The protagonist always makes a late entrance!
Obito firmly believed in this saying—but that didn’t an he wanted to show up late and enter last. That wouldn’t be cool at all!
On the way to the eting point, he’d co across an old man who had fallen in the street. After rushing him to Konoha Hospital and calling for a doctor and so nurses, he imdiately bolted for the village gates.
Sure enough, Kakashi was already there, looking thoroughly annoyed.
Seriously, what was with that constant scowl? Did he think it made him look cool?
Obito had the urge to snap back at him, but... he was the one who’d arrived late.
Minato-sensei looked a bit troubled too, and Kiyosuke and Asuma were also waiting nearby.
"Sorry I’m late, Minato-sensei!"
"It’s fine, just don’t make a habit of it. We’re heading out on a mission—not so casual outing. Tardiness like this isn’t sothing we can afford to repeat," Minato sighed, then turned to apologize to Kazama. After all, it was his responsibility to manage his subordinates.
"Yes, Minato-sensei!"
Now that Obito had arrived, both squads were assembled. Kazama stepped into the palanquin, which was carried by a pair of attendants, and the group officially set off for the Land of Hot Water.
"So, Obito, is this your first ti leaving Konoha?" Kiyosuke asked on the way, clearly intrigued.
"Yeah! I’ve never left the village before—it’s my first ti seeing the world outside!" Obito replied excitedly.
"I want to see what’s out there, sothing different from Konoha!"
Whoa, this cheerful kid was supposed to beco the future world-destroying villain? They felt like completely different people!
"I get what you an," Rin chid in. "Other than missions, we’re not allowed to leave Konoha without good reason. This is my first ti on a mission like this, and I’m really excited."
"This really your first ti out of the village?"
"No," Kiyosuke answered, then seed to recall sothing unpleasant. "Actually... never mind. Let’s not talk about it."
That previous mission was still fresh in his mory—not sothing he wanted to revisit.
Obito blinked. The atmosphere had suddenly turned heavy, so he quickly changed the subject.
"So, is there anything we should watch out for on this mission, Minato-sensei?"
Minato responded, "Generally, escort missions aren’t too dangerous. As long as we keep the client safe, we’ll be fine. Still, we should stay alert for things like bandits along the way."
At the ntion of bandits, Kiyosuke and his teammates’ expressions darkened.
Kakashi caught the change and asked, "What’s with those faces? Was your last mission outside the village... bandit-related?"
"I’d rather not talk about it."
"Sa here."
"Sorry, Kakashi. We don’t want to discuss it."
After all, taking a life for the first ti was sothing that would never truly fade from mory.
Yuhi Shinku glanced at his students and shook his head. They were still just kids.
Minato understood all too well—he’d been in their shoes before. He gently steered the conversation elsewhere.
"The Land of Hot Water lies to the northeast of the Land of Fire. It’s known for its beautiful natural scenery."
"But doesn’t the Land of Hot Water have its own shinobi village?" Obito asked. "Won’t they give us trouble?"
The Second Great Ninja War hadn’t ended that long ago. Relations between nations were still tense.
Minato shook his head.
"No need to worry. The Land of Hot Water has always maintained a good cooperative relationship with the Land of Fire. Besides, ever since the Second Great Ninja War, Yugakure has declined significantly."
Yugakure had suffered heavy losses in the war. It was a shadow of its forr self.
"And besides," Kakashi added, "with Minato-sensei and Shinku-sensei, both Jonin, on this mission, there’s nothing to be afraid of. Honestly, instead of worrying about that, maybe you should worry about showing up late again."
"You bastard! That was a one-ti thing! I don’t know any old people in the Land of Hot Water!" Obito fud, practically jumping in place.
The heavy mood lightened, and soon the conversation turned to what souvenirs they might bring back from their trip.
...
Eventually, they reached a small town.
Kazama collected so goods he had stored there. From this point on, their travel thod changed—from foot travel to traveling by horse-drawn carriage.
Looking back at the convoy carrying all kinds of goods, it made sense that two shinobi teams were assigned as escorts. Still, it was odd that the client hadn’t hired Chūnin for the job.
To ensure the safety of the convoy, the two Jonin split their duties. Minato’s team took the lead, scouting ahead and protecting the client, while Shinku’s team guarded the rear, watching for ambushes and protecting the cargo.
Night watch duties were also split. One team took the first half of the night, the other the second. They rotated shifts each day.
Riding on a wagon stacked with goods, Kiyosuke glanced down at the deep tracks carved into the dirt road. Curiosity got the better of him—he wondered what exactly they were transporting.
Just as he was about to sneak a peek, Shinku stopped him.
"You are not allowed to investigate the client’s cargo. Got it? Don’t let it happen again."
"Yes, sir."
What the client was selling had nothing to do with them. Their only job was to complete the mission.
"I’ll go patrol the rear."
Kiyosuke jogged to the back. This might have been a simple escort mission, but that didn’t an it was free of danger. Wild beasts, sudden ambushes by bandits... anything could happen.
Suddenly, a small white snake slithered out from his sleeve, flicking its tongue and pointing toward a specific direction.
An enemy.
"Stop right there!!"
A group of bandits leapt out from the trees. They looked fierce—broad shoulders, thick arms, the kind of guys who looked like they could wrestle a bear.
"This is a robbery! Hand over everything you’ve got, and we might spare your lives!" barked the leader. His massive cleaver glead coldly under the sun.
"Bandits, huh..."
Without another word, Kiyosuke dashed forward and kicked the leader square in the face. The man’s teeth shattered in an instant, blood spraying everywhere.
"Boss! What are you doing?! Boss?!"
"Boss, how could you go down so fast?!"
The remaining bandits quickly scooped up their fallen leader and fled like a bunch of clowns.
"Uh... let’s just keep moving."
It was nothing more than a small hiccup. The convoy resud its journey at a relaxed pace, not particularly worried about ti.
...
They’d thought the rest of the journey would be uneventful—but not long after, another group appeared.
These weren’t your average bandits.
They all carried katanas. Though scruffy and disheveled, their presence was overwhelming, and they reeked of blood. These were wandering swordsn.
Ronin.
They had their eyes on the convoy, especially Kazama’s wealth. After tailing the group for a while, they’d decided to strike in the wilderness—kill everyone, loot the cargo, and sell it off for profit.
After all, they were masterless swordsn—n with nothing left to lose.
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