Evening, Uchiha Clan Compound.
“Obito, don’t eat so fast. You’ll choke,” Obito’s grandmother admonished him gently.
Obito slowed down his eating and explained, “Grandma, a friend invited me out to play.”
“Which friend? Is it Rin?” Obito’s grandmother asked with a knowing smile.
Since Nohara Rin often came to play with Obito, his grandmother had come to know her well.
“Yes, but there are others, too,” Obito replied, still focused on his meal.
The Youth Ninjutsu Competition was set to start the next day. Obito had trained hard all day and was exhausted.
Because he and Kakashi were once again competitors, Rin had invited them out to relax that evening. Given that Kakashi would be there, Obito had also invited Might Guy along.
“I’m full,” Obito declared, wiping his mouth and preparing to leave.
His grandmother followed him to the door, smiling. “Do your best, Obito. I want to see my great-grandchildren.”
Obito almost tripped over his own feet, turning back with a flushed face. “Grandma, I’m still in school!”
Though he did have such thoughts, he was still far too young.
The group had agreed to meet on a street in the southern part of the central district.
When Obito arrived, he found the others already there. He was the last to arrive.
“I ran into an old lady who needed help, so I was a little late,” Obito explained.
“You always seem to run into old ladies who need help,” Kakashi remarked, finding it a bit unbelievable.
“I don’t know why, but I can’t just ignore someone who needs help,” Obito said, feeling a bit aggrieved. He had indeed helped an old lady on his way there.
“Alright, no problem. Obito is probably just very kind and has a keen eye for those in need,” Rin said with a warm smile, standing between the two.
With that little issue resolved, the four of them began walking down the busy street.
“There are so many people here. Kakashi, how about we race to see who can get through the crowd faster?” Guy suggested, unable to contain his excitement.
“I’ll pass,” Kakashi declined flatly, not giving Guy any room for hope. This kind of challenge was just too silly.
“There’s an event happening on this street, so a lot of people have come,” Rin explained.
She then led them to the event location. The entire street was lined with vendors, brightly lit, and filled with people wearing yukatas.
“Look, these goldfish are so cute,” Rin said, pointing to a goldfish scooping stall and waving to the group.
“Would you like to try, little girl? It’s only ten ryo for a scoop,” the stall owner said temptingly.
“Ten ryo…” Rin hesitated. Ten ryo wasn’t much, but more than one scoop might be needed. Those paper scoops broke too quickly.
“I’ll give it a shot,” Obito volunteered, handing over the money for a scoop.
Obito aimed for the liveliest and prettiest fish, but after two or three attempts, he still had yet to catch it, and the scoop broke.
“Again!” Obito wasn’t discouraged and tried again, but still failed.
By the ninth attempt, Rin stopped him, saying, “Let’s move on. We should check out other stalls.”
Eighty ryo was enough to buy a bowl of ramen.
“But I’ve already tried so many times. I’m getting better at it. It would be a waste to stop now,” Obito said, hesitating.
“I’ll give it a try,” Guy said, rolling up his sleeves, ready to catch the fish with all his might.
Crack! The handle of the scoop broke immediately.
“Let me do it,” Kakashi said calmly. He handed ten ryo to the stall owner and caught a goldfish in one swift motion.
“Here you go,” Kakashi said, handing the bagged fish to Rin.
“Thank you, Kakashi,” Rin said happily. “And thank you too, Obito and Guy.”
Obito, who had been pouting, immediately broke into a silly grin.
The four continued to wander the stalls, playing games like throwing shuriken and identifying clones.
When the crowd began to thin, they decided to buy some takoyaki before heading home.
“Kakashi, just wait and see. I’ll be the first-place winner tomorrow,” Obito said, taking a bite of his takoyaki and issuing a challenge.
“If you want the first-place prize, I can give it to you after I win,” Kakashi replied, showing no mercy.
Their exchange of harsh words even got Guy’s blood boiling. If there were a youth taijutsu competition, he would definitely invite Kakashi for a good match.
…
The next day, since it was Sunday, there was no school.
The competition started in the afternoon, so Obito spent the morning doing some final training.
The Youth Ninjutsu Competition was held on a commercial street in Konoha’s central district.
Obito had heard that an old ninja shop owner had started the event to encourage academy students. Later, others saw it could attract a crowd and chipped in to keep it going every year.
“Obito, which jutsu are you using for the competition?” Rin asked.
“The Fireball Jutsu,” Obito answered directly, not keeping it a secret.
“Why not use the Dragon Fire Jutsu you used during the last practical exam?” Rin asked, puzzled.
Obito had used the Fireball Jutsu last time and scored 21 out of 30 points, nine points lower than Kakashi.
“This time is different. My Fireball Jutsu is much stronger now!” Obito said confidently. He was sure his Fireball Jutsu would impress everyone.
“Alright, I’ll look forward to your performance,” Rin said with a gentle smile.
“Obito, do your best. As my rival, you must know that man won’t be easy to beat,” Guy said, arms crossed, trying to look mysterious.
“Should I leave?” Kakashi, who had been silent, finally spoke up.
How did they start discussing how to beat him right in front of him?
“Kakashi, what jutsu are you planning to use?” Rin asked with a smile.
“I haven’t decided yet. I’ll just use whatever comes to mind, maybe the Earth Wall,” Kakashi said after thinking for a moment.
He wasn’t showing off. He knew a decent number of Jutsu and could choose any for the competition.
Obito looked around and saw many familiar faces from the academy, including a couple of ninjas wearing forehead protectors.
“This time, there are a lot more people than last time,” Obito recalled from the previous competition.
“Probably because the prizes have increased. This year’s first-place winner gets not only a finely crafted silver kunai but also a cash prize of 8,000 ryo,” Rin explained.
“8,000 ryo!” Obito’s eyes widened his determination to win first place even stronger.
That was 8,000 ryo, enough to treat Rin to meals or buy her gifts without worry.
“The competition is starting. Will the first contestant please come up and perform?”
(This chapter ends)
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