Minato Namikaze, Kakashi Hatake, and the young ninjas who had just finished breakfast and were preparing to start their special training were suddenly transported outside the Land of Waves.
It felt just like the day when Minato and the others had inexplicably been transported from Kannabi Bridge to the Land of Waves, where they found themselves on the under-construction Bridge of Courage!
Hearing the sound of a large-scale ninjutsu being unleashed in the distance, the young ninjas, who had never experienced war, felt a momentary flutter of unease.
Minato: "That's the explosion of a large-scale Earth Release technique!"
He scooped up a handful of dirt from the ground, rubbed it between his fingers, and deduced:
"This is the Land of Grass."
Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura: "The Land of Grass?!"
Young Kakashi turned to Minato Namikaze. "Sensei, wasn't your last mission to go to the Land of Grass to support another team from Konoha?"
Minato nodded.
Rin: "Could it be… we've traveled back in time?!"
"Back in time?!" Naruto froze. "Then why are we here too?!"
Sasuke: "Why didn't we just return to Konoha? Or the Land of Waves?!"
Sakura looked around. "Rin, what about Obito from your class? We're all back, but doesn't that mean he's been left behind alone?"
Rin and young Kakashi had, of course, already considered this issue.
Rin's face twisted in distress.
Young Kakashi stamped his foot. "If nothing else works, let that idiot figure out a way to get back to Konoha first."
Adult Kakashi harbored deep psychological trauma from the Kannabi Bridge incident. He feared that Obito might be teleported beneath the very boulder that had claimed his life. Just as he was about to tell Minato-sensei that he would go find Obito, a voice called out from another direction.
"Stupid Kakashi! Who are you calling stupid?! You're talking behind my back to Rin again!!"
"Obito?!!"
The group was both surprised and delighted—finally, everyone was gathered.
Minato glanced up at the sky, calculating the time.
"If the date hasn't changed, then I think this is the moment we depart for the future!"
Simply put, it could be understood that their departure time had been frozen, or that their departure point was set at Point A. No matter how many days passed in the other world, their return would still be at Point A.
"I must urgently head to the front lines," Minato Namikaze said. "We'll discuss things on the way!"
Although the timing was precise, their location had shifted much closer.
Originally, he was not too far from Kannabi Bridge, but still a day and a half's journey from the battlefield that needed reinforcement.
Rushing there now might allow them to arrive sooner—perhaps even save a few more Konoha comrades!
"Understood!" the group acknowledged the order.
They followed Minato, racing toward the distant battlefield!
On the way, Obito said, "Before we got here, I was talking with Zabuza in the form of Yagura Karatachi. Somehow, I ended up getting transported here. What about you and Minato-sensei?"
Rin responded, "We had breakfast and were just about to start special training." She pulled a roasted sweet potato from her ninja pouch and handed it to him. "You haven't had breakfast yet, right? I brought this for you."
Obito was deeply moved. "Rin! Thank you!"
"You really spoil that idiot too much, Rin!" the young Kakashi grumbled.
Obito bared his teeth at him.
The adult Kakashi watched their interaction, a flicker of sadness passing through his eyes.
Naruto asked Obito, "Did you finish your A-rank mission?"
"Probably not yet. I haven't received the mission payment," Obito said as he stuffed the sweet potato into his mouth. He then pulled out the mission scroll from his ninja pouch to check it.
"Ah!!!!"
He let out a startled yell, and the sweet potato dangling from his mouth fell, landing right in the mouth of young Kakashi, who was following behind him.
"Pfft!!!" Young Kakashi spat out the half-chewed sweet potato, immediately spitting several times, nearly gagging. "Idiot! Don't talk with your mouth full!!!"
"Sorry, sorry."
Obito apologized sheepishly, holding the scroll in one hand while making a bowing gesture with the other.
Naruto and Sasuke couldn't help but feel that this scene resembled their own ninja academy graduation day...
They exchanged a glance and simultaneously turned their heads away.
Obito caught up to Minato Namikaze and handed him the scroll.
"Minato-sensei, this A-rank mission shows I've completed it!!"
Minato took the scroll. Originally—
"Mission Rank: A"
"Mission Details: Disguise yourself as the Fourth Mizukage and converse with Zabuza Momochi."
Behind the text was an additional stamp, similar to the one the Hokage would place on mission lists.
["Mission Status—Completed"]
"Obito, are you absolutely certain there's nothing else in your ninja gear pouch?" the adult Kakashi asked.
Obito rummaged through his pouch. "Just kunai, shuriken, and one explosive tag."
Minato Namikaze: "Meaning there's no other mission pay."
"Huh?! No mission pay?!!" Obito protested. "I risked my life to complete this A-rank mission! How can there be no pay?!!"
Young Kakashi scowled at him. "Listen carefully to Minato-sensei. He said there's no 'other' mission pay! 'Other'!"
Obito, comforted by Rin, looked utterly dejected.
"But all the mission pay from Naruto and me always appeared in our ninja pouches before! Why isn't there a single coin this time?"