Tempting Rewards

Obito straightened his little back and launched into a lengthy explanation.

"Minato-sensei, I think we could do this... and then this..."

"Or we could do this... and then that..."

After rattling off several plans, Obito finally turned to Minato, still eager to say more.

"Minato-sensei, what do you think of my ideas?"

Minato was silent for a moment before speaking slowly.

"After hearing your analysis, I think we... need to analyze things a little more."

Obito: "???"

Kakashi chimed in.

"If your ideas had even a shred of merit, they wouldn't be completely unworkable."

Obito: "?!!"

Seriously? You two are just going to stand there and say nothing useful?

Obito crouched back down, feeling rather glum.

Rin smiled and moved over beside him.

She patted his back and comforted him softly.

Minato sighed and looked at Kakashi.

"Your turn, Kakashi."

Kakashi nodded slightly.

After a moment's thought, he quickly proposed a thorough plan.

"We could... and then..."

Minato nodded in approval.

"Good. We'll do as Kakashi suggested."

"I'll cover you from here. Get moving!"

Kakashi's plan went off without a hitch.

With the three youngsters working together, they subdued the fugitive with ease.

Feeling that he had lost face and been outdone by Kakashi, Obito volunteered to take charge of the interrogation.

"Wait for me at the cave entrance. I'll be right back!"

With that, Obito strode into the cave, brimming with confidence.

He cast a menacing look at the fugitive, who lay bound hand and foot on the ground.

"Heh heh heh heh..."

The fugitive clenched up under that stare, terror filling his eyes.

"D-don't come any closer!"

"Heh heh heh heh. That's not up to you..."

Obito marched over and gave the fugitive a thorough beating.

"Are you going to talk or not? Talk!"

"I—"

"Still won't come clean? You're a tough one! Take this!"

"Argh...!!!"

Outside the cave, Rin listened to the screams and suddenly sensed something was wrong.

"Since Obito-kun went in, has he asked the fugitive anything?"

Kakashi and Minato exchanged a glance.

Oh...

He hasn't, has he?

The three hurried into the cave.

One look at the fugitive on the ground told them enough.

He was foaming at the mouth and looked ready to expire.

Rin quickly grabbed Obito.

"Obito-kun, stop hitting him!"

"Think about it. Did you forget to ask him for information before you started?"

"=͟͟͞͞(꒪⌓꒪*) Uh..."

Obito scratched his head awkwardly.

Had he forgotten?

He had been so focused on outdoing Kakashi.

Yeah, I guess I forgot to ask...

The fugitive, swollen like a pig on the ground, looked ready to cry from sheer injustice.

"You started hitting me the moment you came in! I wanted to talk... but you could've bloody asked me?!"

Flustered and angry, Obito kicked the fugitive again.

"If I didn't ask, you couldn't volunteer the information? You couldn't just answer before I asked?"

"I have to ask before you'll speak? What the hell, do you think you're my girlfriend?"

Obito's unpredictable temper had thoroughly frightened the fugitive.

He immediately spilled everything he knew.

He was afraid that if he waited any longer, he would never get another chance to speak.

"Uh..."

Minato's expression turned a little strange.

The process had been bizarre, but the result... was decent enough?

"All right. Next, we escort him to the Land of Fire's prison, and this mission is complete."

At that, Obito hauled the fugitive up off the ground and spat in disdain.

"Come on, you two-faced creep. Hmph!"

Fugitive: "???"

You beat me for not talking, then insult me when I do?

Could you act like a decent human being?

I'm only twenty! I just want to live! What did I do wrong?

Several months later.

Outside Konoha's mission hall, Kakashi thoughtfully touched his Forehead Protector.

"We seem to be taking missions more and more often lately."

Obito and Rin both nodded, their expressions grave.

At first, they had taken a C-rank mission roughly once every ten days.

But later, the village began assigning missions with increasing frequency.

There were even times when they were assigned two C-rank missions within ten days.

That did mean Obito was making much faster progress toward his mission target.

But it was hardly a good sign.

It meant the Shinobi World was growing more unstable by the day.

While the three talked outside, Minato finished turning in their latest mission inside the hall.

[Choice completed! Reward obtained: Labor Is the Most Glorious BGM!]

The notification suddenly sounded in Obito's mind.

Only then did he realize he had completed thirty C-rank missions!

Minato emerged from the mission hall and asked Obito with a smile.

"Obito, are you planning to take the Chunin Ninja Exams this time?"

Rin sighed wistfully beside them.

"Wow, time flies. It's already time for the Chunin Ninja Exams again."

Kakashi nodded, feeling much the same.

It felt as though the last Chunin Ninja Exams had been only two days ago.

"Hmm..."

Obito did not answer right away.

Because, barring some unexpected development, the wise, all-seeing, brilliant, and capable System-kun would surely give him a choice to make.

The system was speechless.

"...Does the host think such a cheap trick will work on this system?"

"Ding!"

[Option one: Enter the Chunin Ninja Exams and become a Jonin. Completion reward: Double your Chakra. (Don't get your hopes up. This is just for show.)]

[Option two: Enter the Chunin Ninja Exams and become a Chunin. Completion reward: Kamui Limited Card.]

[Option three: Refuse to take the exam. You just want to stay a Genin. Completion reward: Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame.]

[Kamui Limited Card: When you awaken the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, the Kamui Mangekyō Sharingan will activate automatically.]

Obito glanced at option one, and the corner of his mouth twitched twice.

Well, then.

Nothing to discuss. Instant pass.

The rewards for options two and three were pretty good.

The Kamui Limited Card and Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame.

Both were great!

When Lord Madara had shown off on the battlefield, he had done it with a single Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame.

Despite the elemental disadvantage, he had overwhelmed the Water Release of dozens of Allied Shinobi Forces members.

But still...

As tempting as Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame was, Obito wanted that so-called Kamui Limited Card even more!

Everyone knew that the abilities of a Mangekyō Sharingan were tied to one's state of mind when it awakened.

Obito was genuinely worried that all the nonsense rattling around in his head might affect the abilities of his Mangekyō Sharingan.

If he awakened some ridiculous power, he would cry himself unconscious in a pretty girl's arms!

He did not want to become some Uchiha poop terrorist!

...Well, he just wanted to start with Kamui in both eyes.

That was not too much to ask, was it?

Susanoo paired with Kamui—now that was a promising young man!