The originally action-ready Kakashi was stunned. After some thought, he finally followed behind Mokgetsu.
If not for luck, he was a bit curious about how Obito managed it.
Then Mokgetsu led Kakashi in tailing Obito.
With Byakugan and memories of Root training, Mokgetsu's hiding was spot on. Obito didn't notice being tracked at all and was intently looking for the mission target.
"Light yellow fur, twenty centimeters tall..." Obito muttered the target information while glancing around.
Obito even opened garbage can lids to see if the dog was inside.
Seeing Obito's actions, Kakashi felt speechless. What kind of dog would hide in a garbage can?
"Isn't this little Obito? Are you looking for something?"
Suddenly, an elderly man stopped Obito with a smile and asked.
"I'm looking for a small light yellow dog, about this big." Obito gestured with his hands as he spoke.
"A light yellow dog, huh? Haven't seen one. They're not seen much on the streets lately, but I remember Ueki likes to roam around. I can take you to ask him." The old man said.
"Thank you so much, grandpa." Obito expressed his gratitude with a beaming face.
The old man then led Obito to find the person named Ueki.
"A light yellow dog? I think I've seen one on the east side of the main district, but I forgot exactly where." The old man named Ueki thought and said.
"You're really having trouble with your memory now, aren't you? That's not much better than saying nothing at all." The old man complained, as the eastern part of the main district is pretty big.
"Hehe, grandpa, it's okay. At least it's narrowed down from the whole of Konoha to just the east. That's already a big reduction." With that, Obito thanked the old man once more.
Obito then headed to the eastern part of the main Konoha district. Because his search looked so obvious, another senior stopped him. This way, Obito got guided to the dog's location by several elders and then directly used the Breathing Technique burst to catch it.
"So, do you still think this was luck?" Mokgetsu turned to Kakashi and asked.
"No, this is a victory of intelligence." Facing Mokgetsu, Kakashi admitted.
Gathering intelligence from passersby was something he had done, too, but the passersby weren't as kind-hearted as the grannies and grandpas Obito met. Most just brushed him off casually, and some even ignored him outright.
The elders Obito met were eager to lead Obito to the mission target. If they didn't know, they'd even use their connections to help Obito ask around, almost too helpful.
"But under the same conditions, I could do better." Kakashi said.
Obito could have finished the task in a shorter time, but due to some mysterious actions here and there, it dragged on to nearly an hour.
Kakashi even saw Obito help a granny down the steps while on the mission.
If Kakashi had the same intelligence advantage as Obito, he could have compressed the task time to within forty minutes.
"Obito's ability to change your conditions is his strength," Mokgetsu shook his head and said.
To insist on equal conditions is a fallacy. Kakashi couldn't have such high popularity, so claiming equal conditions is unrealistic.
"Also, why think about competing under the same conditions instead of using your strengths to cover your companion's weaknesses?
Obito is rather slow in tasks but has intelligence advantages. You could act alongside Obito. Your agility plus Obito's intelligence means task efficiency would improve." Mokgetsu continued.
Kakashi said nothing, but with his mission experience, Mokgetsu indeed wasn't wrong.
Then Mokgetsu led the three back to the Hokage Building to report the task.
"So quick! You've already completed the third mission." The registrar exclaimed in surprise.
[Disciple Might Guy, Uchiha Obito worked hard to complete the assigned task, earning Chakra +20, with additional Chakra +10 led by the teacher personally.]
"Another fifteen points each this time. It seems rewards of the same level also vary based on difficulty," Mokgetsu thought to himself.
"So, Kakashi, have you admitted defeat now? Haha, I, Uchiha Obito, am the king of Konoha tasks!" Obito arrogantly laughed with hands on his hips.
"Getting so cocky about a few D-Class Missions, someone would think you did an S-level mission." For some reason, seeing Obito so smug irked Kakashi a bit.
"You've never done it, so how do you know I won't manage an S-level task?" Obito confidently replied.
"Today's Obito is impressive!" Might Guy gave a thumbs-up in praise.
Finding them first once could be luck, but for Obito to find them first three times in a row, that's not something luck can explain; it's pure strength.
"Since today is the first day of missions, I'll treat everyone to barbeque." Mokgetsu said.
After completing three tasks consecutively and along with various trivial matters, it was now time for lunch, so Mokgetsu decided not to take on more tasks but to treat his students to a meal instead.
"Alright!" Obito cheered.
"Yo, Kakashi, wanna see who can eat more meat later?" Might Guy challenged, as Obito had won the last three missions today, and Might Guy wanted to win for once too.
Kakashi was a bit speechless; ever since joining Mokgetsu Squad, he was either facing challenges or on the way to being challenged—even a meal couldn't be peaceful.
However, when it came to actually eating the barbecue, Kakashi managed to enjoy a moment of peace because everyone was busy devouring the meat Mokgetsu was grilling.
Initially, Kakashi felt a bit out of place, a little embarrassed, because normally everyone would grill their own meat at these gatherings.
After Mokgetsu forcefully placed a piece of grilled meat into his bowl, Kakashi silently accepted Mokgetsu's goodwill.
Kakashi was deeply puzzled because, clearly, it was the same grill and the same seasonings—Mokgetsu hadn't used any secret sauces—yet his grilling was far more delicious than theirs, as if it were an entirely different dish.
Due to special circumstances, Kakashi had to cook for himself from a young age and considered himself fairly competent in cooking; but when faced with Mokgetsu, he truly couldn't comprehend it.
"Could it be the mastery of heat control, making each part cook to perfection?" Kakashi speculated inwardly.
If it weren't for the fact he knew there was no ninjutsu to enhance food flavor, he'd suspect Mokgetsu of using such ninjutsu.
After they were full, the four didn't immediately get up to leave but instead started chatting.
"Teacher Mokgetsu, you're simply my Six Paths Sage!" Obito used a metaphor to express his gratitude and admiration for Mokgetsu.
"More like the BBQ Immortal." Mokgetsu chuckled, lightly rapping Obito on the head.
"Hehe, speaking of which, does anyone have a ninja they particularly admire?" Obito scratched his head, smiling as he initiated the topic.
"If we're talking about admiration, it would definitely be my father and Teacher Mokgetsu." Might Guy declared with great vigor.
Kakashi didn't participate in this topic; currently, he didn't have any ninja he admired or aspired to be like.
"If it's about admiration, I do have a ninja I deeply look up to." Mokgetsu said with a smile.
"Wow, I'm really curious about the ninja Teacher Mokgetsu admires," Obito said with bright eyes.
For them, Mokgetsu was both a kind and mysterious figure.
Though he started as just a Chunin Teacher, he mastered an array of ninjutsu and kinjutsu, his abilities unfathomable, and told them not to reveal their teacher-student relationship outside—even Obito, despite his carefree nature, could tell Mokgetsu wasn't simple.
The curiosity was understandable about who such a mysterious and powerful Teacher Mokgetsu would admire.
Might Guy also appeared to be listening attentively; he was as curious as Obito.
Kakashi wasn't very interested; he figured it was just one of the Sannin or the Hokages.
"There's a formidable ninja known as the White Fang of Konoha, who established great feats for Konoha and struck fear on the battlefield, an exceptionally outstanding Konoha ninja." Mokgetsu's eyes sparkled as he spoke, his expression full of longing.
"Are you talking about the legendary White Fang of Konoha? I've also heard about him; he's an extremely powerful ninja." Obito enthused in discussion.
"I've heard about him too. He's a very strong ninja, although it seems he sacrificed himself later." Might Guy remarked.
White Fang's reputation in Konoha was prominent, even among these students still in school who had heard of his fame.
Kakashi looked at Mokgetsu with surprise; he didn't expect such an excellent ninja like Mokgetsu to admire his father, who had committed suicide.
Though he hadn't known Mokgetsu for long, Kakashi had to admit that Mokgetsu was outstanding in every way, much stronger than his previous guide teacher.
Hearing Might Guy's words, Kakashi recalled some memories, clenched his fists, stood up, and silently left the barbecue shop.
"Hey, Kakashi, where are you going? Ate too much and need to visit the restroom?" Obito asked, puzzled—how did their good conversation end abruptly?
Kakashi didn't respond to Obito, and he walked away without looking back.
"I've already paid for the meal; feel free to sit here for a while or go for a walk. Let's meet at Training Ground 22 at 1:30 PM. I'll go check on Kakashi." Mokgetsu said, standing up.
"That Kakashi is really strange; even the girls in our class aren't as emotionally unpredictable as he is," Obito couldn't help but complain.
Might Guy was also a bit at a loss, unclear about what had happened.
Leaving the barbecue shop, Kakashi walked aimlessly until he reached the riverbank, sitting and staring into the water, lost in thought.
"Great battle feats and exceptional… if that's true, then why was he criticized to the point of suicide…" Kakashi murmured.
"Ninjas must adhere to rules and prioritize missions; only then can they be considered qualified ninjas."
"Is that really what you think?" Kakashi suddenly heard Mokgetsu's voice from behind.
PS:
Only six thousand words today. Couldn't fall asleep till after three last night, woke up after eight, and couldn't nap at noon—so tired, can't write anymore.