Chapter 708: The Inevitable Accident

In the evening, Rin Nohara, after finishing dinner, was taking a walk on the street near her home, as usual.

It wasn’t specifically to maintain her figure, but rather a habit she had developed since childhood when her parents would take her for a post-dinner stroll.

Now, if she didn’t take a walk or stand for a while after eating, she would feel unaccustomed and uncomfortable.

Suddenly, Rin Nohara saw a familiar figure.

“Obito, good evening,” Rin Nohara greeted with a smile.

“Good evening to you too, Rin,” Obito replied, smiling.

Before Rin Nohara could say anything more, Obito quickly interjected, “What a coincidence, Rin, you’re also out for a post-dinner walk, aren’t you?”

“Also? Obito, are you out for a post-dinner walk?” Rin Nohara was a little puzzled.

The Uchiha Clan Compound was quite a distance from her home; Obito’s walk must have been a long one.

“Mm.” Obito nodded, then, acting as if he had just remembered something, he said:

“Oh, and on my walk, I discovered something: the Yamanaka Flower Shop is having a promotion tomorrow. Rin, do you want to go check it out? I’m free tomorrow, we could go together.”

Obito, of course, hadn’t really walked over; he had specifically come to ‘accidentally’ meet Rin Nohara, based on her habits.

According to the love theory master, Izumo Kamizuki, being too direct with an invitation would make the girl subconsciously raise her guard, so an ‘accidental’ meeting followed by a perfectly timed invitation was the way to go.

“Obito, aren’t you eating at home?” Rin Nohara felt even stranger.

The Yamanaka Flower Shop was not close to either her or Obito’s home.

“Uh, tonight I had dinner with my teammates,” Obito realized the loophole in his words and quickly tried to salvage the situation.

“That’s nice,” Rin Nohara recalled the scenes of Muzuki and Minato Namikaze taking them out for meals after missions and sighed.

Unbeknownst to her, Obito had also become a guide for others.

“So, Rin, tomorrow?” Obito asked tentatively, suppressing his inner emotions.

“A flower shop? Yes, that sounds good,” Rin Nohara smiled and nodded in agreement.

Despite Obito’s best efforts to control it, the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but curl up slightly, revealing an excited smile.

“Izumo, Kotetsu, you truly live up to your names as my future Shadow Guards! You’re so reliable!”

Obito laughed wildly in his heart, thinking that becoming a team leader was a stroke of genius.

Not only did it bring him spiritual satisfaction, but it also provided unexpected help like this.

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow at nine fifty.”

Obito deliberately chose nine fifty in the morning, as instructed in the scroll.

Nine fifty was not yet lunchtime, but it was relatively close. With a little intentional time-wasting, Obito could easily stretch the outing until lunchtime.

“Nine fifty? That feels a bit late. I think nine o’clock would be better,” Rin Nohara thought nine would be a better time to go.

Obito started to sweat. Rin Nohara usually ate lunch at twelve. If they went at nine, they would need to wander around for three hours before he could legitimately invite her to lunch.

But how could a flower shop take that long? Two hours and ten minutes was already the result of Obito and his two strategists’ utmost efforts.

“Obito, what’s wrong? Do you have something to do at nine?” Rin Nohara asked curiously.

“No,” Obito instinctively replied.

Instantly, Obito wanted to slap himself. Why be so honest? Now there was no reason left for nine fifty.

“Rin, you’re right. Let’s go at nine then; nine fifty would be a bit late,” Obito agreed, gritting his teeth.

“Okay, then I’ll see you tomorrow at nine,” Rin Nohara smiled and waved goodbye to Obito.

“Goodbye, Rin.”

Seeing Rin Nohara’s smile, Obito couldn’t help but smile back. He waved and walked cheerfully towards the Uchiha Clan Compound.

“Captain Obito, how can you still be smiling? This is a major mistake!” Kotetsu Hagane sighed, looking disappointed.

To prevent any accidents, their emotional duo, plus Anko, had been observing Obito from the side.

And sure enough, problems arose.

Obito rigidly followed the formula without adapting, and he always subconsciously favored Rin Nohara, causing the plan to go awry.

“That’s right, how are we going to deal with those extra fifty minutes?” Kotetsu Hagane’s words pulled Obito out of Rin Nohara’s smile, and he couldn’t help but look worried.

If they couldn’t have lunch together because of those extra fifty minutes, then nearly half of the plan would be unusable—a major blunder.

“It doesn’t matter, I’ll step in when the time comes,” Anko said calmly.

“Step in for what? It’d be great if you didn’t cause more trouble,” Izumo Kamizuki said, somewhat speechless.

Although they were not as strong as Anko, in terms of romance, they were absolutely beyond her reach.

After all, Anko, let alone dating experience, didn’t even have any romantic thoughts.

They also found it hard to imagine who Anko would like or what she would be like in a relationship.

“Senior Obito, you don’t need to panic. We will provide off-field assistance, following you covertly, giving you boosts and help to ensure the plan goes smoothly,” Izumo Kamizuki said, handing a walkie-talkie to Obito.

Izumo Kamizuki knew that plans rarely survive contact. It was very difficult, and currently beyond their ability, to design a perfect plan that would have no surprises.

However, while they couldn’t create a perfect plan, they could make adjustments based on changes, which was a fairly feasible approach.

“I’m counting on you!” Obito said, deeply moved.

They truly were the teammates he recognized, second only to him in reliability… The next day, morning.

Obito carefully selected clothes suitable for a date.

Even he knew that for a date, he couldn’t wear a combat uniform as he would for regular training.

When his grandmother noticed, she teased him:

“Picking clothes so carefully, are you going on a date with Rin and then confessing?”

Obito’s face flushed instantly, and he quickly waved his hands, saying:

“Grandma, don’t talk nonsense! We’re just going out to have some fun.”

“Going out to have fun? Isn’t that a date?” his grandmother asked, feigning confusion.

Obito didn’t speak, his face only growing redder.

Seeing this, his grandmother stopped teasing Obito, smiled, and went about her own business, so as not to waste Obito’s time.

Finally, Obito chose a beige hoodie for the top and black trousers for the bottom.

He couldn’t think of how to dress fashionably or attractively, so he could only choose what he found most satisfactory.

After changing, Obito carefully reviewed the scroll once more, confirming the day’s outing plan.

Once all preparations were complete, Obito set off early for the agreed meeting spot, arriving fifteen minutes before the scheduled time.

These fifteen minutes were Obito’s buffer for unexpected situations. He felt he would regret it for a long time if he were late due to an accident.

Rather than regretting after something happened, it was better to prepare early to prevent accidents.

This was a rare date for two, without that annoying white-haired Kakashi getting in the way.

About five minutes after Obito arrived, Rin Nohara appeared in his line of sight.

“Rin, good morning!” Obito greeted Rin Nohara cheerfully.

“Good morning,” Rin Nohara replied with a smile.

“Obito, you’re really early! I guessed you’d arrive early, but you’re even earlier than I imagined.”

“Hehe,” Obito smiled even more brightly.

He arrived fifteen minutes early and still saw Rin Nohara so quickly, which meant Rin Nohara had also arrived early.

Even if Rin Nohara had been late, Obito would have been happy just that she came, but her early arrival made Obito even happier.

Because it showed that Rin Nohara also cared about him.

“I feel like you’re a bit different today, Obito.”

Rin Nohara noticed that Obito wasn’t wearing his combat uniform or sportswear, and even his goggles, which he never took off, were gone.

“How does it feel?” Obito asked, a little nervous.

“How to put it…” Rin Nohara looked thoughtful.

“When you wear your combat uniform, you might seem more reliable…”

Obito’s heart sank, and a nervous yet trying-to-stay-calm expression involuntarily appeared on his face.

“But this casual outfit, Obito, gives you a relaxed handsomeness. It’s really good!” Rin Nohara’s words took a turn, praising him.

“Phew.” The heavy stone suspended in Obito’s heart landed smoothly, and he felt relieved.

If the outfit he had spent so much time carefully selecting had a worse impression than his usual combat uniform, he probably would never buy casual clothes again.

“Huh?! Rin said I’m handsome!”

Realizing what Rin Nohara had just said, Obito’s heart rate surged like a Ninja using Chakra to travel, as if it would leap out of his chest. His smile was practically overflowing.

Pfft.

Rin Nohara covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

“This is bad, Captain Obito is being easily manipulated, isn’t he?” Izumo Kamizuki said seriously, putting down his binoculars.

The plan to win over Rin Nohara hadn’t even officially begun, and he felt Obito was already close to raising the white flag.

“Isn’t this good too? Senior Rin is truly understanding,” Kotetsu Hagane said enviously, putting down his binoculars.

If Mihui could perceive his feelings every time they met, no matter how great the difficulties, he would overcome them.

“You can hear what they’re saying from this far?” Anko asked, puzzled.

“This is the difference between us. As a qualified Ninja, how can you not know how to read lips?” Kotetsu Hagane said, lifting his chin and looking down.

Lip-reading combined with Obito’s easy-to-understand expressions made deciphering their communication effortless.

Bang!

Anko clenched her right fist and delivered a heavy punch, hitting Kotetsu Hagane without hesitation.

Kotetsu Hagane, caught off guard, nearly fell to the ground.

Izumo Kamizuki frowned, looking at Anko, and said, “Kotetsu is an important combat expert. Without him, how can we help Captain Obito complete the plan?”

“I’ll do it then,” Anko said confidently.

“How will you do it? Take them to a Tuanzi Shop to foster their feelings?” Izumo Kamizuki muttered while helping Kotetsu Hagane.

“Stop arguing, Captain Obito and Rin are about to leave,” Kotetsu Hagane said, steadying himself.

Squabbling with Anko was a minor matter; the captain’s lifelong happiness was paramount.

“Then it’s our turn to act,” Izumo Kamizuki nodded.

With that, the three of them simultaneously unleashed their Chakra, swiftly flashed forward, bypassed Obito and Rin Nohara, and reached a spot ahead of them.

Immediately after, the three of them performed the Transformation Technique together to change their appearances.

“You’re so self-centered, always acting on your own and making the team suffer the consequences. Are you trying to destroy our team? Get out of our team!” Kotetsu Hagane angrily rebuked Anko.

Anko instinctively threw another punch, directly breaking Kotetsu Hagane’s Transformation Technique.

“Anko, what are you doing! We’re acting!” Izumo Kamizuki quickly helped Kotetsu Hagane.

In novels, protagonists on dates always encounter various accidents.

But this was reality, and rather than letting Obito rely on luck to encounter an accident, it was better for them to proactively create one.

The accident they wanted to create was a team conflict: two teammates dissatisfied with a newly joined member, and then Obito stepping in righteously to mediate the conflict, allowing Rin Nohara to see Obito’s kindness and reliability.

“I’m sorry, Kotetsu, he acted too well,” Anko apologized, clasping her hands together.

Kotetsu Hagane’s demeanor and tone just now made Anko feel as if she was genuinely being scolded.

“Never mind, quickly get ready again. Captain Obito and Rin are almost here,” Izumo Kamizuki said after observing with his binoculars.

Kotetsu Hagane quickly reapplied the Transformation Technique and continued with their ‘accident’ plan.

Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki continuously and loudly reprimanded Anko, their expressions so genuine and their words so full of emotion that Anko was amazed.

She had to admit that in terms of acting, she was indeed inferior to the two of them.

Several times, she almost couldn’t resist punching each of them.

“What’s going on here? Let’s go see, Obito.”

Rin Nohara, who had walked nearby, noticed the commotion and wanted to understand the situation.

“Okay.”

Obito, knowing the full story, nodded and quickened his pace, leading Rin Nohara by half a step.

“Aren’t you Obito’s teammates? What are you playing?”

Just as Obito was mediating the conflict according to the plan, a voice somewhat familiar to Obito rang out.

Kakashi looked at Anko and the others with a strange expression.

He was passing by and happened to hear words like ‘leaving the team’.

Having experienced something similar, Kakashi’s DNA instantly reacted, and he came over to see what was happening.

With his strong sensory abilities, he found the three of them a bit odd, so he activated his Transparent World, only to discover they were Obito’s temporary squad members.

Kotetsu Hagane and the others, along with Obito, all felt a jolt in their hearts, realizing something was wrong.

“Why did he show up now? He really is an inherently evil white-haired brat,” Obito cursed in his mind.

But what was meant to happen would always happen. Kakashi had already exposed them, and Rin Nohara still asked the question in her heart.

“Obito, your teammates?” Rin Nohara looked at Obito curiously.

“We’re playing role-playing!” Izumo Kamizuki, in a flash of inspiration, dispelled his Transformation Technique and said.

“It’s that game that’s quite popular recently, where you play characters from novels and stuff.”

“Right, right,” Kotetsu Hagane quickly nodded.

Obito showed an expression of relief; his Shadow Guards were indeed reliable.

“Kakashi, good morning,” Rin Nohara then greeted Kakashi.

Obito’s heart sank again. Was it going to be like before again?

Someone come save me, and cure this inherently evil white-haired brat.