This puppeteer is a bit... well...

Chapter 221 Kakashi and Obito

"It's so hot this year!"

Uchiha sat leaning against a large willow tree by the roadside, taking advantage of the shade, his right hand being used as a fan to fan his ear.

But the faint breeze, carrying heat, offered no relief from the heat, and the sweat on his face did not lessen.

Obito tugged at his green vest, letting the wet clothes separate from his skin. After feeling a bit more comfortable, he couldn't help but complain, "I wish I could take off my uniform."

Yes, Obito was already a Chunin.

He is only 11 years old, but he has already become a Chunin, which is a year earlier than the original story where he became a Chunin at the age of 12.

What changed their fate was the war that struck Konoha seven months ago, when the Mechanical Castle descended upon it.

At that time, Obito was still a genin and did not participate in the war. Instead, he was responsible for evacuating ordinary people and taking them to shelters.

However, during the evacuation, the evacuation team was attacked by two knight puppets, and many people died.

Among them were two elderly women who usually gave him care and help.

Then, he awakened the Sharingan, and immediately it was a double tomoe.

With the help of the Sharingan, Obito's strength underwent a qualitative leap. He shone brightly in the Chunin Exams a month ago and officially became a Chunin. He was then assigned to the Security Force.

"Hey, Obito, on duty?"

A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts. Obito looked up and saw a silver-haired boy standing on the road, which was shrouded in steam.

Upon seeing the boy, Obito couldn't help but smile and waved, saying, "Yo, long time no see, Kakashi!"

"Just got back from a mission."

With that, Kakashi arrived under the willow tree.

"It seems you've had a tough time these past six months!"

Obito couldn't help but sigh.

The war caused heavy losses to the Konoha ninjas, and in the battle that took place seven months earlier at the Kaiji Castle, most of Konoha's buildings were destroyed. Most of the ninjas had to help the people rebuild their homes, so there was a severe shortage of ninjas to carry out missions.

Boys like Kakashi, who were only 11 years old but had outstanding performances, were promoted to Jonin and given the authority to carry out missions independently.

Rin, on the other hand, was transferred to a hospital for further training due to her outstanding medical ninja skills.

The original team disbanded, and the two hadn't seen each other for quite some time, so they started chatting here.

Having witnessed the cruelty of war and the deaths of loved ones before his eyes, Obito's personality became much calmer, and he was no longer the impulsive and carefree imp he once was.

This made Kakashi, who was used to the usual noise, repeatedly marvel at the other person's growth.

Suddenly, a member of the secret service appeared in the willow tree in a flash.

Wearing a tiger mask, he looked down at the two men and said, "Kakashi, Obito, the Hokage has an urgent mission to summon you."

Obito and Kakashi exchanged a surprised glance, then nodded in unison, "Understood."

……

When the two arrived at the Hokage's office, there were already quite a few people standing inside.

There were quite a few members of the security force, the ANBU, and even ninjas who were usually on missions, crowding the entire room.

Everyone stood there, silent, watching the Third Hokage sitting behind his desk, smoking a pipe.

"Everyone's here, let's begin..." Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Obito and Kakashi who had entered, put down his pipe, and said, "Three months ago, a major event shook the very foundations of the Hyuga clan. Out of consideration for the Hyuga clan, this matter was not made public. However, the result was that Mukai Kohyuu was expelled from the Hyuga clan and became a dangerous element under surveillance, and several members of the Hyuga branch family were executed as a result."

"Silence!" Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed his hand on the table. After the discussion subsided, he continued, "That matter was an internal affair of the Hyuga clan, so we shouldn't interfere. What I want to say this time is that after that incident, the usually well-behaved Hyuga Mukai has started acting strangely again."

"If they still don't behave after being punished, why not just arrest them?" One ninja voiced the thoughts of most people in the room.

"The key issue is that the intelligence personnel only discovered some suspicious clues and could not confirm what Mukai actually did."

Seeing everyone remain silent, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and continued, "Although there is no evidence, this matter is of great importance. If Mukai makes any unusual moves and succeeds, it will cause turmoil for the Hyuga clan and even Konoha. Therefore, I want you to strengthen the guard at all entrances and exits and even in the sky."

"In the sky!?"

Someone realized something and looked at the Hokage in disbelief.

The other person nodded solemnly. "That's right. The worst-case scenario is a repeat of what happened seven months ago. Are you scared?"

"Gurgle~"

A series of swallowing sounds echoed in the room, and everyone was sweating.

"I'm afraid, I'm afraid they won't come, and I won't be able to avenge Ruomei's death!"

"That's right, you Sunagakure bastards, come on then! We're prepared now, and you won't catch us off guard like last time!"

"Although weapons to counter the resurrection of puppets are still under development, it's possible to solve the problem if the right methods are used!"

"That's right, let those bastards come!"

Seeing the crowd's agitated state, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded slightly: "This is just the worst-case scenario. Although six months is not enough to restore our former glory, we are prepared and fear no one!"

"Ooh ooh ooh!!!"

……

As they exited the Hokage Building, Obito called out to Kakashi.

"Is there something you need?"

Kakashi looked at Obito strangely.

Obito looked around, glancing to the left at the road, and said, "Let's talk on the way."

Kakashi hesitated for a moment, then nodded and followed.

On the way, Obito said, "Let's go investigate Kohinata!"

"……good."

"The Hokage's decision... wait, you agreed?"

Obito reacted a beat too late and looked over in surprise.

In his memory, Kakashi was the most boring and rule-abiding ninja who never touched anything that violated the rules.

Going to investigate Kohinata in private carries the risk of revealing that our side has discovered something unusual about the other side. He thought Kakashi would never agree to something that clearly violates the Hokage's mission, and he had prepared a lot of persuasive arguments. He didn't expect Kakashi to agree after only hesitating for a moment. How could he not be surprised?

"Are you out of your mind, or is someone else faking it?"

Obito looked the silver-haired boy up and down, as if he wanted to expose his true colors.

Kakashi couldn't help but roll his eyes and said irritably, "Are you going or not? If not, I'm going to carry out the Hokage's mission."

"Go, go, why aren't you going?"

Although he was curious about Kakashi's changes, he was more interested in resolving this matter.

Obito disobeyed the Hokage's orders and chose to investigate Mukai not to show off, but because simply being defensive was too passive. Only by taking the initiative and investigating the matter thoroughly could the problem be solved.

(End of this chapter)