Secretly kissing a loved one’s photo—even the two-dimensional world isn’t this hardcore.
“Take care of yourself?”
Rin Nohara was taken aback, not understanding what Qingyuan meant.
Obito’s eyes went wide as he said:
“How can you slander me out of thin air?”
“Oh? Weren’t you secretly kissing Rin’s photo?”
Qingyuan wore a half-smile.
Honestly, Obito should have apprenticed under Jiraiya—one liked peeping into bathhouses, while the other liked secretly masturbating to photos.
Obito’s face flushed red, veins bulging across it, as he argued:
“There was dust on the photo. I leaned down to blow it off. Maintaining the bond between comrades—how can you call that stealing a kiss?”
Then Obito started going on about the Will of Fire, bonds, and other such things.
For a moment, the air was filled with a merry atmosphere.
Rin Nohara simply assumed Qingyuan and Obito were joking around and didn’t think much of it.
“Obito, if we don’t leave now, we’ll delay the mission. Kakashi and Minato-sensei are waiting.”
Rin Nohara said this, her lips parting slightly.
Seeing no sign that Rin was angry, Obito finally relaxed.
His brilliant, heroic image absolutely could not be tarnished in Rin’s heart.
“I know.”
Obito turned and put on his field pack and ninja tool pouch, then finally put on his yellow goggles.
He had been ready long ago.
It was just that Rin’s beauty had left him momentarily forgetting everything else, which was what had delayed him.
“Let’s go.”
Seeing Obito ready in just a few moments, Rin Nohara planned to wait by the window for him to come out.
Obito put the photo back in its place.
Just as he was about to take one more kunai, Rin Nohara noticed Kakashi’s face, which had been covered with tape.
“Why did you cover Kakashi’s face?”
“That way, there won’t be any dust.”
Obito thought quickly.
“I see.”
Rin Nohara found it a little strange, but nodded anyway.
“This is probably the last time Obito masturbates to Rin’s photo.”
Once a boulder crushed half of Obito’s body and split him in two, he would definitely be missing one testicle.
As for whether the sausage would be crushed along with it or end up half on each side—that depended on which way Obito usually leaned.
Qingyuan figured Obito most likely wouldn’t be able to masturbate anymore.
After all, the transplanted White Zetsu limbs didn’t come with that attachment.
“Let’s go.”
Obito said goodbye to his grandmother and came out.
Then he noticed Qingyuan looking at him with a hint of pity in his eyes and was somewhat baffled.
…
At the gates of Konoha.
“You’re too late, Obito. You’re late again.”
Kakashi looked at Obito as he came running up in a hurry.
“So what if I’m a little late?”
Obito muttered.
A few minutes—was that really such a big deal?
“A true ninja follows the rules. Anyone who can’t is trash.”
Kakashi spoke without the slightest mercy.
In his life’s creed, a ninja’s rules were greater than heaven.
His father had failed to follow a ninja’s rules, choosing instead to save his comrades.
That caused the mission to fail and brought about the tragedy that followed.
“All right, Kakashi, don’t say that.”
Minato Namikaze stepped in to smooth things over.
Ever since the Konoha White Fang died, Kakashi had become like this.
Minato Namikaze knew a little about what had happened, but he couldn’t say much either.
He was a ninja; his duty was to obey his superiors.
“During a mission, everything else must wait until the mission is over.”
Minato Namikaze said this.
A team’s unity was crucial.
He didn’t want to see them arguing again.
“Also, this mission is classified. I can only disclose the details once we’re near the border…”
Though he didn’t know why they had to stop at the gate before every mission departure.
Qingyuan could only chalk it up to a ninja’s sense of ritual.
“By the way, did that future me ever find a girlfriend?”
Qingyuan casually asked Renegade Qingyuan in his mind.
After the urn trembled, Renegade Qingyuan’s spirit floated through his mind.
“That? No. Just staying alive was hard enough. What energy did I have for anything else?”
Renegade Qingyuan shook his head.
He had tried looking, but unfortunately, the only partners a rogue ninja could find were other female rogue ninjas.
Not everyone could be like Sakura—knowing Sasuke was an S-rank rogue ninja and still wanting to follow him because she was love-struck.
Hmm, or rather, you’d need at least Sasuke’s level of looks for that to be possible.
His own looks weren’t bad, but he looked too weathered and old.
“I see.”
Looking at Renegade Qingyuan’s tragic future, Qingyuan silently resolved that his own future couldn’t turn out like that.
Soon, after Minato Namikaze finished speaking, he said:
“Move out.”
All the ninjas began moving forward together.
The sun rose and the moon set, and soon several days had passed.
The group traveled through the forest by day and made camp at night for a brief rest.
Since everyone was traveling light, they quickly reached the vicinity of the border.
“We’re finally almost there.”
Kurenai Yuhi leaped from branch to branch, using them to propel herself forward quickly.
This was a popular way for ninjas to travel, allowing them to cover ground faster.
“I wonder if we’ll be able to complete the mission.”
Kurenai Yuhi turned her head and said to Qingyuan.
“We’ll do our best.”
Qingyuan said.
At worst, failing a mission meant some punishment, but if you died, you were really dead.
He was paid a genin’s stipend, practically placing him at the bottom of the ninja world.
Put plainly, with three thousand a month, why risk your life?
You make three thousand a month and still expect yourself to do thirty thousand’s worth of work?
Qingyuan figured it was already good enough that he wasn’t slacking off.
It was just that many ninjas had the so-called Will of Fire hanging over their heads, so they chose to suffer for the sake of their faith.