Inside the bathhouse, mist hung thick in the air.
Soft splashes echoed, mingled with faint, languid sounds that blurred into the steam.
By the time night fully deepened, Drake stepped out of the bath.
Mina rose to see him off.
At the entrance, Drake casually asked,
"By the way, which room are you sleeping in tonight?"
"Of course the left one," Mina replied with a warm smile.
"The left?"
"Yep." She nodded, slightly regretful.
"Too bad Lady Mikoto is here tonight. Otherwise, I'd have let you stay."
"Rest well," Drake said calmly and left.
Early the Next Morning
Drake woke up unusually early and instinctively glanced at his status panel.
Name: Drake
Age: 12
Strength: 3664 [Sage Level]
Physique: 4608 (*) [Sage Level]
Agility: 186 [Kage Level]
Spirit: 5120 [???]
Chakra: 13578
Skills: None
Ninjutsu: Chibaku Tensei (S+ Rank) [Quality Evolution]
Ability: Ultimate Wood Release Control (Trait: Loyalty)
Overall Evaluation: Genin
"Physique doubled today?" Drake murmured.
No wonder he felt so refreshed.
At the Happy Hot Springs, he arrived just in time to catch Kushina and the others having breakfast.
"You're up this early? That's rare," Kushina said in surprise.
She knew Drake was always secretly protecting Rin — but this guy was famous for oversleeping. Had the sun risen from the west?
"Come, eat with us," Mina laughed, waving him over.
Drake took a seat without hesitation.
During the meal, he casually glanced at Mikoto and noticed… nothing unusual.
"So Mikoto," Kushina asked with a grin, "how did it feel sleeping in a room you designed yourself?"
"Mm… it was fine," Mikoto replied, though there was a faint oddness in her expression.
Drake said nothing.
After breakfast, he left with Rin.
Training Field No. 9
Drake lay lazily on a tree branch while Rin trained below.
Running.
Tree climbing.
Kunai throwing.
In the end, she even managed a tiny burst of Fire Style.
Drake nearly dozed off just watching.
Shun!
Minato appeared in a flash.
"So this is where you two were."
He glanced at hardworking Rin, then up at half-asleep Drake and chuckled.
"Sensei, is there a mission?" Rin asked, pausing.
"ANBU tried to notify you two, but couldn't find you, so they came to me instead," Minato explained, helpless.
"You're really like a ghost, Drake. One moment you're at home, then the back mountain, then the bathhouse… now here."
"Hiruzen-sama has ordered a gathering. You two are the last ones missing."
With that, he vanished again.
"We should hurry!" Rin urged.
"What's the rush?" Drake strolled along unbothered.
ANBU Base – Wrong Place
When they arrived, Drake immediately realized something was off.
"We messed up… It's at the Hokage's office, isn't it?" Rin panicked.
"No location was specified. Coming here is perfectly logical," Drake shrugged.
Hokage's Office
Hiruzen Sarutobi swept his gaze across the room full of ANBU.
"Hokage-sama, expected twenty-two. Present: twenty."
"And the other two?" he frowned.
"Still searching. We've also asked Minato to assist."
Hiruzen opened the registration list.
Drake. Rin Nohara.
"…So it's these two," he muttered.
"Danzo wasn't wrong — this kid really loves being late."
Twenty minutes passed.
Faces grew tense.
Hiruzen's patience wore thin.
Then—
Thud. Thud.
The doors opened. Drake and Rin finally walked in.
"Drake! Explain why you're late!" Hiruzen barked immediately.
"Late? I wasn't late," Drake replied seriously.
"You weren't?" Hiruzen stared.
"I went straight to the ANBU base after hearing about the gathering. How was I supposed to know it was here? Also, no ANBU even informed me. My sensei did."
Silence fell.
The ANBU stared.
Hiruzen pondered.
Strangely… that actually made sense.
He waved a hand. "Return to formation."
The Mission
"Your task is to pursue and capture the traitor — Orochimaru!"
"The previous squad formations remain. Team Nine keeps its original setup."
"You will move in dispersed units. The moment Orochimaru is sighted, signal immediately."
Orders given, ANBU squads filed out one by one.
Only Team Nine remained.
"Hm? Why are you still here?" Hiruzen asked.
Drake tilted his head.
"Our ANBU uniforms and masks?"
"Your sizes haven't been tailored yet," Hiruzen replied.
Drake: "???"
No uniform? No mask?
And we're still expected to move as ANBU?
"Let's just go," Yugao whispered.
"It'll probably be ready next time," Rin tried to smooth things over.
"But Yamato already has his," Anko pointed out.
Even Kakashi's tone turned cold.
"So the kid has gear, but not us?"
Yamato trembled silently.
This is Root attire, not ANBU… please stop staring…
Finally, Drake summed it all up for everyone.
"You're the Hokage of Konoha, and you can't even give us clothes… yet you still want us going on missions?"
The room plunged into absolute silence.
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