Obito felt dizzy.
But one thing was very clear in his mind — he had been kidnapped.
When he finally woke up, he realized he was lying inside a dark mountain cave.
"Kid, you're awake."
A hoarse, aged voice echoed slowly, strangely calm.
Obito rolled over and stood up, carefully examining the old man before him.
A dull grey robe.
White hair.
A face as withered as dead bark.
And most striking of all — a pair of blood-red Sharingan.
"You're Uchiha Madara!"
Obito pointed at him, blurting it out without hesitation.
As a member of Team 9, Obito had heard many secrets from Drake's mouth.
"Oh? You know me?"
Madara's expression showed a hint of surprise.
But only surprise.
"Will you let me go?" Obito asked, far calmer than expected.
After several missions, he had matured — less impulsive, more composed.
"I can make you stronger," Madara said slowly, throwing out his bait.
"In Konoha, your strength will never grow fast enough. Only here, under my guidance, is the best place for your training."
Hearing this, Obito unconsciously copied Drake's habit and stroked his chin.
"Then what do I have to do?"
"You don't need to do anything. Just train."
"Eh?"
Obito scratched his head.
Was there really such a good deal in the ninja world?
He suddenly remembered Drake's words:
Obito~~~ There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world!
"So yeah… Madara must have an ulterior motive."
"But I can't beat him… what should I do?"
After thinking for a long time and finding no solution, Obito could only give a temporary answer.
"Fine… I'll stay."
"Good. You made the right choice," Madara nodded with satisfaction.
As long as he stabilized this boy first, the plan to awaken his Sharingan could begin.
"Wait!"
Obito suddenly raised his hand.
"I like planting trees. Can I grow some here?"
"Plant trees?"
Madara looked genuinely puzzled.
Then he recalled the scene of this boy watering trees on Konoha's back mountain.
So maybe he wasn't lying.
"You have a kind heart. Not bad."
"Since you like trees, you may plant them on the open ground outside the cave."
Then his tone turned cold.
"But don't even think about escaping. You can't."
A moment later.
Obito carried several saplings and ran outside the cave.
As soon as he stepped out, he froze.
Steep cliff walls surrounded him on all sides — towering hundreds of meters high.
"T-This really is impossible to escape…"
His mood sank as he looked down at the saplings in his hands.
But these trees… were hope.
He carefully planted them, then sat beside them in silence.
"Little trees, grow quickly, okay?"
"Drake… Drake… you can talk to trees, right? You must find me…"
Konoha Village
Drake was currently carrying out an extremely important secret mission —
close protection of Rin.
Under the collective gaze of Team 9, he firmly grabbed Rin's hand.
Rin: (⁄⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄⁄)
"Is this really necessary?" Red Bean pouted angrily.
"Yeah, isn't it enough just to stay near her?" Yugao added.
"Heh." Kakashi gave a cold laugh, clearly seeing through Drake's "true intentions."
Facing their accusations and misunderstandings, Drake sighed helplessly.
"By holding Rin's hand, I can ensure she won't get snatched away by Earth Release techniques."
Then he gestured calmly.
"So, where are we going next?"
Rin smiled softly. "Anywhere you go, I'll follow."
That single sentence filled her with a deep sense of security.
Minato couldn't bear to watch and vanished in a flash.
Kakashi jumped away soon after.
Now only one boy and three girls remained.
Drake and Rin walked hand in hand ahead, while Red Bean and Yugao followed behind, whispering.
"As a girl, she doesn't even know how to refuse."
"Look at her expression — she clearly wants Drake to hold her hand."
Their voices were just loud enough for Rin to hear.
But the more they grumbled, the happier Rin felt.
Barbecue Restaurant
Drake and Rin sat closely together.
Across from them, Red Bean clenched her teeth while Yugao felt like her chest was about to explode.
In the end, the two girls couldn't take it anymore and stormed out.
After finishing their meal, Rin suddenly frowned.
"Um… Drake?"
"Hmm?"
"I need to go to the bathroom…"
"Oh, go ahead," Drake said casually.
It's just the restroom — was she expecting him to accompany her?
Half an hour later, they arrived at Rin's house and began reviewing for the ANBU exam.
This wasn't Drake's request — Rin insisted.
"Even though Obito's gone, Team 9 still has to pass the ANBU test," she said seriously.
On the surface, Drake looked like he was studying.
In reality, he was checking his attribute panel.
Strength: 3664 (*) [Sage Level]
"Strength doubled today, huh…"
He clenched his fist slightly. Terrifying power surged within.
"Wait… where's my pen?"
He looked down.
It had been crushed into microscopic dust.
Time passed quickly.
Rin wiped the sweat from her forehead and let out a long breath.
She had finished an entire page.
Then she looked at Drake's progress.
She froze.
"Drake… why haven't you answered even a single question?!"
"Oh, my pen broke."
She blinked. "..."
"Here, use mine. I'm going to take a shower first."
With that, Rin grabbed a towel and headed to the bathroom.
Bathroom
Splash…
Cool water poured over her body, washing away the fatigue.
Feeling refreshed, she turned around to grab her towel.
And then —
Her eyes widened in shock.
There stood Drake, hands in his pockets, calmly staring at her from the doorway.
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