"Obito! Obito!"
Rin Nohara rushed forward in panic, frantically digging through the pile of rubble.
Even Kakashi, who usually wore an indifferent expression, was startled and quickly leapt down from the rooftop.
"I'm fine—I'm fine, Rin! Just… ow! Damn it, that hurt! Cough… Ugh, can't breathe…"
Obito's voice came from beneath the debris. Before he could finish speaking, pain forced him to suck in air sharply several times.
"Step aside."
Kei Yamanaka's voice came from behind Kakashi and Rin.
Hearing his voice, they both knew that their sensei's dear friend had decided to step in. They quickly moved aside.
[Water Release: Water Prison Technique!]
With only his right hand forming a single-handed seal, Kei sent rainwater swirling rapidly toward the pile of wreckage.
In almost an instant, all the scattered debris was enclosed inside a large, pale blue water prison shaped like a giant sphere.
With a quick upward flick and sideways motion of his seal,
The water prison, previously pressed against the ground, lifted off the surface by several meters along with everything trapped inside, then shifted sideways, finally placing it into a corner across the room.
Underneath it, Obito Uchiha emerged, holding a calico kitten tightly in his arms, curled up as much as he could to deal with the pain, gritting his teeth and wincing.
"Obito! Are you okay?! Don't move! Let me check first..."
Rin hurriedly ran to Obito's side and pulled out a portable first aid kit from her ninja tool pouch at her waist.
Quickly treating the wounds on his back,
Kakashi, meanwhile, took the mission target—the calico cat—from Obito's hands.
His gaze remained fixed on where Kei's Water Prison Technique had landed moments ago.
Originally wrapped entirely around the pile of debris, the technique, upon landing, sent the surrounding water churning and shifting, neatly rearranging all the scattered pieces of wreckage. By the time it touched the ground, the water had transformed into thin streams trickling away silently, blending unnoticed into the rain-soaked surroundings.
Such absurd control over a jutsu.
Kakashi had never even heard of such precision, let alone seen it before!
Could the Water Prison Technique really be used like that?
And after finishing the Water Release, instead of splashing wildly and scattering everywhere, the water just… disappeared?
Was this really one of the Yamanaka Clan's ninjas?
Shouldn't he specialize more in his clan's secret techniques?
Is he an anomaly?
Or perhaps, is this guy's family secret technique even stronger than Water Release?
Wait?
Didn't Maito Gai mention earlier that his mentor also went by this same name?
Although Kakashi still maintained his usual cold, deadpan stare, a storm of questions churned in his mind.
Looking at Kei Yamanaka, who had already turned and walked away without notice,
His arm tensed slightly as he held the calico cat.
Until now, he had always believed his strength was nearly equal to those seasoned jonin, lacking only in combat experience.
Once his body matured further, and his power and speed increased, he truly thought he could become one of the top jonin.
But now, he realized how arrogant he'd been.
Perhaps many jonin in Konoha were indeed nothing special, but there were also powerful figures among them—like his teacher Minato Namikaze, and Kei Yamanaka.
"Hey! Kakashi! This time, I got the intel first—and I even caught the target myself!"
Obito Uchiha proudly declared while receiving careful treatment from Rin, his face still showing childish pride and satisfaction.
As for the injuries on his body, they were just bruises and contusions from blunt force trauma.
After applying the medicine, they would be mostly healed by tomorrow.
In comparison, Kakashi's humiliation made these minor wounds seem utterly trivial.
"You nearly got the mission target killed."
Kakashi held the calico cat under both arms, casting a cold, slightly disdainful glance at Obito.
It was just a D-rank mission. Letting the team down and causing the first capture attempt to fail was bad enough, but afterward not only did he himself get injured, he nearly caused harm to the mission target as well.
Reckless, impulsive, emotional, careless, and chronically unaware of timing—always creating unexpected problems at crucial moments...
He could never have imagined being paired with someone like this.
"Relax, relax~ Teammates should get along with each other... Huh? Has Kei-senpai already left? I didn't even get to properly thank him for helping."
Rin Nohara subtly shifted her position, interrupting the tense eye contact between the two boys.
Her eyes flicked toward where Kei Yamanaka had been standing, skillfully changing the subject and acting as the team's glue and mediator.
In a distant street corner shrouded in drizzle.
Kei Yamanaka looked at Minato Namikaze's shadow clone crouched behind a wall, letting out an exasperated eye-roll.
"If you're really so worried, why not just follow openly?"
"Kakashi's already a Chunin now, but this boy's personality and decision-making are excessively rigid. I still hope he can better understand the importance of comrades. If he knows I'm around, it'll inevitably affect his genuine thoughts and decisions."
Minato scratched his head with an awkward smile, tactfully explaining Kakashi's issues.
Talented, skilled, and highly disciplined, yet deeply affected by Sakumo Hatake's incident—some of his behavior during missions genuinely troubled Minato.
"Tch~ His father died for nothing."
Kei pursed his lips, taunting Kakashi.
"He'll come around eventually."
Minato sighed, a flicker of complex emotions passing through his eyes.
Back then, this legendary White Fang of Konoha had once been considered a strong contender for the Fourth Hokage title.
Who could've predicted he'd take his own life over a mere rumor?
Truthfully, back then he himself hadn't understood why Sakumo Hatake had taken that path either.
But after Kei's suggestions and observing Konoha's changes over recent years, he truly felt the far-reaching effects this event had brought.
Initially, in the half year following White Fang's death, Konoha's mission-related casualty rate sharply increased.
Although some leadership refused to admit their mistake, Lord Hokage constantly reminded outgoing ninja to value both their own lives and those of their comrades.
Many high-difficulty missions even specified additional instructions allowing abandonment based on situational judgment.
With valid reasons provided, there would be no accountability pursued.
Orders that demanded completion at any cost became far less common.
Many high-risk ninja who often handled tough missions quietly breathed easier.
Could anyone truly claim White Fang's death was meaningless?
"And where's your real body?" Kei changed the subject with a slight pause before the question.
He had tried to change Sakumo Hatake's fate before, but the Hatake clan descended from a samurai family.
Sakumo Hatake held firm to his own beliefs and principles—precisely what made him the legendary White Fang of Konoha, feared and respected throughout the Ninja World!
So when his beliefs collapsed.
There was nothing he could say—and no one who could talk him out of it.
"This... Earlier, we sent those researchers from Summoning Island back. Anbu have finished questioning all of them using 'reverse hypnosis.' The new research facility has already begun construction at Training Ground Zero. After Honoka found out, she volunteered to undergo reverse hypnosis questioning too."
"Original body with your girlfriend, shadow clones with your apprentices. That must be rough."
"Haha～Not really!"
"Bring Honoka over tomorrow at noon. Kushina, Shikaku, Yoshino, and some others will be there. We'll give the new restaurant's menu a try together."
"Honoka will definitely be thrilled to hear that."
Minato Namikaze nodded with a smile.
While Anbu's reverse hypnosis couldn't extract details as thoroughly as memory-reading techniques, it was more than enough to confirm Honoka's stance.
Meeting Kushina—the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki—after undergoing questioning wouldn't raise any issues, even if Lord Hokage found out.
Suddenly, Minato remembered the awkward moment from last night.
He decided to ask straight up.
"Kei, do you know how to go about applying for residential land approval?"
"Building a love nest? Already too cramped in the Jonin apartments?"
"Eh? No, not really. I just feel like..."
Caught off guard by the comment, Minato nearly lost focus on his shadow clone, almost causing it to dissipate from sheer embarrassment.
"Take your Jonin ID and go see Suzaku Nara directly. He knows people. When you move into your new home, I'll give you my best blessing."
Kei Yamanaka slapped Minato's shoulder, cutting off his attempt to explain.
"Uh... What blessing?"
"A Single Pregnancy, Nine Treasures."
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