Naruto: The Second Chance of Obito Uchiha
Chapter 4: The First C-Rank Mission
Several days had passed since Team Minato's first mission outside the village had been announced.
Early that morning, the three genin gathered inside the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, smoke drifting lazily from his pipe as he looked over the young team.
"So," Hiruzen said with a warm smile, "you're ready for your first C-rank mission."
Rin straightened excitedly.
"Yes, Lord Third!"
Kakashi remained calm as always.
"We're prepared."
Obito smiled confidently.
"We won't let you down."
Hiruzen nodded before handing a scroll to Minato.
"A merchant caravan is traveling to a nearby town. Your mission is to escort them safely. Intelligence suggests there may be bandits along the route."
Minato accepted the scroll.
"We'll handle it."
As the team left the office, Obito's thoughts wandered.
A C-rank escort…
Simple on paper.
But simple missions often became dangerous when shinobi grew careless.
He had learned that lesson the hard way.
The caravan departed Konoha shortly after sunrise.
Several wagons rolled along the forest road while merchants chatted among themselves.
Rin walked beside the lead wagon, speaking cheerfully with one of the elderly merchants.
Kakashi silently watched the surrounding trees.
Obito remained at the rear of the convoy.
His eyes constantly scanned the forest.
Minato noticed.
"Something bothering you?"
Obito smiled sheepishly.
"I'm just being careful."
Minato studied him for a moment.
"That's a good habit."
Obito chuckled.
"Guess I'm finally growing up."
Minato smiled, though he wasn't entirely convinced.
Obito's caution felt less like that of an inexperienced genin…
And more like someone who had survived countless battles.
Hours passed peacefully.
Too peacefully.
Obito's instincts suddenly screamed.
He raised one hand.
"Stop."
Everyone froze.
Kakashi immediately looked toward him.
"What is it?"
Obito slowly crouched beside the road.
Broken branches.
Fresh footprints.
Rope fibers.
Someone had prepared an ambush.
Before anyone could speak—
A volley of kunai burst from the trees.
"Down!"
The merchants dropped to the ground.
Minato vanished in a yellow blur.
Steel clashed against steel.
Every kunai was deflected before reaching the caravan.
Four masked bandits rushed from the forest.
"So the rumors were true," one laughed.
"A bunch of kids guarding the merchants."
Obito almost sighed.
Not shinobi.
Just ordinary bandits.
Still dangerous.
Especially for civilians.
"Rin!" Minato called.
"Protect the merchants!"
"Right!"
"Kakashi! Obito!"
"We've got the attackers," Kakashi answered.
The two boys charged together.
One bandit swung a large axe.
Obito sidestepped effortlessly.
Too slow.
His fist struck the man's stomach, knocking the air from his lungs before a swift kick sent him crashing into a tree.
Another attacked Kakashi.
Their weapons clashed several times before Kakashi disarmed him with precise swordsmanship.
The remaining two rushed Minato.
The Yellow Flash disappeared.
Before either man understood what happened…
Both collapsed unconscious.
Silence returned to the road.
The entire fight had lasted less than a minute.
The merchants stared in amazement.
"That was incredible!"
Rin smiled modestly.
"Our sensei did most of the work."
One elderly merchant laughed nervously.
"I barely even saw him move."
Obito smiled.
Neither did they know…
Minato had been holding back tremendously.
As the caravan resumed its journey, Kakashi walked beside Obito.
"You reacted before anyone else."
Obito shrugged.
"I got lucky."
"You've been saying that a lot."
Obito laughed.
"Maybe I'm just a lucky guy."
Kakashi wasn't convinced.
He remembered their sparring match.
The bell test.
Today's ambush.
Obito always reacted before danger appeared.
It didn't make sense.
That evening, Team Minato camped beside a river.
Rin prepared dinner while Kakashi gathered firewood.
Minato quietly approached Obito, who sat watching the flowing water.
"You've changed."
Obito looked up.
"I have?"
Minato nodded.
"You notice things most genin overlook."
Obito smiled awkwardly.
"I've just been paying attention."
Minato sat beside him.
"A shinobi's greatest weapon isn't strength."
"It's awareness."
Obito stared at the river.
If only I'd understood that sooner…
"I'll remember that."
Minato smiled.
"I know you will."
Late that night…
Long after everyone else had fallen asleep…
Obito quietly slipped away from the campsite.
Deep within the forest, he activated his Sharingan.
Three tomoe rotated silently.
He began moving through a series of taijutsu forms.
Every movement was smooth.
Efficient.
Precise.
The style he used wasn't that of a young genin.
It was forged through battles against Akatsuki.
Against jinchūriki.
Against Madara.
Against Kaguya herself.
His younger body couldn't fully replicate those techniques.
But every day…
It became stronger.
Several hundred meters away…
A White Zetsu emerged silently from the ground.
It watched without making a sound.
Three tomoe.
Veteran movements.
Impossible instincts.
The creature disappeared beneath the earth.
It had seen enough.
Deep beneath the mountains, Madara Uchiha listened to White Zetsu's report.
"The boy has awakened a three-tomoe Sharingan."
Madara's lone eye narrowed.
"So…"
"He awakened it far earlier than expected."
White Zetsu nodded.
"And he hides it from everyone."
Madara slowly smiled.
"Interesting."
He closed his eyes.
"Whether fate has changed… or someone has altered it…"
"It makes no difference."
"When the time comes…"
Madara's smile widened.
"Obito Uchiha will still be mine."
Back at the campsite, Obito looked toward the stars.
He had no idea someone had been watching him.
But he knew one thing.
The timeline had already begun to shift.
Madara would make his move sooner than before.
Which meant Obito had to become stronger…
Much faster.
Because the day would come when he would have to face the ghost of the man who had once manipulated him.
And this time…
He intended to win.