Mission Preparations

After leaving the Hokage's office, Yami followed Kakashi and his two companions from a short distance behind, lost in his thoughts.

The mission assigned to him this time was undoubtedly the most dangerous he had ever received. In the series, the only noteworthy event was Obito's presumed death, but the mission didn't revolve around Obito—it was about destroying the Kanabi Bridge and cutting off Iwa Village's supplies.

The series didn't detail how Kakashi and Rin managed to destroy the bridge, which worried Yami. He wasn't naive enough to think that the mission would unfold exactly as it did in the original. In the series, someone controlled the events and the fate of everyone, but the moment he transmigrated here, this world became a reality to him, no longer controlled by an author.

In reality, an important point such as the Kanabi Bridge wouldn't be guarded by just a few Jonin and Chunin Iwa Ninjas. Yami was sure that there would be at least a half dozen teams guarding it, and the presence of elite Jonin might not be too far off. Thinking of all this, Yami wasn't optimistic about their odds of successfully completing the mission, unlike the overly enthusiastic Obito ahead, who was almost jumping with excitement.

"Did you hear that, Kakashi? The Hokage said we are the elite ninjas in the village!" From the time he received the mission to the time he walked out of the Hokage Building, Uchiha Obito was very excited. Because of the Third Hokage's words about the "elite team," he felt he had received some kind of recognition.

"Idiot." Kakashi, as always, poured a bucket of cold water on Obito. "The only person who would take such polite words seriously is a single-celled idiot like you."

"What? Do you think the Hokage-sama would lie?" Obito's face fell in displeasure. "Or do you think you are not good enough and unworthy of the title of elite ninja?"

"No, you are the only one at the bottom."

"Nonsense, Yami is obviously also..." Obito could no longer refute Kakashi, who was already a Jonin, so he shifted his target to Yami, who was walking at the end of the group. With Yami, the king of repeaters, there was no way Obito would be the last one.

"It's a pity that Yami completely defeated the special Jonin who was the examiner in the Chunin Exam. He is no longer the last one we imagined before." Kakashi also turned his gaze behind him. Thinking of the test that day, and recalling the fact that he didn't notice Yami's departure that day, Kakashi felt that Yami was definitely not as simple as everyone said.

"You must be kidding. You can actually beat the examiner?" Obito couldn't help but stare at Yami in disbelief. He didn't attend the examination that day as he was busy helping a grandma, causing him to be late, so he didn't know the exact details of what happened and only knew that an incident happened to Yami.

But now hearing Kakashi say that Yami defeated a special Jonin, Obito couldn't help but recall his embarrassment during his own Chunin Exam, which he barely managed to pass. And now you're telling me that Yami the repeater, a Genin managed to defeat a special Jonin. Impossible.

"Yami-san is really amazing." Because of the pressure of being assigned a mission by the Hokage himself, Rin had been feeling uneasy since they left the Hokage building. But seeing her two companions bickering as usual eased her worries a bit. She decided to tease Obito a little.

"Rin?" Why did even Rin say that? Obito couldn't help but become wary of Yami's presence again.

*****

"What's on your mind?"

Yami was still thinking about the mission and whether he should just enter stealth mode and let the others do the work when a sudden voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Looking ahead, he saw the group had already stopped a distance away from the Hokage building and were looking at him, with Rin being the one who asked him.

"Are you worried about the mission?"

"Me? Nah..." Yami waved his hand in denial before a smile appeared on his face. He asked half-jokingly, "I was just thinking, everyone who went on a mission with me before died. Will this time be the same?"

Yami glanced at Obito and Rin, whose faces had begun to change drastically.

"Huh, are you kidding me? I won't die!" Although he said this, Obito's expression was quite shaken because what Yami said seemed to be true.

"I won't let anything happen to Rin! But you, are you really going to do what the people in the village said and deliberately let your companions die during the mission?"

"Obito!" Rin interjected, trying to calm the situation. Ever since the Chunin exam, people in the village rarely spread this rumor anymore, and she didn't want to see conflicts between her companions before the mission.

Her attempt to stop the argument only made Obito's emotions worse. "Yes or no?" he demanded.

"If I say yes, will you report it to Hokage-sama and have me removed from this mission?" Yami asked, wishing for Obito to do that. Even though he knew the chances of that causing him to be removed from the mission were minimal, he still held onto the chance that bastard Hiruzen would come back to his senses and send him back to the hospital.

"I'll go now!" Obito adjusted his windproof glasses and actually turned around, planning to walk back to the Hokage building.

"Obito! Calm down. Yami-kun was just joking!" Rin quickly grabbed him.

"But he doesn't look like he's joking at all!" Although Obito stopped his actions, his face was still very angry. Regardless of whether the rumor was true or false, Obito only knew that none of Yami's teammates had returned alive from a mission. It was someone else before, so it was okay, but this time it was him and Rin together.

Even if it was just superstition, teaming up with an "unlucky" person like Yami made him uneasy. The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.

Yami, sensing the tension in the air and not wanting to escalate the situation further, shrugged and turned away from the group.

"I don't have time for this," he muttered. "I'm heading home to prepare for the mission tomorrow."

He didn't wait for a response and began walking away, leaving Kakashi, Rin, and Obito behind. As he made his way through the village, he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. This mission was more than just a routine assignment; it felt like a test of survival.

Upon reaching his home, Yami immediately started preparing his gear. He meticulously checked his kunai and shuriken, making sure they were all sharpened and in good condition. Because of stealth skill, Yami wasn't lacking in gears or money as he sometimes took a few 'taxes' from the merchants using stealth without being noticed.

He prepared several explosive tags and other ninja tools, packing them carefully into his pouch. As he did, his mind wandered back to the mission details and the uncertainties it held.

"There's no way this is going to be as simple as it was in the series," he thought. "I'll need to stay sharp and be ready for anything."

Finally, after double-checking his gear, Yami sat down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. He wasn't going to train like usual. Tomorrow would be a pivotal day, and he needed to be mentally prepared. He closed his eyes, taking deep breaths to calm his mind.

"This is my reality now. I have to face it head-on."

****

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