Chapter 709: Like
"Good morning," Kakashi replied before glancing at Obito.
Obito could only reluctantly return the greeting. Otherwise, Rin might think he was being rude.
After exchanging greetings, Kakashi did not stay to chat. He simply continued on his way.
That surprised Obito.
Anko, Izumo, and Kotetsu also seized the opportunity to slip away.
Even more unexpectedly, Rin did not invite Kakashi to join them as Obito had feared.
Watching Kakashi and the others leave, she simply continued walking toward the flower shop with Obito.
"That's it?"
Obito was both surprised and delighted.
If Kakashi had suddenly joined them, there was no way Obito would have been able to get any closer to Rin today.
Dealing with Kakashi alone would have consumed most of his attention.
"Rin..."
Obito almost asked why she had not invited Kakashi.
Then he abruptly shut his mouth.
"What's wrong, Obito?" Rin turned toward him curiously.
"I was about to ask you something, but I suddenly forgot what it was," Obito replied, scratching his head awkwardly.
He was worried Rin had simply forgotten to invite Kakashi.
If Obito reminded her now, she might suddenly remember.
They had only just separated from Kakashi. At a ninja's traveling speed, catching up would take only a few seconds.
"Was it important?"
"Uh... I don't think so."
Even if Kakashi really did join them, Obito supposed it would not be anything serious.
At worst, today's plan would be ruined.
He and Rin were still only thirteen years old.
Obito had plenty of time left to grow closer to her.
"That makes sense. Even you wouldn't be absentminded enough to forget something important the instant you were about to say it," Rin said with a smile.
"Of course."
The two continued walking side by side, chatting and laughing.
Just as they were about to enter the street where the Yamanaka Flower Shop was located, they suddenly heard a vendor calling out.
"Tempura! Freshly fried tempura!"
"Rin, do you want some tempura?" Obito asked.
Rin looked toward the voice.
A small tempura stall came into view.
Perhaps noticing Rin looking over and wanting to display his skill, the middle-aged stall owner picked up a prepared shrimp, coated it in batter, and carefully lowered it into the hot oil.
A few droplets of oil splashed out.
One seemed to land on his hand, because his face immediately twisted in pain.
Rin fell silent.
Why did this stall owner look like a complete beginner?
His technique did not even seem as good as her own cooking.
"Obito, why don't we eat somewhere else after we finish visiting the flower shop?" Rin suggested.
Street food was not expensive, but this vendor looked extremely unreliable.
The food probably would not taste very good.
"Let's just try this place," Obito insisted.
"I haven't had tempura in a while, and I'm a little hungry. Besides, maybe it'll be good."
"Obito, look carefully."
Rin thought he had simply failed to notice the problem.
"This owner clearly doesn't have much experience. It might not taste good."
"Really? I think it's worth trying."
Obito continued stubbornly.
"It doesn't cost much to buy a little anyway. Maybe it's one of those foods that looks terrible but actually tastes amazing."
Hearing that, Rin stopped trying to persuade him.
Obito's argument was not completely unreasonable.
It would not cost much.
Even if it tasted terrible, the loss would be minor.
So the two approached the stall.
"One serving of tempura," Obito said.
The middle-aged stall owner nodded.
Then his expression suddenly became solemn.
"Congratulations. You are the ten-thousandth customer of our shop and have won a mysterious complimentary prize."
Rin stared suspiciously at the middle-aged man.
Then she carefully examined the stall again.
Ten thousand customers?
This man did not look like someone who had been running a business for very long.
"My luck is really that good?"
Obito spoke in an obviously flat tone.
"Looks like today's my lucky day. So what's the prize?"
This was the real reason Obito had insisted on buying tempura.
The middle-aged stall owner was actually Kotetsu in disguise.
"An escape room for two!" Kotetsu announced.
"It's a newly popular game that effectively trains a ninja's observational abilities."
"If you weren't our ten-thousandth customer, I really wouldn't be willing to give away something this expensive."
As he spoke, Kotetsu deliberately made a pained expression.
"Konoha has places like that now?"
Rin found the situation even stranger.
Perhaps it was because she had already become suspicious, but even Obito was beginning to seem a little strange.
"I don't know. Maybe it opened recently."
Obito hurriedly helped explain.
"The war is over, and Konoha's economy has improved a lot. New businesses opening wouldn't be strange."
While they spoke, Kotetsu began his actual job.
Frying tempura.
Under Rin's increasingly unbearable gaze, he fried a shrimp until it turned almost completely black.
Now Rin was certain.
This man had absolutely no idea how to fry tempura.
There was no possible way that thing tasted good.
"Could he be a spy from another village?"
Rin immediately became cautious.
If the stall owner was actually a spy, then everything would suddenly make sense.
Obito was now a famous Uchiha genius throughout the Ninja World.
Many villages would want him eliminated as soon as possible.
And even if killing him was impossible, gathering valuable intelligence about him would still benefit any village that viewed Konoha as a future enemy.
"So where exactly is this escape room?" Rin asked, pretending to be interested.
Although she believed she had uncovered the middle-aged stall owner's secret, Rin was not particularly nervous.
No matter what, she was still a Konoha jonin with respectable combat strength.
More importantly, Obito was beside her.
His strength far surpassed that of an ordinary jonin.
A spy should not be capable of defeating them.
And now that Obito had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, even if the spy turned out to be exceptionally strong, Obito could immediately retreat and call reinforcements.
"Go straight for five hundred meters, turn left, continue another two hundred meters, then..."
Kotetsu thoughtfully pulled out a small map and explained the route to Rin.
Naturally, they did not actually have enough money to open an escape room business.
Even the tempura stall itself had only been rented.
But lack of money did not mean there were no solutions.
If they could not afford a real storefront, then they would rely on a ninja's practical skills.
They had simply built a rough hut inside a small grove and decorated it enough to resemble an escape room.
It was not meant to be a real business anyway.
It existed solely for Obito's date.
"He's definitely a spy."
Rin became even more certain.
She knew Konoha extremely well.
The place the stall owner had indicated was nothing more than a small grove.
How could there possibly be an escape room business there?
"Obito, wait here for a moment."
Rin remained perfectly calm.
"I think I just saw a friend. I'm going to say hello."
"Okay, Rin. Go ahead."
Obito nodded without thinking too much about it.
Rin quickly left.
About a minute and a half later, she returned to the tempura stall.
"Rin, who did you see? Shizune?" Obito asked casually.
"Yes."
Rin thought for a moment before answering.
"She came out to buy some daily necessities for Lady Tsunade."
Then Rin turned toward the middle-aged stall owner.
"Please give me three servings of tempura. Thank you."
Kotetsu was delighted.
So he really did possess hidden talent for cooking and running a stall.
Rin had not even tasted the food, yet merely looking at it had convinced her to buy three servings.
"Rin, are you that hungry?"
Obito looked surprised.
"You're buying three servings at once?"
Just earlier, Rin had been the one warning him that the food might taste terrible and suggesting that they not buy any.
Now she was suddenly ordering three portions herself.
"Rin, maybe you should buy less."
Obito began persuading her this time.
"Try one serving first."
The only reason Obito had originally intended to buy anything was because the operation plan required it.
Before Kotetsu actually started frying, Obito had no idea how skilled he was.
Now that he had watched Kotetsu turn a piece of tempura black, there was no question anymore.
Kotetsu could not cook.
Kotetsu became slightly unhappy.
Even Captain Obito could not deny his hidden talent like this!
"It's fine, Obito."
Rin smiled.
"Didn't you just say that something looking bad doesn't necessarily mean it tastes bad?"
She handed the money to the stall owner.
Obito opened his mouth and hesitated.
In the end, he said nothing.
"I'll take Rin somewhere really good for lunch."
Obito silently made up his mind, feeling slightly guilty.
"Three servings, right? I'll make them immediately."
Kotetsu happily accepted the money and began frying.
"Maybe I should just keep the stall open today and sell all the ingredients."
An idea suddenly appeared in his mind.
"If I sell everything, I might still make some money after subtracting the rental fee."
Rin's order of three servings gave Kotetsu enormous confidence.
To repay her trust, he carefully fried every piece, doing his absolute best to make them perfect.
"Obito."
Just as Kotetsu was about to finish the three servings, a familiar voice suddenly called out.
Obito turned.
It was the Uchiha jonin who had previously asked him for advice about leading a squad.
Two other Uchiha ninja whom Obito did not know particularly well followed behind him.
Since that jonin had once offered to buy Obito breakfast, Obito had a good impression of him.
He walked a few steps over and greeted him.
"He's the spy!"
Rin suddenly shouted from beside the tempura stall.
The Rin standing there immediately vanished into a cloud of smoke.
At the same time, the real Rin dropped down from the roof of a nearby building.
Her main body had gone to find members of the Police Force.
The Rin who returned to Obito earlier had only been a Shadow Clone.
"A spy?!"
Kotetsu instinctively stepped backward in alarm.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Several Uchiha Police Force members flashed forward and immediately attacked him.
Kotetsu was completely dumbfounded.
Why were all of them attacking him?
There was nobody else beside him.
Wait.
Could they possibly think he was the spy?
Was frying tempura badly enough to make someone look like a spy?
And he had thought he had done pretty well.
Otherwise, why would Rin have ordered three servings?
Even Obito was momentarily confused by what was happening.
Still, regardless of what had gone wrong, Obito immediately moved to protect Kotetsu.
"Obito, don't be fooled by him!"
Rin quickly warned him.
"He's an undercover agent!"
Obito and Kotetsu both froze.
What kind of ridiculous situation was this?
In the end, Kotetsu dispelled the Transformation Jutsu, clasped his hands together, and sincerely apologized to the Uchiha jonin.
He also promised that he would never randomly set up a food stall again.
This time, Kotetsu truly learned his lesson.
Apparently, frying tempura badly enough could actually get someone arrested as a suspected spy.
As Kotetsu's captain, Obito could only smile awkwardly while repeatedly explaining the situation and guaranteeing that Kotetsu meant no harm.
Out of respect for Obito, the Uchiha ninja did not pursue the matter further.
After giving Kotetsu a few brief warnings, they left.
"Captain Obito, I'm sorry."
Kotetsu suddenly had another flash of inspiration.
He apologized sincerely while desperately winking at Obito.
He could accept all the blame.
That way, Obito could still continue his date with Rin.
Obito understood his intention.
"It's fine."
He immediately adopted a comforting tone.
"It's understandable for young people to want to experiment with new things. Just make sure you don't go down the wrong path of false advertising."
Seeing Obito suddenly put on such an excessively mature, veteran-like attitude, Rin could not help laughing softly.
The enormous weight hanging over Obito's heart instantly disappeared.
"That was close. I almost completely ruined everything."
But the next moment, Rin stopped smiling.
She deliberately put on a stern expression and looked between Obito and Kotetsu.
She was not stupid.
First there had been the strange "role-playing."
Now there was this ridiculous "prize."
Clearly, something was going on.
Obito lowered his head in embarrassment.
Kotetsu looked even more ashamed.
Because of his mistake, Captain Obito's date with Rin had been completely ruined.
"Aren't we going to the flower shop?"
Just as Obito assumed the entire day was over, Rin did not scold him.
Instead, she simply asked the question calmly.
Obito looked up.
Rin had already walked several steps ahead.
She stood about three meters away, looking back at him.
The serious expression from moments earlier had disappeared.
Whether it had been carried away by the spring breeze or something else, Obito did not know.
All that remained was the warm, familiar smile he knew so well.
"Yes. Yes, of course."
Obito quickly nodded.
"Then hurry up."
Rin smiled.
"Standing there with your head down won't get us to the flower shop."
Obito patted Kotetsu on the shoulder.
"Thanks."
Then he jogged forward and quickly caught up with Rin.
"Rin, you're really not angry?"
"Why would I be angry?"
At that moment, Obito suddenly felt as though he understood why he liked Rin.
He then contacted Anko and the others through the walkie-talkie and told them the operation was canceled.
There was no need to continue acting.
Because Obito had realized something.
If Rin truly did not like him, then no matter how many schemes or carefully designed plans he tried, they would all be meaningless.
It was better to continue naturally, just as they always had.
After all, they still had plenty of time.
For the rest of the day, Obito accompanied Rin normally.
They visited the flower shop together.
Afterward, Rin took Obito to buy some snacks.
They walked through the park.
Then, when lunchtime arrived, they chose a nearby restaurant and ate together.
After lunch, Obito escorted Rin home.
"I'm sorry about everything today, Rin."
When they reached the street near her house, Obito apologized again and raised a hand to say goodbye.
"I already told you I'm not angry."
Rin puffed out her cheeks slightly, looking a little displeased that Obito still seemed to misunderstand her.
"Actually, I had a lot of fun today."
"I'm sorry, I..."
Obito hurriedly began apologizing again, suddenly unsure what to say.
"Pfft."
Rin covered her mouth and laughed softly.
"I said I had a lot of fun today."
After saying that, Rin turned and headed home.
Obito remained standing exactly where he was, completely stunned.
…..
https://discord.gg/KvMN2CFsMR
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03].