Obito: Impossible, Absolutely Impossible

Mountain's Graveyard, a deep underground cavern.

Obito braced himself against the ground, doing push-ups over and over in tedious recovery training.

The right half of his body, once wrapped in White Zetsu, had long since regrown its limbs. There was no trace left of the sorry state in which he had lain helplessly on a wooden bed, unable to move.

He suddenly pushed off with both hands, executing several crisp backflips in succession before landing steadily in the middle of the open space.

Wiping away the sweat beading at his brow, the boy's eyes lit up slightly, and he could not help but laugh.

"In a little while, I'll be able to leave this place."

He clenched his fists, his voice exceptionally firm.

"Kakashi, Rin, wait for me."

White Zetsu, wearing a spiral-patterned mask, drifted down from the rock wall and leaned in behind him, tilting his head curiously as he asked, "What were you doing just now?"

"Could it be that you were pull—"

"Idiot! Shut up!"

Obito whirled around and pointed at him, flustered and annoyed.

Afraid he would say that embarrassing word aloud, he hurriedly changed the subject. "Akuto, I was training."

He had even given this White Zetsu, who was always pestering him, the name Akuto.

Thanks to Akuto, his days in this pitch-black underground place had not become unbearably dull.

After staying here for so many days, aside from that frightening old man, the people he had interacted with most were the two white creatures.

Akuto in particular was curious about everything and always chased after him with bizarre questions.

"Am I cute?"

"Do you have any snacks hidden on you?"

How could he possibly answer such stupid questions?

Akuto flopped onto the ground and muttered listlessly, "Training again! So boring."

"Of course I have to train." Obito looked toward the top of the cavern.

"I'm going back to Konoha."

"Rin is still waiting for me."

The ground squirmed faintly, and another White Zetsu slowly emerged from beneath it, speaking in a hoarse voice.

"The Rin you mentioned—is she the little girl with pale purple face paint?"

He slowly described Nohara Rin's appearance.

Obito's body instantly tensed, and he rushed forward in agitation.

"That's her! You've seen her? Where? How is she now?!"

Throughout these days, the thought of returning to Rin's side had been what sustained him through the painful recovery.

Now that he had suddenly heard news of her, Obito's heart clenched tight.

White Zetsu gave a strange chuckle, his tone vague.

"She's doing very well."

"Really?! That's great!"

"My clone in Konoha saw that she's been going to a place called Uchiha Shinji's house a lot lately, only coming out very late."

Zetsu paused, then slowly added, "They even held hands and went home together."

Akuto clapped innocently from the side, his face lighting up with sudden realization.

"Ohhh, so this is what you meant by romance!"

Over the past few days, he had learned quite a few new words from Obito.

He knew this one.

Obito looked as though he had been struck by lightning, freezing where he stood.

His lips trembled uncontrollably, and his voice cracked.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible! How could Rin be with Shinji?!"

"You're talking nonsense!" he shouted at White Zetsu.

White Zetsu grinned.

"You can go back and see for yourself. But I won't help you."

"That's right!"

Obito paced back and forth in a daze, then slammed his fist down hard.

He suddenly remembered that Shinji and Rin had always been close.

"I need to get back to Konoha as soon as possible. I have to go back!"

Obito's resolve inevitably began to waver.

In the shadows not far away, Madara Uchiha slowly opened his eyes, then gently closed them again.

A cold, mocking curve formed at the corner of his lips.

On the gravel ground at the village entrance, a Land of Fire noble dressed in fine silks hurried forward to greet them.

His hair was immaculately combed. The moment he saw Lady Tsunade, he stepped forward half a pace, his tone syrupy with humility.

"Lady Tsunade, I never expected you to come in person. It is truly an honor."

Lady Tsunade yawned absentmindedly and casually pointed at Shinji and the other two.

"If you need something, talk to them. I'm just passing through—I'm heading to the capital."

She raised her chin slightly. "Shizune, let's go."

"Lady Tsunade, this gentleman is our client!"

Shizune hurriedly tried to smooth things over, quietly apologizing to Marushihiko.

Marushihiko merely waved with a cheerful smile, looking entirely unconcerned.

He did not care whether Lady Tsunade was cold toward him. As long as one of the legendary Sannin traveled with the group, he would have more than enough to boast about to his wife and colleagues once he returned.

This commission was a huge win!

Shinji stepped forward and gave a slight nod.

"Mr. Marushihiko, we will escort you back to the capital. Please bear with us."

As soon as he finished speaking, Marushihiko's expression immediately changed.

The fawning look on Marushihiko's face vanished in an instant. He put on the airs of a nobleman and gave a faint nod.

"Then let us depart."

Marushihiko climbed into the carriage that had long been prepared. Surrounded by the driver and guards, it rolled onto the main road.

"Tch." Asuma grumbled unhappily. "What a snobbish attitude."

Even as the Hokage's son, he received no special treatment from nobles who valued power and empty prestige. He could not help but complain.

Shinji patted his shoulder. "Stop complaining. Let's go."

Then he turned to Kurenai Yuhi with a gentle smile. "Let's get going too, Kurenai."

Kurenai Yuhi nodded slightly. "All right."

Their gazes met briefly. Some feelings needed no words to be understood.

Asuma: "..."

The carriage moved forward slowly. Shinji, Asuma, and Kurenai Yuhi spread out around it in a triangular formation, allowing them to support one another while remaining ready for any sudden situation.

The shinobi war had only recently ended, and rogue ninja still roamed the Land of Fire. They could not afford to let their guard down at any point along the way.

Shizune quietly approached Shinji, her voice apologetic.

"Shinji, sorry. This was supposed to be your mission, but you have to bring me along too. I'm causing you trouble."

Shinji smiled gently and shook his head. "Don't worry about it. For an escort mission, more people means more safety."

"Thank you. If there's anything I can help with, just tell me."

"There actually is something I'd like to ask of you."

"What is it?" Shizune immediately became serious, eager to repay the favor.

Shinji took a prescription from his robe. It was Orochimaru's special formula, redeemed from the system.

He had redeemed the prescription from the System Shop earlier, but he had been busy with other matters lately and had not had the chance to examine it carefully.

Now that the opportunity had presented itself, he wanted to find someone reliable to appraise it thoroughly and determine whether the formula had any hidden risks.

He handed the prescription to Shizune. "Shizune, could you take a look at this prescription for me? Confirm its effects."

"Or ask Lady Tsunade about it!"

He wanted to use Shizune as an intermediary and have Lady Tsunade, an authority on medical ninjutsu, review it. That would be far more reliable.

Shizune immediately understood and lightly patted her chest.

"Leave it to me. I'll take it to Lady Tsunade, and we'll assess it together."

Shinji nodded slightly and thanked her.

The group had set out from Konoha and traveled for an entire day.

The carriage jolted along as they prepared to find a place to rest.

"Let's stay at the Temple of Fire for the night."

Marushihiko was the first to make the suggestion. Born into nobility, he naturally had no desire to spend the night in the wilderness, and the heavily guarded Temple of Fire happened to be nearby.

Since the client had spoken, Shinji and the others naturally had no objections.

"Temple of Fire..."

Shinji murmured the name, and the Twelve Guardian Ninja immediately came to mind.

He instinctively glanced at Asuma beside him.

"Could this mission be the opportunity that leads Asuma to become one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja in the future?"