Konoha's Mission Master

"Since you're so cooperative, I'll forgive you this time!" Obito Uchiha said with a smile.

These past few days of interaction have allowed Yakumo to basically understand Obito Uchiha's personality: easygoing, doesn't hold grudges, and can resolve all problems with just a meal.

Just then, Yakumo was bumped into, lost his balance slightly, and took a half step back.

This person was indeed Sarutobi Asuma, his face contorted with rage…

"What kind of spell did you cast on my old man to make him talk about you every day?!"

Sarutobi Asuma questioned... He added the second half of the sentence in his mind... "You always bring me up when you're beating me up."

He would never forget... Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression when he mentioned Yakumo... It was a kindness and gentleness he had never seen before, even more like that of a father.

That was a smile he had never seen before. His father was the Hokage, and he could show a kind and benevolent smile to anyone in the village... but to his own son, he was only... strict.

“The Third Generation Lord…” Yakumo pondered for a moment.

"You stinky monkey, are you looking for trouble?" Obito Uchiha immediately shielded Yakumo behind him. In his mind, Yakumo was just a medical ninja who was not good at fighting. Even if he could defeat Hiratani Gensuke, he was still too far behind Sarutobi Asuma.

"What... you think you can stand up for him with this crane?" Sarutobi Asuma said to Uchiha Obito with a hint of disdain.

Obito Uchiha's face turned red, and he muttered something in dissatisfaction.

"I'm not the worst student!"

"I'm super strong, okay!"

The people around burst into cheerful laughter.

"I'm really super strong!" Obito protested unwillingly.

"I've got it..."

“About twenty days ago, I heard that the Third Hokage was coughing a lot, and I was concerned that he should take care of his health… That’s normal, isn’t it? After all, Asuma, you also care about the Third Hokage’s health, right?” Yakumo’s eyes were full of sincerity.

These words sounded particularly harsh to Sarutobi Asuma, because he had never cared about his father, only ever talking back and saying things like, "You're not fit to be Hokage..."

"The Hokage worked tirelessly day and night for Konoha, burning his heart and soul. As the generation he protected, it is perfectly normal for us to feel grateful and caring towards the Third Hokage."

Yakumo spoke again, his expression incredibly sincere. Due to his increased strength, he could sense that Yudo's gaze was always fixed on Sarutobi Asuma.

That was an Anbu unit assigned to protect the Hokage's son... which is quite normal, since Sarutobi Asuma is the Hokage's son and can be used as a bargaining chip.

Of course, his real purpose in saying these words was to hope that the ANBU member could relay the message to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"...Why have I never known how to be grateful?" Sarutobi Asuma suddenly asked himself, as if Yakumo's words had torn a crack in his hard barrier, allowing tears of guilt to flow in.

"Shut up! Don't say another word!"

Sarutobi Asuma suddenly clenched his fist and slammed it into Yakumo's face. Just as Mori Masako was about to make a move, a white figure mixed with lightning suddenly appeared between the two of them, its movements accompanied by the sound of wind and thunder.

Kakashi bent down, grabbed Sarutobi Asuma's right wrist, and quickly threw him out like a sandbag by pushing off with his feet.

"If you want to fight, come find me next time."

Kakashi spoke calmly, and his actions instantly ignited the emotions of the onlookers.

"Wow, Kakashi is so cool!"

"Kakashi is so cool, I love him, I love him."

"...Lord Kakashi!!"

At this moment, the focus is on Kakashi.

Even the two main characters involved in the conflict are ignored.

Sarutobi Asuma's body slammed heavily against the wall, as if jolting him awake. He struggled to his feet, disoriented, and pushed his way through the crowd towards... the Sarutobi clan's territory.

go away.

This inexplicable farce has come to an end. Kakashi didn't deliberately try to look cool, but his character combined with his strength made every move very easy to ignite the fangirls' nerves.

"Kakashi is so cool..."

Even though she was far away from the Ninja Academy, Rin Nohara still acted like a devoted fan, a sight that made Obito Uchiha feel even heavier.

“When you stand next to a genius, you have to get used to your own brilliance being overshadowed by them, or you have to work hard to stand shoulder to shoulder with the genius,” Yakumo patted Obito on the shoulder to comfort him.

He hoped that Obito could rise to power sooner, so that he wouldn't have to struggle so much when he tried to defy fate a few years later.

Upon hearing this, Obito couldn't help but start asking himself questions.

Is he really content to be just a supporting character?

"Of course I'm unwilling..."

At that moment, Obito suddenly realized that he was unwilling to have his brilliance overshadowed by Kakashi for the rest of his life, and he did not want to be the eternal background wall.

"Can I really?"

"Of course, I believe you can..."

"Thank you... Yakumo." Obito Uchiha sincerely thanked him, then walked towards Kakashi, his steps becoming more and more hurried, but his expression becoming more and more composed, until he blocked Kakashi's path, forcefully stopping his advance.

"Perhaps it's because I've looked at that back for so long that I feel... it's unsurpassable," Obito thought to himself.

Just as everyone was wondering what Obito was going to do, he raised his arm and pointed at Kakashi's face.

"One day..."

"I want to stand shoulder to shoulder with you..."

Obito Uchiha shook his head.

"No, one day I will surpass you!"

At this moment, the carefree boy became more serious than ever before, and he made a solemn declaration to Kakashi.

Chapter 35 Assassination

"Hahaha..." Nohara Rin was the first to burst into silvery laughter, followed by Mori Masako.

Kakashi and Yakumo did not laugh. In the original story, Madara Uchiha activated Obito's talent with anger and sorrow. Yakumo naturally could not start a ninja war to control a country and scheme against Obito. All he could do was give Obito some confidence when he lacked confidence.

"I'm waiting for you... waiting for you to stand shoulder to shoulder with me."

“Even surpass me.”

Kakashi answered very seriously.

"No way, does Kakashi really think Obito could surpass him?" Masako Mori asked with a very skeptical tone.

"Why not?" Yakumo retorted.

"Don't forget... Obito came from the Uchiha clan."

"That's the strongest bloodline clan in Konoha."

"I believe that if he wants to... he can create miracles!"

"After all... the Uchiha clan is never short of miracles."

Finally, the four of them had a meal at a street-side glutinous rice ball shop, where they enjoyed the shop's signature glutinous rice balls, red bean paste, and red bean soup.

The glutinous rice balls are skewered on bamboo sticks. They are soft and chewy but not sticky, sweet but not cloying. There are also colorful platters of glutinous rice balls with various special preparations. Although the price is not high, everyone is very happy to eat them.

It was getting late, and everyone went home.

"Yakumo, let's go to your place and have a spar later."

"Great, it's been a while since we've sparred."

Although these glutinous rice balls are not greasy, they are still high in sugar. If you don't burn off the sugar through exercise, they can easily accumulate in your body and cause weight gain.

As usual, Yakumo pushed open the wooden door, pinched a falling leaf between his fingers, and his expression relaxed.

With a click, Masako Mori closed the door.

There is no moon in the sky tonight, making the courtyard appear dark and oppressive.

Yakumo went to the wall and turned on the light in the courtyard. It was at this moment that he finally noticed... a figure sitting on a stone chair not far away.

He was sitting right there, but Yakumo couldn't sense his presence. There are only two possibilities: either his strength far surpasses Yakumo's, or he possesses very strong assassination skills.

Under the warm orange light, Yakumo could finally see clearly... the person had a very ordinary face, but had hawk-like eyes, with pupils so cold that they were devoid of any warmth.

Keisuke Shimizu.

"Mori Masako, you should go home first. Shimizu-sensei is here to help me with my tutoring," Yakumo said, turning to Mori Masako.

On the other hand, a slight movement of divine thought.

The gold coins began to disappear like flowing water... The amount of chakra in Yakumo's body began to surge, and the speed of the surge was even more terrifying, and even his meridians felt a little stinging.

“Is that so…” Masako Mori said with some doubt.

With a whoosh, Keisuke Shimizu unleashed his killing intent at Yakumo with his ninja sword. He could have easily ended the battle with his most proficient assassination, but the master insisted on testing the target's true strength before killing him.

"You want to kill me?"

Yakumo drew his ninja sword, preparing for battle, and turned to whisper to Mori Masako.

"Don't use the Sharingan."

Masako Mori nodded.

With a whoosh, Shimizu Keisuke rushed to Yakumo's side without saying a word and slashed down with his short blade. Yakumo immediately blocked with his own sword and at the same time stepped back and quickly formed hand seals.

"Bang!" A shadow clone appeared, and at that moment Yakumo noticed surprise in Shimizu Keisuke's eyes.

Yakumo's shadow clone immediately retreated and began to throw water balls to harass the enemy, while his main body and Mori Masako rushed towards Shimizu Keisuke. This was a true life-or-death battle, and he could feel the pure killing intent emanating from his enemy.

The two ninja swords clashed in the courtyard, exchanging blows with equal force. Light and shadow shattered as the blades sliced ​​through the air with a soft hum, their smooth, mirror-like surfaces reflecting the light.

Keisuke Shimizu's swordsmanship was not as refined as Yakumo's, but it was concise and effective killing moves; each swing of his sword was like the Grim Reaper wielding his scythe.

At first, Masako Mori was a little hesitant, but as the number of wounds on her body increased, her attacks became more and more frequent, throwing fists, kunai, and shuriken at Keisuke Shimizu indiscriminately.

"Be careful." Yakumo said to Mori Masako. Shimizu Keisuke was clearly at a disadvantage, but his expression showed no sign of backing down, as if he were a machine whose emotions had been worn away... Is he really Root?

Meanwhile, the shadow clone on the other side quickly formed hand seals and threw out four water balls, which traversed space at high speed.

Keisuke Shimizu swung his sword at the water sphere…

The first water balloon was sliced ​​open by a ninja sword.