Chapter 178: Friendship Between Men
"I haven't seen Obito in a while… I wonder how he's doing."
Rin Nohara murmured softly as she walked home after training, a trace of worry clouding her gentle face.
At the Academy, teachers never hid the cruelty of the ninja world. They spoke openly of danger—missions that ended in blood, comrades who never returned, the cold reality of the battlefield.
But hearing about it was one thing.
Losing someone close was another.
Ever since learning that one of Kakashi's teammates had died on a mission, Rin had begun to truly understand the meaning of sacrifice.
And Obito… Obito had the kind of reckless heart that leapt before it thought. That was exactly what made her worry.
"What if he gets hurt because of that?" she whispered, sighing softly.
Just then, she spotted a few familiar figures up ahead.
"Obito, Kakashi, Guy? You're all together?"
"Wuwuwu—!"
Obito's head snapped up in surprise at the sound of her voice, but then his expression twisted painfully. Remembering the bet, he could only wave his hands wildly and make incoherent noises.
Rin blinked in confusion. Even with how long she'd known him, Obito's bizarre gestures made her think he'd gone temporarily insane.
"Kakashi, what's wrong with Obito?" Rin asked, turning to the ever-reliable Kakashi.
But Kakashi only met her gaze in silence.
Rin frowned. Don't tell me Kakashi caught whatever Obito has…
Her confusion lasted until Might Guy, smiling like the sun, gave a hearty laugh and a thumbs-up.
"Haha! Because they both lost to me in a running race, they're not allowed to speak today!"
Rin was momentarily speechless.
The punishment for losing was silence? What were they, Academy kids playing dares during recess?
"Aren't you all Intern Ninjas now? You're supposed to be taking missions, not… competing in races with Kakashi," Rin said, wide-eyed.
"That's right! We just finished a mission and came back!" Might Guy said proudly.
"Mmm! Mmmmmm!"
Obito flailed, desperate to tell Rin about his heroic performance during the mission—and about Kakashi's humiliating blunders.
Damn it, Kakashi's targeting me again! Obito raged inwardly.
Guy had challenged Kakashi earlier, and he'd refused. But when he brought it up, Kakashi immediately accepted. This was clearly personal!
Wait… could he have planned this all along just to stop me from telling Rin what happened on the mission? Obito's mind raced.
Despicable Kakashi! Tomorrow, I'll expose everything about you!
"So that's it," Rin said, smiling warmly. "You guys really get along well—racing as soon as you get back."
"That's not it! Because this Guy—he's our teammate!" Obito tried to shout, but the only sound that came out was an incoherent growl.
He looked pleadingly at Guy, silently begging him to explain.
"Of course!" Guy said, beaming. "Youth and friendship are the best match!"
Rin giggled softly. "The bond between boys really is something."
Obito wanted to bury his face in the dirt. If only he knew sign language, he would've unleashed hand movements faster than hand seals just to explain everything.
"Oh, right," Rin added, her voice gentle again. "No one got hurt during your mission, right?"
"No, not at all!" Guy replied honestly. "The enemy was strong, but Mugetsu-sensei protected the three of us perfectly."
"The three of you?" Rin tilted her head, her curiosity piqued.
Finally! Obito thought, breathing a sigh of relief. She's catching on!
"Besides you and Obito, who's the third teammate?" Rin asked.
"Kakashi," Guy said without hesitation.
Rin blinked, confused. "But… isn't Kakashi already a Chunin? Why would he be in an Intern Ninja class?"
Kakashi's expression froze.
He couldn't answer even if he wanted to—and even if he could speak, how was he supposed to explain something he didn't fully understand himself?
"This is the bond between me and my cherished friend!" Guy declared passionately, pointing to Kakashi as though announcing a revelation.
Rin chuckled softly. "I don't really understand… but it's nice that everyone's together."
The warmth in her voice was genuine.
Even if the arrangement was odd, she was simply glad that Obito had good comrades—and that Kakashi was there to look after him.
"It's not nice at all!" Obito screamed internally, glaring daggers at Kakashi.
If not for him, maybe Rin could've joined their team instead!
"Goodbye, everyone. You all look exhausted. Go home and rest," Rin said with a wave and a smile.
Obito instinctively raised his hand to reply, but then remembered the bet.
A loss was a loss—he had to stay silent.
---
The next day, Mugetsu gathered his students at Training Ground 26.
The meeting time was set for 8:00 a.m.
Kakashi and Guy arrived early, around 7:50.
Obito stumbled in at 8:10.
"You're late again," Kakashi said coldly.
"That's because—" Obito started, only to be cut off by Mugetsu's calm voice.
"Before we start training, we'll first hold a summary meeting about our last mission."
Obito immediately pointed at Kakashi. "Kakashi was too reckless! He got himself controlled for over ten minutes!"
"Obito, you don't understand combat at all," Kakashi shot back. "If I hadn't warned you, you'd have fallen for the enemy's trap long before that."
Slap! Slap!
Two crisp sounds echoed through the training field. Both boys winced, clutching their heads.
"I asked you to summarize yourselves, not each other," Mugetsu said with a faint smile, lowering his hand.
So fast… I couldn't even dodge, Kakashi thought, stunned.
Under Mugetsu's gentle but overwhelming authority, both Obito and Kakashi fell silent, reflecting on their mistakes.
"My strength and explosive power still aren't enough," Guy said first, breaking the quiet. "I need more training. I want to master the Eight Gates as soon as possible!"
Guy's training was straightforward—Taijutsu at its purest.
Unlike Obito and Kakashi, who balanced Ninjutsu and tactics, his world revolved around raw power, the Breathing Technique, and the Eight Gates.
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