Conversation

"Do you think I'm an idiot like Obito?"

Kakashi radiated intense dissatisfaction. He felt like he was being completely underestimated.

"Throughout the entire fight, aside from the final Great Fire Dragon Technique, you and I only competed with our swordsmanship."

"Even though you activated the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, you never used genjutsu."

"Don't tell me you can't."

"Ah, you caught me." Uchiha Aoba scratched his head and smiled sheepishly.

"Tell me the truth!"

Kakashi glared at him with his dead-fish eyes and said unhappily, "I want to know exactly how big the gap between us is right now."

"If you're not telling the truth because you're afraid of discouraging me, there's no need."

"I'm not so fragile that one spar would make me lose heart."

"Aoba..."

Namikaze Minato also spoke up to persuade him. "Just tell him. Otherwise, Kakashi will keep pestering you."

"Besides, I could tell you weren't giving it your all, so I'd like to know too."

"Is that so?" Uchiha Aoba sighed and said helplessly, "I used about 70% of my strength."

"70%..."

Kakashi was taken aback, his expression turning slightly dejected. "The gap between us is that big?"

"Hey, I thought you said you could handle it?"

Seeing the change in his expression, Uchiha Aoba hurriedly protested, "You don't look like you can handle it at all. If I'd known, I shouldn't have believed your nonsense."

"Don't worry."

Kakashi's mood shifted quickly, and he returned to normal in an instant. His voice firm, he said, "You're just temporarily ahead of me. I'll catch up soon."

"Next time, I won't lose."

"Sure. I'll be waiting."

Hearing Kakashi's declaration, Uchiha Aoba replied with a teasing lilt, "I won't hold back next time."

"I'm guessing you'd like to know what I'm really capable of, too."

Kakashi didn't deny it. He gave a cold snort and said, "I hope you won't disappoint me."

"Pfft, hahaha!"

Seeing that, Uchiha Aoba couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing.

Just imagining Kakashi's expression when he eventually used his Mangekyō Sharingan abilities made him want to laugh.

"What are you laughing at?"

"I just thought of something funny."

"I feel like you're thinking about something bad."

Kakashi eyed him suspiciously. "I'll say it again: I'm not an idiot like Obito."

"So don't think you can fool me."

Nearby.

Listening to their exchange, Namikaze Minato looked thoroughly pleased.

This kind of friendly rivalry, with such a strong bond between them, was exactly what he was glad to see.

He was just about to say something.

Just then, a loud figure appeared on the scene.

"Damn you, Kakashi! The first thing I hear when I get here is you badmouthing me!"

"Obito..."

When Kakashi saw who had arrived, his dead-fish eyes returned, his expression conveying helplessness—and the fact that he couldn't do a thing about him.

So he simply ignored Obito and greeted the female ninja behind him instead.

"Morning, Rin."

"Damn it! Don't act like you can't see me!"

Even though he knew Kakashi was doing it on purpose, Uchiha Obito still couldn't help getting riled up.

"Oh, you're here too?"

Realizing that Kakashi absolutely wouldn't let it go unless he reacted, he deliberately acted as if he had only just noticed Obito. He gave a casual wave and said, "Hey, Obito."

"You...!"

Uchiha Obito's face turned bright red with anger.

"Okay, Obito, stop messing around."

"Rin..."

At Nohara Rin's words, Uchiha Obito, who had been fuming moments before, immediately deflated. His mood settled, and a hint of apology appeared on his face.

Uchiha Aoba watched from the side, the corner of his mouth twitching.

That's so like you, Obito-bro.

Being so completely wrapped around a little girl's finger, it was no wonder he would later turn dark because of her.

At that moment, Uchiha Obito seemed to have completely forgotten his quarrel with Kakashi. He brought up the spar between Kakashi and Uchiha Aoba.

"By the way, why didn't you wait for me to get here before you started?"

"You're the one who was late."

Kakashi said irritably, "When are you going to break this bad habit?"

"It was one thing back at the Ninja Academy, but now you're a Chunin and you still have no sense of time. You even dragged Rin into it. Don't you feel embarrassed?"

"I was helping an old lady cross the street."

Knowing he was in the wrong, Uchiha Obito's face reddened again. He stubbornly made excuses.

"Obito..."

Namikaze Minato hadn't wanted to get involved in his students' bickering, but after hearing Kakashi's words, he had to speak up. "Kakashi is right. You need to pay attention to this."

"Minato-sensei."

Seeing Namikaze Minato say the same thing, Uchiha Obito lowered his head, no longer acting as he had before.

"Sensei, Obito..."

"Rin, I know what you want to say, but you don't need to make excuses for Obito."

Namikaze Minato shook his head and cut her off. "I'm not saying that respecting the elderly and caring for the young is wrong. If Obito did that in his free time, I'd never blame him. I'd praise him instead."

"But once there's a mission, that's different—especially when it's an important one."

"As his teammates, we might be able to turn a blind eye when Obito is late, but what about the client?"

"And what if we're given an urgent mission that has to be completed as quickly as possible?"

After hearing him out, Nohara Rin knew her teacher was right. She couldn't speak up for Uchiha Obito anymore. Seeing how dejected he looked, all she could do was sigh inwardly.

"Aoba..."

At that moment, Namikaze Minato suddenly turned his gaze to Uchiha Aoba.

"Huh? What is it?"

Uchiha Aoba had been thoroughly enjoying the show from the sidelines. Caught off guard when he was suddenly called on, he didn't react for a moment.

"I'd like to ask you a favor. I hope you'll agree."

Namikaze Minato didn't wait for him to get distracted again. He said directly, "You already know that Lord Hokage assigned you to be my direct subordinate in Anbu, so you can be considered a member of our Team 7 now."

Uchiha Aoba was taken aback. Was that really how it worked?

Weren't those two separate things?

But this was a good thing for him, so he didn't interrupt Namikaze Minato. He let him continue. "What I want to ask is this: you and Obito are both members of the Uchiha Clan."

"So I hope that when we have missions in the future, you can bring him along."

"To put it simply, I'm entrusting Obito to you."

!!!

"What!?"

Uchiha Obito, who had been feeling dejected, immediately raised his head in shock at those words.