“I’m not the tail end of the Uchiha clan. I ranked third in the last practical exam!”
Seeing that Kakashi’s impression of him was still stuck in the time before he started learning from Mokutsuki, Obito immediately revealed his latest exam results.
“If third place means being the tail end, then only two people in the entire grade aren’t the tail end. Besides, I was careless last time. Next time, I’ll definitely be first!” Obito said indignantly.
Kakashi was slightly taken aback. Third place was undoubtedly different from the tail end. Thinking about Obito’s performance in the Junior Ninja Competition, he found it entirely plausible.
However, Kakashi couldn’t stand Obito’s arrogance, so he said, “I don’t know if third place counts as the tail end, because I’ve always been first. I don’t know what it feels like to be third.”
Obito opened his mouth but couldn’t refute it because it was true. Kakashi had absolute dominance in the academy, always being first.
“By the way, were you third in the theory exam too? I was first in that as well,” Kakashi added.
Obito felt a sharp pain in his heart. The theory was his eternal pain. He barely passed the last exam thanks to Mokutsuki’s tutoring.
Although his theory grades were indeed poor, Obito would never admit it in front of Kakashi. So, he said stubbornly, “I didn’t sleep well the night before the theory exam, so my score was a bit lower than my practical score. But this time will be different!”
“How much lower is a bit? You didn’t fail, did you?” Kakashi, knowing Obito well, deliberately provoked him.
As expected, Obito quickly revealed the truth.
“No, I barely passed!” Obito retorted, proud of his first passing grade.
“Barely passing is quite a bit lower than third place. That’s quite a gap,” Kakashi said, unable to suppress a smirk.
Obito fell silent. If he became Hokage, he would issue a decree to abolish theory exams in the Ninja Academy. They were too torturous.
“Obito has been working very hard recently. I see him studying every day. His grades might improve significantly in the final exams,” Rin Nohara interjected to support Obito.
Obito, who had been feeling down, instantly perked up, feeling that the world was beautiful.
Even the distant figures of Might Guy and Shisui seemed more pleasant.
“Wait, Guy and Shisui are training, and I’m here wasting time arguing with Kakashi?” Obito suddenly realized.
If Might Guy had improved while he wasted time, he would have had to do more assignments and have had less time to spend with Rin.
“Playing with Rin means doing more assignments. Doing more assignments means less time to play with Rin. So, playing with Rin means less time to play with Rin,” Obito concluded, forming a strange logical chain.
Obito didn’t understand why Might Guy and Shisui would train together at night.
One was his clanmate, and the other his classmate, yet he felt like an outsider.
Thinking back, he realized they had invited him, but he had declined to hang out with Rin.
Feeling conflicted, Obito pondered how to solve this dilemma. Then he noticed Kakashi and had an idea.
Although he wouldn’t admit it aloud, Obito had to acknowledge that Kakashi was indeed powerful.
Graduating at five and becoming a Chunin at six, while they were still in their second year at the academy, Kakashi had already become a Chunin, on par with their teachers.
If he could learn something from Kakashi, he might gain an edge in his battles with Might Guy.
“Kakashi, if your opponent is faster and stronger than you, how would you handle it?” Obito asked.
“Keep my distance and use ninjutsu,” Kakashi replied.
“What if you could only use taijutsu?” Obito added a condition.
“Why wouldn’t I use ninjutsu if I can?” Kakashi refused to answer.
Obito scratched his head in frustration. “Because you’re almost out of chakra and can’t use ninjutsu,” he said.
“Then I’d engage them head-on.”
“Why? If they’re stronger and faster, how could you win in a direct confrontation?” Obito was puzzled.
“So I could die more gloriously. You think taijutsu doesn’t use chakra?” Kakashi replied bluntly.
Obito was exasperated. Kakashi was impossible to reason with.
Seeing that he had teased him enough, Kakashi finally said, “If your strength and speed are inferior, focus on your agility and technique.”
“Combat is all about hitting your opponent and avoiding being hit. Agility helps you dodge attacks and avoid injury. Superior technique can make up for a lack of strength.”
Obito felt that Kakashi made sense, but it also seemed like something he’d already heard from Mokutsuki.
“Are you entering a taijutsu-only competition where someone is stronger than you?” Kakashi speculated.
“It’s not a competition. It’s the practical exam. I have two rivals who excel in taijutsu,” Obito didn’t tell Kakashi the whole truth.
He feared that if Kakashi knew it was about battle homework, he might refuse to help and instead watch him suffer.
“If you’re serious about improving your taijutsu, I don’t mind helping. But you have to be able to endure the hardship,” Kakashi said.
“I, Uchiha Obito, am not afraid of hardship.”
Obito smiled at Kakashi’s words. What hardship could be worse than doing a hundred assignments after a single battle? My pain surpasses yours, Kakashi.
Kakashi then led them to a nearby training ground.
“I’ll fight you without using ninjutsu, but I won’t hold back. Are you sure you want my help?” Kakashi asked one last time.
“Give it your all,” Obito said nonchalantly.
He wanted to test Kakashi’s strength. Kakashi was more skilled in ninjutsu, so Obito figured their taijutsu skills wouldn’t be too far apart.
“Alright, then I’ll start,” Kakashi said, seeing Obito’s confidence.
In the next moment, Kakashi used the Body Flicker Technique to appear in front of Obito, kicking him before he could react.
Obito, who had been chatting with Rin a moment ago, was stunned. Dusting himself off, he said, “I was careless. Continue.”
A minute later, Obito was covered in dust and had several footprints on him.
Despite falling several times within a minute, Obito, determined to maintain his composure in front of Rin, kept standing up and saying, “Continue.”
Rin, watching the two of them get into the groove, felt like she was becoming redundant.
(End of Chapter)
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