Kazuyama nodded in approval as he watched the scene unfold.
"Kakashi's strength is solid, but unfortunately..."
"You didn't observe your target carefully."
On the other side, Kakashi landed smoothly after catching the cat.
"Kakashi, not bad!"
"See? It's just a cat. No need for us to go all out!"
Obito arrogantly took the cat from Kakashi's hands.
But the next second—
Boom!
The cat in Obito's hands instantly turned into a snake.
"Ahhh!"
The sudden, slippery sensation sent Obito into a panic, and he instinctively hurled the snake away.
Kakashi and Rin were also startled, watching as the thick python flew toward them.
This was where Kakashi's reflexes shone again. Without hesitation, he pulled Rin behind him and delivered a powerful kick, sending the snake soaring into the air.
Kazuyama, observing from the rooftop, clenched his jaw.
Damn, the snake did its job, but at what cost?
If that python could talk, it would be cursing him into the next life.
After all, if he hadn't summoned them, they would still be resting peacefully in Ryūchi Cave.
Kazuyama sighed. "Amitabha. Brothers of the snake, when I return, I will burn incense for you at Ryūchi Cave. You have suffered greatly."
The python: "I! #! #! %! @#¥! #%!" (A string of curses in snake language, entirely incomprehensible.)
Just then, a familiar system prompt chimed in.
[Ding! The host used the Summoning Technique to trick his disciple. While it successfully scared Obito Uchiha, it did not reach the level required for a reward.
However! The summoned snake has suffered such an unfortunate fate that it cursed the host fluently in snake language.
Since the host has shamelessly exploited a contracted summoning beast, Taijutsu +1.]
Kazuyama: "...What the hell is this logic?"
Meanwhile, back on the ground—
The snake Kakashi had kicked vanished in a puff of white smoke.
Kakashi frowned slightly, looking mildly exasperated.
His sharp mind quickly pieced everything together.
"Kakashi, what's going on?" Rin asked, still in shock.
"Why did the cat turn into a snake? And why did the snake disappear after you kicked it?"
Obito, still rattled from the sudden transformation, remained speechless.
"This mission won't be easy..."
"This is the Summoning Technique, used to call forth contracted beasts."
"It seems our Sensei has increased the difficulty of the mission..."
Kakashi let out a helpless sigh. Kazuyama was skilled in many ways, but he was also a complete bastard.
It was just a D-rank mission, yet he still had to interfere and make things harder.
No, thinking about it that way, he's not good at all!
"How could this happen..."
Rin frowned in dissatisfaction for a moment, then let it go.
"Kakashi, do you think Sensei has another purpose?"
"Like making us pay closer attention to the target? I remember in his class, he once said that what we see isn't always the truth."
"We need to think critically and make sure our judgment is correct."
Kakashi's eyes widened slightly. He fell into deep thought.
Meanwhile, from his hidden spot, Kazuyama's jaw nearly hit the floor. His eyes were so wide they looked like they might pop out of his skull.
"It must be that he used Summoning and Transformation Techniques to confuse us," Kakashi murmured. "To teach us not to take even simple missions lightly..."
"But is that really his goal...? Something about this feels off."
Kazuyama: Of course something feels off! I was just messing with you guys!
Rin, you're a natural mind reader. You even came up with a logical explanation for something that doesn't exist. Absolutely brilliant!
While Kakashi and Rin were deep in thought, Obito finally snapped out of his shock.
Looking serious behind his goggles, he nodded firmly.
"Rin's right. I got too careless."
"This is definitely Sensei's way of reminding us to take every mission seriously!"
"Kakashi, let's go! I bet Kazuyama-sensei summoned more than one snake. This time, we have to be careful."
"That snake was so scary and slippery!"
Watching them piece together their own conclusions, Kazuyama felt like their brains had stopped working.
In the end, he could only sigh.
"As long as you're happy..."
Now that they had their first encounter under their belts, the trio became far more cautious.
They even went and got a large net.
Whenever they spotted a tabby cat, they didn't hesitate—they simply dropped the net on it.
Then Kakashi would step in and start punching and kicking.
Why?
Because Kakashi had declared, "Creatures summoned by the Summoning Technique have a time limit. Once they've taken enough damage, they disappear and return to where they came from."
And so, they beat up three more "snakes" in a row.
Each of the unfortunate creatures cursed Kazuyama three times before vanishing.
Although no system notification popped up, Kazuyama could feel the string of abuse echoing in his mind as the snakes disappeared in puffs of white smoke.
With no choice, he canceled the Summoning Technique and sent the last remaining snake straight back to Ryūchi Cave.
But this only caused more trouble for the Kakashi trio.
When they spotted another tabby cat, they followed the same plan—drop the net, then attack.
Kakashi stepped up first and started beating it.
"Meow!!!"
The miserable screech startled all three of them.
While they were still processing the sound, Obito gasped in amazement.
"Wow! This snake is incredible—it has developed spiritual awareness and can even imitate a cat's meow!"
"Kakashi, let me take over! You must've hit it too lightly!"
Without waiting for a response, Obito rushed forward and delivered two solid kicks.
"Owww!!!"
This time, even the meowing stopped.
It was now a scream.
Finally, Rin realized something was very, very wrong.
"Stop it! I think this is actually the real mission target—the tabby cat!"
"Hey! Obito, stop kicking! Look, it's foaming at the mouth!"
Panicked, Rin hurriedly stopped Obito before he could land another blow.
Only then did Obito realize that the cat beneath him had gone limp, its eyes rolled back, foam dribbling from its mouth.
"So... this one is actually the real target..."
"Uh... well... Rin, why don't you heal it?"
Rin shot him an annoyed glare before channeling green chakra into her hands to treat the poor cat.
Kazuyama, watching the disaster unfold from a distance, nearly choked from laughter.
These three were vigilant, sure... but this was a bit much!
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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