Why Risk Your Life for Three Thousand a Month (Please vote with monthly tickets and follow the story, babies)

"Rin..."

Obito automatically ignored Kakashi and Namikaze Minato above, his entire focus fixed on Nohara Rin.

"A bit unaccustomed to this."

Just as Obito wanted to try and sneak a kiss, he remembered the last time he was caught by Kakashi.

He looked left and right, and after confirming there was no one around, he once again took out tape and toilet paper.

He used the tape to cover Kakashi's head, so as to avoid the illusion that he was sneaking a kiss from Kakashi.

After finishing all this, Obito picked up the toilet paper, intending to sneak a kiss from Nohara Rin's photo.

Now, it was fantasy time!

"Rin..."

Overcome with emotion, Obito couldn't help but call out Nohara Rin's name.

"Uh... Obito, I'm here."

To Obito's surprise, someone responded to him.

The voice was the very one he had been longing for day and night.

It's over!

Obito's grip tightened on the toilet paper, and his gaze slowly shifted upward.

He saw two figures standing in front of the window.

One was Nohara Rin, and the other was Kiyohara.

"Ahem, it's Rin and Kiyohara."

Obito naturally changed his direction, using the paper to wipe his nose, pretending as if nothing had happened.

"What were you doing just now, Obito?"

Kiyohara looked at Obito holding the photo frame; even without seeing the front of the photo, he knew what it contained.

"Nothing, just reminiscing about the past."

With Nohara Rin standing right in front of him, Obito gave Kiyohara a look, signaling him not to ask any further.

"Take care of your health, and practice some moderation, Obito."

Kiyohara said in a tone full of earnest advice.

Sneaking kisses at a photo—even in the second dimension, this was heavy-duty stuff.

"Take care of my health?"

Nohara Rin was stunned, not realizing the implication behind Kiyohara's words.

Obito widened his eyes and said:

"How can you slander an innocent person out of thin air like that?"

"Is that so? Weren't you sneaking a kiss from Rin's photo?"

Kiyohara smiled, yet not quite.

Honestly, Obito should have apprenticed under Jiraiya; one liked to peek into bathhouses, and the other liked to sneakily jerk off to photos.

Obito's face flushed red, the veins on his forehead bulging as he began to argue:

"There was dust on the photo, I leaned down to blow the dust away; how can maintaining the bonds between comrades be called sneaking a kiss?"

Then, Obito started spouting words about the Will of Fire, bonds, and the like.

The air was suddenly filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

Nohara Rin only thought that Kiyohara and Obito were joking, and didn't think much of it.

"Obito, if we don't leave now, we'll be late for the mission. Kakashi and Minato-sensei are already waiting."

Nohara Rin said, her lips slightly parted.

Seeing that Nohara Rin showed no signs of anger, Obito finally felt relieved.

His wise and heroic image must not be tarnished in Rin's heart, no matter what.

"I know."

Obito turned around to put on his marching pack and ninja tool pouch, finally pulling his yellow goggles up.

He had been ready for a long time.

It was just that, blinded by Rin's beauty, he had momentarily lost track of the world, which was why he had been delayed.

"Let's go."

Seeing Obito get ready in a few quick movements, Nohara Rin planned to stand in front of the window and wait for him to come out.

As Obito put the photo back in its original place and was just about to grab one more kunai, Nohara Rin saw Kakashi, whose face was wrapped in tape.

"Why did you cover Kakashi's face?"

"This way, there's no dust."

Obito thought of a clever excuse on the spot.

"I see."

Nohara Rin felt it was a bit strange, but she still nodded.

This should be the last time Obito will be able to jerk off to a photo of Rin, Kiyohara thought to himself.

Once Obito had half his body crushed by a boulder and split in two, he would definitely be missing a testicle.

As for whether the "sausage" would also be crushed or split in half, that would depend on which side Obito usually leaned toward.

Kiyohara felt that, in all likelihood, Obito wouldn't be able to jerk off anymore.

After all, the transplanted White Zetsu limbs didn't come with that accessory.

"Let's go."

Obito came out after saying goodbye to his grandmother.

He then noticed the pity in Kiyohara's eyes and felt completely confused.

At the gates of Konoha.

"You're too late, Obito. You're late again."

Kakashi looked at Obito, who had come running over in a rush.

"So what if I'm a little late?"

Obito muttered, wondering if a few minutes really mattered that much.

"A true ninja must follow the rules. Those who can't are trash."

Kakashi spoke without mercy.

In his personal creed, the rules of a ninja were greater than anything else.

His father had chosen to save his comrades instead of following ninja rules, which led to the mission's failure and ultimately invited that tragedy.

"Alright, Kakashi, don't say it like that."

Namikaze Minato stepped in to smooth things over.

Ever since Konoha White Fang died, Kakashi had become like this.

Knowing a little bit of the inside story, Namikaze Minato didn't know what else to say.

He was a ninja, and his duty was to obey his superiors.

"During a mission, everything else must be put aside until the mission is complete," Namikaze Minato stated.

The unity of a team was crucial, and he didn't want to see them arguing again.

"Also, this mission is classified. I can only reveal the details once we reach the border..."

Kiyohara listened to Namikaze Minato's briefing from the back.

Although he didn't know why they always had to linger at the main gate before setting off on a mission, Kiyohara could only attribute it to a sense of ninja ritual.

"By the way, did that future version of me ever find a girlfriend?"

Kiyohara asked Renegade Kiyohara casually in his mind.

After the urn shook, the spirit of Renegade Kiyohara floated in his consciousness.

"That, I didn't. Just staying alive was exhausting enough; I had no energy for anything else," Renegade Kiyohara shook his head.

He had the heart to look for one, but unfortunately, the only partners a renegade could find were other female renegades.

Not everyone could be like Sakura, who knew Sasuke was an S-rank renegade and still had the "love-brain" to want to follow him.

Well, it would be more accurate to say that you'd need Sasuke-level looks for that to even be a possibility.

Although his own looks weren't bad, he was far too weathered and old-looking.

"Is that so."

Kiyohara looked at the tragic future of Renegade Kiyohara and silently decided that his own future couldn't end up like that.

Soon, after Namikaze Minato finished speaking, he said:

"Move out."

All the ninjas began to march together.

The sun rose and the moon set; several days passed in the blink of an eye.

The group traveled through the forest by day and set up camp to rest at night.

Since everyone was traveling light, they reached the vicinity of the national border very quickly.

"We're finally almost there."

Kurenai Yuhi leaped between tree branches, using them for leverage to speed up her journey.

This was a popular method of travel among ninjas, allowing them to increase their pace.

"I wonder if we'll be able to complete the mission."

Kurenai Yuhi turned her head to speak to Kiyohara.

"We'll do our best."

Kiyohara replied.

Failure in a mission might result in some punishment, but death was truly the end.

He was receiving a genin's stipend, which meant he was at the very bottom of the ninja hierarchy.

To put it bluntly, why would anyone risk their life for three thousand a month?

Did they really expect him to do thirty thousand worth of work for a monthly income of three thousand?

Kiyohara felt that not slacking off was already doing enough.

It was just that many ninjas were held back by the so-called Will of Fire, choosing to suffer for their beliefs.

"Let's stop here."

Seeing that the situation was appropriate, Namikaze Minato signaled for everyone to halt.

This was a vast expanse of grassland, and as the wind blew, the blades of grass all bowed their heads.