A rare day of peace, and Minato appeared again!

The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight streamed through the window, Tōka frowned slightly, suddenly feeling a gaze upon her.

Tōka rolled over, turning her face to the inside of the room.

The feeling of being watched didn't disappear; instead, it grew even stronger.

Silence...

"Kakashi, can't you use the front door?!" Tōka sat up abruptly, shouting angrily.

"And what time is it now?!"

Tōka pointed to the alarm clock beside her; the hour hand was pointing to the number six, and the minute hand was pointing to the number seven! It was only 6:35 in the morning!

"You haven't forgotten, have you? We're going to Minato-sensei's house today to celebrate Obito's birthday." Kakashi rolled his dead fish eyes, half-squatting by the window, completely oblivious to his surroundings.

"Isn't it still early?" Although she said that, Tōka still grabbed a coat and put it on.

"Originally, we planned to go to Minato-sensei's house, but considering Kushina-nee-san's cooking skills, Obito and Rin changed their minds and decided to go to the river to catch fish."

Kakashi seemed to harbor deep resentment towards Kushina's cooking skills, and a hint of fear crept into his tone.

Tōka squatted down and tied her shoelaces.

"Let's go, weren't we going to play by the river?" Tōka glanced at Kakashi, who was still in a daze, and urged him on.

"Okay." Kakashi flipped over and jumped out of the window, landing steadily on the roof.

Tōka glanced at Kakashi, then turned and pushed open the door to leave.

In the Konoha Forest, a clear river meanders, like a small snake twisting its body as it weaves through the woods.

Obito rolled up his trousers and fished in the river, along with Asuma and Kai.

With a splash and the clear sound of flowing water, Asuma scooped a plump fish out of the water, holding it in his arms.

"Obito, are you even capable?! I caught another fish!" Asuma glanced at Obito triumphantly and laughed loudly.

Obito's face darkened. He glanced at Rin, who was smiling and looking this way from the shore, and felt a burning sensation on his face.

On the riverbank, Hong and Lin worked with Kushina to prepare firewood and ingredients, while the boys went down into the river to catch fish.

Before Obito reply, there was also movement from Guy not far away.

Splash...

Crystal-clear water droplets splashed everywhere. Kai lifted the large fish out of the water, one in each hand. He used his thumbs to hold the fish's gills, preventing them from escaping his grasp.

"Obito, I caught two big fish too!" Kai shouted triumphantly, Obito's face darkened even more.

"You two, don't be so arrogant! It's not time yet!" Obito roared, then slammed the sharpened bamboo stick in his hand into the water.

Puff!

A fish the size of a palm was stabbed and struggled violently, splashing water everywhere and soaking most of Shisui's pants.

Just as Shisui was about to show off, Kakashi and Tōka suddenly appeared, landing directly on the treetops by the riverbank.

"Yo! You guys are pretty good!" Kakashi glanced at the large fish in the three men's buckets. Except for Obito's, which had slightly fewer, the other two men's buckets had at least five or six fish.

"Kakashi, Tōka, you two are so slow! I've already caught two fish!" Obito shouted, snorting.

He seemed very happy because two guys who were at the bottom of the class had arrived.

Kakashi and Tōka rolled their eyes in unison. "They're just two palm-sized fish. They're not even enough for one person!"

Swish! Swish!

Tōka and Kakashi landed on the water's surface without attaching chakra to their feet, and instead stepped directly into the water.

Because of Obito, the others deliberately avoided using their ninja abilities in front of him.

Although Obito could easily Water Walking and climb trees, the observant Obito could still sense everything that everyone had done for him.

Although these are all insignificant...

While Obito was distracted, he suddenly heard the clear sound of flowing water and saw Kakashi holding a sharpened wooden stick.

With a splash, he plunged into the water, piercing through a large, fat fish, his blood staining the water beneath Kakashi's feet.

Calm, decisive, ruthless, and sure to strike!

Kakashi rolled his dead fish eyes and glanced at Obito, his little eyes seeming to say, "See? My fish is bigger than your two combined."

"Hmph!" Obito turned his head away angrily...

He secretly thought to himself, "Anyway, Tōka is still at the bottom, so he won't be the last one standing today!"

Unexpectedly, when Obito's gaze shifted and landed on Tōka, he saw...

Tōka was holding a large fish in one hand, the fish lying Budong in her small hands, as if it had been knocked unconscious?

Holy crap... Obito was internally devastated. He subconsciously glanced at the shore, where Rin's smile remained gentle, which only made him more embarrassed.

"I will not admit defeat!"

Obito gripped the bamboo in his hand tightly, thinking fiercely.

Time flies like an arrow; it was a rare treat to enjoy a peaceful morning. Lunch was a sumptuous whole fish feast!

According to the plan, after the group finished their meal, they were to go deep into the Forest to hunt wild game.

Just as everyone finished packing up and was preparing to head deeper into the forest, a golden figure flashed by, and Minato Namikaze appeared directly in front of them.

"Minato! You're finally here!" Kushina exclaimed with delight. Minato had been so busy with his inauguration and the Chunin Ninja Exams that he rarely had time to go home.

Kushina saw Minato even fewer times.

However, Minato didn't come here to see Kushina.

"Everyone's here. Are we on a picnic?" Minato smiled slightly, all his fatigue vanishing the moment he saw Kushina.

"Seriously, it's Obito's birthday today, and you didn't even remember?" Kushina stood with her hands on her hips, looking rather awkward, if it weren't for maintaining her image in front of everyone...

I clearly told you that yesterday!

"Uh... hehe..." Minato awkwardly, as if Kushina had said something when he got back last night, but he was thinking about other things at the time and didn't hear it at all.

"Minato, since we're here, let's celebrate Obito's birthday together!" Kushina said casually, instantly forgetting the unpleasantness from earlier.

Upon hearing this, Minato was even more at a loss.

He had come specifically using the Flying Thunder God technique because of something important. After explaining the matter, he had to go back immediately, as there were still many documents to process in his office.

"Big sister, Teacher must be busy, let's not bother him." Obito noticed Minato's embarrassment and immediately spoke up.

Kushina narrowed her eyes, a dangerous aura emanating from the slits between them.

Minato had a bad feeling in his heart and quickly reached out and put his hand on Tōka's shoulder.

Flying Thunder God Formula activated!

With a whoosh, everyone saw a golden shadow flash before their eyes, and Minato and Tōka's bodies vanished at the same time!

"You bastard, don't even think about getting in the door tonight!" Kushina roared in exasperation.

The roar pierced through the dense Forest, and even hundreds of meters away in the Forest, Minato felt an ominous premonition.

Tōka stood silently to the side, waiting for Minato's instructions.

I had a feeling this guy was up to no good, so it ruined my whole day.

Minato snapped out of his daze and looked at Tōka with a serious expression.

"There's a top-secret mission for you to complete, and I believe you'll succeed."

His tone conveyed complete trust.

Tōka, with her head down, rolled her Byakugan inwardly and thought to herself, "Damn it, they're already putting a big compliment on me before we've even said anything."

Tōka wisely chose to remain silent; he wasn't going to be foolish enough to get all excited over a meaningless compliment!

Minato, unable to see Tōka's expression, paused for a moment before continuing, "Regarding the Sunagakure ninja of the Scorch Release, Pakura..."

"Pakura?" Tōka raised an eyebrow. What could Pakura possibly want?

"Sunagakure wants to minimize the losses from the defeat..." Minato stared at Tōka, who had raised her head, and carefully examined Tōka small face.

This mission has two sides; Tōka has had contact with Pakura.

Destroying Pakura was a serious matter, but it was also a test of Tōka's loyalty to Konoha.

To minimize losses after their defeat and maximize their gains after the Chunin Ninja Exams, Sunagakure secretly reached an agreement with Konoha.

One of Konoha's conditions was that Pakura must die during the Chunin Ninja Exams.

Pakura's Scorch Release is very powerful; ordinary Water Release are useless against it, and its power is even more terrifying in the Forest.

Konoha will not allow such a Kekkei Genkai; killing her is the best solution!

"The inertia of history!" Tōka sighed softly to himself.

It's likely that Pakura lost trust in Sunagakure after she was rescued by Black Zetsu. Now, to minimize losses, they've handed her over to Konoha Pakura.

Everything is for the benefit of the village? That sounds very noble.

Upon further reflection, Tōka finally understood why she had felt a strange sensation in her heart.

Tōka felt something was off when he first saw the composition of the Sunagakure team.

Baki and Yashamaru are genuine members of the Kazekage, but Pakura is not...

Finally, Minato added, "Before the Arena Tournament, Pakura will be poisoned. You just need to kill her in front of everyone."

Why wasn't Kakashi awarded the honor of killing Sunagakure ninja using the Scorch Release technique?

"Wouldn't it be better for Kakashi to do this?" Tōka looked puzzled. As Minato's disciple, wouldn't it be better for Kakashi to receive such an honor?

Upon hearing this, Minato hesitated slightly. Could he say he was worried that Kakashi would be injured by Pakura's dying counterattack?

As for the honor of killing Pakura? That doesn't even exist!

Only a few high-ranking members of Sunagakure knew about the compromise made by Sunagakure. Pakura was still regarded as a hero who died in battle for Konoha!

The person who killed the village hero is your mortal enemy!

"I think you're more suitable." Minato naturally couldn't say these words aloud, so he gave an ambiguous answer.

"Alright." Tōka's little face was full of doubt, but she still obeyed Minato's order.

Minato nodded in satisfaction, patted Tōka on the shoulder, and told him to be careful.

With a whoosh, Minato's figure transformed into a golden light and vanished from the spot.

Only after the aura of the Minato truly disappeared did Tōka's bewildered little face gradually turn cold, her ink-black eyes becoming unfathomably deep.

A chilling aura emanated from it...

Do you really think he's an idiot?

"Kill Pakura in front of everyone?"

Tōka's heart was ice-cold. Despite doing so much for Konoha and making so many contributions, he still couldn't gain their trust.

"Looks like we need to speed things up. If we stay in Konoha any longer, we'll be played to death without even knowing it!"

Tōka's eyes One Flash, radiating One Flash wise aura, making her look exactly like a cunning little Fox.

Since Pakura and Tōka chose to have Black Zetsu help them save her, they naturally wouldn't kill her.

For future plans, we need to get Black Zetsu to come again.

"Hmm?" Suddenly, a figure flashed into Tōka's mind, and he grinned, "Perhaps asking him for help wouldn't be a bad idea."

As night fell, Tōka left with Minato and never went back to celebrate Obito's birthday.

He wasn't in the mood, and there were many things to prepare.

The sudden order caused Tōka's plans to deviate slightly; to be precise, they had to be brought forward.

Tōka walked slowly in the dark shadows of the Konoha Back Mountain Forest.

The entire forest was shrouded in darkness, and the path in the distance resembled the gaping maw of a primordial beast, silently waiting for unsuspecting small animals to venture inside.

Hiss hiss hiss~~

In the shadows, Poisonous Snake hissed, and a cold, deathly atmosphere filled the forest.

Tōka didn't know where to find Orochimaru, but he knew that finding Kabuto Yakushi would definitely lead him to Orochimaru!

And Kabuto Yakushi is...

Call out!

A sharp whooshing sound rang out in the deathly silent forest, clear and distinct.

Clang! A flash of silver light appeared in the darkness. Kabuto gripped a sharp Kunai in his hand and flicked away the Bone Bullets that Tōka had casually thrown.

"It seems Lord Orochimaru's information was correct!" Kabuto adjusted his glasses, a fake smile playing on his lips.

"What intelligence?" Tōka frowned, sensing that this guy wouldn't say anything good.

"The best way to deal with Tōka's Kekkei Genkai, All-Killing Ash Bones, is to avoid it," Kabuto said Kunai.

"If you can't dodge it, it's best to use Earth Release for defense, or you can use Kunai or other weapon to block it."

"In other words, as long as it's not a living being, it won't be countered by Tōka's ability."

"Are you done?" Tōka tilted her head, looking expressionlessly at the smug Dou, and asked in a nonchalant tone.

"Uh..." Dou was slightly taken aback. Shouldn't most people feel angry, panicked, and uneasy when their abilities are completely analyzed by others...?

There should at least be some surprise, right?

Why is Tōka so... calm?

"Take me to see Orochimaru." Tōka stated the purpose of his visit Gate of Opening.

"Hehe... Tōka's words are quite uncomfortable!~" Kabuto respected Orochimaru greatly, and he felt that Tōka could at most be considered someone of his generation.

Such disrespectful address to Lord Orochimaru by his given name... Kabuto's glasses reflected a cold glint, and the killing intent in his eyes surged forth wildly.