Smooth Sailing

Although Obito was a little reluctant, he still rolled up his sleeves and moved in from the left, while Kakashi went to the right.

Pfft!

They both leaped at once. The rabbit was incredibly nimble, seemingly blessed with an instinctive wariness. As the two lunged, it sprang away even faster, vanishing from their sight. It didn't forget to glance back over its shoulder, either, its eyes full of disdain.

Yes, disdain.

"Hey, you two just got looked down on by a rabbit."

"That rabbit's got some nerve."

"Yeah!"

It was hard to say whether Obito or Kakashi was more annoyed.

The two lunged again, this time giving it everything they had. How could a frail little rabbit possibly be a match for two promising young ninja? It didn't even put up a fight before they caught it.

Kakashi and Obito both brightened, but their joy lasted less than a second.

"Well done! You finally defeated a rabbit. Nice work."

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

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

With salt and all sorts of ingredients on hand, roasting the rabbit was easy. The rabbit meat turned golden on the branches, its tender, crispy skin glistening with fragrant grease. The aroma and appearance were enough to make everyone swallow.

Now they faced a problem.

A grave, difficult, and serious problem.

There was only one rabbit, and it had only two legs!

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

"Enough talk. Let's begin."

"Yeah!"

"Rock, paper, scissors!"

"Great! I won, I won! I finally won this time! Hahaha! It's mine—the victor's reward!" Through some incredible stroke of luck, Obito won the first round. He cheered loudly, then lunged at the rabbit meat like an idiot.

Yang Xing looked displeased.

Kakashi's expression was impossible to see, but his eyes looked displeased.

"Actually, I don't think this is the right way to decide."

"Funny, I was thinking the same thing."

Thump!

Just as Obito reached for a rabbit leg, he flipped head over heels in midair and plunged face-first into the dirt. His face nearly disappeared into the ground, and he took a mouthful of soil.

"Ugh!" He scrambled to his feet and spat out the dirt, then jumped around in fury. "Hey, what are you two doing? Aaargh! Wait, you two jerks! That's mine! I won just now, so that rabbit leg should be mine! Give it back! You—don't, don't bite it, you bastard! Why? Why would you two do this?"

He pointed at them angrily, but all he got in response were two calm remarks.

"I'm the team leader!"

"I'm the deputy team leader!"

Obito: "..."

The night passed with that little interruption.

Night fell so quickly. Stars filled the sky, their light beautiful, and the quiet of the night held a special charm.

At that moment, Yang Xing was lying in his sleeping bag, unable to sleep. He was pondering one of life's most important questions.

Should he sneak out for a midnight visit?

No, no, no. That wasn't right. He was just going to scout the enemy's situation. He absolutely wasn't thinking anything dirty.

After much deliberation, Yang Xing decided to scout the enemy's situation. Rin Nohara was sleeping alone in a tent nearby, which was very dangerous. As the team's only girl—and such a cute little girl—she needed to be protected.

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

"You can't sleep either?"

Damn it, Kakashi. I hope your whole family gets cursed!

Though he really didn't want to, Yang Xing had no choice but to answer. "Yeah."

"Actually..." Kakashi sat up and watched Yang Xing, speaking in a low voice. "I can't sleep either, and there's something I'd like to talk to you about."

His gaze was deep, but Yang Xing felt profoundly uncomfortable.

What's it got to do with me? What's it got to do with me? Just hurry up and go to sleep, damn it. You're a kid—if you don't sleep, you might not grow up!

Though he was annoyed, Yang Xing followed Kakashi outside. They stepped around Obito, who was sleeping soundly like a dead pig, and went out of the tent.

The beauty of nature was captivating, especially beneath the dim moonlight, with the stars shining all around them.

Unfortunately, Kakashi's cold expression did nothing for the view. How could someone who loved acting cool possibly look good?

It would've been different if little Rin Nohara were here.

"Yang Xing, I think I understand now why the Fourth Hokage feels that way about you." Kakashi's quiet words pulled Yang Xing back to the present.

"Um, could we not talk about that?" Yang Xing cleared his throat and replied calmly. "Let's talk about something more relaxing instead."

"Something more relaxing?"

"For example, feelings, women, that sort of thing. Talking about strength is so boring." Yang Xing smiled and spoke casually. "By the way, what do you think of Rin Nohara?"

"Rin?" Kakashi was clearly taken aback. He thought for a moment, then answered bluntly. "She's just an ordinary childhood friend. Why?"

"Is that all? Nothing more?"

"No. Besides, shouldn't that depend on what Rin thinks? Why are you asking me?" Kakashi frowned, visibly annoyed.

"Fine. I understand completely." This guy was even more clueless than Obito.

Kakashi still didn't understand what Yang Xing meant. "What?"

"Nothing. I've just figured a few things out." Yang Xing stretched and smiled a little. "And, Kakashi, you need to understand that we're not on the same path."

"Huh?"

"It's simple. You can't keep up with my pace. You never will." Yang Xing held up one finger, smiling broadly as he spoke.

"Haha..." Kakashi laughed, then got up and headed toward the tent nearby. "It's late. We have to set out early tomorrow, so I'm going back."

"You've got such a bad personality. Well, one day you'll understand." Yang Xing followed right behind him.

Little did they know that after they left, a pair of bright, lively eyes watched them. Once they were both gone, their owner stepped out from behind a tree. She watched Kakashi's retreating figure, lowered her head, and returned to her own tent.

At dawn, while dew still clung to the leaves,

Yang Xing, Kakashi, and the other two had already gotten up. They packed their things again and set out.

To finish the mission quickly, they traveled directly through the treetops this time. Their destination wasn't far, and this way of traveling would get them there in just three hours.

The journey was quiet. What was strange, though, was that Rin Nohara, who was still bringing up the rear, was moving noticeably more slowly.

Yang Xing could clearly see that the girl didn't look well.

He found it a little odd, but didn't pay it much attention. They had reached their destination.