"Could it be... he doesn't want to be friends with me?"
"Or did I do something to offend him?"
He felt a little down. It wasn't just because the mission wasn't going well; he was also unhappy about having his friendly overtures coldly rebuffed.
Just as he was feeling down...
Elsewhere...
Might Guy ran faster and faster! His legs moved as if they'd been borrowed, pounding the ground with reckless abandon. A trail of dust rose wherever he went.
As he sprinted, the wind rushing at him distorted his features, but he didn't notice. He just kept pumping his legs.
"I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead!" Might Guy screamed inwardly.
"Kakashi was right. If you get up too early, you really are likely to run into ghosts!"
Might Guy was terrified.
In the past, when he went out for his morning training, he could barely see a soul in Konoha, let alone near the village entrance.
He'd been startled when he first noticed the other person just now, but soon decided he was probably overreacting. Maybe he'd been so focused on his training that he hadn't noticed when the other person approached.
But then he realized something was wrong.
When he turned around to continue training, why had the figure "exercising" behind him made no sound?
He glanced back again!
Neat clothes. An evil smile.
And a face that was unnaturally white in the dim light.
Might Guy's alarm bells rang!
When the figure pretended to exercise again, he stayed on high alert and deliberately slowed his movements.
Sure enough, the sounds of the person exercising behind him disappeared again.
He simply stopped.
There was indeed no sound behind him.
And yet, he could almost feel a gaze as solid as a thing resting on him.
On a morning when the sun hadn't yet risen, there was a strange guy with a pale face silently watching him do squats from behind. With all those factors combined, every hair on Might Guy's body stood on end!
Run!
Run as fast as he could!
If it had been an enemy, he would've had the courage to fight. But he was terrified of a ghost who lurked by the village entrance to watch people do squats!
Run! Run to the Hokage Building! Report it to Lord Hokage!
Konoha Ninja Academy
Rin Nohara sat at her desk, idly fiddling with the end of her pen, her brows slightly furrowed.
She was troubled by the way she had changed.
She'd stayed up late the previous night before finally falling asleep, so she had no energy for school today. The reason she'd lost sleep was simple: whenever she closed her eyes, Nebula Kotetsu's face drifted through her mind.
One moment, he was smiling gently at her.
The next, he was surrounded at school by a gaggle of chattering girls.
Then she pictured him standing in the hall, looking into her eyes with such sincerity as he told her, "I like you," leaving her at a loss.
Finally, she imagined Nebula Kotetsu embracing some girlfriend or other in a secluded spot, doing something that was anything but quiet.
But she hadn't done anything, had she?
All she'd done was accept a gift from Nebula Kotetsu after school.
She knew he had a lot of girlfriends, and she had no intention of getting together with him.
It was just that, having been deeply influenced by the Third Hokage and imbued with the Will of Fire, she had patiently answered some of his questions about learning Medical Ninjutsu and given him some medical tools she hardly used anymore. She'd also shown him how to use them and practice with them.
Everything was perfectly normal! So why couldn't she get a good night's sleep?
Lost in her troubles, she didn't even notice when Obito Uchiha came to stand in front of her.
"Rin!" His cheerful voice brought Rin Nohara back to her senses.
She looked at Obito Uchiha, grinning at her, but her voice wasn't as cheerful as usual.
"You're here."
"And you're not late today."
Obito Uchiha scratched his head. "It's not like I'm late every day."
"By the way, Rin, I have something to tell you."
Rin raised her eyes. "What is it?"
Obito Uchiha put on a serious expression. "Rin, I've made up my mind."
"I was wrong about what happened yesterday."
"I shouldn't have hit that guy... Nebula so hard. I know I was wrong."
Rin looked up in surprise. "Really?"
"Of course!" Obito Uchiha answered firmly. "Why would I lie to you?"
"I really know I was wrong. And I'm going to apologize to Nebula properly for being rude to him before."
After saying that, Obito Uchiha quietly watched Rin's reaction. When he saw her visibly relax and brighten, he couldn't help feeling secretly pleased.
That's me for you!
Though the idea had come from an old lady he often helped, after he'd confided his troubles to her, with a little rounding up, it still counted as his own wisdom.
He looked at Rin, his eyes vaguely conveying a message: Hurry up and praise me! Hurry up and praise me!
Rin smiled.
"That's great, Obito!"
"I'm so glad you feel that way! We're classmates, partners, and comrades who'll fight together in the future. Of course we should get along."
"Last night, Nebula mentioned you to me, and I was worried about how to change your mind. I never expected you to surprise me like this."
Obito Uchiha: "!!!"
His proud smile froze on his face.
The words "last night" and "Nebula" floated before his eyes, like two hammers going clang, clang against his head.
She called him "Nebula" so familiarly? She didn't even add "classmate"!
Last night? How had they been together? Hadn't she gone straight home after school?
Before he could recover from the shock of this revelation, Rin Nohara suddenly looked toward the doorway and waved excitedly.
"Nebula."
"Over here!"
"Obito has something to say to you."
When Nebula Kotetsu had just entered the room and heard Rin Nohara call him, a look of surprise appeared on his listless face.
Had he heard that right?
Obito Uchiha had something to say to him?
He wasn't sure, but since Rin Nohara had called him over, he walked toward them.
He stopped closer to Rin Nohara.
"Rin, what did you say? Obito has something to say to me?"
Something rude?
"Mm-hmm." Rin Nohara smiled and nodded, then looked at Obito Uchiha beside her.
"Obito."
"Go on."
"You can say what you wanted to say now."
Obito Uchiha: "Uh..."
Nebula Kotetsu frowned and looked at Rin Nohara.
"What's going on?"
Rin Nohara explained, "Obito said he was sorry about what happened before. Oh, Obito, why aren't you saying anything?"
Nebula Kotetsu raised an eyebrow.
Turning to Obito, whose face looked as if he were constipated, he couldn't help finding it amusing.
"An apology?"
"Sure. Just say it, and I'll accept."
Obito Uchiha: "..."
Under Rin Nohara's expectant gaze, his face grew redder and redder, but he still couldn't force out a single word. He'd prepared what to say yesterday, but after learning that Rin Nohara had been with Nebula Kotetsu last night, the words wouldn't come out.
A moment later, Nebula Kotetsu shook his head.
"Looks like you left your voice at home."
"Forget it, Rin. I'm a little tired. I need to catch up on some sleep."
He turned to return to his seat, but suddenly remembered something. With his back to Obito Uchiha, he leaned a little closer to Rin Nohara and spoke softly, just loud enough for Obito Uchiha to hear.
"By the way, Rin."
"Thanks for your effort last night."
Before you continue