The Northern Border of the Land of Fire, Adjacent to the Land of Fields.
Kakashi stood among the crowd, waiting for the arrival of the princess from the Land of Fields.
Alongside him were several Konoha ninjas, dressed in traditional Konoha combat uniforms, standing out prominently among the group of ministers and officials.
As midday approached, a scout ninja returned from ahead.
"Captain Kakashi, the princess has arrived!"
Hearing this, the delegation immediately became alert, with everyone assuming a solemn posture.
In the distance, a procession finally came into view, with a luxurious carriage surrounded by many attendants.
As both sides met, the respective leaders conveyed their daimyos' messages.
After the formal handover ceremony, a woman dressed in ornate robes adorned with jewels slowly stepped out of the carriage from the Land of Fields.
Her black hair was styled into an elegant cloud-shaped bun, and her face was veiled with a thin layer of gauze, obscuring her features.
Yet even with the veil, it was easy to imagine how stunningly beautiful she must be.
The Konoha ninjas couldn't help but stare.
"What a beautiful princess!"
"Yeah… absolutely stunning."
"Captain Kakashi, what's the princess's name?"
Kakashi, his eyes also fixed on the princess, pondered for a moment before replying, "…Princess Kushinada."
The princess seemed to sense something, glancing in Kakashi's direction.
Her eyes shimmered like autumn waters, captivating and enchanting.
Even Kakashi, who was usually indifferent to women, felt his breath stop.
Kushinada-hime…
He silently repeated her name, watching as she was helped into the carriage prepared by the Land of Fire's delegation.
The curtain fell, completely obscuring the figure that had so effortlessly unsettled many present.
Snapping out of his trance, Kakashi felt a sudden sense of foreboding.
A woman like this was certainly no ordinary person.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her a femme fatale capable of bringing ruin to nations.
Her arrival in the Land of Fire might bring fortune — or disaster.
Whether the daimyo could handle her was uncertain.
After all the ceremonial formalities were completed, the delegation from the Land of Fire changed direction and began their journey back.
......
Konoha Shopping Street
"A mission? What mission?" Rin asked curiously when Obito invited her to go on a mission together.
Obito spoke enthusiastically, "An escort mission to the Land of Birds. I've heard the scenery there is beautiful. We can go and take a look together."
Rin, however, didn't seem very interested and asked, "Just the two of us?"
Obito, a bit embarrassed, replied, "Ah... the mission level isn't very high. The two of us as Chunin should be more than enough."
Rin immediately sensed his underlying intentions and casually brushed it off, "I'll think about it."
Obito continued eagerly, "Rin, there's a particularly beautiful lake in the Land of Birds, with lots and lots of gorgeous birds along the shore..."
Rin listened absentmindedly, her gaze casually sweeping across the shops on both sides of the street.
This mission had been recommended to Obito by a clanmate, who suggested that going on a trip alone with a girl was the quickest way to deepen feelings.
And since a direct invitation for a trip would surely be rejected, the "mission" excuse came into play.
Obito was filled with anticipation, hoping Rin would agree.
However, Rin had been feeling troubled over the past few days because of the kiss and those words from Makoto.
Because of that, she had zero interest in Obito's mission proposal.
In truth, getting out to clear her head wasn't a bad idea, but going alone with Obito? She wasn't up for it.
"Rin! Obito!"
At that moment, a familiar voice called from not far away — it was Kurenai, with Anko beside her.
After greeting them, Anko asked teasingly, "A date, huh?"
Obito chuckled sheepishly, while Rin sighed in exasperation. "Don't say such nonsense."
Looking at Kurenai and Anko in front of her, Rin suddenly had a thoughtful expression.
Rin said, "You two seem pretty free, huh?"
Kurenai chuckled, "Free? Not really. Isn't this how it usually is?"
Despite the current shortage of manpower in the village, active ninjas still had plenty of missions, though there was a bit less free time than before.
Rin turned to Obito and asked, "Obito, the mission you mentioned earlier, it's to the Land of Birds, right?"
Obito's spirits lifted, thinking Rin was about to agree. He nodded vigorously.
Kurenai was surprised. "The Land of Birds? That's pretty far, isn't it?"
Obito quickly said, "Not that far, and the mission is really easy. Once we get there, we can even enjoy ourselves a bit."
Kurenai pondered, "I've heard the Land of Birds is really beautiful, a great place for a vacation..."
Obito looked at Rin with eager anticipation.
Rin suddenly turned to Kurenai and Anko. "Do you two want to come?"
Both were stunned. "Us?"
Obito was dumbfounded — he'd imagined going on the mission alone with Rin.
Anko waved her hand dismissively. "I don't want to be a third wheel."
Rin rolled her eyes. "What nonsense. You know there's nothing between me and Obito."
Anko shrugged. "I'm fine with it, but I'm afraid someone else might not be."
She glanced at Obito. "Obito, do you mind if the four of us go together?"
Obito: "..."
Of course he minded, but how could he say that out loud?
He forced his signature smile. "Of course, I don't mind. But with three girls and just me, it might get a little awkward."
Anko teased, "You could just stop thinking of us as girls — or stop thinking of yourself as a guy."
Obito's lips twitched, silently cursing Anko for being such a tomboy.
Kurenai laughed. "We're all friends. What's there to be awkward about? Should we invite Kakashi too?"
She winked playfully at Rin as she spoke.
When Genma and Ebisu heard that Obito would be accompanying three girls on a mission, they were filled with jealousy and resentment.
Even Asuma shamelessly approached Obito, asking if he could join the mission too — all because of Kurenai.
Obito felt a bit numb.
What was originally planned as a two-person trip was now turning into a group outing.
Anyone unaware of the situation might think it was some high-difficulty A-rank mission.
He consulted Rin for her opinion, but somehow Kurenai found out and decided not to join for unknown reasons.
In the end, it became a three-person mission with Rin, Anko, and Obito.
For Rin, as long as she didn't have to be alone with Obito, it didn't matter.
Obito was secretly disappointed—if only Anko had decided not to come instead.
With Kurenai around, she might've even helped him a little.
On the day of the mission, the client looked skeptical when he saw such a young group assigned to escort him.
Anko promptly revealed her rank as a Jonin, finally dispelling the client's doubts.
Since entering the Crown, she had been promoted to Jonin by Makoto.
At a dango shop on Konoha's South Street.
Genma, Ebisu, and Aoba sat chatting together.
Genma glanced at Asuma across the table and grinned. "Asuma, why didn't you go to Land of Birds?"
Asuma looked embarrassed. "Something came up at the last minute, so I decided not to go."
Genma chuckled. "I heard Kurenai isn't going either."
Ebisu added, "Did you push too hard and upset her?"
Asuma looked helpless.
His feelings for Kurenai were no secret within their circle, but his progress was about the same as Obito's—still unrequited love.
Aoba commented, "That mission is just a C-rank, right? Three people, one Jonin and two Chunin, seems like a bit of overkill. If Kurenai and Asuma had joined too, Lord Hokage would probably have been furious."
Asuma said, "It's fine with Anko there."
He was implying Anko had a good relationship with the Hokage.
Ebisu pondered aloud, "How do you think Anko became a Jonin so quickly? She was a Chunin for less than a year—faster than even Kakashi. That's some insane progress."
Asuma blurted out, "Could it be because of connections?"
Everyone turned to look at him.
"What connections?"
"Whose connections?"
Asuma said, "You know, pulling strings. Anko is really close to Lord Hokage, so maybe he was lenient with her."
Genma sighed, "But remember, Guy said Anko's really strong. Maybe she trained really hard in private."
The group fell into thought.
Ebisu remarked, "Guy has left the village too. Things suddenly feel so quiet."
Asuma sighed, "Our former classmates are either guarding Lord Hokage or protecting the Daimyo. Makes us look pretty mediocre."
Genma laughed, "You should keep training. Maybe you'll get into the Crown Guard someday."
Asuma pursed his lips.
He felt it was probably more realistic to focus on winning Kurenai's favor.
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