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A new day began early.
Akira Tsubaki stretched and rolled out of bed.
When he opened the System panel, his eyes lit up.
Physique: 36 (18 x 2) – Chūnin Level
"My Physique has reached the Chūnin level?" Akira Tsubaki said happily.
He flexed his fists.
Hmm, definitely feeling stronger.
In a great mood, it was a rare day for him to be on time.
Training Ground Nine.
When Akira Tsubaki arrived at the training ground punctually, he was met with three pairs of surprised eyes.
"What kind of looks are those?" Akira Tsubaki asked, dissatisfied.
I was late, and my teammates were surprised. Now that I'm on time, my teammates are still surprised?
"I thought you'd be late again today," Obito chuckled weakly.
"Akira, keep up the good work!" Rin encouraged.
"Actually, it doesn't matter whether you come or not," Kakashi said, arms folded across his chest, his tone typically cold.
It had to be said that Kakashi's words successfully provoked a counterattack from Akira Tsubaki.
"Did you hear that? He's laughing at you!" Obito pointed at Kakashi, rallying Akira Tsubaki.
"Oh," Akira Tsubaki shrugged, completely unfazed.
"Aren't you angry?" Obito's voice rose in disbelief.
My good brother is far too good-natured, right?
He's being ridiculed, yet he's so calm?
"Obito, do you know what kind of person laughs at others?" Akira Tsubaki asked seriously.
"What kind?" Obito asked curiously.
"Clowns! Only clowns laugh at others to try and show their superiority."
"Huh? Haha! You're right!"
Obito burst into loud laughter.
"Only clowns laugh at people, hear that, Kakashi!"
At this moment.
Kakashi's expression froze under his mask.
The "clown" Akira Tsubaki referred to was clearly Kakashi, but Obito had been successfully baited into the same ridiculous situation.
So why is this idiot still laughing?
His IQ is truly tragic!
Simultaneously.
Minato Namikaze quietly appeared behind the four of them.
He had naturally witnessed the entire farce.
Based on this, Minato's internal evaluation of Akira Tsubaki was: You might be the weakest in strength, but you're the strongest at trash-talking (spraying people)!
Next.
Minato Namikaze assigned a special task for the day.
"The difficulty of your mission today will be significantly increased!"
"I secured a D-rank mission for you!"
"Don't underestimate this mission; its danger level might exceed some C-rank missions."
With that, he tossed a scroll to the team.
"Remember, the temporary captain for this mission is Kakashi. If he executes it flawlessly, he will be the official captain of Team Minato moving forward!" Minato Namikaze said solemnly, sweeping his gaze across the group.
"But what if he makes a mistake?" Obito suddenly interjected.
Let Kakashi be the captain?
Then how are Akira and I supposed to live freely in this team?
And won't Rin completely fall for him?
Minato laughed, seeing the tension Obito created.
Contradiction? Good!
Only this way can I ignite their fighting spirit.
After thinking for a moment, Minato had an idea.
"Then let this mission be the deciding factor! Whoever contributes the most during the mission will become the captain!"
On the surface, the task seemed simple.
The mission had been issued by an old woman in the village, claiming her farmland was being destroyed by wild boars. The D-rank request required the ninjas to either capture or kill the boar.
The four genin received the task with different expressions.
Obito was thrilled. If he killed the boar, he could become the captain of Team Minato!
Rin was surprised, thinking the task seemed far too easy.
Kakashi was expressionless. This sort of task was well within his capabilities.
Akira Tsubaki, however, wore a thoughtful face.
He was considering many potential possibilities.
Afterward, the four of them arrived at the old woman's house and began asking for clues about the wild boar.
Seeing the ninjas, the old woman led them with her cane to the farmland.
"Look, this is it!"
"I came to check the field yesterday morning and found that the farmland was severely damaged, with traces left by the wild boars."
Pointing at the messy field, the old woman spoke with distress.
"Please, you must get rid of that wild boar."
Leaving that plea, the old woman departed.
The sun beat down.
On a nearby tree, which wasn't too tall.
The four of them stood scattered on the branches, waiting for the wild boar to appear.
The weather was too hot for Team Minato to wait directly in the sun; they'd collapse from heatstroke before the boar showed up.
"The wild boar will show up shortly! Everyone stay put, leave this to me!" Obito was the first to speak, clutching his Kunai tightly.
He was dead set on winning the position of captain.
"Heh~~" Kakashi sneered softly.
"Well, we could work together to take down the wild boar," Rin suggested timidly.
Unfortunately, her suggestion was immediately ignored.
"Huh? Wait a minute, where's Akira Tsubaki?"
Rin had planned to ask Akira Tsubaki to back her suggestion, but when she turned her head, she found Akira Tsubaki was gone.
"Huh? Did you just call me?"
On a high tree branch, Akira Tsubaki, who had just settled down, lowered his head and asked.
"Damn it, why did you run all the way up there to lie down?" Obito looked up, spotting Akira Tsubaki's sleeping posture.
He's clearly planning to take a nap.
Hello! This is a critical time to compete for the captaincy, and you're planning to sleep on a tree branch?
"Is there a problem with me sleeping?" Akira Tsubaki retorted.
"Aren't you going to catch the wild boar?" Obito looked constipated.
"The wild boar won't appear today," Akira Tsubaki replied casually, yawning as he prepared to go to sleep.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
He wanted to sleep, but the other three immediately leaped up and surrounded him.
"What is your basis?" Kakashi stared at Akira Tsubaki, speaking succinctly.
"That's right, how do you know when the wild boar will come out?" Obito was also puzzled.
"Akira, did you figure something out?" Rin also chimed in.
Being stared at by three people, Akira Tsubaki looked annoyed.
He was slightly concerned about the stability of this branch; if it couldn't bear the combined weight, they'd all fall.
Fine, I'll talk first.
"It's actually quite simple."
"There are no wild boars in the nearby mountain range; it's highly probable this one ran out of the Forest of Death."
"A wild boar's natural habit is to forage in the early morning and evening. But in an unfamiliar environment, the wild boar will become vigilant and shift its foraging time to nighttime!"
"So, do you understand now?"
When Akira Tsubaki finished speaking, the others suddenly realized the truth.
Even Kakashi had to admit that Akira Tsubaki knew more about wild boar habits than he did.
No wonder Akira Tsubaki's strength is so poor—it turns out he spends all his time reading these useless nature books.
"That means we need to set up an ambush at night?" Kakashi muttered to himself.
If they waited at night, the danger level would indeed rise sharply.
The danger Sensei mentioned was probably referring to this.
"Ambush? Why do we have to ambush?" Akira Tsubaki couldn't understand Kakashi's thought process.
It's just about catching a boar.
Do we really need to sit in wait?
"Heh, do you have a better idea?"
"Can't we just dig a pitfall trap?" Akira Tsubaki blurted out.
Kakashi: "..."
Obito: "Why didn't I think of that?!"
Rin: "Huh? That's right!"