Starting in Naruto with a Daily Login System

The good news: I wasn't dead yet.

The bad news: I was about to get my ass handed to me by Minato freakin' Namikaze.

You know, the Yellow Flash. The man so fast that calling it "speed" felt like an understatement. A guy who could teleport across battlefields like he had admin privileges in reality. And here I was, a thirteen-year-old Kakashi Hatake, expected to take him on in a glorified training exercise.

Yeah. This was gonna go great.

I sat cross-legged on a tree stump, staring at the two little bells dangling from Minato's belt like tiny tokens of my inevitable suffering.

Obito was stretching, completely unaware of the absolute beatdown awaiting him. Rin stood there with the kind of hopeful energy that made me want to sit her down and explain just how bad this was about to get.

Minato, meanwhile, stood before us with his ever-friendly, slightly misleading smile.

"Alright," he began. "The goal is simple: get one of these bells from me."

Obito frowned. "Wait… but there are only two bells?"

Minato nodded. "That's right."

Obito stared at him. "…But there are three of us."

Another nod. "Correct again."

I watched as Obito's brain completely short-circuited. "…Sensei, I feel like you're trying to tell me something, but I don't know what it is."

Rin giggled. "It means one of us is going to fail."

Obito turned pale. "W-Wait. That means—"

"One of us is getting sent back to the Academy," I finished for him, sighing.

Because, let's be real, I knew exactly how this was supposed to go down. This wasn't just a test—it was a thinly veiled ninja hazing ritual disguised as a teamwork exercise.

Minato gave us an encouraging nod. "Alright then. Ready?"

"No," I said immediately.

"Too bad."

Then he vanished.

And I mean vanished.

Not in the normal ninja way, where they move really fast and leave behind some dust or a blur. No, Minato just straight-up disappeared from existence like someone unplugged his character model.

"Oh, crap."

A gust of wind hit me from behind.

I turned just in time to see Minato already there, reaching for the bells on his belt like he was just casually adjusting them.

Instinct took over. I flipped backward, narrowly avoiding his grab, landing in a crouch a few meters away.

Obito, meanwhile, just stood there blinking. "…Huh?"

A split second later, Minato gently karate-chopped him on the back of the neck.

Obito collapsed like a sack of potatoes.

Rin gasped. "Obito!"

Minato gave a sheepish chuckle, rubbing the back of his head. "Oh, uh… maybe I should've gone easier on him."

Ya think, Sensei?!

Okay. Alright. Time to assess the situation.

I could not beat Minato in a fight.

I could not outrun Minato.

I could not outthink Minato.

…This was going well.

I took a deep breath. Okay, Kakashi. Think.

What was my best move here?

Option 1: Go for the bells head-on. (A good way to die.)

Option 2: Hide and wait for an opening. (Minato had the freakin' Flying Thunder God. He'd find me in seconds.)

Option 3: Teamwork.

I hated it. But it was the only option.

I turned to Rin, who was already checking on Obito. "Rin. We need to work together."

She blinked at me, then nodded. "Right!"

Minato smiled. "Good! Let's see if you can back that up."

Then he disappeared again.

…This was going to suck.

Well.

That went about as well as expected.

Which is to say, we got absolutely demolished.

Obito was still lying face-down in the dirt, groaning like a man who had just been spiritually defeated. Rin was dusting herself off, looking like she had at least been given the dignity of a somewhat gentle loss.

And me?

I was sitting on a tree stump, contemplating my life choices.

The bells were still dangling mockingly from Minato's belt, completely untouched.

He smiled at us like a proud parent who had just watched his kids fail their first group project. "Well, that was a good effort."

Was it?

Was it really, Minato?!

Obito finally rolled over onto his back, arms spread out like he was waiting for the sweet embrace of death. "Sensei… just tell me the truth…" he mumbled. "Was there ever a chance?"

Minato tilted his head, as if genuinely considering it. "Hmm. Not really, no."

Obito groaned even louder. "Then why did we even try?!"

"Because," Minato said, crouching down, "this test wasn't about getting the bells."

I sighed. Here it comes.

"The test was about teamwork, wasn't it?" Rin asked, sitting up.

Minato beamed. "That's right!"

Obito just stared at him, his soul visibly leaving his body. "We suffered… for a metaphor."

Yeah. Yeah, we did.

I let out a long breath. "So what now?"

Minato stood up, dusting himself off. "Well, normally, this is the part where I tell you that the one who failed gets sent back to the Academy."

Obito bolted upright. "W-Wait, you were serious about that?!"

Minato gave a small laugh. "No, not really."

Obito collapsed back down, groaning again.

"Besides," Minato continued, "you all failed."

Obito groaned even louder.

I blinked. "Wait, even me?"

"You didn't even try to work together until the very end," Minato pointed out. "You all approached it individually at first."

…Okay, fair.

Minato crossed his arms, smiling down at us. "But you realized your mistake, and that's what matters. So… you pass."

Obito sat up again, squinting. "…Wait. What?"

"We pass?" Rin echoed.

Minato nodded. "Yep!"

Obito frowned. "But we failed the test."

"Yep!"

"…So we still pass?"

"Exactly!"

Obito stared at him. "Sensei, I think I hate you."

Minato just chuckled, ruffling his hair. "Great! That means you're learning."

I sighed, standing up. "So what's next?"

----

Minato grinned. "Now? Now we prepare for our first real mission."

Oh. Right.

The war.

The good mood immediately evaporated.

Because the test was over. The friendly sparring session with Minato was over.

And from this point on…

We were shinobi of Konohagakure. Soldiers.

This was the Third Shinobi War.

It was time for our first real mission.

I braced myself.

Would it be sabotage? A raid on an enemy camp? Assassination? Reconnaissance behind enemy lines?

Minato crossed his arms, looking down at us with an authoritative nod. "Your first mission is…"

Here it comes.

"…To escort an elderly merchant to the next town over."

…

...

...…

What?

I stared. Obito blinked. Rin tilted her head.

Minato just kept smiling.

"Uh, Sensei?" I said carefully, just to be sure I heard that correctly. "You do realize we're in the middle of a war, right?"

Minato nodded. "Yep!"

"Then why are we…?" I gestured vaguely.

"Because not every mission is a battlefield assignment," Minato explained. "Shinobi serve the village in many ways, including protection detail for civilians."

Obito still looked confused. "But… a merchant? Right now?"

Minato chuckled. "You'd be surprised how many civilians still need help, even in wartime. Merchants are vital for keeping supply lines running. This is an important job."

I squinted at him. "This is a D-rank mission, isn't it?"

Minato didn't even blink. "Yes."

My soul left my body.

So, instead of sneaking behind enemy lines or assassinating high-value targets, we were walking.

For hours.

Beside us, a hunched old man shuffled along, dragging a wooden cart filled with sacks of rice, spices, and various trinkets. Every so often, he'd cough dramatically, mumbling about his "poor, fragile bones" while subtly hinting that one of us should carry his bags.

Which was how I—the supposed genius of my generation—ended up lugging three sacks of rice while Obito struggled with a teetering tower of spice jars.

Rin, of course, was walking ahead, completely free of burden, smiling like this was a nice little field trip.

Obito grumbled. "I can't believe this is our first mission. Where's the action? The excitement?"

"Yeah," I said, shifting the rice bags to my other arm. "Where is the part where we get brutally ambushed in the woods?"

Minato coughed. "Well, statistically speaking, there's only a small chance of that happening."

"…Wait, what?" Obito froze. "A chance?"

Minato gave his usual bright, reassuring smile. "Don't worry! If we do get attacked, it'll be a great learning experience!"

Obito turned pale. "Sensei, I don't want to learn like that."

Minato just patted him on the shoulder and kept walking.

Two hours later, I felt it.

A shift in the air. The faintest rustle of leaves.

I stopped walking. My grip tightened on the rice sacks.

"Kakashi?" Rin asked.

"Minato-sensei," I muttered. "We're being watched."

Minato nodded, eyes sharp. "I know."

Obito nearly dropped the spice jars. "Wait, what?! Since when?!"

Before anyone could answer—

SWOOSH.

Arrows.

Three of them, flying straight at us.

Minato vanished, reappearing a second later with all three arrows in his hand.

"Yare yare," he sighed. "Why is it always bandits?"

From the bushes, a group of men—scruffy, dirty, armed with rusted weapons—emerged.

Bandits.

Not enemy ninjas.

Not trained killers from another village.

Just… bandits.

One of them—big guy, missing a few teeth—pointed a sword at us. "Alright, listen up, kiddies! Drop the cart, leave your valuables, and—"

He didn't get to finish.

Because I threw a kunai at his feet, making him jump back with a startled yelp.

I sighed dramatically, adjusting my rice sacks. "Bandits? Really? I was hoping for at least a B-rank threat."

Obito frowned. "Wait, we can rank our enemies?"

Minato chuckled. "Technically, yes."

Obito perked up. "Then these guys are what? E-rank?"

I glanced at the group. "…Maybe D-rank. Maybe."

The leader growled. "Oh, you think you're funny, brat?"

I sighed. "I know I'm funny."

And then the fighting started.

The bandits charged.

Obito panicked and threw his entire armful of spice jars at them.

Glass shattered. Powder exploded into the air.

A cloud of red chili pepper dust engulfed the bandits, and suddenly they were all screaming.

"MY EYES!"

"IT BURNS! IT BURNS SO BAD!"

Obito blinked. "…Wait, did I just win by accident?"

Minato smiled. "Good improvisation!"

Meanwhile, I casually set my rice sacks down, walked over to one of the blinded bandits, and kicked him in the gut. He collapsed instantly.

Rin, being the only nice person on this team, gently knocked a guy out with a well-placed chop to the neck.

Obito, still in shock over his accidental victory, tripped over one of the fallen bandits and fell flat on his face.

Five minutes later, all the bandits were either unconscious or rolling on the ground, sobbing about "evil ninja chili powder attacks."

Minato dusted off his hands. "Well, that was easy!"

I crossed my arms. "Sensei, please tell me our next mission is an actual war mission."

Minato hummed thoughtfully. "We'll see!"

Obito groaned. "At least let it be a C-rank next time!"

Minato grinned.

"…No promises."

And that was how Team Minato's first mission went down in history.

As the legendary Spice Jar Massacre.