Splitting Up

Thinking about the original story, Ye Yuexin figured Obito's personality had probably never changed.

Even after he became the mastermind behind the Akatsuki.

The Tobi from that time was probably just his original personality, the one he'd kept repressed.

"Obito, how can you say that?" Rin Nohara said angrily from the side.

Those big eyes, that gentle voice, her naturally round cheeks, and the face paint on her cheeks—she really was adorable.

Obito Uchiha had been willing to make the whole world his enemy for her. It was no wonder.

It wasn't until Rin spoke that Obito Uchiha finally settled down, as if she were his kryptonite.

Ye Yuexin felt he should introduce himself now. Everyone else, except Kakashi, had graduated around the same time and knew each other well.

So he walked to the middle of the group and smiled. "Hello, senpai. My name is Ye Yuexin. I specialize in Taijutsu and throwing knives. I'm glad to be on the same team as all of you."

"Kakashi Hatake. Elite Chunin. I specialize in swordsmanship, Earth Release, and Lightning Release." Kakashi looked at Ye Yuexin and spoke flatly.

His eyes held nothing but seriousness.

Perhaps this was just what Kakashi, who still specialized in swordsmanship at this point, was like.

It was hard to imagine that he'd later become so gentle and laid-back, always reading romance novels.

After Kakashi finished, Obito Uchiha hurriedly said, "Obito Uchiha. I specialize in the Shar— I mean, I'll specialize in the Sharingan in the future. And the Uchiha Fire Release Great Fireball Technique."

Hearing that introduction, Ye Yuexin was at a loss for words. So, after all that, you're not good at anything and only know the Great Fireball Technique?

Rin Nohara chuckled at Obito Uchiha's introduction and said softly, "It's nice to meet you, Ye Yuexin. My name is Rin Nohara. I specialize in Medical Ninjutsu. I look forward to working with you during the mission." Now that was a proper introduction.

No wonder she was the only girl in the group.

Next, a boy with a small Senbon in his mouth said, "Genma Shiranui. I specialize in my family's swordsmanship."

"Ebisu. I specialize in genjutsu and my family's secret mental techniques."

"I'm Konoha's Blue Beast, Might Guy. I specialize in Taijutsu." Seeing that everyone else had introduced themselves, Might Guy followed suit.

That meant they all knew each other now.

Just as Ye Yuexin was about to chat a little more,

he suddenly felt the space around them shift. Minato Namikaze must be on his way. His eyes immediately darted toward the wall beside the others, at the village entrance.

In an instant, Minato Namikaze appeared atop the wall.

No one had seen how he'd gotten there. Only Ye Yuexin had sensed the disturbance.

"To think you could detect where I was. It seems you have the same talent for space as I do." Minato Namikaze already knew the others well, so when he arrived, he looked straight at Ye Yuexin.

Then he noticed Ye Yuexin staring right back at him and couldn't help being surprised.

Only then did everyone else notice Minato Namikaze's arrival and turn to look at him.

Minato Namikaze smiled and jumped down. He must have placed his Flying Thunder God Mark on the wall at Konoha's entrance ahead of time.

Then he said with a smile, "It looks like you've all gotten to know each other and are getting along well."

"I just came from the Third Hokage. We're short on time, so I'll explain the mission details on the way. That's all—our squad is setting out now."

He led them to submit the mission details, then headed out of the village.

Ye Yuexin still felt completely relaxed, even though he didn't know anything about the situation.

He didn't even know something as basic as the mission's destination.

Strangely, it made him feel even more at ease. He didn't have to worry about a thing.

All he had to do now was go wherever Minato Namikaze told him.

And do whatever Minato Namikaze asked him to do.

Then he could simply follow the big shots, complete the mission, and collect his reward.

Just thinking about it made Ye Yuexin feel great.

It was much better than when he'd gone on a mission with Itachi Uchiha. Back then, he'd had to account for every possible variable, come up with a plan, and then assess whether it was feasible... In short, all that stuff they'd learned at the Ninja Academy.

Once they left the village, Minato Namikaze led the team through the forest at a faster pace. They moved quickly, but Ye Yuexin seemed perfectly relaxed the whole way, which made Kakashi and the others take another look at him.

By noon, they finally slowed down and found a place to rest.

They'd already covered a little less than half the distance. They were moving much faster than Ye Yuexin and Itachi Uchiha had on their last mission.

Their destination might be near the edge of the Land of Fire.

Of course, the main reason they needed a break was that Obito and Ebisu were starting to run out of stamina.

More precisely, Minato Namikaze had set too fast a pace, and Rin Nohara had been the first to struggle.

Obito Uchiha had then started supporting her as they went.

By now, both of them were exhausted, and Ebisu was drenched in sweat.

They were the only three in the group who didn't specialize in Taijutsu.

The pace was simply too fast.

The others also looked a little tired.

That was because Minato Namikaze had been traveling at the average speed of a jonin the whole time.

Not everyone had Ye Yuexin's speed and footwork. Besides, the fine control of Wind Release he used required very little chakra.

So only he and Minato Namikaze looked relaxed.

There was also Might Guy. Ye Yuexin thought he was seriously incredible.

On the way, Ye Yuexin had noticed that his chakra control was the worst of them all.

He'd been wasting too much chakra as they traveled. But when he finally ran out,

Ye Yuexin saw that he simply stopped using chakra altogether and continued with nothing but his body's strength.

And somehow, he was even recovering chakra while he traveled...

He really was the Blue Beast. Ye Yuexin could never recover chakra while doing such intense exercise.

Minato Namikaze seemed to have noticed the problem too, so he called them together.

He apologized. "I'm really sorry, everyone. This mission is extremely urgent. The border could be breached at any moment, so we have to get there as quickly as possible and prepare our defenses."

But it seemed that Obito Uchiha and Rin Nohara really couldn't handle this pace.

After thinking it over, he decided to make other arrangements.

"For now, Might Guy, Ebisu, Ye Yuexin, and I will hurry ahead to reinforce them."

Then he glanced at Kakashi and continued, "Kakashi will lead the others. Rest and recover your chakra, then reach the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth by tomorrow morning.

"Our Konoha defensive base is the one I took you to last time."

Hearing Minato Namikaze, Kakashi replied flatly, "Understood."

After Kakashi answered, Minato Namikaze stood up and said to Ye Yuexin and the others, "I'll carry Ebisu for now. Are the rest of you ready to set out?"

"Yes!" Ye Yuexin and the others answered.

The mission was urgent, so Minato Namikaze didn't explain further.

He simply picked up Ebisu, who looked guilt-stricken, and carried him on his back. The four of them set off.