"

A moment later.

Along with a scream, a figure... stood there beneath the rain of Olikge like a true man, gripping a blood-dripping kunai. Looking at the Stone Shinobi before him, who was bent over with his butt sticking out and faint traces of crimson flowing down, he curled his lips into a slight smile.

He had won!

With the right time, place, people, and his own intelligence, he had defeated a jonin from an enemy village.

Everyone around him was stunned by Lord Obito!

At that moment.

Obito seemed to feel something indescribable in his heart. It was... the satisfaction of defeating an enemy above his level!

Worthy indeed of the forbidden technique left behind by the Uchiha Legend who had supposedly fought the God of Shinobi!

It worked great!

He coolly tossed his head and looked at the equally dumbfounded Kakashi, a faint smile curling his lips. Just as he was about to mock him—

Suddenly.

A lump of black matter flew over!

With a smack, it landed directly in his mouth...

"I..."

"Ugh~"

"What is it, Fuyou?"

"Nothing. Maybe we've been playing too long. I suddenly feel a little nauseous." Uchiha Fuyou shuddered involuntarily and discarded a three-strip tile. Looking into those crimson fox eyes, he hesitated. "How about we call it a day?"

After all, they had entered using chakra and spiritual energy. It was perfectly normal for his body to feel a little unwell.

Small bets were good for relaxation; big bets harmed the body.

Moderation was enough!

However—

"I've only just started!" The Nine-Tails, who had lost several rounds in a row and discarded winning tiles for him, was deeply displeased. He rejected Fuyou's suggestion. "Are you trying to run after winning? Keep playing with me!"

"..."

This guy really had gone crazy from being cooped up in here.

Every time they gambled, he acted like a madman, especially after losing several rounds in a row. Even his eyes seemed to have turned red.

Uchiha Fuyou glanced at one of the Nine-Tails' somewhat thinner tails... Was it balding?

Within the sealing space, chakra circulation was restricted, so he could only pluck one tail at a time. By now, that tail had been plucked quite a lot.

He sighed and shook his head. "Small bets are good for relaxation! Keep losing, and you'll turn into the Eight-Tails!"

"Hmph! A mere Uchiha brat dares talk so arrogantly?" The Nine-Tails felt looked down upon. His chakra-formed fox fur bristled. "It's just a tiny bit of chakra. See my tails?" He looked at Uchiha Fuyou with the air of a wealthy tycoon. "Nine of them! And they regrow on their own! You've only won a little fur from me so far, yet you're already getting cocky?"

"..."

Fine, fine~

Whatever you say!

You could not talk a gambler out of gambling!

Now he was even a little worried... If Naruto really became a Jinchuriki in the future, what if that simple, kind young man became a gambling addict... Wouldn't that be great!

Three generations of gambling addicts—Konoha was guaranteed to prosper!

Uchiha Fuyou sighed emotionally and nodded. "Come on! Come on!"

Meanwhile, Suzuon beside them had yet to recover. Numbly shuffling the mahjong tiles, she stared blankly at the Nine-Tails' two fingers extending from the sealing bars.

This was...

The Nine-Tails?

Please vote!