"Meow, meow!
"Meow~ meow~"
"Woof woof… Woof woof…"
"Meow~…"
Beside the campfire, heavy with the scent of grilled fish, several wild cats and dogs of various sizes and breeds were fighting for the delicious scraps.
The once-peaceful forest had turned into chaos, with cats and dogs scrapping wildly over food, and dust flying in all directions.
"Damn it, I actually forgot that this method would attract other cats and dogs too! It's over… all my efforts were in vain." Perched on a leafy branch, Ishikawa watched the commotion below, his mouth twitching and his brows furrowed.
Right now, he felt like a smug fool. All that talk about outsmarting the situation… hadn't he just exposed his own foolishness?
'So, what will you do now?' Not far away, Kakashi watched from the shadows, eyes gleaming with amusement. It was obvious he had anticipated this outcome.
That was also why he hadn't stepped in to stop Ishikawa from setting the bait in the first place.
"In that case, I'll just have to do it the hard way." With a sigh, Ishikawa thought for a moment, then shook his head helplessly.
Without the Byakugan, his only option now was to rely on the client's information and clues to begin tracking—one of the basic but time-consuming skills of a Genin.
This… is the helplessness of an ordinary person.
"Well, this is the only option left. I can't just tie up my two younger brothers for the sake of winning, or follow them around and wait to take advantage of the situation. Absolutely not. That's not the style of our Team 7." With another sigh, Ishikawa glanced at the fish that had been devoured, then disappeared from the branch in a flash.
There was no point in staying any longer.
"For the sake of your companions, you're willing to give up a more convenient and reliable method? Perhaps… in a real ninja contest, you'll show an even more impressive performance." With a swoosh, Kakashi appeared on the branch Ishikawa had just left and smiled with quiet satisfaction.
Mitarai Ishikawa is indeed a subordinate worth training. Be it talent, ninja qualities, or the Will of Fire—he has it all.
---
Meanwhile, on the other side, in Konoha, Year 45:
"Practice Shadow Clone? Why do you suddenly want to learn that jutsu?" Minato Namikaze looked at Nohara Rin in surprise.
"You know Shadow Clone is a physical clone technique that divides chakra equally. With your current reserves, it won't be very effective for you."
"I know that—but I still want to learn it! Please, Minato-sensei!" Rin bit her lip and insisted, leaving Kakashi and Obito both looking stunned.
Rin… since when did you become so stubborn?
"Haha… well, if you're that determined, then I agree." A barely noticeable glint flashed across Minato's eyes as he nodded with a smile.
"Thank you, Minato-sensei!" Rin beamed happily and patted her chest with a proud smile.
As long as she had a Shadow Clone, no matter what happened, it wouldn't affect her ability to use the door handle to grow stronger. She could definitely change their doomed fate.
"It's what I should do as your teacher." Minato smiled warmly, then turned to Kakashi. "Kakashi, Rin is working so hard now. Have you completed the technique I taught you?"
"Uh… well..." Kakashi's face turned red—a rare sight. Then he sighed and replied with a bitter smile,
"I'm sorry, Minato-sensei. After all, that was an A-rank jutsu that took you three years to complete. I haven't managed to master it yet. As for incorporating lightning chakra nature into it… that's even further away."
"I see. Well, there's no need to rush. Just take your time." Minato wasn't disappointed at all. He patted Kakashi's shoulder and smiled reassuringly.
If it were that easy, he'd have completed the technique himself long ago. The reason he taught it to Kakashi was to see whether the genius could come up with some new insights.
"An A-rank jutsu!? Minato-sensei, you're too biased! You actually taught Kakashi an A-rank ninjutsu in secret? I want to learn it too!" Obito, who had been listening more closely, suddenly felt wronged and pulled up his goggles in protest.
"Genius Kakashi? Can you still be called a genius if you can't even learn one A-rank ninjutsu…"
"Idiot, what are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about you! A so-called genius who can't even learn a jutsu!"
"Damn it, you looking for a beating for being dead last?"
"Bring it on! You think I'm scared of you? Damn Kakashi..."
In the blink of an eye, Kakashi and Obito were bickering again. Just as the two were about to throw hands over a petty argument, Nohara Rin stepped between them, her face flushed with anger.
"Can you two grow up already?! How are we supposed to work as a team on missions if you keep acting like this?"
How are we supposed to change our fate like this?!
In an instant, the two froze in place, completely stunned by Rin's shouting.
'Mature.' To hot-blooded young boys, nothing hits harder than that word.
"Hmph, anyway... I'm not going to lose to Kakashi." After a brief pause, Obito looked away and pouted, refusing to meet Rin's eyes.
How could I lose to Kakashi in front of Rin? No way—not a chance!
"Ahem..." Seeing this, Namikaze Minato coughed awkwardly and raised his right hand. "It's not that I don't want to teach you all, but this technique requires both talent and chakra."
Under Rin and Obito's stunned gazes, Minato gathered visible blue chakra in his palm, swirling with energy.
"Because this is a semi-finished, incomplete ninjutsu… the Rasengan. It has an A-rank difficulty level, and even I haven't perfected it yet."
Almost as soon as he mentioned the Rasengan, the chakra swirling in Minato's hand compressed into a brilliant, glowing blue sphere.
"Wow! He can control chakra to that level…" Rin's eyes widened in awe, and she muttered in amazement.
As a medical ninja, she clearly understood how difficult it was to manipulate chakra precisely. It could even be said that this Jutsu was harder to master than the Mystical Palm Jutsu.
At the same time, Obito stared intensely at the Rasengan, eyes burning with desire. He swallowed hard, then looked up eagerly.
"Minato-sensei! I want to try it too! Just because Kakashi can't do it doesn't mean I, Uchiha Obito, can't! Maybe I have the potential to surpass that so-called genius!"
"Idiot. Not a chance." As expected, Kakashi scoffed immediately. Does a loser think he can surpass a genius? What a joke—even a Uchiha can't pull that off.
"Kakashi, you..." Obito clenched his fists, ready to argue, but the moment Rin's scolding flashed in his mind, he quickly shut up.
Pretending to act mature, he just snorted and looked away in disdain—then turned to Minato with a pitiful gaze.
"Alright, alright. I get it." Minato chuckled, ruffling Obito's hair as he nodded helplessly. Then his gaze turned to Rin.
"For fairness' sake, Rin will train with you two as well. Whether you're able to master the Rasengan or not… will depend entirely on your own effort."
"Yes, Minato-sensei!"