Seeing the confidence on Uchiha Yuzuru's face, Hatake Kakashi and the others finally came to their senses.
Right—!
The man standing before them wasn't just anyone. He was Uchiha Yuzuru, the one who had crushed the entire Allied Shinobi Force with a single strike and shaken the entire ninja world!
With him leading the mission, even an S-rank task would be nothing to worry about.
Realizing this, Obito, Kakashi, and Shisui all nodded firmly. "Big Brother Yuzuru, let's take this mission!"
"Alright, let's go," Yuzuru said with a small laugh, leading the three youths to the mission counter.
Before long, they had officially taken the "Support Rōran" mission.
Once outside the mission hall, Yuzuru glanced up at the sky and said, "Go prepare your things. We leave tomorrow morning."
"Yes, sir!"
——
——
The next day.
By the time Yuzuru appeared, Obito and the others had already been waiting for nearly three hours.
They'd been so excited the day before that they forgot to ask for the exact meeting time. As a result, they'd rushed over before dawn—only to end up waiting all morning.
"Big Brother Yuzuru, why are you so late?" Obito complained. He hadn't even eaten breakfast, terrified of being late for once.
Yuzuru gave him a mildly surprised look. "I thought you'd be the one running late, so I didn't hurry."
Hearing that, both Kakashi and Shisui fell silent.
Given what they knew of Obito, Yuzuru's logic was… perfectly sound.
"Alright, it's getting late. Let's get moving," Yuzuru said, turning toward the road.
The three immediately followed.
——
——
"Let's rest here for a bit."
As the sun dipped toward the horizon, Yuzuru decided to stop for the day.
Obito quickly began scouting the surroundings, Kakashi gathered firewood, and Shisui took the chance to set a few traps.
Even though ninja could travel quickly, the distance between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Wind was simply enormous.
It took them half a month just to reach the border.
"What a pain. That was one long trip," Obito grumbled, sitting beside Yuzuru after a quick perimeter check.
Traveling had become much harder once they left the Land of Lightning—no proper roads, rough terrain, and barely any infrastructure. The difference was night and day.
Shisui nodded in agreement. "Big Brother Yuzuru, people out here live so poorly. Shouldn't we help them rebuild?"
Yuzuru raised an eyebrow. "Even if we wanted to, they might not want our help."
"That's easy," Shisui said with a cheerful grin. "If we conquer them first, we can help them after!"
Yuzuru's mouth twitched.
'If you won't accept my kindness, I'll beat you until you do.'
...How very Uchiha of him.
Just then, Kakashi stacked up the wood he'd collected. "Yuzuru-senpai, should I start the fire?"
"Go ahead."
With Yuzuru's approval, Kakashi lit the fire.
Yuzuru then pulled out several thick lamb legs from his Kamui space and said, "One for each of you."
Shisui quietly set aside the mission log, looking conflicted. "Clan head Yuzuru, is it really okay to make a fire like this? Wouldn't ration pills be better?"
Stealth was crucial for any mission. Building a campfire at night was practically an open invitation to be found.
Yuzuru nodded slightly. "You're right. Don't do this when you're on your own missions."
"Of course, if you ever have enough power to defeat anyone who comes your way, then you can act like me."
With that, Yuzuru sprinkled spices over the roasting lamb legs.
In an instant, the air filled with a mouthwatering aroma.
It wasn't that they couldn't afford ration pills—it was that roasted lamb offered far better value for morale.
After a while, with Yuzuru, Obito, and Kakashi all devouring their meat with oily grins, Shisui couldn't hold back anymore.
Forget it—he'd eat too.
Delicious!
——
——
With Yuzuru leading them, everything followed one rule: do whatever you please.
To Obito and the others, it almost didn't feel like an A-rank mission—it felt more like a sightseeing trip.
Another week passed before they finally found Rōran, rising out of the desert.
They stood awestruck at the sight before them—towering spires that reached the clouds, gleaming in the sunlight.
"What strange architecture," Obito murmured. "So this is Rōran?"
Even from a distance, they could feel an immense, unsettling energy radiating from within.
"Stay close when we enter. We're gathering intel first," Yuzuru ordered.
"Understood!"
Seeing Yuzuru's serious expression, the three straightened immediately. This was, after all, an A-rank mission. There was no room for carelessness.
Under Yuzuru's lead, they slipped effortlessly into Rōran.
Tower after tower loomed high, linked together by countless metal pipes that stretched like veins through a living body.
The streets were empty, the silence heavy. The entire city looked like a graveyard.
"Why's it so quiet here? This is weird…" Obito muttered.
Kakashi and Shisui drew their short blades, tense and ready for anything.
After walking toward the city's center for some time, Yuzuru suddenly caught the faint sound of a melancholic song.
He frowned and looked toward a nearby abandoned tower—the voice was coming from within.
"Let's check it out."
Obito darted in first, followed closely by Shisui and Kakashi.
Inside, they found a long-haired woman sitting amid the ruins, singing softly.
Noticing their presence, she turned abruptly—and then bolted into a passageway.
"Wait!"
Obito lunged after her, but two puppets suddenly emerged from the corridor, charging straight at him.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
With his hands flashing through seals, Obito unleashed a massive fireball that swallowed the puppets whole, scattering their parts across the floor.
"Hmph! Too easy."
Obito let out a satisfied huff—but his teammates' faces suddenly changed.
"Obito, look out!"
He turned just in time to see the scattered puppet parts pulling themselves back together. The reconstructed puppets lunged, blades whirring.
Startled, Obito stumbled backward and tripped, falling to the ground.
Just as he thought it was over, the puppets abruptly lost power and collapsed at the tunnel's edge.
"Phew… that was close…"
Obito patted his chest, still shaken. He'd nearly died just now.