A Target Appears Out of Nowhere

Obito took the scroll and read it carefully.

Inosuke had refined features but a sturdy build.

He was violent by nature and skilled with a pair of blades.

His Taijutsu rivaled a Jōnin's, while his Ninjutsu was average. Genjutsu was his weakness.

After memorizing a few distinguishing traits, Obito passed the scroll to Rin.

Rin read it, then handed it to Kakashi.

Once Kakashi had finished reading, he destroyed the scroll with a Fireball Technique.

He glanced at Rin and Obito, who looked puzzled.

Kakashi explained.

"Destroying a scroll once you've memorized the mission details is basic practice for a ninja."

That was true, but...

Guy's face suddenly popped into Obito's mind.

If it were Guy, the mission would probably grind to a halt without the scroll.

Guy: Who was I supposed to assassinate again?

Uchiha Kisame? Hoshigaki Madara?

...What was I supposed to do again?

Hahaha! Just imagining it is hilarious!

With their hands behind their backs, the four of them leaped through the forest.

When they got hungry, they swallowed a food pill. When they got thirsty... they stayed thirsty. It saved them from needing a bathroom.

They ran for a long, long time before finally reaching the vicinity of the Black Market.

The moment Minato told them they had arrived,

all three youngsters breathed a sigh of relief.

Obito looked left and right, studying the supposed Black Market for ages, but he couldn't spot anything unusual.

"Looks like an ordinary village to me..." Obito muttered.

If you didn't know what was hidden inside,

you would never connect this sparsely populated village with an illegal marketplace.

"Take off your Forehead Protectors. Once we're inside the Black Market, keep your identities hidden," Minato instructed.

The three removed their Forehead Protectors and tucked them carefully into their clothes.

"Transformation Technique!"

Minato transformed into a broad-shouldered, thick-waisted brute with a fierce face.

Obito and the others used the Transformation Technique too,

disguising themselves as entirely different people.

It was worth noting

that when using the Transformation Technique,

you had to base your disguise on someone or something familiar, or at least similar to yourself.

Otherwise, anyone with a sharp eye could spot that something was off.

Of course,

if you had the protagonist's plot armor, forget I said anything.

Right, Naruto?

The four strode boldly into the Black Market.

A few guards dressed as villagers glanced at them from the entrance but did not stop them.

One look at the four said they were dangerous, not ordinary people who had wandered in by mistake.

Once inside the Black Market,

Minato said quietly,

"You three can split up and gather information. I'll go speak with whoever runs this place."

Fighting was forbidden in the Black Market, and his students were no pushovers.

He didn't need to worry too much about their safety.

The three nodded.

"Got it, Minato-sensei."

All three understood

that Minato-sensei had brought them mainly to give them experience.

He wasn't really expecting them to uncover any crucial information.

Completing the mission would mostly depend on him.

After Minato left,

the three wandered aimlessly down the street.

Obito asked, "Kakashi, what do we do now?"

Kakashi thought for a moment before answering.

"Let's try talking to a few people and see if we can learn anything useful."

"But don't be too obvious with your questions. There are all kinds of connections in the Black Market. We don't want to tip anyone off by accident."

Obito and Rin nodded along.

Rin praised him sincerely.

"You know so much, Kakashi."

Obito rolled his eyes so hard they nearly disappeared into his head.

"(ˉ▽￣~) Tch~~!"

A burly man happened to be standing around ahead of them, so the three approached him.

"You look like quite the fighter. Which ninja village do you serve?" Obito asked with a flattering smile.

The middle-aged man did not answer. Instead, he smiled at the three of them and asked,

"And where might you three gentlemen be from?"

The three exchanged glances.

Obito replied earnestly,

"We're ninja from Iwagakure. What about you, buddy?"

The middle-aged man nodded as if that explained everything, then said with the same smile,

"Ah, ninja from Iwagakure. I'm from Konoha."

The three of them: "..."

Damn it!

Who does this bastard think he's fooling?

"Do you three need any Explosive Tags?"

As he spoke, the middle-aged man pulled open his clothes, revealing Explosive Tags plastered all over the inside.

"These are premium goods made in Konoha. I like the look of you three, so I'll give you a discount!"

The three turned and walked away.

The middle-aged man shouted after them,

"Don't go, brothers! At least haggle a little!"

The three made a circuit of the Black Market, which wasn't very large.

They came away with next to nothing.

"Ugh, gathering information is so hard!" Obito complained.

If only his Sharingan had three Tomoe.

One look around, and he'd know everything.

Rin nodded in firm agreement, then looked at Kakashi expectantly.

"Do you have any ideas, Kakashi?"

Kakashi shook his head. He was at a loss too.

"Hm?"

Someone in the distance suddenly caught his eye.

After watching for a while, he said quietly to the other two,

"Look at that guy to the west. Doesn't he look like our target?"

Obito and Rin stole a few glances but saw nothing.

"His face and build don't match. What makes you think it's him, Kakashi?" Obito asked.

Kakashi answered with certainty.

"Those two blades. They're almost identical to the ones in the scroll's portrait. I'm eighty percent sure."

What?

Obito studied the blades more closely.

He still couldn't see what Kakashi saw.

They're just ordinary blades!

Just then, a glowing screen appeared before his eyes.

[Option One: Quickly pass this information to Minato. Reward upon completion: 0.03 Kaka Chakra.]

[Option Two: Use your head and find a way to subdue Inosuke. Reward upon completion: Exploding Shadow Clone Technique.]

Obito was startled.

The system gave me options. So that really is Inosuke!

Rin clenched her hands nervously.

"What should we do? Find Minato-sensei?"

Kakashi shook his head.

"I'm afraid we don't have time. He might be gone by the time we find Minato-sensei."

Obito nodded in agreement with Kakashi.

"We need to act!"

In his mind, he frantically selected option two.

22222!

Kakashi frowned slightly.

Plan after plan flashed through his mind, but he rejected every one.

"Fighting is forbidden in the Black Market. Unless we can take him down in one strike somewhere secluded, we'll be thrown out."

Take down a Special Jōnin who specializes in Taijutsu in an instant?

That sounds tough...

Obito bit his finger and fell into thought.

After considering it for a moment, he spoke.

"I have an idea. We can do this... and then that..."

Rin's mouth fell slightly open as she listened.

"Isn't that a bit risky, Obito?"

Kakashi glanced at the figure in the distance, who was already preparing to leave, and made a quick decision.

"We're out of time. We'll go with Obito's plan!"

"Rin, find Minato-sensei. Obito and I will carry out the plan!"

Rin hesitated, then nodded.

"All right. You two be careful!"

Obito grinned.

"Yosh! Don't worry, Rin!"

With that,

he and Kakashi took separate routes, slowly closing in on the figure.