Chapter 66

Chapter 66

Amidst their lively chatter, they quickly arrived at their destination—the Ichiraku Ramen shop.

This would later become Naruto's favorite spot and the safest place in all of Konoha. Even during the attack of Pain's Deva Path, the shop remained unharmed, a testament to how secure it was.

"Boss, three miso ramen and five soy broth ramen, please," Minato ordered as he sat down, smiling at Haneda and the others behind him.

"Find a seat and let's chat while we wait," he suggested.

Sakumo sat down next to Minato, with Kakashi, Haneda, and Obito seated to his right.

Barely seated, Obito couldn't help but blurt out, "I can't believe you really took down a Mist Village jōnin!"

"Damn it, Haneda, all those times I asked for your help, you weren't even teaching me properly!"

Before Haneda could respond, Asuma interjected, "Haneda trains really hard. Do you think you can just ask him to teach you whenever you want? You should be grateful for whatever he shares."

"Who are you to talk?" Obito shot back. "Haneda and I grew up together, and we're both from the Uchiha clan. If I want him to teach me, he will!"

Asuma scoffed, "Listen here, Obito. I, Sarutobi Asuma, have been Haneda's classmate for five years and am his comrade in Team 9, like a brother to him! Even I only get to learn from him occasionally, so a dead-last like you would just be wasting his time."

Obito couldn't take it anymore and stood up, saying, "Haneda, how about we train after lunch? Kakashi can join us too!"

Glancing at Asuma and then at Obito, Haneda reluctantly nodded. He had initially planned to rest that afternoon.

"Alright, Obito. But we'll stop by nightfall since I have plans later," Haneda agreed.

Obito grinned like he'd just won a prize, while Asuma looked like he'd swallowed something unpleasant.

Suddenly, a booming voice called out from behind.

"Kakashi, let's have a match—a youthful battle of strength!"

It was Guy, dressed in his signature green spandex suit. He noticed Haneda nearby and became excited.

"Haneda and Rinto are here too! How was your mission outside the village?"

Clearly directing the question to Haneda, he responded with a smile, "It was fine. It escalated into an A-rank mission, but nothing we couldn't handle."

As they chatted, three more people arrived.

At the front was a pale-skinned man with long hair and golden snake-like eyes—Orochimaru. Trailing behind him were Anko Mitarashi, nibbling on dango, and Genma Shiranui, with a senbon in his mouth.

"An A-rank mission, huh? Sakumo-senpai's students are quite impressive. My team just completed a B-rank mission," Orochimaru said with a smile, but there was something unsettling about it.

"Teacher Orochimaru! I was about to challenge Kakashi to a youthful duel," Guy announced.

"Is that so? It sounds energetic, but you still have a lot of work ahead of you, Guy," Orochimaru said offhandedly, his attention on Sakumo and Minato.

Sakumo laughed and said, "It wasn't really my doing. Haneda and the others handled the mission."

"Uchiha Haneda, huh? Your three-tomoe Sharingan is impressive," Orochimaru remarked, his gaze lingering on Haneda's eyes as he licked his lips. He then summoned a snake to pull Guy away.

"Come on, Guy. It looks like this ramen shop is full," Orochimaru said, as he walked off with Guy in tow.

"Nooo, Teacher Orochimaru! I still want to challenge Kakashi to a youthful duel!" Guy protested.

"You can't beat him."

"Teacher Orochimaru, the power of youth never rests! I will keep challenging those stronger than me!"

"You can't beat him."

"Teacher Orochimaru…"

"Quiet."

A snake sealed Guy's mouth, and his muffled protests faded as Orochimaru led him away.

Haneda sighed in relief. He had briefly worried Orochimaru might have been eyeing his Sharingan.

"What the heck? Even that bowl-cut guy completed a B-rank mission, just one step below Haneda's A-rank," Obito muttered, feeling down. His team had been stuck doing D-rank missions for half a month.

Obito glanced pleadingly at Minato. "Sensei, isn't it time we got a tougher mission? Look, Guy's team has already completed a B-rank, and Haneda's team finished an A-rank! We're falling behind!"

Minato chuckled at Obito's complaints and said, "We'll see, Obito. You still haven't even mastered walking on water. Keep working on that first."

"No way, Sensei! You don't want to be outdone by Uncle Sakumo or Teacher Orochimaru, do you?" Obito tried to provoke him.

"Yeah, Sensei," Kakashi added. "If we don't step up, Team 9 will leave us in the dust."

Kakashi didn't want to be left behind by Haneda, his close friend and rival. Doing D-rank missions had gotten tiresome.

Seeing both his students so eager, Minato scratched his head, feeling apologetic toward Kushina.

"Alright, I'll choose a higher-ranking mission next time," he finally relented.

"Yeah! We're finally getting a more advanced mission!" Obito cheered, while Kakashi's eyes gleamed with anticipation.

But Haneda didn't share their enthusiasm. More advanced missions came with greater danger and deeper exposure to the darkness lurking in the world.

...

After spending the afternoon training with Obito and Kakashi, Haneda returned to the Uchiha clan grounds.

It was late afternoon, and the sky was ablaze with a crimson sunset.

Haneda walked to the Uchiha clan leader's residence, pushing open the gate with ease.

"Uncle Clan Leader, Brother Fugaku, I'm back," he called out.

"It's you, Haneda. Come on in," came the clan leader's voice from inside. As Haneda stepped in and removed his shoes, he noticed two cups of tea already set on the wooden table.

"I hear you secured some business for the Uchiha in the Land of Waves, along with some protection fees?" the clan leader asked.

Haneda didn't answer immediately, instead asking, "Where's Brother Fugaku? Is he training?"

"He is. Judging by the time, he should be back soon," the clan leader said, glancing out the window before turning his attention back to Haneda.

"You brought in 70 million ryō this time, along with some gems and gold. Not bad at all."

"It was alright," Haneda replied casually. He wasn't concerned about the money. He had arranged protection fees from the Land of Waves' rebels to give them a stable backer and to replace Sakata in trade dealings with the Land of Fire. It also ensured the Daimyō wouldn't give him any trouble.

Of course, Haneda also felt this was a small way to repay the Uchiha clan for their years of support.

***

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