Chapter 3: Teammates Grab the Bell, Hanako's Eating!

The next morning.

Hanako, with panda eyes and a bump on his head, headed out.

Because he had to cook breakfast himself, he was a bit late.

Training Ground #9.

"Ahaha~"

Kakashi yawned and looked around.

"Where's Hanako? Why isn't he here yet?"

Kakashi arrived early in the morning, being the first one.

Then came Obito, followed by Kakashi.

They had been waiting for over an hour now, and not only Hanako hadn't arrived, even their team leader, Minato Namikaze, hadn't shown up.

Isn't this a scam?

"Hey! I'm late."

A figure appeared out of thin air, and it was none other than Minato Namikaze.

He glanced at everyone, then his gaze paused.

Hmm?

How come someone is even later than their teacher?

"Where's Hanako?" Minato asked, looking at the others.

"Don't know, maybe he fell on the way here," Obito shrugged.

"Maybe he's still not awake?" Rin whispered.

"Hmph!" Kakashi snorted, expressing his dissatisfaction.

At that moment...

A figure rushed over, running towards the training ground.

It was none other than Hanako.

"Sorry, I tripped on the way, came late."

Reaching the group, Hanako pointed to the bump on his head, providing a valid reason.

"Ah? Did you really fall?" Obito couldn't believe it.

He just casually said it, but now there was actually a bump on Hanako's head.

"Are you okay?" Rin asked with concern.

"I'm fine, just a minor fall," Hanako waved his hand.

"But it seems like your clothes are a bit swollen."

"Really? Maybe it got swollen from the fall."

Hanako didn't care much about the injury.

This surprised Minato Namikaze.

On the side, Kakashi glanced at the bump on Hanako's head, then turned his head away.

"Alright, now that everyone is here, it's time for team cooperation."

Minato Namikaze cleared his throat and began announcing today's mission.

"Your task is to grab the bell from me."

Saying that, Minato Namikaze revealed a bell in his hand, shaking it in front of everyone.

Then he tied the bell around his waist.

"You can use any means!"

"As long as you can grab the bell, you pass."

"If you fail to grab it, there will be consequences!"

Hearing this mission, Kakashi was the first to react.

He completely ignored Hanako and the others, rushing towards Minato Namikaze alone.

"So eager?"

Minato chuckled, lightly stepping aside to dodge Kakashi's attack.

Next, the two engaged in a stalemate.

"Grabbing the bell requires teamwork, Kakashi, you idiot," Obito commented while observing, taking a dig at his rival.

"This is your chance," Hanako casually spoke, implying something.

"Huh? Chance? What chance?" Obito hurriedly asked, leaning in.

Even Rin extended her ears, wanting to hear Hanako's idea.

"Think about it. The longer Kakashi entangles with the teacher, the more exhausted they become. When the time is right, you can take the opportunity to rush over and have a high chance of grabbing the bell, right?"

"You make a valid point," Obito suddenly realized.

"But isn't this a wheel battle? It's not really good, right? Didn't the teacher say it's about teamwork?" Rin found this idea somewhat unsightly.

The teacher clearly said that this test was about teamwork.

This meant that the four of them had to work together and grab the bell to pass.

"Rin, did Kakashi discuss it with us?" Obito threw the blame directly at Kakashi.

Then he continued.

"Since he's not cooperating with us, we can only cooperate among the three of us."

Saying that, he patted Hanako's shoulder.

"Hanako, you'll cooperate with me later."

"How should we cooperate?" Hanako smiled.

"You pretend to fall again later. I'll call the teacher over, and when the teacher relaxes his guard, hehe, I'll secretly take off the bell."

Obito chuckled, his face showing confidence.

By the way, he also turned his face towards Rin, wanting to see the adoring look in her eyes.

Unfortunately.

"I disagree with you doing that," Rin spoke up.

"I also disagree," Hanako seconded.

"Ah?" Obito looked bewildered.

He could understand Rin's disagreement since she was kind-hearted.

But why did Hanako also disagree?

Aren't they good brothers?

To be honest, Hanako was a bit tired.

Hanako pulled Obito aside.

"Obito, I'm giving you such a great opportunity, and you don't cherish it?"

"You want to go grab the bell alone. Only by doing that can Rin start to like you."

"Don't you see that Kakashi is already ahead of you?"

Hanako's words directly hit Obito.

"Good brother."

With a grateful look, Obito understood.

Hanako was giving him the chance, but whether he could seize it or not would depend on the timing of entering the battlefield.

And so.

A tense scene unfolded in Training Ground #9.

On one side, Kakashi was fiercely competing for the bell with Minato Namikaze, while on the other side, Obito was watching vigilantly, ready to make his move at any moment.

As time passed.

The battle for the bell shifted to the edge of the training ground, even leaving the training ground itself.

Obito followed along, closely observing the situation.

Now, only Hanako and Rin were left.

"Should we go too?" Rin asked, feeling a bit worried, and made a suggestion.

"Why should we go? To make matters worse?" Hanako replied with a smile.

After speaking, he picked up a rock, squatted down, and took out a lunchbox from his pocket.

Then came the second lunchbox.

The third lunchbox.

The fourth lunchbox.

He opened each lunchbox one by one, and a fragrant aroma filled the air, making one's appetite soar.

When Rin saw this scene, her eyes widened in astonishment.

"No wonder his clothes were a bit swollen. He was hiding lunchboxes. Grrrr~~"

As soon as she thought of this, Rin's stomach betrayed her and growled.

But can you blame her?

Because she arrived early and didn't even have breakfast.

But here, her teammate was eating while the bell was being contested in the distance. This didn't seem right, did it?

"What are you staring at? Hurry up and come eat!"

Hanako tossed a pair of chopsticks to Rin and urged her.

"Huh? I'll just eat a little bit," Rin touched her stomach and ran over.