In the early morning, Kakashi woke up, but this time it wasn't the alarm clock nor his biological clock; it was the enticing aroma that brought him back to consciousness.
Before opening his eyes, Kakashi was quite puzzled as to why there was such a pleasant smell. Only after seeing the unfamiliar ceiling did he remember that he hadn't gone home yesterday, but stayed over at Mokgetsu's place.
Perhaps it was because he had a good sleep yesterday; Kakashi felt much more relaxed and spirited.
Then Kakashi walked out of the room, heading to the first floor.
"Awake? Just in time, I've made breakfast. Let's eat together," said Mokgetsu with a smile as he served breakfast on the table, just in time to see Kakashi coming downstairs.
"Thank you, sorry for the trouble," Kakashi thanked Mokgetsu.
Kakashi glanced at the dining table, unsure if it was because of his presence that more had been prepared; breakfast was quite sumptuous, featuring sweet-smelling red bean rice, steaming miso soup, thick omelets, and grilled fish.
"Itadakimasu," Kakashi said after sitting at the table.
He hadn't said this phrase at breakfast for a long time, as it is not meant for the food but to tell the people eating with you to start the meal. Naturally, eating alone doesn't call for it.
All the messy thoughts in Kakashi's mind disappeared after eating Mokgetsu's breakfast; at this moment, he only felt that everything tasted so good, immersed in a world of gourmet delight.
After finishing all the dishes in front of him and downing the steaming miso soup, Kakashi only felt warm and comfortable.
Seeing the empty plates before him, Kakashi realized he had unknowingly eaten so much.
[Disciple Hatake Kakashi's trust level increased, current trust level three]
"Looks like you really like my cooking," Mokgetsu said with a happy smile as he got up to clean up, not at all regretting the effort spent, as the trust level finally improved.
"Because Teacher Mokgetsu, your cooking is truly delicious," Kakashi said seriously.
In the Ninja World, it's unclear who the strongest ninja is, but if anyone claims to cook better than Mokgetsu, Kakashi would be the first to oppose, as this was cuisine at the level of Genjutsu.
"Let me help clean up," Kakashi offered proactively.
After troubling Mokgetsu for his considerate guidance and enjoying the sumptuous breakfast, Kakashi couldn't help but feel uneasy without doing something in return.
"Then I'll trouble you, Kakashi," Mokgetsu agreed with a cheerful smile.
Sometimes accepting others' goodwill can bring both closer and deepen trust.
After washing the dishes, Kakashi and Mokgetsu went to the Southern Border Forest for training.
Mokgetsu's healing effects were decent; today, Kakashi showed no signs of mental issues or physical fatigue, temporarily back to normal.
"Is this what you meant by my weakness, that just one day of training and I can barely stand?" Kakashi showcased his aggression upon seeing Obito after Full Concentration Breathing training.
"You... you don't understand, you have no idea how exhausting it is to maintain Full Concentration Breathing," Obito spoke somewhat haltingly from exhaustion.
"It's still training no matter how exhausting it is, can't you be a bit tougher?" Kakashi wanted to settle old scores with Obito in one go.
Obito rolled his eyes, slumped on the ground as if fainting from misunderstanding the Breathing Technique.
Mokgetsu nodded to himself; this was also a sign of recovery, and having the energy to spar with Obito meant the issues were minor.
"Everyone, rest up after returning; we have a mission tomorrow," Mokgetsu announced.
Mokgetsu had initially planned to train his disciples until after Obito's birthday before embarking on missions, but seeing Kakashi like this, Mokgetsu felt it necessary to resolve Kakashi's issues first.
Kakashi's issues are hard to solve within the village; it requires seeking small aide outside.
Mokgetsu didn't expect to solve everything in one mission; after all, two incidents had already occurred in a row. Even if he had foresight, it wouldn't likely happen a third time, so they needed more missions to find opportunities.
"Yay, we're going on a mission again," Obito's eyes brightened as he struggled to stand up.
Every mission now was conversation material with Nohara Rin and boasted material at the Ninja School later.
While other classmates discussed menial tasks, he flaunted his A-level and B-level mission experiences, imagining their envious eyes.
"Everyone, be careful, don't get hurt," Nohara Rin gently reminded.
"Don't worry, Rin, with Teacher Mokgetsu and me around, there'll be no problem," Obito patted his chest confidently.
"Obito, are you underestimating my youth? At critical moments, I will protect my comrades with my most intense youthful energy!" Might Guy declared with a shiny big grin.
"Let me revise that; with Teacher Mokgetsu, me, and Guy, there'll be no problem," Obito reconsidered, acknowledging Might Guy's current strength, apart from Shisui with his Sharingan, would give everyone a headache; he was truly formidable.
Kakashi: ...
"Teacher Mokgetsu and Guy are reliable, but not you. If it wasn't for my timely aid during the last mission, you'd have suffered severe injury," Kakashi said without mercy, seeing Obito provoke him.
"In battle, you're too reckless, considering too little, not noticing the opponent exchanging wounds,"
"Obito, you should be cautious in fights," Nohara Rin said worriedly.
"I was in that situation because I went to help him," Obito retorted, firing on all cylinders, even digging up old issues from the mission before last where Kakashi was inactive for ten minutes.
"You're spirited, but save some energy for tomorrow's mission," observed Mokgetsu with a smile, putting a stop to their argument.
With Mokgetsu speaking, the two momentarily ceased their banter.
...
The next morning, Mokgetsu took his disciples to the Hokage Building to accept a mission.
"Is there a C-Class mission in the Land of Rivers today?" Mokgetsu asked directly.
The Land of Rivers, affected by the war between Hidden Cloud and Hidden Sand, was more likely to provide opportunities.
In fact, going to the Land of Grass was more promising as the Land of Rivers was only affected; the primary conflict of Hidden Cloud and Hidden Sand lay within the Land of Wind, while the Land of Grass saw Hidden Rock and Konoha's skirmish, essentially a main battlefield.
However, because of this, the Land of Grass was almost entirely war-related missions, and the Mokgetsu Squad, due to its intern status, couldn't take them on.
"The Land of Rivers, huh, let me check." The registration ninja started flipping through mission lists.
"There's one to eliminate bandits near Sanshui Town, another involves escorting a client back to the capital of the Land of Rivers."