Rin Nohara's Question

"Oh?" Yang Xing turned his head. He'd been watching lazily the whole time, and even his question was asked on a whim. "What is it?"

"Th-those five people..." Rin Nohara really wanted to know—or rather, she wanted to hear Yang Xing tell her about those five ninjas himself. The tense atmosphere made her clench both hands. She was just about to ask, but before she could finish, Yang Xing interrupted her.

"Wait a moment. There's something I want to ask, too." Yang Xing gazed at the sky, his tone calm. "In exchange, if you answer my question, I'll answer yours."

Rin Nohara froze for a moment, then nodded vigorously. "Okay! What is it?"

"Who's stronger, Kakashi or me?"

"Well..." Rin Nohara hesitated, unsure how to put it. Just as she was trying to find the right words, Yang Xing interrupted her thoughts once more.

"I know the answer." He glanced at her confused expression, smiled, and turned to leave without looking back. As he walked away, his casual words drifted to Rin Nohara's ears. "When you admit that I'm stronger, I'll tell you the answer you want."

Watching him disappear into the distance, Rin Nohara felt even more conflicted.

She still didn't understand what Yang Xing was up to. Why did he want her to agree with him about that?

Kakashi really wasn't very strong—at least, she thought he was strong.

So how strong was that guy?

Was he weak? That couldn't be. If he really had taken out those five ninjas, he had to be very strong.

But was he stronger than Kakashi?

Rin Nohara suddenly realized she didn't know how to answer that question. Perhaps only time would tell.

Thick clouds blanketed the sky. Even though it was nearly noon, the sunlight was still dim.

The oppressive atmosphere suggested rain could fall at any moment. It looked like the weather would be terrible today.

The weather might have been awful, but that didn't change the plans they'd made.

A group had gathered at Konoha's entrance. One of them stamped her foot as she stared into the village, her expression growing more and more displeased.

"What's that brat doing? What time does he think it is? Why hasn't he shown up yet?" Anko was so impatient that, if she'd known where Yang Xing lived, she would have gone and dragged him over herself.

It was almost time to leave, yet everyone was stuck waiting for him. How could that not make her angry?

"Well, that's just the kind of person he is."

Obito and Kakashi could only smile wryly. They'd expected this.

It was obvious Yang Xing wouldn't leave until the very last moment.

He arrived right on time.

"I made it. Guess I can't even sleep in today." When Yang Xing finally arrived, he found he was the last one again. Looking up at the gloomy sky, he was in low spirits. "We have to head out in weather like this?"

"Stop complaining. Do you know how long we've all been waiting for you?" Anko gritted her teeth, almost ready to punch him. "You little brat..."

"Anko." Fortunately, the female jōnin instructor stopped her. Then she addressed the assembled group seriously. "All right, now that everyone's here, let's get going."

"Yeah, yeah!"

They'd only just returned, and now they had to leave again. Konoha really was a hassle.

They didn't waste time chatting. To get on with the journey, they set off along the path toward a nearby village.

This mission was different from the last one. They would pass through several villages along the way. Their assignment was to check the villages' security and investigate the movements of the ninjas who had infiltrated Konoha.

The journey would be quite long, but with villages where they could stay along the way, it would also make for a nice trip.

Yang Xing treated it as a trip, anyway.

Besides, he didn't have to worry about anything this time. The jōnin was leading the way, saving him a lot of trouble.

The jōnin instructor at the front studied the map in her hand as she explained to Yang Xing and the others behind her. "Our route will take us past more than ten villages. We're only responsible for three of them; other teams will handle the rest, so we don't need to worry about those. The first small village straight ahead isn't too far away, and intelligence reports say it's perfectly safe."

"The second and third villages are the main concern. The Anbu Ninja stationed there haven't sent back any reports, so we have no information at all about the situation. I'm afraid things aren't looking good." The female jōnin raised her head, her expression grim.

It seemed those ninjas from the Land of Earth were causing a lot of trouble. Destroying villages was certainly an effective way to do it.

They could sow panic within Konoha and force it to divert more manpower, making it easier for them to invade. Konoha was completely being led around by the enemy.

Well, that couldn't be helped. Konoha was the "center" and "symbol" of the Land of Fire, after all.

They spent most of the afternoon traveling. The only thing that didn't go as planned was the weather. Unexpectedly, raindrops began falling around five in the afternoon.

Looking at the thick clouds overhead, it seemed the rain wouldn't stop anytime soon.

"Pick up the pace. Don't stop here."

"Mm." Yang Xing and the others hurried along without pausing. They were only a few hundred meters from the village, which they could already see with the naked eye.

They quickened their pace and hurried toward it.

The downpour was relentless. The weather during the Warring States period was unpredictable.

Once the rain started, it came down in torrents, pounding loudly against the ground.

Getting soaked through was miserable, and Yang Xing's mood soured. He was already annoyed by the rain when a voice—not too loud, not too quiet—made him pause in the middle of his hurried steps.

Mission triggered. Available to claim. Claim now? Repeat: claim now? If you do not claim it, the reminder will disappear in one hour, and the mission will no longer be available.

"Now? The system's crazy, triggering a mission at a time like this. And it'll disappear if I don't claim it? Guess I have no choice. Claim it." He tapped the claim button on his phone, and a baffling mission appeared.

B-Rank Mission: Run away, run away, and then don't get killed! Survive the next three days to complete the mission.

"Huh? What kind of bullshit mission is this? 'Don't get killed'? What the hell? And run away? Fuck you, you damn—" Yang Xing was still cursing out the system when he noticed someone had stopped in front of him instead of keeping up with the group.

For some reason, Anko, her red hair tied up in a short ponytail, was staring blankly at the woods ahead. She'd completely forgotten that everyone in front had already gone on, and just stood there looking dazed.

"Hey, everyone's gone. What are you spacing out for?" Even though the girl had a terrible temper, Yang Xing still called out to her.