After Sora Uchiha and Kakashi emerged from the woods, Obito looked at them with unconcealed suspicion, his lips pursed.
"Broad daylight, clear skies—what secret could you possibly have that we can't know about? There's definitely something going on between you two!"
Neither of them wanted to humor him. Kakashi glanced at Rin, then at Sora. Something going on? If anything, he thought those two had something going on.
"Obito, come with me. I need to talk to you." Kakashi shot Obito a meaningful look.
He figured Sora had something he wanted to discuss with Rin, and he didn't want to hang around as a third wheel, ruining the mood and making things awkward.
"Huh? Can't you tell me here?" Obito eyed Sora warily. If he and Kakashi left, Sora and Rin would be alone together. Who knew what sparks might fly?
"Quit whining." Kakashi rolled his eyes and exercised his authority as team leader, dragging Obito away by force.
"Hey, hey, Sora! You two will be alone together—don't go getting handsy with Rin!"
Rin watched Kakashi and Obito leave, leaving her alone with Sora. Her heart began to pound, and she grew bashful. She lowered her head, clasped her hands behind her back, and tapped the ground with her toes.
This is all Obito's fault. What's with all that talk about us being alone together? He's always saying whatever comes to mind. Now he's got me overthinking things.
Sora found it amusing. Rin had been a lively girl when she was with Kakashi and Obito. Why was she acting like this now?
He smiled. "Aren't you going to ask what Kakashi and I talked about?"
"Can I?"
"Of course... not."
"Sora, you're teasing me again."
"Haha, I just thought you looked too nervous."
Soon, Sora's teasing dissolved the awkwardness, though Rin's cheeks remained red and lovely.
Suddenly, Rin seemed to remember something. She ran over to a tree, took a snack from her bag, and offered it to Sora.
It was a packet of pistachios.
Sora tore open the package. "You even brought snacks in your bag during special training?" He leaned toward Rin with a mischievous smile. "What, were you secretly hoping I'd come?"
With his face less than a foot away, Rin's heart raced. He's so close! She turned her face away and stammered, "I-I-I was just keeping our bet."
Seeing that Rin was about to turn into a little steam engine if he kept this up, Sora stopped teasing her and gave her some space. He cracked open a pistachio.
"When you're on a mission, don't go off on your own. Stay close to Kakashi, and keep your distance from that unreliable guy, Obito." He said it casually, thinking how crunchy and delicious the pistachios were. "By the way, what mission are you going on tomorrow?"
"An A-Rank mission," Rin answered honestly.
"A-Rank? That's pretty high-level."
"Mm. Minato-sensei will be there, too."
"Oh, I see. Then be careful. If you run into someone you can't beat, remember to run and let Minato cover you. He's strong, so don't worry about him."
Rin thought, If Minato-sensei heard that, he'd probably have a teacher-and-student showdown on his hands. "If Minato-sensei hears you say that, he'll make you pay—mm..."
It turned out Sora had suddenly fed her a pistachio.
Seeing Rin's cheeks puffed up like a cute little squirrel, Sora's eyes lit up. Suddenly, the pistachios in his own mouth didn't taste as good, so he stopped eating and focused on feeding Rin.
No wonder there are so many scenes of people feeding each other in novels. It's just too delightful.
Soon, Rin had polished off the entire packet of pistachios. Sora clapped his hands.
"All right, I should head back. Remember what I said: if there's danger, let Minato and Kakashi handle it! Don't go trying to be some lone hero like Obito.
"If I see you've been hurt when this mission is over..." Sora thought for a while. "Then I won't talk to you for a month."
"No!" Rin blurted out, then blushed and lowered her head without saying another word.
Sora smiled. Just as he'd thought, this girl was easy to handle. He ruffled her hair and turned to leave.
Before long, Obito and Kakashi returned. Obito immediately noticed Rin's messy hair and flushed cheeks. In an instant, his mind filled with images that weren't suitable for children.
It hit him like a bolt from the blue. He fell to his knees with a thud and cried out to the heavens, heartbroken, "Sora Uchiha! I'll never forgive you!"
Kakashi's mouth twitched. He quietly moved away. Standing too close to an idiot could be contagious.
As for Sora, had he really left?
No. Minato had caught him.
"Heh heh. If there's danger, let Minato and Kakashi handle it? Well, aren't you a wonderful student?" Minato smiled at Sora, who was afraid he might get a Rasengan to the head.
Sora hunched his shoulders and argued, "What's wrong with that? If we run into danger, shouldn't you, as Team 7's teacher, step in front of us?"
"You're not wrong, but coming from you, it sounds like 'let someone else die instead of me.' That annoys me. Come on, spar with me."
Then he let go of Sora and headed toward the woods nearby.
Sora was just about to make a run for it when Minato's voice drifted over. "The Flying Thunder God mark won't disappear, you know."
Sora's face stiffened as he remembered the mark Minato had left on his arm last time. With a miserable expression, he walked into the woods.
Ten minutes later, Sora emerged with a bruised and battered face. Minato followed behind him, looking refreshed.
"All right, you can go." Minato waved him off magnanimously, paying no attention to Sora's resentful glare.
The day ended, and tomorrow the Chunin would begin heading to the battlefield.
Kurenai Yuhi walked home, bored, kicking at a stone by the roadside.
"Kurenai, is training over for today?"
A woman by the road greeted her warmly. Kurenai answered with a distracted hum. Compared to usual, she seemed much less lively.
Just as Sora had said, the thought of the cruelty that awaited her filled her with fear. So she wasn't particularly moved by the kindness people around her showed her now.
Soon, she stopped. Beneath a streetlamp not far away stood a familiar figure.
"Father!" she cried, rushing toward him with a smile.
Kurenai Yuhi's Father was one of Konoha's Jonin. He specialized in genjutsu and was also Kurenai Yuhi's father.
"What are you doing here?" Kurenai asked, looking up.
"Heh heh. Today's the day your special training ends, so I came to pick you up. How about that? Surprised?" Kurenai Yuhi's Father lifted her up and smiled.
"I am!"
Many of Konoha's Jonin were active on the front lines. This genjutsu master was one of them, and he rarely had a chance to come home.
"You've got a mission tomorrow, right?"
"Mm. It's a B-Rank Mission. Our teacher said Team 8 has to complete it on our own."
"A B-Rank mission... That's not so bad. Be careful."
"Mm-hm! Don't underestimate me. I'm really strong now."
"Haha, of course I believe in my good girl."
They walked home together, chatting about everyday things. Much of the confusion in Kurenai's heart faded after seeing her father. Beneath the streetlamps, their shadows grew longer and longer...
Until—
"Kurenai, I heard you've been spending a lot of time with a boy named Sora Uchiha lately." Kurenai Yuhi's Father said it out of the blue, still wearing a smile.
But Kurenai knew very well that her father wasn't happy.
The smile vanished from her face.
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