Obito suddenly sensed something was wrong.
Because he realized… he was being isolated.
They were clearly a team — so why were the other three standing together while he alone had been left behind?
Had he even moved?
After finishing her stance demonstration, Kushina turned her head — and immediately spotted Obito, standing out like a crane among chickens.
"Hm? Do you think you're special or something?"
Her expression turned serious as she walked toward him step by step.
"Kushina-senpai, it's not like that! It's them — they left formation!" Obito hurriedly explained.
And just like that…
He offended all three of them in one go.
"Oh? Is that so?" Kushina shifted her gaze toward the others.
Drake shook his head.
Kakashi shook his head.
Even Rin shook her head.
Thanks to Drake's earlier warning, Rin resolutely chose to stand on the side of "justice."
Kushina calmly pulled out a notebook and deducted one point beside Obito's name.
"It wasn't me! It really wasn't!" Obito panicked.
He was genuinely aggrieved.
Being abandoned by teammates for no reason felt worse than being framed by Kakashi's dad.
"Maintaining team relationships is the first lesson in ninja cooperation," Kushina said seriously.
Then her tone shifted.
"From now on, I will temporarily lead Team Nine! And what awaits you… is hell-level training."
"Each of you starts with an initial score. Once your points hit zero, you will be expelled from the ranks of ninja!"
The atmosphere tightened.
Hearing these rules, Obito's heart skipped a beat.
If he wasn't mistaken, he'd just lost a point.
Kakashi, on the other hand, remained expressionless.
Losing points? Impossible.
Rin was nervous, silently encouraging herself.
Only Drake…
When he heard this rule, joy almost burst out of his heart.
Lose all points and get kicked out of the ninja system?
There are benefits like this???
"Don't fight me for it — zero points is mine!"
With that thought, Drake stepped forward.
"Kushina-senpai, actually Obito didn't leave formation. It was the three of us who stepped away."
"…Eh?"
Obito froze, warmth flooding his heart.
As expected of his good brother — stepping up at the crucial moment.
"I see." Kushina smiled… and added one point under Drake's name.
Drake: "???"
Obito (stunned): "Why did he gain a point?!"
Kakashi (thinking): "Took responsibility… so reward?"
Rin (speechless): "That gives points too?"
Drake was just as lost.
So even masochism earns praise now?
Where's the rulebook for this kind of scoring?!
The "Hell" Mission Begins
Kushina's so-called hell-level mission was finally revealed.
A C-rank escort assignment.
And everyone's points would rise or fall depending on their contribution during this mission.
"For this mission, Kakashi will serve as the temporary captain!"
"All command decisions will follow Kakashi's orders."
But the moment she finished speaking, Obito sprang out again.
"Kushina-senpai! The team leader should be Drake!"
"…Hm?" Kushina frowned.
"Minato-sensei said so! Whoever contributes most during the mission becomes captain!"
That was indeed what Minato had said — the entire squad had heard it.
"Is that so…" Kushina opened her notebook again.
And Obito's score dropped once more.
Drake wisely chose to remain silent.
If he spoke and somehow actually became temporary captain, wouldn't that be him digging his own grave?
Konoha Village Gate
Fully stocked with ninja tools, Team Nine assembled at the entrance.
A bull-drawn carriage waited there, carrying a seventeen-year-old girl.
This was their escort target —
Meinazu, owner of the Happy Hot Springs.
She was the daughter of the largest bathhouse owner in the Land of Hot Water. A year ago, she opened a branch in Konoha, and now she wished to return home — hiring ninja to ensure her safety along the way.
After understanding the mission, the team set off.
"I thought Kushina-senpai would come with us. Guess not," Obito muttered.
"Then why was she wearing battle gear?" Rin tilted her head, confused.
Drake ignored their questions.
His gaze repeatedly swept across Meinazu on the carriage, deep in thought.
Before long, Kakashi approached him.
"Notice something?"
He trusted Drake's observational skills.
"Three points of concern," Drake replied quietly.
"First — since departure, Meinazu hasn't spoken a single word. She looks troubled."
"Second — for someone with her status, why is she only using a single bull cart? No canopy, no escort guards?"
"And lastly… once we enter the Land of Hot Water, we need to be extra careful."
Kakashi frowned slightly.
"How can you be so sure the Land of Hot Water isn't safe?"
He'd noticed the first two as well — but the third?
Wasn't that pure conjecture?
Drake didn't respond.
Because his reasoning came from knowledge of future events.
In his judgment, the Third Shinobi World War was approaching fast.
And the Land of Hot Water, a neutral nation caught between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning…
What did that mean?
It meant it was highly likely the Cloud Village had already begun covert infiltration.
There was no way to explain that to Kakashi.
So Drake changed the topic smoothly.
"Have Rin strike up a conversation with her. Try and extract some information."
Inside the Daimyo's Palace — Land of Hot Water
Rebel leader Kawashiro sat arrogantly upon the central throne.
At his feet lay the corpse of the Daimyo.
Standing calmly beside him were two elite Lightning Release shinobi.
The sky over the Land of Hot Water had changed.
Completely.
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