Nearby.
Obito Uchiha had barely enjoyed two seconds of happiness after successfully "defeating" Nebula Kotetsu when he saw Rin Nohara bandaging him.
He said unhappily, "Rin."
"What are you doing with him? Let him go."
If he hadn't said anything, it might have been fine, but the moment he did, Rin looked up at him with a stern expression, her pretty face full of displeasure.
"Obito!"
"How can you act like this?"
"A classmate is hurt, and you're still saying things like that."
Obito Uchiha: "..."
"No, Rin."
"I only did it for you..." He'd barely gotten the words out before her glare silenced him.
Obito Uchiha looked around for help. A few of the boys gave him a thumbs-up, but most of them stayed silent instead of backing him up.
"How did it turn out like this?" Obito Uchiha thought gloomily. He looked at Nebula Kotetsu, only to see him meet his gaze and curl his lips into a faint smile.
Obito Uchiha: (╬￣皿￣)!!
Nebula Kotetsu quietly enjoyed Rin Nohara bandaging him.
The girl's hands were soft and warm. Even the way she tended to his wound felt gentle, and the pain eased considerably.
[Ding!] [Current mission: First Contact (Complete).] [Mission reward (choose one): 1. 100 bottles of Rin Nohara's personal face paint; 2. 100 premium Kunai; 3. Medical Ninjutsu 100x Upgrade Card.]
There was no need to think it over. Nebula Kotetsu immediately chose the Medical Ninjutsu 100x Upgrade Card.
[Ding! The host does not possess Medical Ninjutsu.] [Please master a basic Medical Ninjutsu skill before using this.] [New mission: Date A Live.] [Complete a date with Rin Nohara. Any date lasting over half an hour counts as one; extra time does not count. There are no restrictions on the location or method.] [Mission time limit: 100 days] [Mission reward: 0.01 units of chakra per date.]
"Star Cloud, why... why are you staring at me?" Rin Nohara finished bandaging him and looked up, meeting Nebula Kotetsu's intent gaze.
It made her cheeks burn.
"Nothing." Nebula Kotetsu smiled. "I just suddenly realized how amazing you are, Rin."
"I've never seen anyone bandage a wound so well."
A little shy at the praise, Rin Nohara said, "I'm really only average. Has someone else bandaged you before?"
"Yeah. My younger brother Izumo bandaged me once. It looked like a dog had chewed on it."
Rin Nohara smiled. Nebula Kotetsu continued, "But you're the first girl who's ever bandaged me."
Rin Nohara blushed.
Obito Uchiha's eyes reddened.
Just then, the teacher came over and praised Rin first. "Rin, that's a very neat bandage." Then he turned to Nebula Kotetsu.
"Are you all right, Nebula?"
Nebula Kotetsu looked at the teacher. "I'm fine. It's just a small wound. I have Rin to thank."
"Teacher, I lost."
"Obito is stronger than me."
The teacher nodded in approval. "You've made a lot of progress too, Nebula."
"Keep it up. Once you graduate this time, you'll be a qualified Genin. Keep working hard."
Then he announced that Obito Uchiha had won.
But when the teacher declared him the winner, Obito Uchiha felt no joy at all.
He looked at the neatly wrapped bandage on Nebula Kotetsu's arm and felt the flames in his heart flare higher and higher.
Had he won?
It seemed like he had, yet it felt no different from losing.
During the rest of the sparring class, Obito Uchiha was distracted. His gaze shifted between Rin Nohara and Nebula Kotetsu. The two watched the fights attentively, while he alone was caught up in turmoil.
For some reason, the uneasy feeling in Obito Uchiha's heart kept growing.
Nebula Kotetsu, you bastard. I'll make you pay sooner or later!
After a while, the sparring class ended.
Under Obito Uchiha's anxious gaze, Nebula Kotetsu didn't linger around Rin Nohara. He knew some things couldn't be rushed, and courting a girl was no different, so he simply left on his own. Obito Uchiha breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as Nebula Kotetsu was pondering how to complete his next mission, a commotion suddenly erupted up ahead.
"Woohoo!"
A cloud of dust rose along the road, accompanied by a series of strange cries.
"Come on, classmates! Hurry up and catch up with me!"
"You can't let your youthful steps grow sluggish!"
"Catch up with me, and let's have a youthful showdown!"
As he spoke, a green whirlwind swept past Nebula Kotetsu, dust flying into his face. He could only cover his nose and mouth with his sleeve. Long after the dust had settled, dozens of people finally came into view.
Some kept their heads down; others pretended to look around casually. None of them made eye contact with anyone. No matter how loudly the green figure up ahead called out, they refused to respond. They seemed determined to make sure everyone knew they didn't know the man in front. Not at all!
[Ding!] [Potential bound partner detected: Might Guy (One flower alone does not make spring; a whole village full of green lights)] [Bind?]
Nebula Kotetsu: "..."
"Wait, System, let me ask you something."
"Bound partners don't have to be girls? There are guys too?"
The system didn't answer. It simply displayed the prompt again: [Bind?]
Nebula Kotetsu sighed.
"Bind."
[Bound partner 2: Might Guy (Instance: Kakashi Hatake)] [Current mission: Youth Spark (Become friends with Might Guy).] [Mission time limit: 7 days.] [Mission reward (choose one): 1. Konoha: Strong Fist Whirlwind; 2. 1,000 Youth Quotes; 3. 10x increase to physical reaction speed.]
Nebula Kotetsu examined the options for a moment, then finally couldn't help asking in his mind:
"System, could you explain in detail what an instance means?"
"I'm begging you."
"Rin, I'm sorry."
"Please don't be mad at me, okay? I really didn't mean to."
On the street after school, Obito Uchiha followed behind Rin Nohara, pleading with her nonstop.
Rin Nohara kept walking without looking back. "You still say you didn't mean to."
"If that Kunai hadn't been blunt, you would've caused a huge problem."
"Obito, how could you lay into a classmate that hard?"
Obito Uchiha protested, "But he was bothering you!"
"Besides, Rin, it was only a flesh wound. What does that matter to a ninja?"
Rin Nohara suddenly stopped. Obito Uchiha hurriedly braked, nearly crashing into her.
Rin Nohara said sternly, "A flesh wound?"
"Obito, he's your classmate, not an enemy from another village."
"Do you realize today's wound could leave a scar?"
"It's ironic, isn't it? He wasn't hurt by an enemy, but by a fellow villager."
Nebula Kotetsu's wound today was a scrape caused by a blunt weapon, and it would be extremely difficult to heal without a trace. Only a high-level medical ninja using the Mystical Palm Technique could do it. But high-level medical ninjas were precious resources, and none would bother treating an ordinary student with no family connections.
Thinking of that, Rin Nohara felt awful.
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