"Obito! Stop fishing! Come eat BBQ! If you don't come now, Taiichi's grilled food will be all gone!" Gai shouted at Obito, who was still struggling.
Hearing the shout, Obito visibly froze, seemingly torn between enjoying Taiichi's food and continuing to practice water walking. In the end, Taiichi's barbecue won. Obito leaped nimbly onto the bank, cleaned up a bit, and ran over to join everyone for the meal.
"Obito, take your time with water walking. Rome wasn't built in a day." Taiichi said to Obito, then turned to Tōtō Akimichi: "Right, Tōtō?"
"Haha!" Everyone laughed good-naturedly.
"That's right! It took me years to get this way! And Taiichi, I'm not fat, I'm pleasantly plump!" Tōtō Akimichi retorted even while stuffing his face.
Everyone ate and chatted, occasionally asking Taiichi and Kakashi about their daily lives as Genin. Kakashi had been a Genin longer and had plenty to share. Taiichi could only pick out some interesting incidents from his missions to tell everyone.
"So, after becoming a Genin, we must complete a certain number of D-rank missions before we can take on higher-level ones?" Obito complained.
"Are D-rank missions all small tasks within the village? Are there any that require leaving the village?" Shizune also asked.
"The village arranges these missions for a reason. Genin need to familiarize themselves with mission procedures and build team cohesion. These things take time; you can't bite off more than you can chew." Taiichi analyzed the pros and cons for them.
As they chatted and laughed, Asuma unknowingly drifted closer to Kurenai, Obito started bickering with Kakashi again, and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio lay on the side to digest their food.
At this moment, Rin sat down next to Taiichi and remained silent for a long time.
Seeing Rin's hesitation, Taiichi asked puzzledly, "Rin, is there something I can help you with? Just say it."
Hearing Taiichi's gentle tone, Rin stopped hesitating. "Taiichi, if I graduate like this, do you think I'll have a good future?"
Taiichi didn't quite understand Rin's meaning at first, but after thinking about it, he realized: "Rin is worried, isn't she?"
"Yeah." Rin admitted frankly. "Although neither you nor Kakashi mentioned dangerous missions, I know missions can't always be fun. If anything, danger is the norm."
At this point, Shizune also leaned over, looking at Taiichi with inquiring eyes. Clearly, she had heard Taiichi and Rin's conversation.
Taiichi looked at Rin and Shizune, thinking about their futures. Shizune had Tsunade as a huge backer and lived well into the future.
Rin Nohara's fate, however, was somewhat tragic. Ultimately, she was manipulated by Madara Uchiha. To avoid endangering Konoha, she chose to impale herself on Kakashi's Chidori, leading to the tragedies of both Kakashi and Obito.
Thinking of this, Taiichi looked at Rin with a hint of pity. Rin shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.
Noticing Rin's movement, Taiichi gathered his thoughts and said, "This is just my personal opinion. Rin, Shizune, neither of you stands out physically. But I've noticed your Chakra control is exceptionally good. Why don't you take some time to study medical ninjutsu? Slowly develop toward becoming medical ninjas. After all, medical ninjas are specialized talents; if you achieve something, the village will definitely value you."
Shizune looked thoughtful; Taiichi's advice matched Tsunade's suggestion, helping her see herself more clearly.
Rin looked troubled. She didn't have any ninja heritage; she was just a child from an ordinary family. Her expression dimmed at the thought.
Taiichi understood Rin's expression. They had been classmates for two years, and Rin was kind-hearted and had helped Taiichi often. Taiichi naturally couldn't bear to see Rin continue down a tragic path.
"How about this? I know some medical ninjutsu. I'll go back and write down my notes and experiences from the past two years, and give a copy to each of you." Taiichi naturally wouldn't favor one over the other.
"Thank you so much, Taiichi! I don't know how to repay you!" Rin was overjoyed. She knew Taiichi's medical skills were no joke. He had interned at the hospital every holiday for two years, and the doctors there praised him endlessly. This gift from Taiichi was incredibly valuable to her.
"We're good friends. Besides, didn't you always help me at school?" Taiichi replied with a smile.
Just then, the sound of Kakashi and Obito arguing came from not far away. Taiichi looked over; the pair of clowns were arguing about something at the entrance to the Forest of Death.
"Let's go check it out." Taiichi said to Rin and Shizune.
The three got up and walked toward Kakashi and the others. As they got closer, they heard that Obito and Asuma were bored and inciting everyone to go on an adventure in the Forest of Death.
Kakashi naturally disagreed. He and Taiichi had come early specifically to prevent them from entering the Forest of Death. How could he lead them inside now?
Seeing Taiichi arrive, Obito got even more excited. "Kakashi! You and Taiichi have graduated for so long; your strength must have improved a lot! With the two of you here, plus all of us, what danger can't we handle?"
Well! To get into the Forest of Death, Obito even resorted to flattering Kakashi.
"Besides, we'll just wander around the outskirts; it's not that dangerous." Obito continued, "Or are you scared, Kakashi?" Obito stared at Kakashi suspiciously, trying to goad him.
Kakashi was only seven years old, after all. He couldn't stand being goaded by his rival Obito and nodded in agreement. But immediately after agreeing, he regretted it and looked at Taiichi, hoping Taiichi would object.
Taiichi had indeed intended to object, but Rin's situation changed his mind. His friends had too little experience in school. Getting some experience now under his and Kakashi's watch was worth the risk.
"Kakashi, it's fine. We'll just keep a closer eye on them. Consider it advance training for everyone." Taiichi winked at Kakashi.
"Fine!"
Seeing that the only two actual ninjas agreed, everyone was thrilled. After all, as future ninjas, they didn't lack adventurous spirit or courage.
They agreed that Taiichi and Kakashi would be the final safeguard. Unless they encountered a danger they couldn't handle, Obito, Asuma, and the others would handle everything else.
Assignments made, they climbed over the wire fence and entered the Forest of Death.
Sunlight filtered through the branches, dappling the dead leaves. The unique damp smell of the Forest of Death, mixed with the scent of moss, filled their nostrils. Obito took point, pushing aside hanging vines. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio followed closely behind. Gai and Asuma brought up the rear. The three girls walked in the middle with kunai in hand for support. Taiichi and Kakashi were in the trees on the left and right flanks, ready to act at any moment, their short swords already partially unsheathed.
Stumbling along the way, they made quite a few blunders, but they also learned knowledge not found in textbooks—like identifying herbs and tracking signs. These things required practice.
Rustle—
The crisp sound of snapping twigs instantly tensed everyone's spines. Gai spun around, assuming the stance for the Leaf Hurricane. Obito already had a shuriken in his palm. Suddenly, the bushes ahead shook violently, and a grey-brown wild boar nearly two meters tall charged out, its tusks hung with rotting leaves, rushing straight for the center of the group!
"Scatter!"