The next morning.
Kuroya stepped out with panda eyes and a lump on his forehead.
Since he had to cook his own breakfast, he left home just a little late—well, maybe a lot late.
At the training ground—
"Yaaawn!"
Obito stretched and looked around.
"Where's Kuroya? Why isn't he here yet?"
He had been the first to arrive early in the morning.
Then Rin came, followed by Kakashi.
Now the three of them had been waiting for over an hour. Not only was Kuroya still absent, even their teacher, Minato, hadn't shown up.
This was ridiculous.
"Hi! Sorry I'm late."
A figure suddenly appeared out of nowhere—it was Namikaze Minato.
He glanced over the group, then paused.
Huh?
Someone was later than even the teacher?
"Where's Kuroya?" Minato asked.
"No idea. Maybe he tripped on the way here." Obito muttered.
"Or maybe he hasn't woken up yet," Rin said softly.
"Heh." Kakashi snorted, clearly displeased.
Just then—
A figure came running toward the training ground.
Who else but Kuroya?
"Sorry, I tripped on the way and was delayed."
He pointed at the lump on his head, making his excuse sound perfectly reasonable.
"Huh? You actually tripped?" Obito was dumbfounded.
He had just said that casually, but now Kuroya really did have a bump.
"Are you okay?" Rin asked with concern.
"I'm fine, just a fall." Kuroya waved it off.
"But your clothes… they look kind of bulky."
"Really? Must've swollen from the fall."
Kuroya brushed off the injury like it was nothing.
That actually surprised Minato a bit.
Kakashi gave the bump on Kuroya's head a glance, then turned away again.
"Alright, since everyone's here, it's time for teamwork training."
Minato cleared his throat and announced the day's task.
"Your mission is to snatch this bell from me."
As he spoke, he produced a bell and jingled it before attaching it to his waist.
"You can use any method you like."
"As long as you get the bell, you pass."
"If you fail, there will be punishment."
The first to react was Kakashi.
Without so much as a glance at the others, he charged straight at Minato.
"So impatient?"
Smiling, Minato sidestepped Kakashi's sneak attack with ease.
And thus, the two began a tense exchange.
"Bell tests are about teamwork, idiot Kakashi," Obito muttered, watching while badmouthing his rival.
"This is your chance." Kuroya spoke calmly, words full of implication.
"Huh? Chance? What chance?" Obito quickly leaned in.
Even Rin perked up her ears, curious about Kuroya's idea.
"Think about it. The longer Kakashi keeps the teacher busy, the more exhausted they'll both get. When the time comes, if you rush in, your odds of grabbing the bell go way up."
"You're right!" Obito's eyes lit up.
"But isn't that just a revolving-door strategy? That doesn't sound fair… Didn't sensei say this is supposed to test teamwork?" Rin frowned.
The test was clearly meant for all four of them to work together and win as a team.
"Rin, did Kakashi consult us first?" Obito deflected the blame onto Kakashi.
Then he added, "Since he refuses to cooperate, the three of us can only work together."
Saying this, he patted Kuroya on the shoulder.
"Kuroya, back me up later."
"How do you want me to back you up?" Kuroya smiled faintly.
"You fall down again." Obito suggested proudly.
Kuroya: ???
"Just pretend to fall. I'll call the teacher over. When his guard is down—heh, I'll swipe the bell!"
Obito chuckled smugly, already picturing Rin's admiring gaze.
Unfortunately—
"I don't agree with that plan," Rin objected.
"Neither do I." Kuroya chimed in.
"Huh?" Obito looked dumbstruck.
He could understand Rin—she was soft-hearted.
But why was Kuroya against it too? Weren't they supposed to be best bros?
Honestly, Kuroya was a little tired.
He pulled Obito aside.
"Obito, I'm handing you the perfect chance to shine, and you don't even realize it?"
"You need to go for the bell alone. Only then will Rin admire you."
"Didn't you notice Kakashi is already ahead of you?"
Kuroya's words hit Obito like a revelation.
"Brother!"
With a grateful look, Obito understood.
Kuroya was giving him the opportunity—whether he could seize it or not depended on timing.
And so—
The training ground became tense.
On one side, Kakashi fought fiercely for the bell.
On the other, Obito lurked like a tiger, ready to pounce.
As time passed, their struggle moved toward the edge of the training ground—and even beyond.
Obito followed closely, eyes glued to the fight.
That left only Kuroya and Rin behind.
"Shouldn't we go too?" Rin asked anxiously.
"What for? To get in the way?" Kuroya chuckled.
Then he picked a nice rock, crouched down, and pulled a lunchbox from his clothes.
Then another.
And another.
And a fourth.
Opening them one by one, the aroma spread, making mouths water.
When Rin saw this, her eyes went wide.
No wonder his clothes looked bulky—he'd been hiding lunchboxes!
Grrr~~
Her stomach growled on cue.
Not her fault—she had come so early she hadn't eaten breakfast.
But still… with their teammates fighting for the bell, was it really okay for Kuroya to be eating here?
"What are you standing there for? Come eat!"
Kuroya tossed her a pair of chopsticks, urging her over.
"Eh? Then… I'll just have a teeny bit." Rin touched her stomach and hurried over.