Sarutobi Shinnosuke rolled his eyes. He and Namikaze Minato had chosen two different paths. He chose to enter the Anbu for training after graduation.
Namikaze Minato also chose to be a teacher. You could not say which was better or worse, only that each had its own merits.
Namikaze Minato gained disciples. Sarutobi Shinnosuke gained strength.
The two then changed shifts. Namikaze Minato called out, "You three little ones came so early. This is a battlefield, you know. Even if you did not come, I would not say anything."
"Don't look down on people, stupid sensei. I, Uchiha Obito, am the man who will become Hokage. How could I be tripped up by such a little difficulty." A child wearing goggles with a spiky head shouted loudly.
This action attracted the attention of many people, but no one laughed at him. To become Hokage, well, that requires a lot of effort, kid.
"What an idiot." The white haired boy wearing a mask shook his head, then added, "But, Obito is right, sensei. We all have at least Chunin level strength. Do not underestimate us."
(In the original work, they had Genin strength, but due to Ryun's efforts, they all have Chunin level strength on average, and Kakashi is bordering on Jonin level.)
His eyes held a sharp glint. He touched the White Fang at his waist, his eyes filled with confidence.
The young girl beside him did not speak, but smiled slightly. This was Rin, the lubricant between her two teammates.
"Huh? Kakashi, you actually called me stupid." Uchiha Obito was furious. "Do you want to fight or not."
"Hmph, loser." Kakashi's father was still the head of the Anbu and had not died in the line of duty, so Kakashi was still a sunny youth.
"Dead fish eye." Uchiha Obito gritted his teeth and roared.
"Alright, Obito, Kakashi, don't argue as soon as you meet. Sensei Minato is still here." Rin smiled slightly, stepping between the two of them, and smiled at Obito.
Obito suddenly blushed, turning away. "Then, then I will listen to Rin. Anyway, bastard Kakashi, I will not lose to you."
Hatake Kakashi glanced at him faintly. "Tch."
Anyone could see Obito's little crush, including Minato and Kakashi. Kakashi only saw Rin as a teammate. Rin only admired Kakashi.
It did not rise to the level of love for either of them. (This is the author's own opinion.)
Rin originally only cared for Obito as a teammate, but Obito saw Rin as his only light. Rin was aware of this, but perhaps because she was too young, she had not confessed her feelings to Obito.
Obito, due to shyness, could never take that step. But Namikaze Minato felt the two were very suitable for each other.
Obito always remembered two sentences in his heart.
"You want to become Hokage, right? I will always be watching you."
"I will always be with you, Obito."
(In the original translation there were issues. Kakashi once told Rin that Obito always liked her. Rin said she felt the same way about Obito, not that her feelings for Kakashi were the same as Obito's feelings for her.)
After that, Obito regarded Rin as the most important woman in his heart besides his grandmother.
Namikaze Minato scratched his head. "Well, well, finally stopped arguing. Rin, by the way, how much of the jutsu that my teacher's wife taught you have you learned?"
The teacher's wife Minato referred to was Tsunade. Originally, it was because Tsunade saw that Ryun had taken so many disciples, she also wanted to take one.
But at that time, no shinobi in Konoha could catch Tsunade's eye, until one day, Minato brought a young girl to visit her.
His intention was to have Tsunade take her as a disciple. Tsunade did not agree immediately. She first asked Rin, "Little girl, why do you want to learn medical ninjutsu."
Rin's answer at the time made Tsunade very happy. "I have a friend who wants to become Hokage. The road will definitely be very hard. I want to become stronger, to be his support."
Hearing this, Namikaze Minato was stunned. This friend was Obito, right? So, Rin liked Obito.
Tsunade warmly took her small hand. "Well, good. What you said appeals to me. Regardless of your talent, I will take you as my disciple."
"Thank you, Lady Hokage's wife." Rin said with a smile.
Tsunade waved her hand. She could see that this young girl had a boy she liked in her heart. That boy also saw her husband as his idol, and she wanted to help that boy.
In Rin, Tsunade saw herself. It was precisely because of this that she accepted a disciple. But upon probing, Tsunade was greatly surprised.
This young girl's chakra pathways and chakra nature meant she was naturally suited to be a medical ninja. Her combat ability was relatively weak, but that did not matter. Her Byakugō Technique and Yin Seal could make up for that weakness.
Just like that, Rin became Tsunade's first disciple. Tsunade also unreservedly taught her all her jutsu, all medical books, diagrams, as well as the Byakugō Seal and Yin Seal.
Rin thought for a moment and said, "I have mastered all the medical ninjutsu. The Byakugō Technique and Yin Seal are still too early. If I force the training, I will not grow taller."
Namikaze Minato nodded. As expected of Lady Tsunade's personal disciple.
"Wow. Rin, you are so amazing. With you by my side, I can go all out." Uchiha Obito shouted loudly.
When it came to providing emotional support, Uchiha Obito was quite good. Rin smiled slightly, her pupils filled with the image of the sunny youth.
Half of Uchiha Obito's strength was taught by Namikaze Minato. The other half was taught by Uchiha Madara. The reason was that Obito, holding a piece of bread in his mouth, was helping an old grandmother cross the street when Uchiha Madara happened to pass by and saw this scene.
After the youth left, seeing the Uchiha fan symbol on his back, Uchiha Madara had his brother Uchiha Izuna inquire about him. They found out there was such a person. His father died in the Second War, and his mother, overwhelmed with grief, fell ill and never recovered.
She left only this child living outside the clan compound with his grandmother. After learning this, Uchiha Madara personally visited. He said to the old grandmother, "Your son was a hero of Konoha. The family of a hero should not live in a place like this."
The old grandmother refused. She said, "Dying for the village is what every shinobi should do. Lord Madara, you need not worry. Moreover, our family still has surplus food. Thanks to the Hokage's kindness to the children of martyrs, my grandchild and I can grow up healthy and prosperous. I am old and do not want to trouble the clan."
Uchiha Madara was deeply moved. He understood the grandmother was determined. So he asked if he could take Obito back into the clan. He would teach him as if he were his own child.
The grandmother said she had to wait for Obito to return before she could decide. So Uchiha Madara chatted with the old grandmother. If not for Ryun's ocular jutsu, he would probably be about the same age as this grandmother.
The two were from the same era, so they had many things to talk about. Until the afternoon, Uchiha Obito returned. Obito's grandmother personally introduced him and told him to bow. "This is one of the three top experts of the Uchiha clan, Lord Uchiha Madara, who is called one of Konoha's Two Heroes alongside Lord Hashirama Senju."
Obito's pupils shrank. Uchiha Madara, of course he knew him, or more accurately, knew him from textbooks which had images of Uchiha Madara. Looking carefully, it was indeed him.
"Lord Madara, h, hello, I, I, I am Uchiha Obito, gender male..." Uchiha Obito could not even speak properly.
Uchiha Madara laughed heartily. "Obito, hello. It is like this. I want to invite you to return to the Uchiha clan, to live in the clan compound, and I will personally teach you, to make you a powerful shinobi."
Somehow, Uchiha Madara felt a strong connection with Obito, as if they were destined to be master and disciple.
Hearing this, Obito fell silent. He thought it over carefully. Going to the clan compound did have many benefits. Plus, with Uchiha Madara's care, his future path could be said to be smooth.
However, when he looked at his grandmother's kind smile and her stooped body, his heart ached. He took a deep breath, and his speech became much smoother.
"Lord Madara, thank you for your kindness. Please allow me to refuse. I was raised by my grandmother. She is old, and I would not feel at ease letting others take care of her. I cannot agree to this. I am sorry." Uchiha Obito at this moment was like an adult, steady and mature.
It was precisely his choice and his tone of speech that made Uchiha Madara sure. This child was a good and kind person, someone capable of achieving great things. He patted his shoulder. "Good. Everyone has their own aspirations. I will not force you. That would be counterproductive."
"Old sister, next time I have a chance, I will visit you again." After saying this, Uchiha Madara stood up. Uchiha Obito went to see him out. The grandmother sighed. She knew this child Obito could not bear to leave her, but she also hoped Obito could be a bit more ruthless. Then, after she died, she would be happy.
Walking outside the house, Uchiha Madara stopped. He took out three scrolls. "These are the most practical fire release jutsu. Do not learn other jutsu for now. And every night after school, come to Training Ground Seven. I will be waiting for you there. If you want to become stronger, remember to come."
Uchiha Obito was stunned. He had not expected the legendary Shinobi of the Sharingan to be so gentle. (Ōnoki/Mu: "So?")
"Thank you, Lord Madara. I will come every day." Uchiha Obito said this in his childish voice.
Uchiha Madara smiled. "Good. I will be waiting for you."
Just like that, Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Obito formed this master disciple relationship. In Konoha, one did not need to care about how many masters a person had. As long as you did not do anything to betray your master or Konoha, it was fine.
Currently, Obito was only slightly behind Hatake Kakashi. Hatake Kakashi originally could completely crush Uchiha Obito. But ever since Obito became Uchiha Madara's disciple, his strength improved by leaps and bounds, changing day by day.
It made Kakashi extremely competitive. To maintain his position as top of the class, to always stay one step ahead of Uchiha Obito, he asked his father to teach him the Hatake sword style, teach him how to use lightning release chakra, teach him everything a shinobi could use, all to make Uchiha Obito admit defeat.
Word count, are there any reader grandpas willing to power up with love~