D-rank mission

An awkward look crossed Obito's face. "Uh... nothing. I was just studying hard last night."

Rin looked puzzled. "Studying? We've already graduated from the Ninja Academy. What books are you still reading?"

How could I tell you what I was reading?

Could I really let a little girl like you know that yours truly stayed up all night reading Make-Out Paradise?

Obito declared with righteous conviction, "The Ninja Academy textbooks, of course. Even after graduation, you still need to review what you've learned."

The doubt in Rin's eyes deepened. She immediately saw that Obito was making things up.

She knew perfectly well that Obito had never put much effort into studying.

He either slept through class or let his mind wander. Since when had he ever cared about reviewing his lessons?

Fortunately, a figure in a green vest appeared just then, standing atop a supporting beam over the wooden bridge.

It was their belated instructor, Minato Namikaze.

"Sorry! Something held me up on the way, so I'm a little late."

With a warm smile, Minato leaped down from the beam.

Rin stepped forward and asked with a hint of anticipation, "Minato-sensei, what mission are we going to do today?"

Minato said calmly, "Today's mission is very simple. We'll help the villagers drive away the wild boars near their fields."

"Wild boars?" Obito, Rin, and Kakashi all widened their eyes, wondering whether they had misheard.

"Sensei, isn't that way too easy?" Obito complained.

Only yesterday, Minato had said that the three of them made a fairly strong team.

Yet today, they still hadn't been allowed to skip those tedious D-rank missions.

Kakashi glanced at Obito and said impassively:

"As a ninja, you shouldn't aim too high before you're ready. You need to gain experience through basic missions if you want to keep improving."

Kakashi had been promoted to Chunin long ago.

He had already completed more than thirty missions of this level, and they held no appeal for him whatsoever.

But the moment he heard Obito complain, Kakashi's competitive streak flared, and he deliberately took the opposite side.

"Kakashi! You're picking a fight with me on purpose, aren't you? I can tell!"

Obito flipped Kakashi the middle finger.

This guy really has it out for me.

Is this that legendary love-hate relationship?

Deep down, Kakashi has already fallen for yours truly.

That's why he keeps giving me a hard time. He wants my attention.

Then what's Might Guy supposed to do?

Those two are supposed to be lifelong bromance buddies.

Besides, I'm not interested in men. I only like girls.

Obito shook his head, instinctively putting some distance between himself and Kakashi. He took Rin by the arm and pulled her in front of him as a shield.

Rin merely thought that Obito was afraid of getting into another argument with Kakashi.

She hurried to mediate. "All right! Kakashi, Obito, stop arguing. Let's hear what Minato-sensei has to say."

Minato nodded. "Kakashi is right. Gaining experience through D-rank missions is something every ninja has to go through."

"The three of you can also use this time to get to know one another better."

All three understood Minato's reasoning, and none raised any further objections.

With Minato leading the way, the four of them arrived at a farmer's home.

A middle-aged woman then led them to the edge of a cornfield.

According to her, herds of wild boars frequently appeared in the area.

The cornfield couldn't withstand their rampages, and they often rooted through her corn, leaving it in shambles.

The main objective was to drive the wild boars out of the mountains and into another area.

Alternatively, they could hunt the boars down.

Killing a few wild boars was naturally no great challenge for a group of ninja like Obito and the others.

Minato promptly accepted the request and led the three of them into the mountains.

Then he turned the assignment into a competition for his three students.

Minato would form a team of his own and operate separately.

Obito, Rin, and Kakashi would work together as the other team.

Both teams were responsible for hunting down or driving away the wild boars in these mountains before nightfall.

They would regroup outside the cornfield before noon.

If Minato won, the three students would split the cost of treating him to lunch.

If the three students won, Minato would treat them to lunch.

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

Minato formed the hand seal for a shadow clone.

Poof!

White smoke burst out, and an identical shadow clone of Minato appeared.

Minato said, "All right! My shadow clone will go with you. Remember, you're a team, so you have to fight as one."

"Understood, Minato-sensei!" the three answered in unison.

At Minato's signal to set out.

The three broke into a sprint, vaulted over the wooden fence along the mountainside, and entered the forest.

There were other wild animals in this forest too, not just wild boars.

But wild boars were particularly troublesome.

They would root their way through the fences, slip out, and cause trouble for the surrounding farmland and villagers.

"Obito! Kakashi! Something's moving over there! Let's check it out!"

Rin's small face was solemn as she scanned their surroundings.

She was the first to notice the movement and alerted the other two.

Obito looked in the direction she pointed. A dense patch of bushes rustled repeatedly.

Clearly, there really was something alive in there.

"Then let's flush them out!"

Without another word, Obito took two kunai from his ninja tool pouch and hurled them into the bushes.

The kunai pierced the leaves and shot into the undergrowth.

A shrill squeal rang out.

A wild boar more than a meter long burst out of the bushes.

It glared at the three of them with blood-red eyes and roared furiously.

The kunai Obito had just thrown was now sticking out of the boar's rear.

Only a small portion of the blade had sunk into its flesh.

Obito had put considerable force into that throw, which showed just how thick and tough the boar's hide was.

Shing!

Kakashi drew the short sword from his back and charged straight at the boar.

With swift, precise slashes, dazzling flashes of steel swept across its body.

The boar bared its sharp tusks, about to send the masked boy before it flying.

But before it could, it was cut down on the spot, countless deep, bloody gashes covering its body.

"Oh, come on, Kakashi! You stole my kill!" Obito complained in frustration.

The unfamiliar phrase "stole my kill" left both Kakashi and Rin briefly taken aback.

But seeing Obito's flustered expression gave Kakashi an inexplicable surge of satisfaction.

Did I finally have a chance to beat this guy Obito?

"Quit whining! So what if I stole your kill? Steal mine if you can!"

Without another word, Kakashi took the lead again.

He had made up his mind: today, he was going to kill more wild boars than Obito.