Minato pushed open the door and stepped inside.
"Third Hokage."
"Oh? You've co." The Third paused his work and looked up.
"There is an S-rank mission that requires you to lead the team." He picked up a scroll from the desk and casually tossed it over.
Snap!
Minato caught it smoothly — and froze.
S-rank mission?
Was the Third joking?
With Team Nine?
Forget S-rank, even a C-rank was pushing it for that squad. And right now, they were in the middle of one.
Even if he personally led them, they would still face Sakumo's dilemma:
Complete the mission VS Save a comrade.
So what exactly was the Third thinking?
Seeing Minato's conflicted expression, the Third tapped his pipe.
"Is it difficult?"
"Yes."
Minato answered honestly.
"I don't believe Team Nine can complete a mission of this level."
"Team Nine?" The Third chuckled.
"Who said you were taking them?"
Hearing that, Minato finally relaxed.
So it was a misunderstanding.
But when he opened the scroll, confusion returned.
"Loran?"
"Correct. This mission request is from the Queen of Loran," the Third nodded.
"But Loran is in the Land of Wind. Shouldn't they be contacting Sunagakure? Why send this to Konoha?" Minato frowned.
The Third's face grew serious, his voice lowering.
"Because… the Third Kazekage has vanished. Sand Village is currently in chaos due to internal power struggles."
"Rember this — do not let this information spread."
Minato was shaken.
The Third Kazekage… missing?
No wonder.
In that light, it made sense. The village leaders must have known for a while, which was why standards for ninja graduation were relaxed.
War preparation.
Sadly...
"If Sakumo-senpai were still alive, he would've been enough to deter Sunagakure."
Thinking of this, Minato's opinion of the Third plumted even further.
Was power really more important than human life?
Konoha Back Mountain
Choosing an area with clear boar footprints, Drake gave the order and the three of them began digging.
Why only three?
Because Drake only borrowed three shovels.
He was the overseer.
Kakashi, Obito, and Rin were the workforce.
Division of labor was perfect.
"Drake, I think you should be digging instead. Let Rin rest for a bit," Obito said from inside the pit, clearly unhappy.
A girl shouldn't be doing this kind of hard labor! This guy really didn't understand how to treat won.
"Oh? I'm the strategic commander," Drake said calmly from the edge of the pit.
He took a bite of an apple.
Crunch. Sweet.
"It's fine, I can do it." Rin wiped dirt off her face and smiled.
"See? Rin didn't even complain. Why are you whining? Keep digging." Drake shot back.
That left Obito both tired and annoyed.
But when he glanced at Kakashi — who was silently working away — he swallowed his complaints.
Thirty minutes later…
The trap was complete.
Not just a hole — inside were over ten sharpened bamboo stakes, carefully concealed with leaves and grass.
After ordering them to erase the surrounding traces, Drake finally nodded in satisfaction.
"You're sure the boar will pass through here?" Kakashi suddenly asked.
"Yeah! What if it takes another route?" Obito realized the risk.
"Then we'd have dug all this for nothing," Rin added softly.
Drake chuckled.
"A boar's habits guarantee it will."
"Why?"
"Because it always chooses the safest path."
"And the safest path is the one it already walked before."
With that, he walked away casually.
The Next Day
The old lady arrived at the Hokage Office, thanking the Third Hokage repeatedly.
"Hokage-sama, thank you so much! That massive boar's been dealt with! I not only avoided losing money — I actually made a profit!"
"Oh? That's wonderful." The Third smiled.
After she left, he flipped through the completed mission register.
"Hm? This was done by Team Nine? Minato's squad?"
"Oh… Kakashi is in that team. No wonder."
Morning — Embrace the Sun
The first thing Drake did after waking up was check his status panel.
After all, one glance a day = permission to slack off for the rest of it.
Na: Drake
Age: 13
Strength: —
Constitution: [Chūnin Level]
Agility: 44 (×) [Chūnin Level]
Spirit: —
Chakra Capacity: —
Skills: None
Ninjutsu: None
Overall Combat Rating: Apprentice Genin
"Huh? My speed is chūnin-level too now?"
His heart blood with joy as he closed the panel.
Stepping into the courtyard, he tested it.
Whoosh!
With full acceleration, he vanished like a gust of wind.
Well — taphorically.
"My current speed should be about the sa as Kakashi's."
Recalling Kakashi's movent during the bell test, Drake made a quick comparison.
Of course, Kakashi had technique and control too.
Drake only had raw speed.
—
In a good mood, he headed toward the training ground.
But to his surprise…
Today's instructor had changed.
"Kushina-senpai?"
Rubbing his eyes, Drake confird he wasn't hallucinating.
What was this?
Lover rotation duty?
At Training Ground No. 7, Kushina stood in combat gear, her fiery red hair cascading down her back — striking and powerful.
"Obito, what's going on?" Drake nudged his "good brother" and whispered.
Obito: ∩▂∩ (Daydream mode activated)
No response.
When Drake turned to look, he saw Obito staring at Kushina with sparkling eyes.
Bro.
Rin is literally right here and you're already simping over the teacher's girlfriend?
Without hesitation, Drake elbowed Rin.
"Hey. Your boyfriend's cheating."
"…Huh?"
Rin froze.
Then she followed Drake's gaze — straight to Obito.
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