CHAPTER 262: CHAPTER 262: FISHING? LET’S REEL IT IN HARD.

The next day.

Inside the Ninja Academy, Obito shot up from his seat after reviewing some Sealing Arts notes, his face full of disbelief.

He... got kicked out of his squad?

"Sensei, I—I—!"

"Don’t worry, it’s just for this mission," Minato said awkwardly, scratching his head. "Kakashi and Rin have to carry out a special task, so you’re being temporarily reassigned to Might Guy’s team."

This was all Kyoichi’s fault.

Coming up with such an outrageous idea...

Sending Obito to pair with Guy and stage a "bump-and-fish" operation in the Land of Waves? The nerve!

And worse, he wouldn’t even let Minato lead the team.

Said it was because...

Minato’s support efficiency was questionable.

What a joke!

On the battlefield, who didn’t know how fast Minato Namikaze was?

How many comrades owed their lives to his timely rescue?

But then again...

Kyoichi did have a point.

Minato was now a well-known figure across the ninja world. If people knew he was leading the squad, who’d still be dumb enough to try anything?

Even if an enemy had a grudge, they’d just suck it up rather than pick a fight.

Only when Konoha looked "weak" would the enemy feel bold enough to bite.

But of course, none of this could be told to Obito.

Say it out loud, and the whole plan would lose its effect.

"...Okay then, Sensei, you’re really not gonna abandon me, right?"

Obito looked heartbroken.

Most days, he was relentlessly upbeat—but when he got moody, he really went to the extreme.

Minato scratched his head again. "Well... that depends. You see, squad reorganization is a village-wide thing. One jonin leading three genin? That’s becoming less and less common now that you’re all chunin."

"I get it! It’s called... ’maximizing the output of jonin-level assets!’" Obito exclaimed proudly.

Minato chuckled and nodded.

That was the crux of it.

Especially for elite jonin like himself or Shirakumo Hayama—when tied down by three kids, they couldn’t take on S-rank missions. But once they operated solo...

From A-rank to S-rank, they could handle anything with ease.

Meanwhile, the "three kids," once reshuffled into balanced squads, could still tackle B-rank missions and below. From the village’s point of view, this minimized risk while optimizing task assignment. And the Ninja Academy ensured continued education and growth.

A win-win on all fronts.

The only concern was...

Could they keep growing rapidly without a jonin leading them?

This was the question on the minds of Konoha’s upper ranks, and this mission would be the first real test of how effective the Academy’s system had become.

Minato was starting to understand Kyoichi’s thinking.

---

The next day...

Both squads set out.

Might Guy’s squad (with Obito) took the lead. Kakashi’s group followed behind.

Kyoichi’s expectations for Kakashi’s squad were higher. One of his rules: don’t let the front team know you’re tailing them.

Hard?

Sure, but not too hard.

Might Guy’s team had four members: Guy, Obito, Genma Shiranui, and Ebisu.

Among them, none were particularly good at sensory perception—only Ebisu had some skill, but compared to professional scouts, he was still lacking.

On the other hand...

Kakashi’s squad had both Kurenai Yuhi and Rin Nohara—two sensory specialists.

If they got spotted, they might as well quit being ninja.

Kyoichi followed far behind.

This fishing trip wasn’t just meant to bait the Kirigakure—he also wanted to see if Madara still had any interest in Obito or Shisui. After all, as long as they stayed in Konoha, he’d have no chance to make a move.

Meanwhile, research into White Zetsu cells continued at full speed. Konoha’s Medical Research Division had halted all other projects.

Orochimaru, in particular, was tireless—cycling between real body and clones with barely any rest. Kyoichi even started wondering if he should let him out for some fresh air—dude was working too hard.

But for now...

Best not to. The current situation was just too sensitive. He could allow his clones outside, though.

Kyoichi mused over this while tailing the group, cloaked in Sage chakra, moving through the earth’s ley lines. Unless Black Zetsu showed up in person, no one would ever sense his presence.

---

"Obito, relax," said Guy, upside-down and walking on his hands as always. "This kind of mission isn’t hard. We’re just heading to the Land of Waves to help clean up some pirates."

Still training even on missions...

"Guy, do you really not know why Obito’s tense?" Genma Shiranui sighed.

Seriously...

Training mid-mission while draining your stamina? They all knew Guy was that kind of ninja, but still—this was their first time doing an international mission together.

Couldn’t he act a little more serious?

Ebisu cleared his throat. "Actually, it’s not that serious. I don’t think Obito’s nervous..."

"I—I’m just EXCITED!" Obito yelled.

Nervous?

Well, a little.

This was his first mission with this ragtag bunch of oddballs. And he was starting to realize... he was an oddball, too.

This sucked.

He suddenly understood how reliable Kakashi had been.

Cold-faced as he was, Kakashi’s tactics and leadership were always spot-on, so much so that Obito never had to think twice.

But now?

He had to start planning several steps ahead again, like back during the Chunin Exams—how to move, how to prep for ambushes, how to adapt overseas.

Outside the village, it all became real.

Of course...

These thoughts stayed in his head—for now.

The four of them, each marching to their own rhythm, left the village and headed toward the Land of Waves.

Halfway there...

Guy suddenly stopped training, frowning in deep thought.

"Everyone—"

"Enemy?!" Genma instantly went on alert, kunai in hand. His other hand dipped into his sleeve, readying hidden weapons.

"Cough, no—it’s just... do we have to cross the sea to get to the Land of Waves?"

Guy awkwardly coughed.

Ebisu facepalmed.

Was this guy... really team leader material?

He took a deep breath and said, "The Land of Waves is located between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water. It’s an island nation—you obviously need a boat."

"Ah, in that case I’ll save my stamina. I’ll run across the water."

"HUH?!" Obito nearly fainted.

What the hell!?

There’s a perfectly good boat, and you’re gonna run there? What if you get ambushed!?

This squad is so not okay.

He glanced at Genma and Ebisu, hoping for support—only to find them both looking completely calm.

Especially Genma, who just said, "Oh," and tucked his kunai away like nothing happened.

Are you serious!?

Obito suddenly had the urge to turn back.

Maybe it wasn’t too late...

But the group just kept walking.

He couldn’t help blurting out, "Guys, shouldn’t we stick together? What if something happens while he’s running across the sea?"

"We’re taking the boat," Genma said calmly. "He gets seasick—his combat power drops to zero onboard. Let him run it off. He’ll catch up once he’s tired."

Obito’s mouth twitched. He didn’t even know how to respond.

Eventually, the group arrived at a fishing village by the coast and took a break, renting a small boat for the trip to the Land of Waves.

Kakashi’s team trailed behind, camping rough on the road.

Kyoichi, meanwhile, began meditating to replenish his Sage chakra.

He could now enter Sage Mode anytime, anywhere.

Though in truth...

He hadn’t used up much chakra at all. Not even a fifth of the chakra stored in his Yin Seal was gone. In fact, by the time he was done, he had more chakra than before.

Plenty for what lay ahead.

Unfortunately...

It looked like Madara had really lost interest in Obito for now—after all, one White Zetsu had already been lost.

No reaction so far.

***************************

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