"Obito! Obito!"
Nohara Rin rushed forward in a panic, frantically clearing away the pile of debris.
Even the usually indifferent Kakashi was startled. He quickly leaped down from the rooftop.
"I'm—ow!—Rin, I'm fine! Ow, that hurts! Cough, cough—Ugh, I think I inhaled something..."
Obito's voice came from beneath the wreckage, but he couldn't even finish his sentence before hissing in pain multiple times.
"Move aside."
A calm voice came from behind Kakashi and Rin—Yamanaka Shinno.
The two of them immediately stepped back upon hearing his voice. Knowing that their teacher's close friend had chosen to step in, they didn't dare get in the way.
Water Release: Water Prison Jutsu!
With a single-handed seal, Shinno manipulated the rainwater around them. The water rapidly converged, enveloping the entire pile of debris in a massive, translucent water sphere.
With a slight flick of his fingers, the water prison lifted the debris several meters off the ground before shifting it smoothly to the corner of the alley.
Underneath, now exposed, was Uchiha Obito, crouched over protectively with a small three-colored kitten in his arms. His face was twisted in pain, but he still held onto the animal carefully.
"Obito! Are you okay? Don't move! Let me check..."
Rin quickly rushed to his side, pulling a small medical kit from the pouch on her waist and swiftly treating the injuries on his back.
Kakashi, meanwhile, took the kitten from Obito's arms. His gaze remained fixed on the spot where Shinno's water prison had just been.
Instead of simply collapsing when released, the water prison had skillfully rearranged the debris into a neat pile before dispersing silently into the surrounding rain.
Such an absurd level of control over a jutsu—
Kakashi had never seen, nor even heard of, anything like this before.
Was this even the same Water Prison Jutsu he knew? Water Release techniques usually burst apart once deactivated.
And wasn't Shinno supposed to be a Yamanaka? Weren't they known for their clan's mental techniques?
Was he an outlier?
Or... was the Yamanaka Clan's secret techniques even stronger than his Water Release?
Wait...
Didn't Might Guy say that his team's instructor had the same name?
Though his expression remained cold and unreadable, Kakashi's mind was filled with countless questions. His grip on the kitten tightened slightly as he watched Shinno walk away without looking back.
All this time, he had believed that his strength was already close to that of veteran jōnin. He had thought that the only thing he lacked was experience—
That once he grew a bit stronger and faster, he would be among the elites of Konoha's jōnin.
But now... he realized how arrogant that assumption had been.
There were many jōnin in Konoha, some of whom were average, but there were also those like his teacher, Namikaze Minato, and Yamanaka Shinno—true powerhouses.
"Hey! Kakashi! I was the one who gathered the intel and caught the target this time!"
Obito, now receiving treatment from Rin, puffed up his chest with childish pride.
His injuries weren't serious—just bruises and minor impact wounds from falling debris. A bit of medicine, and he'd be fine by tomorrow.
Compared to that, making Kakashi lose face was far more satisfying.
"You nearly got the mission target killed."
Kakashi lifted the kitten by its underarms and stared at Obito with a gaze full of cold indifference and mild disdain.
It was only a D-rank mission. Not only had Obito slowed them down and failed the first attempt, but he had also gotten himself hurt and almost endangered the target.
Impulsive. Reckless. Emotional. Inconsiderate. Lacking time awareness. And always running into unexpected trouble at critical moments—
Kakashi had never imagined that one day, he would be on the same team as someone like this.
"Come on, come on, teammates should get along better... Eh? Shinno-senpai already left? We didn't even get to properly thank him for helping."
Rin subtly shifted her position to block the tension between them, glancing toward where Shinno had stood. She quickly changed the subject, acting as the peacemaker of the team.
[...]
At a distant street corner, barely visible through the rain and mist, Yamanaka Shinno spotted a shadow lurking behind a wall.
Rolling his eyes, he muttered, "If you're so worried, why not just follow them openly?"
The figure turned—it was a shadow clone of Namikaze Minato.
"Kakashi is already a chūnin, but his personality and decision-making are still too extreme. I want him to understand the importance of teamwork. If he knows I'm watching, it might influence his real thoughts and choices."
Minato scratched the back of his head awkwardly, carefully phrasing his concerns about Kakashi.
Talented, disciplined, and powerful, but heavily influenced by the tragedy of his father, Konoha's White Fang. The way he handled missions often gave Minato headaches.
"Tch—his dad died for nothing."
Shinno clicked his tongue, throwing out a casual jab at Kakashi.
"One day, he'll understand."
Minato sighed, his eyes flashing with a hint of complexity.
Once, Konoha's White Fang had been seen as a strong contender for the title of Fourth Hokage. No one could have imagined that he would take his own life over a scandal.
Back then, Minato had struggled to understand why Hatake Sakumo made that choice.
But after Shinno pointed out certain truths, and after observing the changes in Konoha, he saw the deeper impact.
In the six months following White Fang's death, Konoha's mission casualties had skyrocketed.
While some of the higher-ups refused to admit their mistakes, the Hokage himself had repeatedly emphasized the importance of valuing one's own life and the lives of comrades.
Even high-risk missions now explicitly allowed for withdrawal if necessary.
As a result, many seasoned shinobi, who had long endured relentless high-stakes missions, privately breathed sighs of relief.
Who could say that White Fang's death was meaningless?
"Where's your real body?"
Shinno wasn't interested in continuing this conversation.
He had once tried to change Hatake Sakumo's fate, but the man came from a samurai lineage.
A warrior with an unwavering code—
Once that belief was shattered, no one could stop what followed.
"Ah, well... The researchers we retrieved from the Summoning Island have all been interrogated by ANBU using 'Reverse Hypnosis.' A new research facility is already being set up at Training Ground Zero. When Honoka heard about it, she volunteered to undergo Reverse Hypnosis as well."
"So, the real you is with your girlfriend while your clone babysits your students? Truly a hard-working man."
"Haha—it's not so bad!"
"Bring Honoka to my place tomorrow at noon. Kushina, Shikaku, and Yoshino will be there too. We'll try out the new restaurant's menu."
"Honoka will be thrilled!"
Minato smiled warmly before suddenly remembering something awkward.
"Hey, Shinno, do you know how to apply for housing permits?"
"Building a love nest? Jōnin apartments too cramped for you?"
"W-Wait, no, it's not—! I just thought—!"
Minato's shadow clone nearly popped out of existence from sheer embarrassment.
"Take your jōnin ID and find Nara Suzaku. He knows all the shortcuts. When you move into your new place, I'll give you my best wishes."
"Uh... What kind of best wishes?"
"Nine babies in one go."
"...?!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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