Smooth Sailing All The Way

Although Obito was somewhat reluctant, he still rolled up his sleeves and moved toward the left, while Kakashi headed to the right.

Pfft!

The two lunged simultaneously, but the rabbit was incredibly agile. Seeming to possess an innate sense of alertness, it leaped away with lightning speed just as they pounced, vanishing from their sight. It even spared a light glance backward, its expression filled with pure disdain.

Yes, it was definitely disdain.

"Hey, you two actually got looked down upon by a rabbit."

"This rabbit is so arrogant."

"Yeah!"

Let alone Obito, even Kakashi was starting to get fired up.

The two lunged again, this time putting in their full effort. As a frail little rabbit, how could it possibly stand a chance against two ninjas with such great potential? It was caught red-handed without even a hint of resistance.

Kakashi and Obito's faces lit up with joy, though that joy lasted for less than a second.

"Yosh, great job. You finally defeated a rabbit. Well done."

Why did hearing this guy's words make them even angrier than before?

Between the trees, in front of the two tents, the fire burned brightly.

With salt and various seasonings on hand, the roasting process went smoothly. Especially watching the rabbit meat develop a golden-brown crust on the branches, the crispy, tender flesh glistening with fragrant oil—the aroma and appearance made everyone swallow their saliva at the same time.

And now, the group faced a problem.

This problem was severe, difficult, and grave.

A single rabbit only has two legs!

Given Rin Nohara's personality, she certainly wouldn't fight for them, but Yang Xing, Kakashi, and Obito certainly would.

"No need for more words, let's begin."

"Yeah!"

"Rock, paper, scissors!"

"Great! I won, I won! I actually won this time, hahaha! I finally won! This thing is mine, the reward belonging to the victor!" Not sure what kind of dumb luck he had, Obito actually won first. He cheered loudly and pounced toward the rabbit meat like a total idiot.

Yang Xing's expression turned sour.

As for Kakashi, although his face was hidden, his eyes looked unpleasant.

"I actually think this method isn't right."

"Coincidentally, I think so too."

Thump!

Obito, who had just been about to grab a rabbit leg, suddenly performed an aerial flip and dove headfirst into the dirt. His face nearly buried itself in the ground, and he ended up with a mouthful of mud.

"Ah!" He scrambled up, spitting out the dirt, and jumped around in a rage: "Hey, what are you two doing? Ahhh, wait, you two bastards! That's mine! I won just now, that rabbit leg should be mine, give it back! You guy, don't—don't bite it! Bastard, why, why are you two doing this?"

He pointed at them, filled with indignation, but the only response he received were two calm remarks.

"I am the captain!"

"I am the vice-captain!"

Obito: "..."

The night passed amidst this little interlude.

Night fell quickly, and the stars filled the sky. The starlight was beautiful, and the quiet of the night carried a unique charm.

At this moment, lying in his sleeping bag, Yang Xing couldn't sleep. He was contemplating a very important life question.

Should he go for a night raid?

Pfft, pfft, pfft, no, that's wrong. It was to scout the enemy's formation. He definitely wasn't thinking about anything dirty.

Having made up his mind, Yang Xing decided to scout the enemy. Rin Nohara was sleeping in a tent not far away, which was quite dangerous. As the only girl in the team, and such a cute loli at that, she had to be well protected.

Yang Xing was about to move, but before he could even get up, he heard a faint voice.

"You can't sleep either?"

Damn it, I curse your whole family, Kakashi!

Although reluctant, very reluctant, Yang Xing still had to speak up: "Yeah."

"Actually..." Kakashi sat up, looked at Yang Xing, and said in a very low voice: "I can't sleep either, and there is something I want to discuss with you."

His gaze was profound, but Yang Xing felt a massive headache coming on.

What does that have to do with me? What does that have to do with me? You brat, just go to sleep! If a kid doesn't sleep, they won't grow up, you jerk!

Although he was annoyed, Yang Xing still followed Kakashi outside. They bypassed Obito, who was sleeping soundly like a dead pig, and arrived outside the tents.

The beauty of pure nature is mesmerizing; coupled with the dim moonlight and the brilliant stars all around, it is truly a sight to behold.

It is a pity, however, that Kakashi, with his cold face, is not a pretty sight at all. How could a guy who loves to act cool ever look good?

It would be a different story if little Rin Nohara were here.

"Yang Xing, I suddenly understand why the Fourth Hokage feels the way he does about you." Kakashi's indifferent words pulled Yang Xing back to reality.

"Uh, can we not talk about that kind of thing?" Yang Xing gave a dry cough and said calmly, "Let's talk about some lighter topics instead."

"Lighter topics?"

"For example, emotions, women, that sort of thing. Talking about strength is just too dull." Yang Xing smiled and said in a casual tone, "By the way, what do you think of Rin Nohara?"

"Rin?" Kakashi was clearly stunned for a moment. After thinking it over, he answered quite bluntly, "Just a childhood playmate, right? Why do you ask?"

"Nothing else besides that?"

"No. And besides, shouldn't that depend on what Rin thinks? Why are you asking me?" Kakashi frowned, his face showing clear annoyance.

Fine, I understand everything now. This guy is even denser than Obito.

Faced with Yang Xing's remark, Kakashi remained puzzled: "What do you mean?"

"Nothing, I just figured a few things out." Yang Xing stretched his back and said with a faint smile, "Also, Kakashi, you need to understand that you and I are not on the same path."

"Huh?"

"It's very simple: you won't be able to keep up with my pace, not ever." Yang Xing held up a finger, beaming with a smile.

"Haha..." Kakashi chuckled, then stood up abruptly and walked toward a tent not far away: "It's getting late, and we need to set off early tomorrow. I'm heading back first."

"You guy, your personality is really terrible. Well, one day you'll understand." Yang Xing followed closely behind.

Little did they know that after the two left, a pair of lively, moving eyes had been watching their direction. Once both had departed, the person stepped out from behind a tree, looked at Kakashi's retreating back, lowered her head, and returned to a separate tent.

Early morning, at the hour when dew still clung to the leaves.

Yang Xing, Kakashi, and the other two had already risen, packed their gear once more, and set off immediately.

To complete the mission quickly, they traveled by leaping between tree branches this time. The destination was not very far, and at this pace, they would arrive in just three hours.

The journey was very quiet, and what was quite strange was that Rin Nohara, who had been trailing at the very back, was moving at a noticeably slow pace.

The girl didn't know it, but Yang Xing could clearly see that her complexion was not good.

Although it felt a bit odd, Yang Xing didn't pay much attention to it, because they had reached their destination.