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10:48 a.m.
Akira Tsubaki and Rin Nohara were sitting comfortably on the rocks, enjoying the warm sun.
"Phew~~ I'm so full."
Rin patted her stomach contentedly, looking entirely satisfied.
"You certainly eat a lot," Akira commented, glancing at her as he packed away the last lunchbox.
"Ah? Well..." Rin blushed, quite embarrassed.
She had only promised to eat a little, but she ended up devouring three whole bento boxes herself.
"By the way, why did you even bring food here?" Rin quickly changed the subject, hoping to distract him.
"I didn't have time to eat after cooking, so I had no choice but to bring it," Akira replied, spreading his hands.
"They're coming back," Rin quietly reminded him, tilting her head.
In the distance, three figures were approaching.
The difference was clear: Obito and Kakashi in the front looked utterly defeated, while Minato Namikaze trailing them was perfectly calm.
It was obvious the bell-snatching attempt had failed.
"This is all your fault, Kakashi! If you'd just held him off a little longer, I would have grabbed it!" Obito didn't miss a beat, immediately tossing the blame.
"Idiot!" Kakashi spat out the word wearily.
He had fought alone from start to finish. What had Obito done?
The only thing his rival had accomplished was a thoughtless charge straight at Minato-sensei once Kakashi was completely exhausted.
Zero cover. Zero strategy.
The audacity.
Look at Akira Tsubaki and Rin—how self-aware they are.
They knew their strength wasn't enough, so they wisely 'paddled' (slacked off) on the rocks all morning.
"Ugh, so close, I almost had it," Obito sighed dramatically as he shook off Kakashi and ran up to Akira and Rin.
"It's okay, failure is the mother of success!" Akira consoled him.
"You'll get it next time!" Rin encouraged sweetly.
Being comforted by his teammates instantly refilled Obito with energy.
Did you see that?
This is what a good teammate looks like, not like Kakashi's dead-fish eyes.
On the training ground.
Minato Namikaze formally declared the mission a failure.
Then, a single lunchbox appeared in his hand as if by magic.
"Huh? Minato-sensei brought food too?" Rin murmured in a soft voice.
It all made sense now.
No wonder both Sensei and Akira were late—they were both busy packing their own breakfasts!
"Due to your failure to complete the mission, the four of you will share only one lunch today!"
Minato scanned the team, his expression serious.
"As for who gets to eat this lunchbox, you can discuss it among yourselves!"
With that, he set the lunchbox down on a stone.
Poof!
He immediately used a Jutsu (Technique) and vanished without a trace.
At this point, the atmosphere among the four genin was delicate.
Obito first eyed the lunchbox, swallowed hard, and then turned his gaze toward his teammates.
Naturally, he avoided looking at Kakashi, letting his eyes wander between Akira Tsubaki and Rin.
After all, the three of them were the 'real' team.
Kakashi was so physically drained that his stomach rumbled just looking at the bento box.
As for Akira Tsubaki and Rin?
The two of them shared a knowing glance.
"I'm giving up this lunchbox!" Akira declared.
"I give up too!" Rin echoed.
As the two spoke, Obito felt a rush of warmth in his heart.
These are truly good teammates!
Not only Obito, but even Kakashi was surprised under his mask when he heard the two give up.
"Because I'm physically exhausted, they offered to give it to me?" Kakashi felt a slight stir of emotion.
In a tree not far away.
Minato Namikaze was hidden on a branch, a slight smile on his face.
"I didn't expect this."
"I thought this teamwork exercise had failed, but there was an unexpected outcome."
"Offering the lunchbox—this is also an excellent display of team spirit..."
Minato continued to observe, eager to see who would ultimately receive the sole meal.
One lunchbox, but two hungry recipients. How will they divide it?
Akira and Rin's surrender had prompted Obito and Kakashi to look at them, silently asking for their input.
Rin couldn't think of a solution.
She could only look at Akira Tsubaki.
And so.
Akira Tsubaki suddenly realized that all three of his teammates seemed to be staring at him.
"Cough, cough."
Under such scrutiny, Akira could only clear his throat and stand up.
"It's actually quite simple. Just one serving for each of you."
One serving per person?
But there's only one lunchbox here!
Just as Rin was about to correct him.
She watched as—
Akira Tsubaki reached into his clothes and pulled out another lunchbox.
Rin Nohara: O__O
Obito: "You were hiding a lunchbox?!"
Kakashi: "Oh!"
Minato Namikaze in the tree: "..."
Sometimes, an explanation is necessary.
Like now.
"I originally prepared breakfast for five people."
"There are four people in our team, plus Minato-sensei!"
"But Rin just ate three servings by herself, so now only one is left."
Following Akira's explanation, Rin's face turned bright red in a flash, making her desperately wish she knew Earth Style (Doton) just to drill into the ground.
Unfortunately, she did not know Earth Style.
Of course, there was also some good news.
Obito and Kakashi now had exactly one serving each.
The food dispute was perfectly resolved.
"This Akira Tsubaki really is full of surprises."
Minato Namikaze in the tree held his forehead, struggling to find a description for the 'Dead Last' (Crane Tail) of the group.
Should he punish Akira for breaking the rules?
But the kid brought enough food for the entire team.
However, Rin ate more than half of it.
From this perspective, Akira Tsubaki seemed to possess great team spirit after all.
And Minato hadn't explicitly said they couldn't bring food.
"This is fine. At least the tension between them has eased."
Looking at Kakashi and Obito eating together by the stone, Minato Namikaze felt that this team-building exercise had been somewhat effective.
And the core figure holding this team together might just be Akira Tsubaki, the Dead Last?
After dinner.
The four figures were seated in a circle on the training ground stone. It was Team Minato.
It was quiet, though.
No one spoke, they simply sat in silence.
Obito was next to Kakashi, and Rin was next to Akira Tsubaki.
As for why the arrangement was like this?
"Akira wants me to reconcile with Kakashi? Impossible!" Obito thought stubbornly.
"Hmph!" Kakashi glanced at Obito, radiating arrogance.
"Akira, with this arrangement, will they really make up?" Rin whispered to him.
"Arrangement? What arrangement?"
Akira Tsubaki looked stunned.
What arrangement?
I didn't do a single thing!