C-rank Mission

The next day.

"Nooo!"

Obito jolted awake, sprawled across the bed.

Only when he saw that Kakashi wasn't beside him did he breathe a sigh of relief.

His whole body ached, and he struggled to get out of bed.

"Honestly, Kakashi. He just had to make me stay over last night..."

Obito tidied himself up, got dressed, and walked out of the room.

He ran straight into Kakashi, who had also just gotten up.

Kakashi said coolly,

"Come on. We're going to be late."

Obito gave an irritated snort.

"You use me, then turn cold on me right after? Weren't you the one who insisted yesterday...?"

Kakashi flushed with embarrassment and snapped,

"Enough. What happened last night stays between us. Let's bury it and never bring it up again."

Obito nodded in firm agreement.

On that, he and Kakashi were already of one mind.

"Come on, then. We've got a mission."

Obito threw an arm around Kakashi and opened the door.

There stood Rin, staring at them in a daze.

All three of their expressions turned awkward.

This is bad, Kakashi thought.

When did Rin get here?

She didn't hear what Obito and I just said, did she?

Damn it... She's not getting the wrong idea, is she?

Rin's imagination was already running wild.

Not that anyone could blame her.

What the two of them had just said was far too easy to misinterpret.

Rin felt as though her whole world had gone sideways.

No wonder Kakashi never likes dealing with girls. He actually...

Obito's expression was just as complicated.

He didn't know Rin had come to ask Kakashi where he was because she couldn't find him.

He assumed she'd come looking for Kakashi himself!

"W-what a coincidence."

"Y-yeah."

"We're almost late. How about we talk on the way?"

"Uh, okay..."

The three walked side by side, each with a troubled look.

Not one of them spoke on the way to the meeting point.

Kakashi knew Obito liked Rin.

Obito knew Rin admired Kakashi.

And Rin now suspected there was something going on between Obito and Kakashi.

When the three of them got together, awkwardness was inevitable.

Each thought they were the third wheel. The whole damn thing had come full circle.

Between three people, they'd somehow managed to make three possible couples!

West of Konoha Square.

Minato looked at his three students and said,

"Now that everyone's here, let me tell you about our team's mission today."

Normally,

Minato would have noticed that something was off between his students.

But he wasn't in great shape himself, and his lower back still ached faintly.

After assigning the mission,

Minato made an excuse and left first.

Once Minato was gone, Kakashi swiftly fled the scene too.

"I'll go on ahead!"

"I-I should go too."

With that, Rin started walking away.

Obito gritted his teeth and jogged after her.

"Rin, wait. I need to tell you something."

Rin stopped and gently bit her lip.

Was Obito-kun coming to stake his claim?

Was he going to tell me to stay away from Kakashi?

But the one I like is obviously... Rin's thoughts spiraled.

Obito stopped in front of her and explained helplessly,

"Lin-chan, you've got it wrong. What actually happened with Kakashi and me yesterday was..."

Obito told her everything that had happened last night.

As it turned out,

Kakashi had insisted that Obito keep demonstrating the Sexy Jutsu for him.

It had worn Obito out so badly that he'd spent the night at the Hatake Clan's home.

That was how this morning's misunderstanding had happened.

By the time Obito finished, Rin's cheeks were bright red.

"So that's what happened. I never knew Kakashi was that kind of person..."

Obito nodded emphatically.

"Exactly!"

Then Rin asked, puzzled,

"But Obito-kun, how did you come up with a jutsu like that?"

Obito: "..."

I didn't think this through!

Nothing worse than the air suddenly going silent~

"Lin-chan, I'd better go finish my mission." Obito bolted as if fleeing for his life.

Rin watched him go and couldn't help smiling.

"Obito-kun, you really are an idiot..."

The days passed.

After sending out jar after jar of fruit wine, Obito had nearly used up all the medicine he'd bought.

He decided to ease off for a while and put his wine-delivery plan on hold.

For one thing, he wanted to save some money for when he got married.

For another, he figured Minato-sensei needed a break.

He was genuinely afraid Minato-sensei would work himself to the bone day and night, then come home and drop dead.

One day,

at Team Minato's meeting point,

Kakashi touched his Forehead Protector and said thoughtfully,

"Minato-sensei seems to be doing much better these past few days."

"During our last few combat training sessions, his steps felt unsteady, like he was about to run out of strength."

Obito gave a couple of guilty coughs.

"Ahem. I think you're overthinking it. Minato-sensei was probably going easy on us on purpose."

Kakashi wasn't entirely convinced.

But just as he was about to say more,

Rin waved a hand and whispered,

"Shh, stop talking. Minato-sensei's here."

Minato appeared before the three of them, looking refreshed.

He was full of energy now!

Minato smiled and said in a strong, clear voice,

"The village has posted a C-rank Mission. What do you say—interested in taking it?"

Obito pumped his fist in delight.

"Of course! I've wanted to take on a real mission for ages!"

C-rank Missions carried some danger and the possibility of injury.

They mainly involved

small-scale combat, escort duty, intelligence gathering, capturing or hunting dangerous beasts, and transporting confidential documents.

Kakashi was quietly excited too, anticipation bright in his eyes.

Rin asked curiously,

"Minato-sensei, what's this mission about?"

Minato smiled.

"We'll need to leave Konoha for this one. I'll explain on the way."

With Minato leading them, the four left Konoha and set foot beyond the village.

Obito looked around with curiosity.

It was his first time leaving Konoha.

Everything around him felt fresh and new.

The four sped due south.

As Minato led the way, he explained,

"Our mission is to gather intelligence at a Black Market in the central Land of Fire."

"The village received word that a suspected Konoha Missing-nin was seen near that Black Market."

Obito asked in surprise,

"A Black Market? The Land of Fire allows those to exist?"

A black market was a market that operated illegally without official approval.

Before Minato could answer, Kakashi said,

"Black markets keep cropping up no matter how often they're shut down. So it's better to let some operate under official supervision."

"That way, the authorities can limit their size and gather intelligence from all sides quickly."

Obito nodded in realization.

"I see!"

Minato gave Kakashi an approving look.

"That's right. The target of this mission is Inosuke, a former Special Jōnin of Konoha."

Minato pulled a Scroll from his coat and tossed it to Obito beside him.

"It contains his portrait and detailed records. Pass it around among yourselves."