Sasuke said flatly, "Your luck's even worse than that dead-last's. Your A-rank mission is…?"
He gave a cold snort—three parts contempt, two parts mockery—clearly not expecting anything good.
"What?!!!" Obito exploded, stomping his foot. "I'm still your elder! Show some respect for your senpai, will you?! You're an Uchiha! Why are you copying that idiot Kakashi's sharp tongue?!!"
What was so wrong with being a dead-last anyway?!
Did the dead-last not have human rights?!!
"And don't forget! My Sharingan awakened with two tomoe!" Obito jabbed a finger at his eye, looking smug. "Next time it evolves, I might get three tomoe just like Fugaku-san!"
Rin fretted beside him. "You should really take care of your eyes. They were bleeding that day!"
"Bleeding?"
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all stared in confusion.
Only after Rin explained did they understand...
Yesterday, after seeing Rin's grave, Kakashi drowning in guilt, and the masked man throwing away the flowers at her tomb, Obito's eyes had suddenly hurt intensely and his face had started to itch. Thinking he was crying, he'd hurried to pull down his goggles.
But when they returned to the present parallel world, everyone noticed that when Obito lifted his goggles to rub his eyes, his hands came away smeared with blood.
Obito pouted. "I was actually planning to ask that future idiot Kakashi today whether he knew why the Sharingan bleeds."
Young Kakashi stood beside him, for once not talking back.
After all, the two Kakashis came from different worlds, but they were still the same person—same personality, same way of thinking. If the older Kakashi could realize he'd leaked classified information and caused Naruto to become an orphan in his world, there was no way the younger one wouldn't think the same.
Just yesterday, Minato had comforted the young Kakashi, who hadn't even gotten the chance to meet this world's version of his student before the kid vanished overnight…
Minato didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
But really, the one Kakashi couldn't bring himself to face was probably Naruto.
...
"Anyway, what's your A-rank mission?" Naruto asked, unable to hide a bit of competitive curiosity toward Obito, whose personality matched his own so well.
At the question, Obito's shoulders instantly drooped.
He even cast a pitiful look at his younger clansman—Sasuke Uchiha.
Seeing him act so un-Uchiha-like, Sasuke snapped, irritated, "Just say what it is!"
"Don't tell me it needs Sasuke to complete it?" Naruto guessed.
Obito shook his head but still didn't speak.
He pulled his mission scroll from the pouch at his back.
The moment the scroll opened, Sasuke's expression went ice-cold.
[Mission Rating: A-rank]
[Objective: Bring Itachi Uchiha to Konoha.]
Naruto and Sakura immediately turned toward Sasuke.
Sure enough, the Sharingan had already spun into his eyes.
And judging from the tension locking his face and the way his tightly pressed lips strained, he was probably grinding his molars hard enough to crack them.
"Itachi—"
After staring at Obito's mission scroll for a long moment, Sasuke finally forced out through clenched teeth, "If he dares come back… I won't let him go!!"
This hatred was one he could never release.
Yet it was obvious that after witnessing the Nine-Tails incident and meeting Fugaku Uchiha from the past, Sasuke had begun to think more deeply about the true nature of his vengeance.
He looked at Obito Uchiha. "Do you have any ideas?"
"How would I have any ideas?!" Obito scratched his head. "What, am I supposed to go buy a box of three-color dango like when we were kids and lure Itachi out? That would never work!!"
Minato let out a helpless sigh. "Compared to this, Naruto's mission really is much easier."
Itachi's identity as Konoha's undercover agent inside Akatsuki was far too sensitive. Even to Sasuke and Naruto, Minato couldn't reveal it here—one slip could put Itachi Uchiha in mortal danger.
Studying Obito's scroll, Minato analyzed, "From what I know, after that incident, Itachi joined a Missing-nin group called Akatsuki."
"Akatsuki?!" Sasuke's face darkened. He absorbed every word spoken about Itachi.
Minato Namikaze said, "In my era, I hadn't heard of them. They must've risen in the last ten years or so. They're said to have only around ten members, but each one is an S-rank Missing-nin like Itachi. And there's zero intel on their leader."
Sasuke, Naruto, and the others grew more serious with every sentence.
Each member an S-rank Missing-nin like Itachi…
A group that powerful, yet their leader's identity and motives were completely unknown?!
The more they thought about it, the more terrifyingly mysterious the organization became.
Compared to that, Naruto's "almost impossible" mission suddenly looked a hundred times easier than Obito's.
Minato softened the mood a little, patting Sasuke's shoulder to calm him down. "Don't rush."
"The first stage of the Chūnin Exams is usually a written test, so Iruka's timing is perfect. It's only five days, but last-minute cramming is better than nothing."
With a flicker of movement, he brought Iruka over from where he'd been standing.
"Over the next few days of hell-level tutoring, please make sure Naruto and the others' fundamentals reach at least the minimum needed to pass the exam. Alright?"
Still stunned, Iruka felt Minato Namikaze pat his shoulder. "We're counting on you, Iruka-sensei."
"N-no, no, no— I don't deserve such praise!"
Every ninja of his era admired the Fourth Hokage. Iruka could hardly speak from excitement. "Thank you for your trust! I won't fail you!!"
Naruto should have felt that secret thrill of "My teacher called a parent meeting, and my dad is literally the Hokage!" But the moment he heard the word study, any joy evaporated.
"Huh?!! I don't wanna study dattebayo!"
He tried to bolt, but Minato gently pulled him back.
"Do you remember the promise you made to Kushina in the previous world?"
—Even if you're bad at studying, you'll still try your best.
...
The next five days were pure academic hell for Naruto.
Expecting the dead-last to help the entire exam hall cheat their way through… wasn't that just…
Blatant bullying?!!
Sakura watched him struggle. Though she teased him for sleeping through class in the Academy, she privately worked hard to explain problems to him—for the sake of his S-rank mission.
Sasuke, desperate to return to the past and learn the truth of the Uchiha Clan's downfall, volunteered to drill Naruto relentlessly, stuffing information into him like force-feeding a duck.
Seeing Naruto working so hard, Iruka spent nearly his entire month's salary treating Kakashi's students to meals.
Naturally, the menu was simple: Ichiraku Ramen—Naruto's favorite.
Minato felt guilty and always slipped ahead to pay the bill first.
As the Chūnin Exams drew closer, more shinobi from Amegakure, Kusagakure, Takigakure, and others Hidden Ninja Village were arriving in addition to the group from Sunagakure.
Lunch was ramen again that day.
Disguised with Transformation Technique, both Minato Namikaze and Iruka Umino simultaneously placed a slice of chashu from their bowls into Naruto's. Their awkward smiles made him nearly burst into tears.
Sneaking a free meal himself, Obito—also transformed—imitated them by giving Sasuke half a marinated egg.
Predictably, the young Uchiha heir—with an idol image that weighed about three tons—rejected it immediately...
Which was followed by Young Kakashi's cold sarcasm and Rin's gentle attempt to soothe him.
Obito nearly dunked his entire face into his ramen bowl.
Compared to sweets or barbecue, Ichiraku Ramen was Konoha's most delicious and affordable classic.
From the far-off Kusagakure, two squads had come to take the Chūnin Exams—six students in total. Their formation was one instructor, five boys, and one girl.
Passing by the ramen shop, the rich broth simmered by old man Teuchi made all of them hungry.
But Kusagakure had been devastated during the Third Shinobi World War. The country was small, poor, and mission pay was low. Their instructor couldn't bring himself to give up the free meals at Konoha's lodging just to treat a bunch of kids to ramen.
Still, two boys from slightly better-off families immediately declared they would break away from the team to eat here.
The instructor—who obviously had little authority—told the rest of the squad to wait and headed back alone.
Thus, a trio remained: the two boys with pocket money, and the girl trailing behind them.
The boys each ordered a soy sauce ramen.
They completely ignored the girl, acting as though she didn't exist.
She was a tall, thin redhead dressed in dull clothing, with thick, unflattering glasses. Looking closely, her hair seemed never to have been properly groomed, hanging in frizzy strands down her back.
...
Hearing the boys slurp their noodles, smelling the fragrant bone broth, her stomach growled painfully.
Standing stiffly at the entrance of Ichiraku, she tried for a long time to speak, but only managed a faint mosquito-like sound—easily drowned out by her companions' loud slurping.
Minato's group, who had been about to leave, stopped and turned to watch.
Naruto had tasted this kind of coldness his whole life. That girl wasn't any different from the boy he used to be.
Feeling sorry for her felt like feeling sorry for his past self, so Naruto didn't try to overthink it.
"They're young ninja from Kusagakure," Iruka explained. "Just like the Sunagakure kids—they're here for the Chūnin Exams." He wanted to step in and buy the girl a meal, but worried it might spark conflict between the villages.
Sasuke and Sakura couldn't stomach what they were seeing.
"Hey." Sasuke's tone was sharp, pitched low so only the two boys could hear.
His chin tilted downward, eyes glancing up at them—a look that made it very clear Sasuke was not amused.
The boys turned. Sakura stepped forward beside Sasuke and said, "Your instructor probably meant all three of you together!" She stressed "three" deliberately.
She assumed that kind of hint would be easy enough to understand.
But instead, the two Kusagakure boys glanced at the red-haired girl, snickered, and let out cheap laughter.
"Yeah, the three of us," one said, nudging his friend and laughing at her expense.
"Hahaha, in a way, she's basically our food, right?" And with that final "right?", the Kusagakure boy shoved the redhead, prompting her to answer.
This time even Naruto snapped. Watching Sasuke and Sakura step forward for the girl reminded him of the day Kakashi-sensei tied him to a post and forbade him from eating lunch. Back then, even that jerk Sasuke—who normally never got along with him—had shoved his bento toward Naruto first.
And these Kusagakure brats? They didn't even treat their own teammate like a person?!!
"Hey—!"
Naruto was ready to yell—or better yet, march over and punch them.
But before he could move, a hand came down on his shoulder.
The air behind him dropped in pressure as if it were freezing solid...