Naruto: Starting with the Celebrity of Japan

A dozen minutes later, all the ninjas who were required to go on the mission had assembled.

Kakashi, Rin, and others also arrived separately.

After exchanging greetings, the group waited for further developments.

Soon, Minato Namikaze, who was in charge of assigning the main tasks, also arrived.

He walked through the crowd and headed forward.

As he passed Ranshu, Minato patted Ranshu on the shoulder.

"Luanxiu, long time no see."

Minato gave a brief greeting to Ranshudo.

As the most conspicuous blond-haired boy in Konoha, Minato's arrival attracted everyone's attention.

But when they saw that Minato ignored everyone but specifically greeted another blond guy...

Discussions arose.

"Who was it that Lord Minato greeted?"

"I don't recognize him..."

"Why did Lord Minato specifically greet that young man?"

"Have you noticed? They look so alike!"

"Really! Could it be...?"

Luanxiu's keen ears noticed that the crowd's discussions seemed to be gradually going astray...

He had no choice but to reply to Shuimen:

"It's been a long time, teacher."

The meaning of the word "teacher" is crystal clear.

In an instant, the discussion about Ran Shu and Minato's appearances ended, and what followed was the discussion about their master-disciple relationship.

"He calls Minato-sama 'sensei'!"

"I've heard that Lord Minato has taken on a new disciple. Could it be that blond boy?"

"It must be him. This boy must have some special abilities, otherwise Lord Minato wouldn't have..."

"Yes, I heard that last time he single-handedly drove back hundreds of thousands of Iwagakure troops from the Kannabi Bridge, taking the enemy leader's head amidst the chaos as if he were in an empty field..."

"What? Where did you get this unofficial history from?"

Amidst the absurd discussions, everyone's gaze towards Luanxiu gradually shifted from unfamiliarity to fervent admiration.

At this moment, Itachi, standing next to Fugaku Uchiha, also witnessed everything. He looked up at his father beside him and said:

"That older brother is very popular!"

Fugaku, however, didn't even glance at the chaotic scene that people were discussing, and remained serious.

He instructed the weasel:

"You're just riding on Minato's coattails. Itachi, remember this: your reputation is something you earn yourself. You wear the glory of the Uchiha clan, and in the future, you will be someone everyone admires and envies."

After listening to his father's words, Itachi fell into deep thought:

"The Uchiha's...glory?"

After greeting Ranshu, Minato walked to the front of the crowd.

As is customary, he explained and assigned tasks to each team.

The mobilization meeting ended quickly.

"That's it. I've explained everything that needed to be said. Everyone, be careful after you're done!"

Minato concluded.

Finally, Minato remembered there was one more important thing he hadn't mentioned:

"Oh, right, the Hokage said he'll be giving a pep talk, so everyone will have to wait a little while before we set off. You can use this time to check if you've brought all the necessary equipment."

As he spoke, Minato looked in the direction of Obito from the Ranshu Squad...

Fortunately, Obito didn't forget anything this time...

Hearing that they would be listening to a speech from the leader in a little while, everyone began to wait listlessly.

But a few minutes passed...

The Hokage still did not arrive.

Minato noticed that everyone seemed a bit bored while waiting.

So, he had a sudden inspiration and suggested, just like last time, that since we were just waiting anyway, we might as well exchange and practice with each other on the training field.

The response to Minato's suggestion was lukewarm; no one wanted to embarrass themselves in front of so many people...

"So, does anyone want to show off in front of everyone?"

Minato could only look at everyone expectantly and say this.

To everyone's surprise, as soon as Minato finished speaking, someone actually stepped out from the crowd.

It was Uchiha Obito!

Obito, his face grim, strode up to Ran Shu and asked in a muffled voice:

"Shall we have a friendly spar?"

Ranshu never expected Obito to suddenly step forward at this moment.

However, Luanxiu had no desire to steal the spotlight from everyone. He looked around and politely declined:

"No, Obito, let's conserve our energy. Our mission is not easy."

Anyone with eyes to see can see that Luanxiu doesn't want to cause a commotion here.

But Obito was very persistent, and he continued:

"You need my approval to become my captain! That kunai is so shiny, don't be a coward, give it a try!"

At the same time, Kakashi, who was standing next to Ran Shu, suddenly felt a tightness in his butt. Obviously, Obito's words reminded him of his sparring experience with Ran Shu not long ago...

"How can they be... so similar?"

Kakashi sighed inwardly.

The last time he sparred with Ranshu, it happened when Obito went home to get something, and Obito didn't see the sparring process.

Unexpectedly, Obito repeated the events of that day.

Obito's words were already quite harsh; if Ranshu didn't accept the invitation, he would be branded as a "coward."

"Since that's the case, I'll show you."

Luanxiu calmly agreed.

Seeing that a very interesting competition was about to take place, everyone excitedly made room for the two of them.

On one side are the Uchiha clan, and on the other is Minato's new disciple...

This battle was indeed very entertaining!

Fugaku Uchiha felt himself being unconsciously drawn into the match.

He glanced at Obito Uchiha and remembered that there was indeed such a person in the Uchiha clan.

Unfortunately, this child was very poor, always at the bottom of the class in school.

"Your courage is commendable, but you'd better not disgrace the Uchiha clan."

Fugaku thought to himself.

The competition was about to begin, and the crowd naturally split into two camps based on which contestant they supported.

However, most people believe that Minato's disciple is definitely the stronger one!

Kurenai Yuhi is a representative of this group.

She knew perfectly well just how formidable Ranshu was when she got serious!

However, some people support Obito, such as Fugaku Uchiha, and others...

Sarutobi Asuma!

He recalled that night when they were eating barbecue, only this brother named Obito kept him company, drinking apple cider vinegar until they got drunk...

Asuma unconsciously harbored strong expectations for Obito.

Thinking of this, Asuma unconsciously looked up and reminded Obito:

"Don't try to use genjutsu against him! Obito-sensei, try switching to ninjutsu!"

"Hello!"

Kurenai, standing to the side, frowned at Asuma and stopped him.

Originally, the two were competing fairly, but once Asuma spoke up, things became somewhat unfair...

However, Obito, who was standing on the field, did not move and it was impossible to tell whether he had heard Asuma's shout.

But I must say, Obito's dedication is truly remarkable...

He certainly has the air of a strong person.

Seeing Obito's appearance, Minato felt a sense of relief.

Last time he saw Ran Shu helping Kakashi practice Purple Lightning at the training ground, today he saw Obito who had grown up.

"I never imagined that the appearance of a random show could change so many people..."

Minato nodded, thinking to himself.

Finally, the competition that everyone had been waiting for began!

No one expected that Obito Uchiha, who had been silent for a long time, would strike first with a ninjutsu!

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

In an instant, a huge fireball, as tall as a two-story building, burst forth and surged toward Luan Xiu.

Asma watched this scene with satisfaction from the audience.

He thought to himself, "Obito really listened to my advice..."

The best way to beat Ran Shu is to use ninjutsu!

Ranshu is very skilled in genjutsu, but he's really not good at ninjutsu. Asuma knew this best when they were in the Land of Whirlpools!

"Nice fireball!"

Asuma, who was also proficient in Fire Release, smiled and acknowledged Obito's Great Fireball Technique.

But the next second, Asuma heard a light, airy voice coming from the direction where Ranshu had just been standing:

"A Fireball? Not bad, it's small and cute too."