Missions and Downtime

Sakumo jerked his head up, as though he had made his decision on the spot.

"I..."

The Third Hokage cut him off, his voice grave.

"Sakumo, don't answer just yet."

"This mission is extremely dangerous. You could find yourself facing almost certain death."

"Think it through, then give us your answer."

Danzo frowned, displeasure flashing through his eyes, though he said,

"Yes, give it some thought. This may be your last chance."

"And your teammates have already agreed to join. You..."

The Third Hokage slammed a hand on the desk.

"Enough, Danzo. Let Sakumo decide for himself."

Sakumo's expression wavered. He looked deeply conflicted.

But it was only an act.

He was calmly analyzing the situation.

On the surface,

the Third Hokage did not seem to want him to take the mission.

But who knew whether he and Danzo were playing good cop, bad cop?

After a long pause, Sakumo asked,

"My lords, may I know what the mission entails before I decide?"

The Third Hokage nodded.

He took a scroll from a drawer and handed it to Sakumo.

"This mission is unusual. You'll understand once you've read it."

Sakumo took the scroll.

One glance at the intelligence, and he understood what the Third Hokage meant.

"This is...!"

The Third Hokage nodded slightly.

"That's right. It's the same target from your last mission. He has left his territory again."

Sakumo's face darkened.

Anyone who could force Konoha's White Fang to return empty-handed was no ordinary opponent.

Even when Sakumo had caught him off guard, he had failed to kill him.

Now that the target was on his guard, the mission would be harder still.

Silence fell over the Naruto's office.

At last,

Sakumo sighed and dropped to one knee.

"I, Sakumo, will go."

The Third Hokage sat at his desk, smoking.

Smoke curled around him, hiding his expression.

"Understood. Go home and prepare."

After Sakumo left,

Danzo said with a chuckle,

"Hiruzen, I don't know what you're worried about."

"The mission may be difficult, but with Hatake Sakumo's brains and skill, it should cost him nothing more than a little effort."

The Third Hokage turned toward him.

He stared at Danzo without expression, something unreadable in his eyes.

"Let's hope so."

The look from his old friend made Danzo uneasy. His expression turned stiff.

"Heh. I have matters to attend to at Root, so I'll be going."

In the classroom,

Kisuke paced in front of the lectern like a walking sleeping pill.

Obito's head swayed from side to side as his mind drifted toward sleep.

The sight of Obito dozing off made Kisuke's temper flare.

"O-bi-to!"

A piece of chalk flew through the air and struck Obito squarely on the head.

Seriously, a ninja's aim was no joke.

"Ah!"

Obito sat bolt upright and looked at Kisuke with wounded eyes.

Sir, throwing chalk at me like a shuriken was bad enough... Did you have to put chakra into it too?

Kisuke gave a cold snort.

"Some students achieve one little thing and immediately let it go to their heads. That attitude won't do."

Obito was speechless.

Teacher Kisuke, you might as well just say my name.

After scolding Obito a little more, Kisuke resumed the lesson.

Obito listened for a while, then let his mind wander again.

Back when he took English listening exams in his previous life, he had learned a valuable lesson.

Some things were only meant for people who understood them.

...The system hasn't given me a mission, so why bother trying so hard?

After class,

Obito took Rin's hand as usual and said with a grin,

"Rin, it's the weekend. Let's go out to eat. My treat."

Rin pulled her hand away, her face bright red.

"Obito, there are so many people watching..."

"Rin~"

At that moment, Obito had eyes only for Rin.

He felt the affection between them warming by the second.

Pink petals seemed to drift through the air.

A tender, hazy mood quietly grew between them.

But just then,

a voice broke in at the worst possible moment.

"Ahem. Could I come along?"

Obito turned, his face dark, and saw a laid-back boy with pineapple-shaped hair.

His eyes narrowed as he glared at Shikaba.

Uh...

Shikaba was baffled.

Did I do something to upset Obito?

Annoyed that the moment had been ruined, Obito said,

"Sure, but you're paying for yourself."

Shikaba scratched his head.

"Uh... of course. I could even treat you both."

Obito's face brightened at once, and he broke into a sunny smile.

"Oh, I couldn't possibly... What are you treating us to?"

Shikaba: "...How about barbecue?"

The three of them arrived at a barbecue restaurant.

The young woman at the entrance brightened and bowed slightly.

"Welcome! Please come in!"

A glimpse of pale skin caught their eyes.

Obito and Shikaba swallowed at the same time.

That kimono is far too loose, Shikaba thought.

Looks can be deceiving. She looks sixteen, but her figure belongs to a thirty-six-year-old... That was Obito's thought.

The young woman led them into the restaurant.

From up ahead, she asked,

"What would you like to order?"

Shikaba thought for a moment, then said,

"Three signature barbecue sets, please."

The young woman glanced at Shikaba, sounding a little puzzled.

"Are you sure you only want three? Three sets might not be enough for the four of you."

Shikaba and the others were even more confused than she was.

"Four? Aren't there only three of us?"

No way...?!

All three widened their eyes and turned to look behind them.

A black-haired girl in sunglasses stood there, looking hurt.

Obito smacked his forehead in frustration.

"Damn it. How did we forget Ayako?"

Rin looked conflicted too.

"Yeah. We all agreed to eat together just now, but..."

But none of us could remember Ayako at all, Shikaba finished silently.

He turned to the young woman.

"Sorry for the trouble. Four signature barbecue sets, please."

The young woman answered in a sweet voice.

"Of course. Please have a seat. Your barbecue will be right out."

The four of them sat down at a table.

The fragrant barbecue arrived soon after.

They chatted as they ate.

Rin set down her fork and asked thoughtfully,

"Come to think of it, does anyone know what Kakashi's been busy with lately?"

"I haven't heard from him in ages."