Yesterday. After the Written Test for the Chunin Exam—

The exams have been very comprehensive, and for the whole day, Obito cannot help but feel annoyed. To be fair, he is actually competent even with subtracting the experiences from his past life when it comes to written exams… Studying after all doesn’t need talent.

Too bad, if Obito does have talent, he should manage something like at least an above-average score.

But truly, Obito is a very average kind of guy.

That doesn’t make him any less special though.

After the exams, Minato-sensei invites his dear students to his house. It seems he and Kushina have been living together for a few months already. Obito is very eager, thus he immediately runs off home and informs his grandma about it.

Obito arrives at the Namikaze House. It would have been called a ‘Household’ instead if not for the complications that arise from Kushina Uzumaki’s identity. “Hello,” He knocks on the door gently.

Since Obito has memories of the future and a lot more, he is privy to the more sensitive topics that others won’t know. For example, the status of Kushina Uzumaki as Jinchuriki. In fact, Minato and Kushina while husband and wife have not been married officially.

Now that Obito is thinking about it, this must be one of the reasons why their future son, Naruto has inherited the ‘Uzumaki’ name instead of the ‘Namikaze’ name.

"Hey, Obito! You made it!" Rin greets with a bright smile, the yellow apron hinting at her involvement in preparing something inside. Obito returns the smile, appreciating the warmth that always seems to radiate from Rin’s smile.

"Hey, Rin! Is Minato-sensei around?" Obito asks, curiosity bubbling within him. He's eager to see what kind of home life his sensei has, especially with Kushina in the mix.

Though he with the gang has done some stalking on Kushina, they don’t know much about their personal lives, especially inside their house. “Hmmm… How about Kakashi then?”

"Yeah, Kakashi's in the living room. Come on in!" Rin steps aside, allowing Obito to enter the house. The aroma of something delicious wafts through the air, teasing Obito’s senses.

As he steps into the living room, Obito finds Minato-sensei standing over the kitchen just some spaces away from the living room. Kushina with her red hair sits beside the quiet Kakashi who is reading a pocketbook. Kushina playfully swats at the book, clearly attempting to distract Kakashi, but Kakashi is stoic, seemingly unperturbed.

The room is cozy, and adorned with simple decorations that reflect a comfortable family life.

"Obito! Glad you could join us," Minato-sensei says, while he stirs something on the pan.

"The pleasure is mine, sensei. What are you cooking?" Obito asks, his stomach growling in anticipation of a good meal. Rin walks beside Minato-sensei and helps with what she can such as chopping vegetables and such.

"Just a little stir-fry for dinner. Nothing too fancy," Minato-sensei replies with a grin. "Kushina insisted on helping, but I'm not sure if that's a good idea." He chuckles, and Kushina pouts in mock offense.

"Don't listen to him, Obito-san. I'm an excellent cook, you know!" Kushina interjects, her playful tone filling the room. Obito smiles wryly as he sits across Kakashi.

Obito glances at Kakashi, who is still engrossed in his book. "Hey, Kakashi! What are you reading?" Obito calls out, curious about the pocketbook that has captured Kakashi's attention.

Kakashi looks up, his eyes remaining emotionless. "Oh, just reviewing the Written Exam. Making sure I didn't mess up any answers," he replies, flipping a page in the pocketbook.

"Studious as always, huh?" Obito smirks. "Of course, Kakashi-sensei. Wouldn't want to ruin that perfect record of yours." He teases, earning a subtle eye-roll from Kakashi.

Recently, Obito has been teasing Kakashi as his ‘sensei’ for so smartly instructing him and Rin when he is free to do so… Kakashi is like a co-sensei of sorts, and Obito has been getting the fun’s worth over it while Kakashi is still feeling embarrassed on being called Sensei.

Though others might not see it, Obito is certain that Kakashi does feel embarrassed.

Rin, who has been setting the table, chimes in, "You boys, scoot off. Kakashi-san, can't you take a break and enjoy dinner for once? And Obito-kun, stop prodding at Kakashi-san."

“Eh?” Kushina conspiratorially smiles. “The other is called with 'san', and the other with 'kun'. What is this? Does our Rin and the boys have something going on?”

Rin and Kakashi for some reason feel embarrassed together.

Obito doesn’t follow along. “Of course, I will be called with ­–kun, I am Rin’s soulm—”

“Shut up, Obito…” Rin with an annoyed tone explains to Kushina, “Obito and I have been childhood friends, so we have been familiar with each other since like forever.”

But Kushina doesn’t let up, “But what then Kakashi-san? You have been teammates for three years straight, you know? But still with the -san?”

“I am embarrassed,” Rin scratches the back of her head as she brings a bowl filled with rice to the center of the table. She sticks the big wooden serving spoon on the rice.

“Embarrassed? Oh, I wonder why?” Kushina exudes an aura of the nosy aunty next door who tends to spread gossip about their children’s crushes, and love life.

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Obito observes with a grumpy scowl.

Kakashi defends Rin, “Actually, it is not something to be embarrassed about, Rin-san…” He casually stands and sits beside Obito. “Kushina-senpai cannot help but gossip because she is getting old.”

“Huh!?” Kushina’s hair seems to rise in fury as she scowls at Kakashi.

Kakashi deadpans, gulping, “I actually confronted Rin about it. Rin is simply ‘scared’ of me, and according to her, I exude this serious aura…”

“Like an elite…” Obito grins savagely as he elbows Kakashi playfully. “No, more like an emo brat on the verge of awakening his inner creepiness…”

“You are the creepy one, dumbass…” Kakashi quickly retorts.

Minato enters the scene, carrying a tray loaded with delicious-looking dishes. He places the chicken curry and stir-fried vegetables on the table, diverting everyone's attention.

Minato grins, "Looks like the party's already started without me! What's all this chatter about, huh?"

Kushina smirks mischievously, "Oh, just trying to figure out the dynamics between our little trio here. You know, Kakashi, Rin, and Obito. Aren’t they cute?"

Minato raises an eyebrow, shooting a curious glance at Kakashi, Rin, and Obito. "Dynamics, eh? I hope it's nothing serious… Falling in love among team members is very wrong. It interferes with the mission, you know?" He slyly smiles, feeling proud about his inner joke.

Kakashi, “I strongly agree.”

Obito, “Man, read the mood… Sensei is just joking.”

Kushina, “Yeah, not a good joke… Should we break up?”

Rin, “Kushina-senpai, don’t be reckless.”

Minato panics as he pouts miserably, “Yeah, I am just kidding, sweetie. We have been team members forever, you know? And look where that got us… We’ve been together since the Academy days, Kushina-chan."

Obito snickers, "Well, Minato-sensei can also have a loose mouth, huh?"

Rin shoots Obito a stern look, "Obito-kun, don't start trouble. We're just having a casual dinner."

Minato chuckles nervously, trying to steer the conversation away from the topic of relationships, "Well, let's not get carried away with jokes. We're a strong team, and that's what matters, right?"

Kushina winks at Minato, "Oh, of course, sweetie. Just trying to keep things interesting. Now, let's dig into this delicious meal, you know! Itadakimasu!"

“Itadakimasu!” echoes everyone.

As the team enjoys their dinner, the atmosphere lightens up. Laughter fills the air, and Minato seems relieved that the potential awkwardness has been averted.

After dinner, while everyone is relaxing on the sofa, Obito turns to Minato with a serious expression, "Sensei, about the Chunin Exams tomorrow... any tips for the practical test? I mean, what should we expect?"

Minato takes a thoughtful sip of tea before responding, "Too bad, Obito, I can't give you any specifics beyond what's publicly known. The Chunin Exams are meant to challenge your abilities and teamwork. Tomorrow's practical test has two parts: the Forest of Death Survival Exams and the Tournament Setup."

Rin raises an eyebrow, "Forest of Death Survival Exams? That sounds intense. From what I hear, the practical has stayed the same for the past decade, right? So we can expect everything to be consistent from what everyone knows."

Minato nods, "It is intense. The Forest of Death is filled with challenges, traps, and other ninja teams. Don’t look down on the Tournament Setup that comes after too, though the Forest of Death is a more important part of the exams."

Kakashi, always the strategist, chimes in, "Any specific tactics we should keep in mind, Sensei?"

Minato smirks, "I believe in your abilities. Stick together, trust each other, and adapt to the situation. That's the key to success. And, of course, be careful in the Forest of Death. It lives up to its name. My sincere advice is to showcase your abilities as much as possible, of course without getting involved in unnecessary risks."

"But surely, you can share with us who will be watching, right, Sensei?” Obito asks, seeking to fish out the information he wants to hear.

Minato leans back, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Well, you'll have proctors overseeing the exam, but the real challenge is the unpredictable nature of the forest. As for who will be watching, the Hokage usually keeps an eye on the proceedings. But don't let that intimidate you. Focus on your task, and everything will fall into place."

Kushina grins, teasingly nudging Minato, "Come on, Minato, don't be so mysterious. Any insider info you can share with your favorite team?"

Minato chuckles, "Nice try, Kushina-chan. But the Chunin Exams are designed to test your resourcefulness and ability to handle the unexpected. Sharing too much information would defeat the purpose."

Kakashi, ever the pragmatic one, interjects, "Sensei, what about potential encounters with other ninja teams? Any advice on how to handle that?"

Minato nods, "Encounters with other teams are inevitable. Stay vigilant, communicate efficiently, and assess the situation before making any moves. Remember, the objective is survival and completing the exam. Unnecessary conflicts might jeopardize that. Setting up traps is a nice tactic to hinder competition without really confronting them, but I suggest a more hit-and-run approach."

Rin adds for the sake of just asking, "And what about the Tournament Setup? Any insights on the opponents we might face?" Though she doesn’t plan to participate in the Tournament, she still asks for the sake of the team.

Minato leans forward, a glint of excitement in his eyes, "The tournament is where you get to showcase your skills one-on-one. Be prepared for a variety of techniques and fighting styles. Study your opponents during the Forest of Death, gather information, and use it to your advantage in the tournament."

Obito grins, "Got it, Sensei! We'll show them what Team Minato is made of! But…"

“What is it?” Kushina cuddles in Minato’s arms, and Minato receives her with a casual hug, his arm over her shoulder. Rin uncomfortably shifts on her seat, while Kakashi just emotionlessly stares past Minato-sensei.

Obito doesn’t care. Normally, he would complain but he knows Minato-sensei and Kushina-senpai rarely get together with the nature of their work. The reason the two must have decided to live together is so that they can be in touch more often.

Obito ignores the lovey-dovey couple and simply focuses on his objectives, thus he asks probingly. “Can you not really tell us who else will be there? We will appreciate it if we know who we are trying to impress so that we can showcase our abilities successfully without hesitation.”

“That’s interestingly a good question,” Kakashi crosses his arms.

“I definitely want to impress Minato-sensei, but sensei already knows our abilities,” Rin adds.

“I see,” Minato contemplatively looks at the ceiling, thinking of an appropriate answer. “This shouldn’t go against the rules, so I’ll tell you. Of course, I will be there. Keep this a secret, but there will also be an Anbu Executive. As you guys know, Anbu guards the Hokage, but the Anbu I am speaking of is the kind that recruits special ops… What else? There will be Clan Representatives from Akimichi, Nara, Yamanaka, Sarutobi, Aburame, and some minor Clan Representatives… There won’t be Uchiha or Hyuga Representative though.”

Minato almost has an apologetic look at Obito when he mentions ‘Uchiha’, but Minato quickly hides his emotions. However, Obito has keen senses and detects the hesitation in Minato’s eyes. Obito understands though. The Uchiha after all no matter whether the ‘kid’ has awakened a sharingan or not, will always send a Representative to watch over the Exams.

But this time, Obito is especially being ignored.

“Who else?” Minato rubs his chin while thinking. “Ah, one of the Legendary Sanin will be watching too. Orochimaru-san. Normally, there won’t be this many big shots this early who will be watching the exams. They will start popping normally during the Tournament, but the situation now is a little different…”

Obito hums to himself and looks over the quiet Kakashi.

The reason for this unique situation is definitely caused by Kakashi.

Obito smiles, and thinks to himself— “If Orochimaru will be attending tomorrow, then this is the perfect opportunity for me to execute my plans…”