"If he brags about his Ninja Academy grades being good, but it turns out they're just average or worse, we'll pretend not to know and praise him first, then let him unintentionally realize we know, making him sense our disdain for such grades, and then..."
"We can do this and that too..."
Kotetsu and Anko quickly joined the discussion.
The three of them got more and more excited, as if they could already see a boastful Jonin having his resolve shattered under their ingenious tactics.
Obito showed a trace of surprise. How could these young juniors be so full of mischief? They're just the people to deal with Kakashi.
As they chatted, they arrived near a small scenic building.
"We're here, goodbye Obito-senpai." Izumo and Kotetsu smiled and bid farewell to Obito.
The village information instructed them to gather here.
"Obito-senpai, let's meet up often when you have time. I'll let you treat me to some dumplings," Anko said with a mischievous grin, also saying goodbye to Obito.
However, they were puzzled as Obito also stopped and didn't leave, smiling broadly at them.
"Obito-senpai, what's this?"
Izumo looked puzzled.
"I'm here too," Obito replied with a grin.
The smiles on the faces of Izumo and Kotetsu slowly disappeared.
"Obito-senpai, are you here for training? Great! If the Jonin who comes is strong, you can help us out," Anko said with a cheeky smile.
Obito's smile deepened, but he didn't answer Anko's question. Instead, he continued:
"Let me reintroduce myself, I'm Uchiha Obito, the acting captain of the sixth squad."
Anko's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open slightly, her smile vanished.
"Heh heh, Kotetsu, Mitarashi Anko, I've known for a long time that you two aren't up to any good," Izumo suddenly sneered.
"No matter who the captain is, the captain is still the captain. Following orders is a ninja's duty. I purposely brought up the topic of dealing with the captain, and unsurprisingly, you two came up with countless wicked plans. Truly, the world has changed for the worse."
Izumo reacted quickly, but Kotetsu wasn't slow either. He immediately countered:
"I think you're the schemer. I saw through your intentions long ago, so I deliberately asked if you had any ideas. I didn't expect you and Anko to be so disgraceful, plotting against the captain before he's even shown up."
Anko: ...
How did she become the sinister, villainous person in just a moment?
Obito could barely contain his laughter. He thought it would be interesting when he saw the team members' profiles, but reality exceeded his expectations.
"I was just embodying darkness to draw out the true darkness," Izumo resolutely denied.
"Clearly, it's the darkness hidden within the light that has been drawn out!" Kotetsu retorted.
Anko didn't get involved in the heated debate, instead, she reluctantly took out a dumpling, holding it out to Obito with both hands.
"Captain Obito, I'm treating you to a dumpling, just deal with them, not me," Anko sincerely said.
They weren't afraid of an ordinary Jonin, but Obito wasn't an ordinary Jonin.
According to rumors in Konoha, Obito was already at the level of Jonin like Kitsuchi and Pakura, top-tier forces in the Ninja World.
Calling him captain felt very satisfying to Obito, as if a surge of energy shot straight from his feet to his head, making him feel transparent.
He intended to accept the first gift as their captain, but seeing Anko's reluctant expression, he ended up returning the dumpling to her.
Obito thought that if he took it, Anko might lose sleep over it tonight—it's just a dumpling, no need to fret.
"Thank you, Captain Obito!"
With the dumpling back in her hands, Anko instantly broke into a smile. It was something she had saved from the morning, thinking she'd eat it after tiring from training to replenish her energy.
"Ahh!"
Anko thought for a moment and quickly gobbled up the dumpling in one big bite—only a dumpling in her stomach was truly her own.
"Captain Obito, don't listen to the slander, Anko was the most outrageous just now."
"Indeed, regardless of the facts, Anko is definitely the one who deserves a beating the most."
Seeing Anko take a different approach, Izumo and Kotetsu tacitly targeted her.
Clap, clap!!
Obito put his index and middle fingers together, moved swiftly, and tapped each of them on the head.
"No need to argue, everyone gets a piece," Obito said with a smile after delivering the taps.
He wanted to fake a serious expression to assert his authority.
However, as much as Obito recalled, he couldn't find the expression he wanted on Teacher Mokgetsu's face in his memories. Mokgetsu always seemed so gentle.
Realizing this, Obito decided to drop the act.
"So knocking people on the head is this satisfying. No wonder Teacher Mokgetsu always did it to us."
Obito rubbed his thumb against his middle and index fingers, feeling secretly delighted that he had come.
A chance to watch some fun and enjoy Teacher Mokgetsu's experiences—he'd come even if he had to pay for it.
"Now that we all know each other, no need for self-introductions. Let's start the official training. Although I'm your senior, as your captain, I won't hold back," Obito reminded them.
Having gone through various battles, Obito understood that the ninja profession wasn't glamorous, it was sometimes even cruel.
If you take it easy during training, missions later on will be dangerous.
Kotetsu and the other two stopped fooling around and nodded seriously.
"Let's start with the bell-snatching exercise. As long as any one of you gets a bell, you're successful," Obito said, taking out two bells.