Rin smiled and said, "Obito, you look really excited…"
"Nonsense!"
Obito tried to deny it, but his body told the truth.
He was indeed thrilled—this was his first time leaving the village.
"Idiot."
"Kakashi! Did you just call me an idiot again?!"
"Alright, alright, enough you two. It's time to carry out the mission."
Obito huffed and walked ahead, grumbling, "Man, this is exhausting. It's been a whole day and we haven't seen a single bird."
Takayama Haru strolled calmly behind them, the corners of his mouth slightly raised.
There were no birds—but there were two people.
Deep in the woods, two masked ninjas watched the four of them closely.
The forehead protectors they wore bore the symbol of the Hidden Mist Village.
"Three kids… So young, already out on missions. Seems like Konoha's running short on manpower. They're even sending Academy kids into the field."
"That's none of our business. We need to report this to Lord Biwa Jūzō immediately."
"Wait a minute. It's just three brats and one unknown guy. They've probably only just entered the battlefield. If we take them down, we'll earn great credit!"
"Don't you agree?"
"What's there to be afraid of? If you're scared of dying, why be a ninja at all? If we capture them, we might even uncover Konoha's strategic movements. That'd be a huge win."
"Excellent…"
The two Hidden Mist ninjas came to a silent agreement.
Meanwhile, the three students from Team 7 were walking along a sunny forest path when they came across a large puddle.
Takayama Haru's eyes flickered with awareness, and he continued walking behind the three from Team 7.
Just as Haru stepped over the puddle, two shadowy figures emerged from the water—it was the Hidden Mist ninjas who had been lying in wait.
In an instant, they lunged forward and "ripped apart" Haru's body.
The three Team 7 members were frozen in shock.
Then, the two Mist ninja appeared behind Obito.
"You're the next target!"
They couldn't believe it—eliminating the only adult ninja had been so easy. And he was ridiculously weak too!
Obito's eyes widened in terror. His body was frozen. He couldn't move at all. He could feel the end coming as the Mist ninjas prepared to tear him to pieces.
But suddenly, Kakashi appeared between them and Obito, kicking both attackers aside and dragging Obito out of harm's way.
Obito collapsed to his knees, trembling with fear.
Killed… He could've died…
"Shadow Clone!"
Kakashi immediately split into two identical clones.
The two Mist ninja licked their lips and sneered, "Ooh, such young Shadow Clones? As expected of Konoha's little genius. I love killing genius ninja the most."
Rin was terrified, but she still threw a kunai at them.
Clang!
The kunai was easily swatted away.
"Well, well, such a cute little girl—I like her, hahaha!"
Kakashi multiplied into three clones and charged at the two attackers.
"You're asking for it!"
Suddenly, thick vines shot up from the ground and wrapped tightly around the Mist ninjas' legs.
"What the—?! What is this?!"
BANG!
BANG!
Kakashi's two clones were instantly shredded.
Kakashi himself stared wide-eyed—the Mist ninja's kunai was now inches from his throat.
His own kunai was close to the enemy's heart—but not close enough.
"Damn… I failed…"
But just as the Mist ninja was about to strike, vines suddenly coiled around his arm, pulling it back.
A blur of mist brushed past Kakashi's face.
At the same time, Kakashi's kunai plunged straight into the enemy's heart.
"AH!"
The Mist ninja's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Kakashi, then slumped to the ground.
Kakashi's heart pounded as he staggered backward.
Did he… just kill someone?
From behind him, a slow clap echoed through the woods.
"Well done, Kakashi. That was your first kill."
"This is a ninja's coming-of-age ceremony."
Everyone turned toward the voice and saw Takayama Haru standing there with a big grin.
"What?! He's alive?!"
The remaining Mist ninja looked like his eyes were about to pop out.
Team 7's members stared at Haru in shock.
Kakashi: "..."
Rin gasped. "Ah! Haru-sensei isn't dead!"
Obito screamed, "Aaaaaah! It was a substitution jutsu?!"
Haru chuckled. "Surprised? And what about that last Mist ninja—shouldn't we deal with him?"
Hearing this, Kakashi immediately turned toward the remaining enemy.
The Mist ninja shouted defiantly and hurled a flurry of shuriken their way.
Whish! Whish! Whish!
All the shuriken were suddenly blocked by massive tree roots that erupted from the ground.
Kakashi's pupils contracted. "Is this… the legendary Wood Release?"
"Whoa… Sensei is so cool…" Rin's eyes sparkled.
Obito: "..."
"Kakashi just got his first real battle experience," Haru said calmly. "Now it's your turn, Obito. You're the other guy in the team, right? I'm giving you a mission—take him out."
Obito's eyes almost popped out. "What?!"
"What's the problem? If you can't kill, are you even a ninja?"
"He's all tied up. If you can't finish him off now, just go home."