Chapter 169: The Sinister Ninja
"Hmph, Kakashi thinks he can surpass me in missions? I'll make sure he returns empty-handed this time."
Obito walked briskly down the village path, full of confidence. He was in high spirits today—out of the five missions Mugetsu had accepted, one involved finding a cat and another involved locating lost items. Those two were his specialty. With the help of his Grandma and Grandpa Network, he'd definitely finish them first.
After that, completing just one more mission would guarantee his victory.
Kakashi doesn't stand a chance against me! he thought proudly.
As always, Obito relied on the helpful elderly folks of Konoha. Before long, he had gathered several clues about the location of the missing pet cat.
But when he reached the destination—
"Kakashi?!" Obito froze, eyes wide. "What are you doing here?"
Kakashi stood in front of him, casually holding the squirming orange cat in his arms. "Evidently, I'm here to complete the mission," he replied coolly.
Obito scratched his head in disbelief. Of course Kakashi was there for a mission—but how did he get here first?
"You just got lucky this time," Obito huffed. "Later, I'll show you the power of Konoha's Mission King!"
"Then let's see it," Kakashi replied flatly, his tone as calm as ever.
Gritting his teeth, Obito stormed off toward the next mission site. He refused to lose after making such bold claims.
He decided to go after the lost item mission next, again relying on his network of friendly villagers.
"Thank you for the information, Grandpa!"
"No, Grandma, I don't need any cookies—thank you for the help!"
After thanking yet another group of elderly helpers, Obito finally arrived at the location of the lost item—
Only to see Kakashi standing there again, mission complete.
"Kakashi… why is it you again?!" Obito's voice cracked in frustration.
Kakashi turned slightly, his tone still maddeningly indifferent. "Why can't it be me? Are you saying this mission can only be completed by you?"
Obito was left speechless. Without another word, he dashed off toward the next task location.
When he arrived at the garbage cleanup site, his heart sank. The place was already spotless. Kakashi's Shadow Clone was standing there, casually dispersing into smoke.
"Damn it! This one's done too?!" Obito groaned. He clenched his fists, realizing he was now three missions behind.
Just then, Mugetsu appeared silently beside him.
"Guy's handling the moving assignment and should finish soon," Mugetsu said. "The last remaining one is cleaning the trap area. If you hurry, you might finish that before him."
"Teacher Mugetsu! You're a lifesaver!" Obito shouted gratefully before sprinting off again.
He knew that if he ended this first round without a single completed mission, the next set would be an uphill battle. He needed to secure at least one victory—otherwise, his earlier boasting would make his loss unbearable.
The trap cleanup mission offered a higher reward than most D-Rank tasks because it was dangerous; careless workers could easily trigger old traps left from past training exercises.
By the time everyone regrouped, Mugetsu reviewed their results.
"Kakashi is currently in the lead with three completed missions. Guy and Obito are tied with one each."
"It seems I'll be the winner this time," Kakashi said calmly, as if he had merely brushed the dust off his shoulder.
"Don't get cocky! We're still taking more missions later—it's not over yet!" Obito shot back, refusing to admit defeat.
"That's right!" Guy laughed heartily, flashing a thumbs-up. "The flame of youth burns brightest when victory isn't certain!"
Seeing his students so fired up, Mugetsu smiled faintly. Their motivation pleased him—and the rapid growth of his Chakra reserves pleased him even more.
After just five missions, his Chakra had increased by over two hundred points. Even a full day of large-scale classroom sessions couldn't compare; those only yielded about eighty points.
Encouraged by their progress, Mugetsu accepted another five missions for the second round.
This time, Obito didn't waste a single second humming or strolling leisurely. The moment they received their assignments, he scanned the list for tasks that suited him best.
Unfortunately, only one involved searching—the rest were miscellaneous chores. But one was better than none.
After studying the mission description, Obito immediately dashed off again.
By the time he finally reached the location—panting, sweaty, and full of determination—he froze.
"Kakashi… you've got to be kidding me!" Obito shouted, watching his rival hand over the completed item.
"Mission complete," Kakashi said, expression unchanged.
Obito's eye twitched. Something wasn't right.
Kakashi being ahead once could be explained by luck. Twice, maybe coincidence. But three times in a row? Impossible.
If Kakashi really had this kind of speed, how did I beat him three times yesterday?
"Did you finally notice?" Kakashi asked calmly, a hint of amusement in his tone. "I was beginning to think you'd never catch on."
Obito glared at him suspiciously. "Don't tell me—you bought insider information! That's how you've been beating me, isn't it?!"
"You've been a Ninja for several years now, so you must have saved up quite a bit of money. I can't believe you'd actually go this far."
Kakashi: …
He stared blankly at Obito, utterly speechless. What kind of logic is that? Shouldn't he at least suspect I was following him? What does spending money have to do with D-Rank missions?
"Why would you even think that?" Kakashi finally asked, unable to hold it in.
"Isn't it always like that in novels?" Obito said matter-of-factly. "The villain uses money to outdo the hardworking protagonist."
Kakashi was silent. In Obito's mind, he was the protagonist—and somehow, Kakashi had become the villain.
After a brief pause, Kakashi exhaled and said flatly, "There's no such thing as insider information for D-Rank missions. And no one in their right mind would pay money to complete them. The reason I'm faster than you is simple—I followed you and found the targets before you did."
Obito froze.
Followed…?
What do you do when you don't have information? Simple—follow someone who does. Kakashi had quietly trailed Obito the entire time, using his intel-gathering efforts to his advantage. While Obito gathered clues from the villagers, Kakashi shadowed him, sent his clones ahead, and efficiently completed other missions in the meantime.
That was the real reason he had been one step ahead every time.
"Following?! How despicable!" Obito shouted, his face full of disbelief. He hadn't expected the reason to be so shameless. It felt like his hard work had been stolen right from under his nose.
"There's nothing despicable about it," Kakashi said coolly. "Reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance are basic Ninja skills. If you had noticed me, this wouldn't have happened. You can try following me too—if you're capable."
"Damn it! If I had the Sharingan, I'd have caught you in an instant!" Obito snapped, clenching his fists. He mentally replayed his earlier missions but couldn't recall any moment where he'd noticed Kakashi's presence.
Kakashi's eye narrowed. "Save that talk for when you actually have the Sharingan. The Ninja world is cruel, Obito. If the one following you had been an enemy instead of me—what do you think would've happened?"
After leaving those words behind, Kakashi turned and walked off to continue his next mission.
Obito's blood pressure spiked. His whole body trembled with frustration. First, his victory was stolen, and now Kakashi had the nerve to lecture him?
"If my Breathing Technique had reached the Constant State," he muttered angrily, "I swear I wouldn't let him walk away so easily."
He channeled his fury into determination. This time, he wouldn't lose—no matter what.
---
The results of the second round came in shortly after.
Kakashi had completed two missions on his own, while Guy and Obito each completed one. They had also finished one together as a team.
"Kakashi completed five missions in total and takes first place," Mugetsu announced. "Obito and Guy are tied for second."
"Haha! As expected of my eternal rival!" Guy said, giving a bright thumbs-up. "You've improved so quickly—you finished half the missions by yourself!"
Guy's words were full of admiration, though his tone remained upbeat. Originally, he'd chosen missions suited to his Taijutsu abilities, but those had turned out to be more tedious than expected. In the end, he only managed two and a half.
"It's nothing special," Kakashi said calmly. "I just beat someone who talks too much."
Although he didn't mention a name, it was obvious who he was referring to.
Obito glared at him. "I did three more than you yesterday! Add that up, and I've got five and a half—more than you!"
"If we're counting old missions," Kakashi replied evenly, "then I've completed more C-Rank assignments alone than all your D-Rank missions combined."
The jab landed cleanly. Obito's mouth opened, but no words came out.
"Alright, that's enough," Mugetsu said with a gentle smile, stepping between them before the argument escalated. "You all worked very hard today. After submitting the reports, you'll come to my house for dinner."
The promise of food instantly diffused the tension. Even Kakashi's expression softened slightly.
---
When they arrived at the Hokage Building to submit their missions, the Registration Ninja blinked in disbelief as he reviewed the documents.
"Jonin Mugetsu," he said, looking up, "you won't be able to accept new missions for a while. You've practically cleared out all the D-Rank assignments. Completing ten missions in one afternoon—your team's efficiency is just too high."
"What?!" Obito exclaimed. "There are no more missions?"
He had planned to get revenge on Kakashi the next day—but without missions, how could he redeem himself?
"You've finished twenty missions in just two days," the Registration Ninja said helplessly. "Some Genin teams can't even do that many in a month."
"No D-Rank missions left?" Obito asked desperately. "Then give us other missions—there must be something else!"
"Not happening," the Registration Ninja said firmly. "You're still interns. Only D-Rank missions are permitted at your level."
"Don't underestimate me!" Obito protested, slamming his hand on the counter. "Even though I'm still in the Academy, I'm the top student! I've even defeated official Ninjas!"
The clerk didn't even blink. "No means no."
His tone left no room for argument. Whether Obito was bluffing or not didn't matter—breaking protocol wasn't worth the risk.
---
At that moment, a familiar, calm voice sounded behind them.
"What's going on here?"
Everyone turned to see the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, approaching as he finished his paperwork for the day. Spotting Mugetsu and Kakashi among the group, he raised an eyebrow.
"Lord Third!" the Registration Ninja said respectfully. "It's like this…"
He quickly explained the entire situation.
"Twenty missions in two days…" Hiruzen repeated, clearly impressed. "That's quite the achievement."
He turned toward Mugetsu and the three young Ninjas, a faint smile forming beneath his pipe.
"In that case…"
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