Deep within the mountain graveyard, in a dark underground cavern.
Obito pushed himself up from the ground, performing push-up after push-up in a monotonous recovery training session.
The right half of his body, wrapped in White Zetsu, had long since been reconstructed with limbs, leaving no trace of the pathetic figure once paralyzed on the wooden bed, unable to move.
With a sudden burst of strength from his arms, he executed several swift backflips, landing steadily in the center of the open space.
Wiping the sweat from his temples, a faint light flickered in the young man's eyes as he couldn't help but laugh.
"In a little while, I'll be able to leave this place."
He clenched his fist, his voice unusually firm.
"Kakashi, Rin, wait for me."
A White Zetsu wearing a spiral-patterned mask drifted down lightly from the rock wall, approaching him from behind and tilting its head curiously.
"What were you just doing?"
"Could it be… you were just doing pull—"
"Idiot! Shut up!"
Obito spun around, pointing at him in a mix of urgency and annoyance.
Fearing that the embarrassing word would be spoken aloud, he quickly corrected himself, "A-Juan, I'm training."
He had even given this White Zetsu, who was always clinging to him, the name A-Juan.
Thanks to A-Juan, these dark, sunless days underground weren't enough to drive him mad.
After spending so many days here, aside from the intimidating old man, the two white beings were the ones he interacted with the most.
Especially this A-Juan, who was curious about everything and always pestered him with strange questions.
"Am I cute?"
"Do you have any snacks hidden on you?"
How could he possibly answer such foolish questions?
A-Juan flopped onto the ground, muttering weakly, "Training again? So boring."
"Of course I have to train," Obito said, looking up at the cavern ceiling.
"I'm going back to Konohagakure."
"Rin is waiting for me."
The ground shifted slightly as another White Zetsu slowly emerged from beneath, its voice raspy.
"The Rin you mentioned… is she the little girl with light purple face paint?"
It leisurely described Nohara Rin's appearance.
Obito's body tensed instantly, and he rushed forward excitedly.
"That's her! You've seen her? Where? How is she now?!"
These past days, the thought of returning to Rin's side had been what kept him going through the painful recovery.
Now, suddenly hearing news of her, Obito's heart clenched.
The White Zetsu let out a strange laugh, its tone vague and unclear.
"She's doing just fine."
"Really?! That's great!"
"My clone in Konohagakure saw that she's been visiting a house belonging to someone named Uchiha Shinji lately, leaving very late."
Zetsu paused, adding slowly,
"They even walked home holding hands."
A-Juan clapped innocently beside them, a look of sudden understanding on its face.
"Ohh, so this is what you call 'love'!"
These past days, it had heard many new words from Obito.
It knew this one.
Obito stood frozen in place as if struck by lightning.
His lips trembled uncontrollably, his voice cracking:
"It's impossible, absolutely impossible! How could Rin be with Shinji!"
"You're lying!" he shouted at White Zetsu.
White Zetsu grinned and said:
"You can go back and see for yourself. However, I won't help you."
"Right!"
Obito paced back and forth in despair, slamming his fist down hard.
He suddenly remembered how close Shinji and Rin had always been.
"I need to return to Konohagakure as soon as possible, I must go back!"
Obito's heart inevitably wavered.
In the shadows not far away, Madara Uchiha slowly opened his eyes, then gently closed them again.
The corner of his mouth curled into a cold, mocking smile.
...
At the village entrance on the gravel path, a noble from the Land of Fire dressed in fine silks hurried forward to meet them.
His hair was meticulously combed, and as soon as he saw Tsunade, he immediately stepped forward, his tone sickeningly humble:
"Lady Tsunade, I never expected you to come personally. This is truly an honor."
Tsunade casually yawned and pointed at Shinji and the other two:
"They're the ones you need. I'm just passing through on my way to the capital."
She tilted her head slightly. "Shizune, let's go."
"Lady Tsunade, this gentleman is our client!"
Shizune quickly smoothed things over, quietly apologizing to Enichihiko.
Enichihiko merely waved with a cheerful smile, appearing completely unbothered.
He didn't care whether Tsunade was cold or not. As long as the legendary Sannin was with the group, it would be more than enough to boast about to his wife and colleagues upon his return.
This mission was a huge win!
Shinji stepped forward and gave a slight nod:
"Mr. Enichihiko, we will escort you back to the capital. We look forward to working with you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Enichihiko's expression immediately changed.
The fawning look on Enichihiko's face vanished instantly as he assumed a noble's air, giving a faint nod:
"Then let us depart."
Enichihiko boarded the prepared carriage and, surrounded by the driver and guards, set off on the main road.
"Tch." Asuma grumbled in annoyance. "What a snobbish attitude."
Even as the Hokage's son, he received no special treatment from these nobles obsessed with power and vanity, and he couldn't help but complain.
Shinji patted his shoulder. "No complaining, let's go."
Then he turned to Kurenai Yuhi and smiled gently. "We should get moving too, Kurenai."
Kurenai Yuhi nodded slightly. "Alright."
Their eyes met briefly, some feelings understood without words.
Asuma: "..."
The carriage moved slowly forward. Shinji, Asuma, and Kurenai Yuhi spread out around it in a triangular formation, able to watch each other's backs and respond to any sudden situations at any moment.
The Great Ninja War had just ended, and rogue ninjas roamed within the Land of Fire. They couldn't afford to be careless for even a moment on the journey.
Shizune quietly approached Shinji, her tone apologetic:
"Shinji-kun, I'm sorry. This was supposed to be your mission, and now I'm tagging along, causing you trouble."
Shinji smiled warmly and shook his head. "Don't worry about it. For escort missions, having more people is actually safer."
"Thank you. If there's anything I can help with, please let me know."
"There actually is something I'd like to ask of you."
"What is it?" Shizune immediately became serious, wanting to repay the favor as soon as possible.
Shinji took out a Prescription from his pocket—a special formula from Orochimaru he had exchanged from the System.
This prescription was something he had previously exchanged for in the System Shop, but he had been busy with other matters lately and hadn't had the chance to examine it in detail.
Now that the opportunity had arisen, he had long wanted to find a reliable person to carefully appraise it and confirm whether there were any hidden issues with the formula.
He handed the prescription to Shizune: "Shizune, could you help me take a look at this prescription? Confirm its effects."
"Or consult Lady Tsunade!"
He wanted to use Shizune as a means to have Tsunade, the authority on Medical Ninjutsu, review it, which would be much more reliable.
Shizune immediately understood and gently patted her chest:
"Leave it to me. I'll take it to Lady Tsunade for joint appraisal."
Shinji nodded slightly and thanked her.
The group had already been traveling for a full day since departing from Konohagakure.
The carriage was bumpy, and they were preparing to find a place to rest.
"Let's stay at the Fire Temple for the night."
Enichihiko was the first to suggest it. As a noble, he naturally didn't want to camp in the wilderness, and the heavily guarded Fire Temple happened to be nearby.
Since the client had spoken, Shinji and the others naturally had no objections.
"Fire Temple..."
Shinji murmured softly, immediately recalling the names of the Twelve Guardian Ninja in his mind.
He instinctively glanced at Asuma beside him.
"Could this mission be the catalyst for Asuma to become one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja in the future?"
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