Chapter 124: Disagreement on the Mission
After two and a half days of training, Obito finally mastered the Shadow Clone Technique on the afternoon of the third day.
"Shadow Clone Technique!" Obito formed a hand seal and gathered chakra.
Bang!
A puff of white smoke flashed, and another Obito—identical to the original in height and build—appeared beside him.
"I finally succeeded!" Obito cheered, eyes bright with triumph.
He could already picture the life ahead: Shadow Clone for school, Shadow Clone for homework, Shadow Clone for chores, and—well—playing with Rin… no, that one he had to do himself.
"That's great," Guy said quietly, dispelling his own Shadow Clone, which still had skin the color of stone. He also wished he could send a clone to school.
"From now on, you'll go to school, and I'll leave the homework to you too," Obito told his clone proudly.
But the Shadow Clone's answer was unexpected.
"Why should I be the one to go to school?" it asked.
The question stumped him. After a moment, Obito replied, "Because you're my Shadow Clone."
"You are Uchiha Obito, and I am also Uchiha Obito. Why can't you go to school and do the homework?" the clone argued logically.
"Because… because…" Obito scratched his head. The clone had a point.
"How about this—let me eat Mugetsu-sensei's meals from now on. You'll still get the memories of the delicious food without gaining weight," the clone suggested. "I can even play with Rin for you, so you'll have more time to train."
"No, no, absolutely not!" Obito waved his hands in panic.
"How come this Shadow Clone only thinks about eating, drinking, and having fun?" he muttered, frowning.
"Don't you also want to dump all the annoying things on me so you can go eat, drink, and have fun?" the clone shot back without mercy.
Obito was speechless. He immediately dispelled it.
"Mugetsu-sensei, haven't I learned the Shadow Clone Technique yet?" he asked, confused. "Something feels wrong with my clone."
Mugetsu used [Appraisal] to check—Obito had indeed mastered the jutsu.
"You've already learned it. There's no need to study it anymore," Mugetsu said.
"But it doesn't feel like I've learned it! That Shadow Clone wasn't right," Obito insisted.
"A Shadow Clone's thoughts are the same as the original's," Mugetsu said tactfully.
The ninja world was vast, full of strange geniuses. Arguing with a Shadow Clone was nothing. In the future, there would even be shinobi who fought them.
"Hehe… I'll start Breathing Technique training now," Obito said with an embarrassed grin, finally understanding the point. If the original wanted to be lazy, the clone would too.
In his heart, Obito's opinion of the Second Hokage dropped slightly. The jutsu was great, but clearly there were parts that hadn't been thought through.
A fulfilling life passed quickly, and soon it was the last day before school started.
"Everyone, take a break tomorrow. If you want to play, go play. If not, just lie in the yard and think about life. After today, there won't be much time to rest. Of course, if you really want to train, come here—I'll still be training," Mugetsu said.
"Rin, let's go play tomorrow!" Obito said immediately. A rest day was rare, and Mugetsu had even recommended it.
"Okay," Rin agreed. It was the last day before classes resumed, and she'd already refused him once before. It was a good time to relax.
"Then tomorrow morning, let's find Kakashi and invite him too," Rin suggested after a moment.
Obito's smile faltered. He'd wanted it to be just the two of them… but since Rin wanted Kakashi there, he turned to Guy.
"Guy, want to come with us?"
"No, I'll be training in Rock Breathing tomorrow," Guy refused without hesitation. The lessons from his Shadow Clone had only deepened his focus on it.
"What about you, Shisui?" Obito asked.
"You go ahead. My Flame Breathing progress is still behind, so I'll be training all day," Shisui replied.
He had once been ahead in all kinds of training, but now his Breathing progress lagged slightly behind Obito's. Though the gap wasn't big, he wanted to close it.
Obito's mood dipped even more.
It felt like being in a four-person dorm where one person suggested going out for fun on the weekend, but two stayed behind to study. The trip was still happening… but somehow, it didn't feel the same.
It's only one day. Training one more day won't change much, Obito told himself.
---
The next morning.
Rin and Obito met at their designated spot, then headed together to Kakashi's house.
They were lucky—Kakashi wasn't on a mission today. He was sitting at home, lost in thought.
"Kakashi, want to go out and play?" Rin asked with a smile.
"Obito and I start school again tomorrow. We might not have much free time once classes begin."
"Isn't Ninja School pretty relaxed?" Kakashi asked, puzzled. When he'd attended, he'd had plenty of free time.
"That's because you're too amazing, Kakashi!" Rin praised.
"Then let's go," Kakashi agreed. He had nothing else to do today anyway.
Watching him agree, Obito's smile flattened.
Damn Kakashi… as a ninja, he skips missions and just sits around all day! he muttered under his breath.
"Obito, you little—"
Bang!
Before Rin could finish, Obito—distracted and not watching where he was going—walked straight into a utility pole.
"Damn Kakashi, why can't you put this utility pole somewhere no one will hit it?" Obito grumbled. This was the second time he'd run into it. Clearly, something was wrong with its location.
Kakashi: …
"If there were a place like that, I'd help you find your brain and eyes first," Kakashi shot back.
He honestly felt Obito wasn't happy unless he was picking a fight. How could he possibly decide where a utility pole should stand?
"Alright, don't argue. It won't hurt if you rub it," Rin said gently, stepping in front of Obito and massaging the spot where he'd bumped himself.
"How's that? Better?" she asked softly.
"Hehe…" Feeling the warmth and softness of her hand, Obito smiled in satisfaction. He hadn't quite heard what she asked, but he still nodded.
"Then let's keep going," Rin said, smiling back.
"Kakashi, did you have breakfast?" Rin asked as they walked.
Obito had come with her, so she knew he hadn't eaten, just like her.
"Not yet," Kakashi shook his head.
"Perfect. I heard a Tuanzi shop opened recently—they have really good Sansai Tuanzi," Rin explained.
Led by Rin, the three went to the new shop. Each ordered a portion—three skewers per plate.
"It looks really good," Rin said, admiring the perfectly round, three-colored dumplings.
"It's not as good as Mugetsu-sensei's tempura," Obito remarked after taking a bite.
"Only you would compare two completely different foods," Kakashi said, tasting one himself.
"The red one's red bean paste—it's good, but I think strawberry filling would be better," Rin commented after a bite. She wasn't swayed by Obito's comparison. Mugetsu's cooking was incredible, but desserts and main dishes were in different leagues.
"Kakashi, what's the life of a full-fledged ninja like? Obito and I graduate in two more semesters," Rin asked curiously.
"Training. Missions," Kakashi replied plainly.
"That's way too vague—it's like you said nothing," Obito complained.
"Anything special we should watch out for?" Rin pressed.
"For a ninja, missions come before anything else. Completing the mission is the top priority," Kakashi said after thinking for a moment.
"You sound like an old man, Kakashi," Rin teased.
"What do you mean missions come first? Comrades come first! You can redo a mission if it fails, but if a comrade dies, you can't bring them back!" Obito shot back immediately.
"That's why you're still a student, and I've been a Chunin for a long time," Kakashi replied without holding back.
"You're too naive. Some missions, if they fail, cause massive losses to the village—losses no single life can outweigh."
"I'll definitely become a better ninja than you and prove it!" Obito said fiercely.
Right now, he had no way to win that argument—he wasn't even a genin yet.
"Alright, alright. You'll both be excellent ninja one day. Let's just go walk around the shopping street," Rin said, breaking the tension.
The three strolled the market, with Rin leading the way. At noon, they went for a picnic in the forest. Obito suggested catching fish in the river to roast.
"Don't drown. This river's deep," Kakashi warned.
"Don't underestimate me! I have chakra!" Obito declared, stepping onto the water with a wooden stick tipped with a kunai.
"He can already walk on water?" Kakashi was mildly surprised.
Obito was still far from his level, but he was no longer the hopeless dead last Kakashi remembered. He'd mastered Fire Release nature transformation, his ninjutsu was solid, and now he could walk on water.
Kakashi grilled the fish skillfully. Living alone for so long had taught him plenty of survival skills.
Obito watched Rin praise Kakashi's cooking and silently vowed to learn from Mugetsu when he had the chance.
He refused to lose to Kakashi in anything.
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