At noon, in the Southern Border Forest, Obito showed the developed photos to Nohara Rin.
"Rin, how about these photos, aren't they nice?" Obito asked, nervously fiddling with his clothes, drawing circles on the ground as he awaited Nohara Rin's opinion.
Nohara Rin paused her careful viewing of the photos, smiled and nodded, then clasped her hands and said:
"They're really nice, these wildflowers look so beautiful, even though they grow alone in the wilderness."
"Hehe, I also thought they looked good, so I took them." Obito felt a wave of relief wash over him and chuckled.
Seeing Nohara Rin's happy smile made him feel that his efforts were not in vain. It takes more than just luck to capture beautiful scenery; you have to put in effort to find it.
"If you like them, Rin, I'll pick a few more for you next time I spot some beautiful flowers. Teacher Mokgetsu might have a way to preserve them."
Nohara Rin gently shook her head with a smile and said softly, "Thank you for your kindness, Obito, but there's no need. You've already captured their beauty with the camera, so there's no need to bring them back."
Nohara Rin thought that the wildflowers had it tough surviving in the wild, and there's no need to uproot them from their environment. Different flowers need different settings, and bringing them back might not ensure their survival.
"True, flowers wither quickly, but a well-preserved photo can last for a long time." Obito nodded in agreement.
"Cameras are truly magical and convenient inventions. I wonder what kind of clever minds came up with them." Obito remarked in amazement.
With his knowledge, he couldn't comprehend the principles of a camera, how just a click could capture an image, almost like ninjutsu.
But Obito didn't mind not understanding the principles; not knowing didn't stop him from using it.
"They are magical, but cameras aren't omnipotent. Hand-drawn sketches have a feel that cameras can't capture, and there are many things a camera can't record, such as dreams." Nohara Rin reflected.
"Speaking of dreams, Rin, what's your dream?" Obito asked curiously.
He thought about it carefully and realized he didn't have any memories related to this. Even though every student had to introduce themselves upon entering the Ninja Academy in the first grade, dreams weren't something they were obliged to talk about.
"A dream, huh. My dream is to save more people who are injured because of war, and ideally, to make war disappear." Nohara Rin looked up at the sky and said with a smile.
"Is it strange for a girl to have such a dream, considering I'm not good at fighting, yet I dream of making war disappear?" she turned and smiled at Obito.
Whether it was Shisui, Kakashi, or Obito and Might Guy, they all came from ninja families. Some had lost their parents early on, while Nohara Rin was different; she had both parents who were ordinary people, and there weren't any ninjas in her previous generations.
Nohara Rin attended the Ninja Academy not because her parents sent her, but because she had told them she wanted to become a ninja.
It wasn't out of envy for ninjas earning large commissions through missions, nor was it because strong ninjas lived better lives; it was because a close neighbor sister she adored died in the war when she was very young.
From that point on, the harshness of war was engraved in Nohara Rin's mind, inspiring her dream.
That's why Nohara Rin admired Tsunade, one of the Sannin, who could not only use medical ninjutsu to heal injured comrades but also play a significant role in battles.
"It's not strange at all, I think it's great!" Obito exclaimed excitedly, standing up.
"It wasn't until I went to the battlefield that I realized how cruel war is. Whether it's friends or foes, it seems like someone dies every minute."
"Understanding this made my dream more than just becoming Hokage; I want to become Hokage and end wars so that brutal wars cease to happen!" Obito declared passionately, clenching his fist.
Hearing that Nohara Rin also wanted to make war disappear made Obito very happy. Having the same dream as the person you like is simply wonderful.
Obito's thoughts drifted off, imagining a future where he and Nohara Rin worked together to realize their dream.
"With you, Obito, and Kakashi, maybe it really can happen," Nohara Rin said, hands behind her back, her eyes full of longing.
Obito thought those words about Kakashi could be deleted.
"Please let graduation come quickly. Rin is around Kakashi all the time and might get influenced by him," Obito muttered to himself.
Mentioning Kakashi all of a sudden really spoiled the mood for Obito. He couldn't wait to graduate so the training team would disband, and Kakashi wouldn't have so much time to be around Nohara Rin.
However, what troubled Obito was the possibility that, after graduation, he might not get to see Nohara Rin as often.
"Six Paths Sage, Sage Mokgetsu, Shima Sage, Fukasaku Sage... please let Rin and me be placed on the same team," Obito silently prayed to all the deities he knew.
Although Shima and Fukasaku didn't seem particularly reliable at times, Obito believed that living for eight hundred years must have taught them something.
"What are you muttering about?" Kakashi suddenly asked, looking at Obito with suspicion.
He had a feeling that Obito was maligning him in his heart.
"Oh, nothing, just thinking about what happens after graduation. According to the rules, the teams will be rearranged, so you might have to change teams, right, Kakashi?" Obito replied, snapping back to reality.
Kakashi thought for a moment and answered, "If nothing unexpected happens, probably."
Although there were always unexpected situations during missions with Mokgetsu, Kakashi felt quite comfortable, and the thought of joining a new team made him a bit reluctant.
But Kakashi knew that Mokgetsu couldn't continue to be his team leader because Mokgetsu didn't bring along Genin; he was a teacher at the Ninja Academy.
Hearing Kakashi's words, Obito couldn't help but smile upwards; if Kakashi left and Nohara Rin was still on his team, life would be simply wonderful.
"Even if I'm not in this squad anymore, I'm still your teacher. If you have time, remember to come to me for cultivation," Mokgetsu said with a smile as he walked over.
In the second year, he planned to gain more skills, but there would definitely still be time to teach his students; if one is willing to squeeze, there's always some time to be found.
"Yeah, yeah, even after graduation, I'll definitely come to see you more often, Teacher Mokgetsu," Obito quickly nodded and said.
Having spent almost a year with Mokgetsu, Obito had become accustomed to life with him. He even thought that if his guidance teacher wasn't strong enough, he would just follow Mokgetsu for cultivation like before.
"Me too! With Teacher Mokgetsu's guidance, the flame of youth burns even more fiercely," said Might Guy as he ran by backward.
"After graduation, I also want to come to you with questions, Teacher Mokgetsu. I hope it's not a bother," Nohara Rin said with a gentle smile.
"If I have time, I'll come," Kakashi promised.
Shisui quietly watched everything; for a first-year student like him, graduation was still far away. With Obito and the others graduating, he'd just move up to the second year.
"Everyone's enthusiasm is great, so let's start the cultivation," Mokgetsu announced with a smile, signaling the start of the afternoon's cultivation.
"Obito and Shisui, you need to complete a special training before starting the regular practice," Mokgetsu called out to the two who were preparing for their Constant State training.
"I've watched your growth over these days, from initially dodging zero times to now dodging more than five times. I'm very pleased with your progress," Mokgetsu said, full of smiles.
"With a great teacher like you, it's only natural to progress quickly," Obito replied happily.
"Thanks to your dedicated guidance, Teacher Mokgetsu," Shisui agreed with a nod.
Mokgetsu truly cared for them physically and mentally.
"Very good. To achieve better results in the special training, I will strengthen the speed of the Shadow Clone a bit. You need to focus even more on using the Breathing Technique to enhance your body and dodge attacks," Mokgetsu mentioned the changes in the special training.
"A bit stronger, how exactly much faster will that be?" Obito felt a sense of unease since he was just about to finish solving his questions and didn't want to end up in debt again.
"You'll find out during the training," Mokgetsu responded with a gentle smile.
Mokgetsu had the two prepare, created a Shadow Clone, and announced the start.
Obito immediately focused his breathing to the most concentrated state, then continued running. When he was about to be caught, he struggled to dodge but found he was just a tiny bit off.
"Why is it always just a bit off?" Obito began to doubt himself.
If it was too far off, he wouldn't feel so bad, but being just a tiny bit off made him really unwilling to accept it. It was two questions at stake, a total of two whole questions.
"Could it be that I'm just a bit off during cultivation, so that's why I'm always a bit off during training?" Obito thought he needed to work harder in cultivation.
Despite trying his best to dodge and using the Sharingan to its fullest, Obito still missed dodging by a hair.
"Obito got hit fifteen times, dodged zero times, totaling thirty-three questions. Shisui's hits and dodges were identical to Obito's, also thirty-three questions," Mokgetsu announced the results.
"Damn, it was just a bit more," Obito expressed unwillingly. Just succeeding in dodging once would have meant five fewer questions: two from the dodge and an extra ten percent increase.
"We need a breakthrough," Shisui also felt the pressure; Mokgetsu's questions were not easy.
"Obito, if you want to become Hokage, your theoretical knowledge can't be weak," Nohara Rin encouraged.
"It doesn't matter how many questions there are; I just want to perform better in training," Obito quickly changed his expression and explained.
He had just recently announced he was going to become Hokage, so he couldn't concede to the questions.
"Teacher Mokgetsu, I suggest doubling the number of questions for Obito to save his theory," Kakashi suggested.
"Oh, in that case..." Mokgetsu showed a thoughtful expression.
"Teacher Mokgetsu, I think the questions should be according to the rules and not change them randomly," Obito got flustered seeing that Mokgetsu seemed to really consider it.
Pa!
Mokgetsu's finger accurately landed on Obito's forehead, smiling, "Then seriously finish all the questions."
"Definitely," Obito instantly felt relieved and started thinking about how to confront Kakashi after training ended.