บท 22: CH-22

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<word count-1180>

.............

The office of the fourth Hokage had become something Kuroko had been visiting numerous times. He was six years old, and while the times he did visit could be counted on one hand, most of the Chunin or Genin could barely even visit twice in their lifetime.

At least that's what he heard from his father, but then again, he was speaking about the third's rein.

"Kuroko, Itachi, and Shizu." The Hokage of the village looked at them and continued with a smile on his face, "Since Kushina is still recovering from childbirth, she won't be able to guide you for a few days.".

"Gaga buba gaguba." A smile lit up all our faces. Naruto was sitting in his father's lap, curiously looking at the bundle of papers in front of him, occasionally making noises.

"You got your hands full, Lord Fourth." The Hyuga was already chuckling by the time his statement ended. There was something very funny about seeing a Shinobi who killed thousands of people from other villages to become this person who couldn't have enough of his child.

Kuroko still maintained his decency in front of Minato; he didn't know him that well after all. Had it been Kushina, he would have swept the baby and petted him all around. Of course, Kushina would beat his ass later, but nobody would talk about that.

"Hokage Sama, what is our mission this time?" Shizu, in her surprising, respectful words, asked Minato.

The three genins had expected this to become like any other day: a D-rank mission, possibly pulling out weeds, catching cats, or just sparring against one another.

"Today will be your first C-rank mission." Minato said it with a smile: "You are to assist a merchant convoy on its way to the land of the grass."

"What C-rank, Yahooo?" The inuzuka started jumping around; she had been waiting for this for quite some time.

Itachi, however, had his own questions: "Who will be our leader for the mission then? Hokage-sama, I doubt that regardless of our capabilities, you would give a C-rank mission as a genin's first mission."

"You right, Itachi," Minato smiled. "Fugaku raised quite the intelligent Shinobi.".

"Thank you for the praise, Hokage Sama." Itachi was reserved while saying this, but if anyone would know, it was Shizu and Kuroko who knew how giddy he was from joy.

"He is waiting for you near the entrance gate of the village, "Minato continued. "Don't worry, you will know when you see him."

The scroll was quickly handed to us, and with that, the trio of leaf took their exit.

....

"Itachi, you packed everything—a bottle, clothes, and most importantly, food?" Kuroko asked his Uchiha teammate about their first mission outside the village. While he did know the map of the world, he wanted to see it for himself and see everything this world had to offer.

"Yes, Kuroko, this is the fifth time you have asked this," Itachi replied with a deadpan expression on his face. His teammate was pretty excited about this mission. Itachi was blissful because he got to spend time with his friends while simultaneously going out of the village. He had gone outside once, on a battlefield, and while that was not a memory he wanted to remember, it had left a permanent mark on his soul. Had it not been for Shizu and Kuroko, he might have felt lost somewhere down the road.

"Oye, Doofus, and Itachi, How much farther are we from the entrance?" Shizu, with her dogs on her shoulders, walked backwards while talking to us.

"We are already there, Shizu, and why am I called Doofus and Itachi only by his name?" Kuroko, in his makeshit hurt face, asked.

Before Shizu could respond, a gray-stranded shinobi with gravity-defying hair flicked in front of them. He was tall, far taller than any of the three were, His shinobi vest was promintantly displayed on his wide shoulders, A headband hiding his eyes, the single sharingan gifted to him by his teammate and friend, Obito Uchiha.

If one word could describe the man, Kuroko would say' Genius'.

This was a man who graduated at five, became a chunin at 6 and a jonin at 12, and mastered the sharingan better than most Uchiha's while opening the Mangekyou himself. If that wasn't enough, he created his own lightening release ninjutsu at the age of 12, that too of A-rank.

"Wait, no way, you are our leader." Kuroko looked towards the silver-haired Jonin in front of him.

"Any problem with that, Genin?"Kakashi Hatake looked straight at Kuroko and asked.

"Not really, just a bit shocking,"

The corners of Kakashi's mouth twitched, not that anyone could see them anyway.

"Whoever you are, Mr. Jonin, lead us towards our mission." The Inuzuka heir spoke out in her signature shamelessness; she couldn't care who or what Kakashi was; yes, she had heard of him, but she had heard of countless geniuses; she was one of them herself, so she had quite a bit of ego.

"His name is Kakashi Hatake, Shizu." Itachi innocently answered her question, not knowing Shizu already knew.

"This mission is going to be quite the toil, isn't it?" Kakashi muttered to himself, even though all of them heard it.

"Come along; there is our employer." Kakashi waved towards the fat man cloaked in expensive garments standing at the entrance.

"Our first C-rank mission, here we come," Kuroko muttered while moving forward toe to toe with Kakashi. He did consider him his tactical leader, but he knew his strength was no less than that of the Jonin; in fact, if luck were in his favor, he might even win, of course only with the aid of Amaterasu.

Itachi and Shizu paced along with Kuroko, walking in a horizontal line towards the merchant convoy.

The group of five went outside Konoha, not knowing the hidden dangers awaiting them.

....

"Obito, make your decision." Black Zetsu looked towards the heir of Madara Uchiha himself.

"Shut up, Zetsu; I need more time to think," Obito responded, resting his face against his new healed hand.

"You know you are too weak, Obito. To become Madara or at least act like one, you need more strength." Black slowly twisted his words, "To avenge Rin, you need to make the plan come true, and for that, you need power."

Black Zetsu slowly circled around Obito, the young boy unaware of the thoughts going across the mind of 'Madara's will'.

"Even if someone like the fourth Hokage defeated you, how are you supposed to make the world cower in your might?" Black Zetsu whispered in Obito's ear, "You need your other half. You need to learn more, Jutsus. You need your Mangekyou Sharingan."

Like the venom of a serpent, the words seeped into Obito's brain, and his face went from its indecision to one of sheer determination.

"You are right, Zetsu," Obito said, looking him straight in the eyes. "Tell me where Kakashi is.".

....

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