I Have an Idea

"Yosh!"

The moment Obito heard there was a new mission,

his spirits soared, and his frustration vanished.

"Minato-sensei, what kind of mission is it? We even have to leave the village? It must be fun!"

Minato looked at Obito, his smile turning teasing.

"Haha, it certainly is a fun mission."

"But we only need three people for this one."

Obito's expression froze.

"Only three? Then the odd one out wouldn't be..."

Minato nodded with absolute certainty.

"That's right. Genin Obito, you won't be joining us this time."

Obito clutched his head and wailed.

"Ah, Minato-sensei, not you too!"

Minato laughed and waved a hand.

"I couldn't resist teasing you. After what you did yesterday... you got your teacher teased for ages, you know?"

"Anyway, I'm leaving you behind because I have a special mission for you."

Obito's eyes lit up again.

"Ooh! What special mission? Are you sending me undercover into the Land of Earth?"

Minato shook his head, looking a little strange.

"Uh... the owner of a Pharmacy hired a ninja to help her sort Medicinal Herbs."

"And when she submitted the request, she specifically asked for you."

Oh.

No need to guess. The client was probably Yuki.

Obito sighed.

"Aw, come on..."

You all get to go out on an exciting mission.

And you're leaving me alone in a room with a stunning beauty.

Do you really think I'll enjoy that?

...You know me so well!

Rin said with a grin,

"I bet the client is a Grandmother Obito helped before. She must really like him."

Kakashi seemed to agree with Rin's guess.

He looked at Obito with open amusement.

Obito snorted, annoyed by the look in Kakashi's eyes.

"No way! The one who hired me is a beautiful older woman. A real knockout!"

Kakashi curled his lip in disdain.

He didn't believe a single word Obito said.

The women this guy knew were fifty years old on average.

A knockout?

An eighteen-year-old girl might be a knockout.

A seventy-two-year-old Grandmother could be one too... four times over!

"All right, we'll get going," Minato said with a smile.

"Obito, get ready and head to the Pharmacy soon."

Obito sighed again and answered reluctantly.

"Okay, Minato-sensei."

Minato led Rin and Kakashi away.

Rin gave Obito a little wave.

"We're off, Obito! Bye-bye!"

Kakashi merely shrugged, his hands in his pockets.

"See you."

After watching Minato and the others leave,

Obito set off toward the Pharmacy.

After walking for about fifteen minutes,

he reached its entrance.

As soon as he stepped inside, he saw that familiar, graceful figure.

Yuki sat behind the counter, smiling at him.

"You're here, kid."

Obito chuckled and scratched his head.

"Yuki, it's been a while."

Yuki tapped the counter with slender fingers and got straight to the point.

"Since you're here, get to work. Bring in all those boxes outside."

Oh...

Straight to it, huh?

Fine. Time to get to work.

But just as he rolled up his sleeves,

a multiple-choice question appeared in his mind.

[Option One: Honestly carry the Medicinal Herbs and be a good, honest guy. Reward: None. (Why would an honest guy need a reward?)]

[Option Two: Pretend to carry the Medicinal Herbs while secretly admiring Yuki like a little lecher. Reward: Sexy Jutsu level increases.]

[Option Three: Work? Not in this lifetime. Forget carrying those Medicinal Herbs and go chat with the pretty lady instead. Reward: Yuki's affection +1.]

[Reminder: Further missions can be triggered once Yuki's affection for you reaches a certain level.]

Obito glanced over the options, his expression turning complicated.

Looks like I still don't understand women.

I almost went and did the work like an honest fool!

Don't try to guess what a girl is thinking~ You'll never figure it out~

Yeah, option one is out.

As for option two...

Heh. I, Obito, have always kept my distance from women.

...And from men too, for that matter.

I choose three! Three, three, three!

Obito pulled over a small stool, sat beside Yuki, and grinned.

"Yuki, it's been so long. How about we catch up?"

[Choice successful! Reward: Yuki's affection +1!]

Yuki's lips curved into an enticing smile.

"Sure. What do you want to talk about?"

Obito tested the waters.

"How about something sensitive?"

Yuki blinked in surprise.

A faint blush even rose to her cheeks.

"Wh-what kind of sensitive topic? What do you mean?"

I'm probably overthinking it. He's still a child...

Obito grinned.

"For example, Yuki, what do you think of the current turmoil among the Five Great Nations?"

Yuki shot Obito an exasperated glare.

This little brat dared to toy with me!

"...Kid, was that fun for you?"

Obito nodded as though the answer were obvious.

"Of course it was. Why else would I do it?"

Yuki: "..."

He has a point. I can't even argue with that.

The two talked at length all day.

By the time evening fell,

Obito finally left, still wishing they could talk longer.

Watching him go,

Yuki murmured with a smile,

"That kid really is interesting... Hm?"

Yuki suddenly slapped the counter as something occurred to her.

"Didn't I hire him to work? How did I end up talking to him all day?"

"He's gone, so who's going to move those boxes at the door?"

Yuki stared at the boxes by the entrance, her delicate face darkening.

"Sing of sunrise, sing of sunset~ Sing of music, sing of twinkling stars~ Sing of troubles, sing of laughter~"

Humming a tune, Obito returned home in high spirits.

"Ah, a beautiful woman chatted with me and even paid me for it~ I really do have a talent for living off a woman!"

"I wonder if Grandmother Kaguya likes my type..."

After letting his mind wander for a while,

Obito sat cross-legged on the floor.

He intended to test an idea he had.

"My body's transformation is nearly complete. It should be able to withstand that power now."

When Sakumo's death had awakened his Sharingan,

a second Tomoe had already begun to form.

But his body at the time

hadn't been strong enough to bear the power of the Two-Tomoe Sharingan.

That was why his Two-Tomoe Sharingan had failed to awaken.

Yet he could feel

that the power hadn't vanished. It lingered in his mind, waiting to emerge.

And now,

he planned to draw that power out

and upgrade his Sharingan!