On September 14th, Konoha Year 49, Kakashi will celebrate his 12th birthday, at which time he will become the second youngest Jonin in Konoha.
Two outstanding classmates emerged in the Peer, and taking advantage of Kakashi's birthday, Rin Nohara organized another party.
At the beginning of the month, the higher-ups had already completed their mobilization, with almost all the Jonin being assigned to the front lines, and the young Chunin also receiving patrol assignments.
Inside the barbecue restaurant, many villagers and the remaining ninjas were discussing the end of the war at the end of the year. Most ninjas were already very satisfied with receiving a request from the Land of Wind.
Kurenai Yuhi, now dressed in casual clothes, looked around and, not seeing Rin Nohara's little follower, immediately teased, "Where's Obito?"
I remember he always liked to be by your side.
"That's not true at all. Obito just lacked friends. He was also very happy that Kakashi was promoted to Jonin!"
Rin Nohara chuckled, trying to salvage the situation for Obito. Upon hearing this, Sarutobi Asuma, sitting opposite him, sighed, chin in hand, "He was probably discouraged by Kakashi!"
"Ninja skills are indeed very important, but hardworking geniuses are even more terrifying."
" Kakashi has taken on just as many battles as Shu, so it's only right that he received the rank of Jonin."
Kakashi had only recently returned to the village to rest, almost a week ago. He knew that the village, with no shortage of fighting power, would take care of them, these young "seeds."
But at the crucial moment, Minato assigned him a patrol mission, which made Kakashi somewhat resentful. " Jonin, I didn't take him seriously."
" Obito should face reality. There are other professions in this world besides ninja. He doesn't need to make things difficult for himself."
The two girls simply smiled to ease the awkward atmosphere, but Asuma paused, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"Once this mission is over, there shouldn't be any more war!"
" Kakashi, this is a medical kit I prepared for you. It has been improved over many years and will be of great help to you."
Rin Nohara blushed slightly and presented the gifts with both hands. She gave these gifts every year: a medical kit and a heart-shaped amulet, hoping to protect Kakashi.
Soon, everyone presented their gifts, with Might Guy holding up the green bodysuit he had given out and loudly recommending it. " Kakashi, this is the newly released upgraded version! Wearing this will significantly improve your training efficiency!"
"I won't wear it, thank you, Kai."
Upon hearing Kakashi's refusal, Might Guy cried out in sorrow. Rin Nohara, watching this joyful scene, suddenly thought of the lonely Obito: "I hope tomorrow's mission goes smoothly."
The next morning, at the edge of the dense forest on the western side of the Land of Fire, Kakashi stood on a rock with his arms crossed and his eyes closed, waiting, Namiashi Raidō was tidying up his ninja tool bag beside him.
Rin Nohara kept turning her head to look around. It was almost 7 o'clock, but Obito still hadn't appeared. It seemed she was going to be late again.
"Damn it, is it going to be too late?"
" Kakashi's going to complain again, isn't he!"
Obito mentally grumbled as he sped through the tree Obito. In order not to be late, he was already accelerating as fast as he could. Just as he was about to burst out of the dense forest, his Chakra exploded once again.
"Ah!"
Obito screamed as he tripped over a vine and flew through the air, rolling twice on the grass. When he opened his eyes, he saw that all three of them were looking at him.
"Are you alright, Obito?!"
Rin Nohara, Obito had been pulled up, looked at the girl helping him pat his clothes with some embarrassment, momentarily forgetting that he was late.
"I shouldn't have had any expectations of you. The mission is very clear: protect the Kannabi Bridge."
"Our assigned area is a key area, and we also need to coordinate with several other teams to patrol the borders of the Land of Fire."
"Set off!"
Kakashi gave a brief explanation and sped off, Obito ran alongside, shouting, "What a show-off! I just ran into an old lady who needed help, and I wasn't late at all!"
"What's so great about Jonin? I'll advance to that rank eventually. Once I awaken my Sharingan, I'll definitely surpass you, you despicable bastard!"
Hearing the complaints, Kakashi didn't turn around and sped towards the bamboo forest, entering mission mode. He couldn't be bothered to argue with Obito.
At each supply point, Kakashi would stop and mark it on the map.
With the help of Rin Nohara and Namiashi Raidō, they quickly finished patrolling most of the area they were responsible for.
After checking a trap, the four rested again. Kakashi looked at the map while gently sniffing the air a few times.
At this moment, Obito was putting in eye drops. He didn't take the mission to heart. His elders in the clan had told him about the situation on the front line of the Land of Grass. The Iwagakure Ninja were afraid of fighting and it was impossible for them to break through the defense line.
As they crossed a large puddle, Kakashi immediately raised his right hand, his nose twitched again, and he swiftly drew his short sword, his face grave as he warned, "An unexpected situation has arisen; Iwagakure Ninja have broken through the defenses!"
"How could this be? The enemy couldn't possibly have done this. Is there a problem at the front?"
Namiashi Raidō Rin Nohara nervously pulled out her Kunai.
Obito was caught up in the tense atmosphere, and a bead of cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.
"We don't have enough information to make a judgment yet, but Minato-sensei and the others will soon realize what's going on here."
" Hatake Kakashi? I didn't expect it to be you."
"Killing your genius subordinate, I wonder if that Yellow Flash will feel any pain?"
Two Iwagakure Jonin appeared, their arms bound with Kakkō, their bodies "sticking" to the branches of a giant bamboo, looking down at the squad with cruel expressions.
"Silver hair, and that short sword!"
"An unexpected surprise! It's time for the Konoha Ninja to feel the pain!"
The Mahiru emerged from behind a rock, its long sword hanging low, and a hint of bloodlust appeared in its eyes as it looked at Kakashi.
Many of his friends and subordinates were killed by Minato Namikaze, and his unexpected breakthrough of the defenses this time was driven by nothing but the desire for revenge.
A blue light flashed from the short sword in Kakashi's right hand, crackling with electricity. He pulled out a pill with his left hand, decisively popped it into his mouth, and whispered, "This is no match for you. Head southwest and rendezvous with the other teams."
"Call out!"
The Kakkō moved with incredible speed, the blades crossed in front of him, and he lunged down at Kakashi. On the other side, the Mahiru instantly appeared beside Namiashi Raidō, and their long swords clashed repeatedly.
" Obito, let's get out of here quickly!"
Seeing that Namiashi Raidō was being completely suppressed, Rin Nohara immediately followed Kakashi's instructions and prepared to retreat.
No sooner had they finished speaking than several huge bamboo spikes suddenly shot down from above them.
"Call out!"
" Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Hearing the sound of something cutting through the air, Obito calmly unleashed a massive fireball to deflect the spikes. Just as he was about to turn around and respond, he suddenly heard a cry of alarm.
"Ah..."
Taiseki, having exited stealth mode, reappeared on a distant boulder with Rin Nohara on his shoulder. His two teammates returned to his side, and all three wore cruel expressions. "We'll take this little girl."
"Wait a moment!"
Obito recklessly rushed into the smoke bomb, and seeing the three disappear, he immediately wanted to give chase, but Kakashi stopped him. "Don't chase, Obito! This is a trap tactic commonly used by Iwagakure Ninja."
"I'll go to the front lines to scout out the situation and report back to Minato-sensei. You all go to the southwest base to meet up with the other teams and await further instructions."
"Without Rin's crucial intelligence, the Iwagakure Ninja will get nothing."
Kakashi finished giving his instructions and was about to turn and leave when Obito grabbed him.
Obito was filled with frustration. When he heard Kakashi say he was going to abandon Rin Nohara, he roared, "What are you saying? What about Rin?"
"This is no longer a patrol mission. If a team of a hundred men really breaks through the defenses, a town will become the next Kikyo Castle."
"I told you long ago that you lack the talent of a ninja, and I don't want to waste my time because more people might die because of it."
Kakashi was about to leave when Obito angrily threw a punch, which was blocked by Namiashi Raidō.
"Talent, talent! You have such outstanding talent, yet even your companions want to give up on you!"
"That's Lin. She carefully prepares a first-aid kit for you every birthday. Think of those amulets; she's always praying for you."
"Aren't you a genius? You clearly had the ability to save her, yet you let her die in despair?"
Obito shouted angrily, Namiashi Raidō hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't. Kakashi, however, turned to leave again. "As tools, ninjas must be prepared to be sacrificed."
"Lin is not a tool, you bastard!"
Obito cursed and shook off his companion, walking in the opposite direction. Seeing this, Namiashi Raidō quickly reminded him, " Obito, we must obey the captain's orders."
"What captain? He's just a coward. If he were a hero like White Fang, how could he abandon his comrades?"
Obito glared angrily at the two, then, noticing Kakashi had stopped, he said in a deep voice, "If talented people won't take responsibility, then let me, the loser, change the world."
"I don't care about ninjas or rules, I have to go save Rin!"
Obito ignored their reactions, unleashed a burst of Chakra, and chased after the Iwagakure Ninja in the direction they had fled.
Kakashi instinctively gripped the medical kit in his ninja tool pouch, recalling the girl's expression when she gave him the gift last night, and sadly lowered his head.
Seeing Kakashi move away without intending to help, Namiashi Raidō reached out and grabbed Kakashi, whispering, "Captain, I want to try. As a Konoha Ninja, you shouldn't abandon your comrades."
" Minato-sensei should realize it. If he's already on his way to the rescue, we should go and save Rin even more."
O
"If Lin dies because of our inaction, I will feel guilty for the rest of my life."
Kakashi watched Namiashi Raidō and leave, instinctively gripping the White Fang Short Blade on his back. The bamboo forest was unusually quiet; he could only whisper in anguish, "Father, is this what you faced back then?"
"Xiu, if it were you, you should be able to solve this problem."
Kakashi took out the medical kit the girl had given him again, stared at it for a moment, and then made up his mind. He swallowed the remaining two secret pills one by one, and then took out another set and placed it on the edge of his ninja tool bag.
The restrictions on the Chakra points in his brain vanished instantly, Kakashi struggled to control this surge of power, accelerating as he chased after the two.