Morning dreams are always hard to part with.
When Drake opened his eyes, he sighed helplessly.
"Hey! Get up already, we need to pick up a mission!"
Obito shook him so hard he nearly rolled off the bed.
Kakashi stood at the side, silently waiting.
Rin seemed to be holding a lunchbox?
Before he could even wash his face, Drake was forcibly dragged out by Team Nine.
"You guys are way too motivated today," he complained on the way.
"Obito, didn't you say yesterday my brain got infected by Green Bean?"
"I was wrong! My brain got infected! No — my brain fell straight into green bean soup!" Obito said with deep remorse.
"Kakashi, didn't you say these missions were meaningless?"
"If you're the one taking them, I can still do them," Kakashi replied seriously.
"See? Rin is the only one who's always on the side of justice."
"Eh? I always felt you were right." Rin beamed and stuffed the bento into Drake's hands.
This time, Drake accepted a D-rank mission: Cleaning a Bathhouse.
At first, Team Nine was eager — until they read the details.
Naturally, Obito exploded again.
Because the bathhouse they were assigned to clean… was Happy Hot Springs.
"Drake! You've gone too far! This is clearly forcing us to do your personal chores!"
"This is seriously unfair," Obito and Kakashi muttered in unison.
This wasn't a D-rank mission.
This was abuse of power, using the mission system to make Team Nine work for him.
"That's not right," Rin objected gently. "This mission was issued by Kushina-senpai. It has nothing to do with Drake."
"But that bathhouse is HIS!" Obito snapped. "Kushina-senpai is just working for him!"
Drake already knew this would cause chaos the moment he accepted it.
Urging him to take missions, then complaining once he did.
Being captain was truly a thankless job.
Walking at the back, he checked his status panel.
Name: Drake
Age: 12
Strength: 114 (112 + 2) [Kage Level]
Constitution: 144 (72 × 2) [Kage Level]
Agility: 92 (90 + 2) [Jonin Level]
Spirit: 80 [Intermediate Immunity]
Chakra: 430
Skills: None
Ninjutsu: None
Overall Combat Rating: Trainee Genin
"So today, Constitution got doubled…"
He closed the panel, his mood instantly lifting.
"Among the four stats, Constitution gives the best return. When it doubles, the other attributes rise along with it."
Happy Hot Springs
Upon arriving, Team Nine received an extremely "warm" welcome.
Naturally, by Kushina — straight into a dust-filled bathhouse to start cleaning.
Under Obito's jealous glare, Drake followed Kushina away, leaving the other three staring at each other in silence.
At the reception counter, Drake ate his bento while listening to Kushina's plans.
"I'm going to hire a few people. This place is way too big for one person."
"Do whatever you like, senpai!"
"Alright, then I'll bring my best friend too."
She had decided to recruit Uchiha Mikoto.
Shun!
Suddenly, Minato appeared via Body Flicker.
His expression was unusually serious.
"Something's happened."
"Hmm?"
Drake's heart tightened instantly.
Don't tell me… war?
"The village just received word. Sunagakure forces have launched a surprise attack on the Land of Rivers."
"What?!" Kushina gasped.
"The Land of Rivers…" Drake repeated softly.
It lay between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind.
If Suna attacked Konoha, this was the inevitable passage.
A strike there meant only one thing.
War.
"Couldn't they wait just one more month?" Drake panicked internally. "Why now?!"
Once war started, wartime regulations would be activated.
All ninja squads would fall directly under the Hokage's command.
"I'm the future pillar of the village! If I die on the battlefield now, the one who loses the most is Konoha!" he reasoned righteously.
"My death is minor — but the loss of a future powerhouse? That's catastrophic!"
"Drake, Kushina and I are heading to the Hokage Tower. Be prepared to deploy at any time!" Minato warned.
"Yes, Sensei!" Drake replied obediently.
The moment they vanished from sight, he bolted straight home.
Go to the battlefield?
Yeah, right.
Back Mountain
Shovel in hand, backpack on his shoulders, Drake stood in a shaded area deep in the forest.
"Dense trees, a stream nearby… perfect spot for disaster prevention…"
Satisfied, he prepared to dig himself a cave.
"I already left a note saying I went to the Land of Hot Springs. That excuse should barely pass, right?"
Whether they believed it or not was none of his concern.
As long as he survived a few months here, he'd return as One-Punch Shinobi.
Just as he was about to start digging, a figure appeared behind him.
"What are you doing here?"
Danzo's voice was low and heavy, brows furrowed.
He still remembered this boy clearly —
Thanks to yesterday's explosive tag incident, Drake had left a strong impression.
"Uh—?!"
Drake nearly jumped out of his skin and spun around.
He hadn't even dug the cave yet and he was already caught?
This was the deep back mountain forest!
Seeing it was Danzo, his heart sank.
"Could it be… Danzo-sama also wants a private bunker back here?"
Of course, that part stayed internal.
His mind raced, then he forced out an explanation.
"Danzo-sama! The weather's been hot recently, so I came to the back mountain to cool off a bit."
Then he added politely:
"Are you here to escape the heat too?"
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