As the ANBU training came to an end, the second semester of the Academy was also nearing its conclusion. The arrangements for the graduation internship and the special training during the break were mostly finalized.
"Sigh, the special training during the second semester break isn't with Yumi-sensei..."
"We won't be able to see Yumi-sensei for a long time again."
After the official announcement, Class 2-1 erupted in lamentations. Aside from the graduates, only a few from other grades could participate in the special training during the break, and most of the second-year students were in Class 2-1.
Having gotten used to Mutsuki's lessons, they found the other senseis' classes boring and hard to learn from. Attending classes became a form of torture.
"Well, I guess I'll just rest during the break this year. I'll work harder next year," one student thought, feeling that it wasn't worth attending if it wasn't with Mutsuki.
His statement caused the other students nearby to nod in agreement.
"Why aren't Anko and the others here?" Someone noticed that Anko, Hagane Kotetsu, and the others weren't included in this batch of second-year students for the holiday training.
"Let me check, looks like they're not here, that's really strange." The other students found it odd as well.
Although Anko and Hagane Kotetsu usually acted goofy, they were really strong. Among the second-years, Anko was second only to Shisui in terms of strength.
"After all, it's just a trivial holiday special training," Hagane Kotetsu said, putting on a mysterious expression as he stepped forward.
"That's right, truly exceptional students have more secretive places to go," Kamizuki Izumo chimed in.
"It's just an internship, not like they've gone somewhere really amazing," Anko, who knew the truth, couldn't help but comment.
Hagane Kotetsu didn't like hearing that; after all, they were all geniuses who had started internships early. How could Anko ruin the mystery?
"And besides, neither of you got assigned to Yumi-sensei's team," Anko said with a smug smile.
Kamizuki Izumo didn't expect that Anko had become so malicious, interrupting their attempt to show off just to boast about herself.
Hagane Kotetsu almost ground his teeth when he heard that. His own misfortune was certainly sad, but his friend's good luck was even more infuriating.
Seeing the envious and jealous expressions on her two good friends, Anko felt a sense of pleasure in her heart.
"Shisui, do you know who our other teammate is? The notice I got only mentioned you," Anko asked Shisui.
"It's Shizune," Shisui replied.
This wasn't information he got from the school notice but rather from Mutsuki.
Internships usually had teams of three, and Mutsuki wasn't planning to give Shisui any special treatment. It would also be good for Shisui to interact with more people.
After some consideration, Mutsuki chose Anko and Shizune as teammates.
Shizune would spend half a year under him, which would be beneficial for her improvement. Moreover, even though Shizune was already a graduated Ninja, she didn't have a team, so there was no problem adding her.
After all, the last time, Sarutobi Hiruzen had done something similar by pushing Kakashi into a team, and now with his current standing at the Academy, doing something similar didn't seem like a big deal.
The reason for Anko's selection was even simpler: she was more suitable than those in the fourth year, and that was it.
Anko's cheerful personality, familiarity with Shisui, and solid strength made it clear to Mutsuki that there was no reason not to choose her.
"Shizune-san, I remember she already graduated, right?" Anko scratched her head, recalling some memories related to Shizune.
Since Shizune had also participated in the holiday training, Anko vaguely knew her, but they weren't very close.
"Normally, we wouldn't be able to participate in the internship either," Shisui reminded her.
There were always exceptions, and their team happened to be full of them.
"Hehe, I'm really looking forward to the upcoming Ninja life!" Anko, not one to dwell on things, immediately stopped thinking about Shizune and began imagining the wonderful internship life ahead.
Seeing that Anko seemed so excited, Shisui silently swallowed the words he had been about to say to her.
There were still several days before the internship officially began, so there was no need for Anko to learn the harsh reality of the internship just yet.
A worthy opponent, a generous mission reward, and the carefree Ninja life—these are things normal internships can't offer.
Normal internships for Ninjas only involve D-Rank missions, which are menial tasks without any combat.
Normal internships consist of doing odd jobs and training, which is also the daily routine of freshly graduated Genin.
...
"Search for and eliminate the Hidden Rock Ninjas who were defeated in the southwest of the Land of Grass. This one will do." Minato Namikaze quickly scanned several scrolls and selected a relatively difficult A-Rank mission.
Through combat training, Minato Namikaze had a clear understanding of the strength of his three disciples.
Without any intelligence on the enemy and with the element of surprise, the three of them working together could even defeat a Jonin like Dekai, who wasn't weak.
Even if the enemy wasn't careless, based on Minato Namikaze's calculations, Kakashi and the others would have no problem handling two regular Jonin.
Of course, if there were more enemies, it would be a different story, as Obito and Kakashi, although strong, weren't able to fight for extended periods.
Both Kakashi's Thunder Flash and Obito's Flame Breathing Chakra Mode with full-power Fire Release are incredibly powerful, but they also come with significant consumption. Their current Chakra reserves can't support sustained combat at full power for too long.
However, under normal circumstances, A-Rank Missions wouldn't typically involve so many Jonin.
"Alright, Minato Jonin." The registering Ninja quickly helped Minato Namikaze complete the task registration.
Minato Namikaze then handed the task details to his disciples and glanced at them.
"An A-Rank war mission? The reward is so high!" Obito immediately noticed the generous reward of 700,000 Ryo.
With Obito's math skills, he couldn't quickly calculate how many D-Rank Missions this would be worth. He figured it had to be over a hundred, since a typical D-Rank mission only paid 5,000 Ryo.
"That means the enemy's strength isn't simple either," Kakashi reminded them.
Unless they were lucky enough to encounter a rich merchant or noble who was careless with money, most commissioned tasks were priced according to their value. War commissions were especially like this.
"Kakashi makes a good point. Obito, don't let your guard down," Nohara Rin added.
After learning some Medical Ninjutsu from Tsunade, her skills had definitely improved, but Rin still didn't want Obito and Kakashi to get injured. After all, treatment couldn't erase the pain from the initial injury.
"Since Minato-sensei accepted this mission, he must believe we can handle it," Obito grinned and looked at Minato Namikaze. "Right, Minato-sensei?"
Minato Namikaze smiled gently and nodded. "You're all excellent Konoha Ninjas, of course, you'll be fine. And if something unexpected happens, I'm here."
Since the Hidden Mist had declared war on Konoha, although they hadn't launched an attack yet, it still put considerable pressure on Konoha. By accepting a high-difficulty A-Rank mission, Minato Namikaze aimed not only to train his disciples but also to relieve some of the pressure on Konoha.
The most direct solution to Konoha's current predicament was to defeat one of the Three Great Shinobi Villages, making them hesitant to engage in war with Konoha in the short term.
However, since they were all from major shinobi villages, achieving that goal was clearly very difficult.
"Having Minato-sensei with us on a mission is really reassuring," Obito gave Minato Namikaze a thumbs up.
With Minato's Flying Thunder God technique, he was incredibly fast, whether it was dealing with enemies or rescuing teammates.
In Obito's mind, Minato Namikaze ranked second when it came to feelings of safety, though the top spot was reserved for the all-powerful Mutsuki Sage. Obito felt that Minato's second place could be considered first in other rankings.
Kakashi also showed his agreement, with their encounter with the Raikage's candidate being the best proof of Minato's capabilities.
After accepting the mission, Minato Namikaze led his three disciples toward the Land of Grass. The most time-consuming part of this type of mission wasn't dealing with the enemy, but finding them. The southwest of the Land of Grass was quite large.
White Zetsu, who was monitoring Obito, quickly relayed the information back.
"Madara-sama, Uchiha Obito has gone to the Land of Grass for a mission," Black Zetsu immediately informed Uchiha Madara with the details.
Uchiha Madara's gaze flickered as he quickly thought through his arrangements in the Land of Grass and then shook his head.
If it were just Obito and Kakashi, Uchiha Madara would immediately set his plan into motion to show that Uchiha's younger generation the darkness of the shinobi world, but with Minato Namikaze involved, it would be difficult.
The reason was simple: Minato Namikaze was very powerful, and his Flying Thunder God technique was too fast, making it easy to disrupt Madara's dark plans. Without enough strength to hold Minato back, Uchiha Madara would not take action.
"Madara-sama, it seems the situation isn't looking good. Every time Uchiha Obito goes on a mission, he's either with Mutsuki Yumi or Minato Namikaze, which is greatly affecting your plans," Black Zetsu said, after thinking for a moment.
Uchiha Madara was now too old, and if he continued to waste time, he might die of old age before anyone else could take action. Black Zetsu was worried that Madara would go off course, and he would have to spend a lot of effort fixing things.
Uchiha Madara's talent and strength were extraordinary, making him the strongest Uchiha Black Zetsu had seen in a thousand years, but his strategic mind was rather average.
"Not good?" Uchiha Madara flashed a confident smile. "On the contrary, the situation is becoming more and more favorable for us. Once Hidden Mist and Konoha officially go to war, the shinobi world will be thrown into chaos. How can Minato Namikaze and Mutsuki Yumi stop my plan then?"
Uchiha Madara had full confidence in his plan, believing it to be flawless.
He had considered many aspects, including the possibility of Obito's failure. That's why he had several backup candidates, with Shisui as the first choice.
First, Shisui's talent was very high. Based on the intelligence he had gathered, Uchiha Madara could tell that Shisui's talent rivaled that of his brother, Uchiha Izumi. Moreover, Shisui had only one close relative, and that relative was an Uchiha who was often away on missions, making him easier to corrupt.
If not for Shisui's personality being somewhat hard to manipulate, he might have been a higher priority than Obito. Obito's personality was simply too useful.
"Madara-sama is wise," Black Zetsu said with a grin, offering his praise.
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