After the written test ended, Obito walked out of the classroom.
The corridor outside was already crowded, with students from various grades pouring in. Obito scanned the hallway and quickly spotted Kakashi leaning against the wall a few steps away.
His hands were in his pockets as usual, his expression indifferent as ever.
"So how was it?" Obito asked casually as he walked over, though he already had an answer in his mind.
Kakashi lifted a hand and waved it dismissively. "The usual. I finished in less than half an hour."
His tone was flat, almost bored, as if stating something obvious.
Obito smiled faintly but didn't say anything in response—especially not the fact that he had completed his own in barely fifteen minutes. There was no need to hurt Kakashi's pride over something so trivial.
It couldn't be helped. Mentally, Obito wasn't really a child anymore. He had gone through university-level exams in his previous life. Compared to that, this test paper in the Ninja Academy felt more like child's play.
The two of them remained where they were, standing off to the side of the corridor, waiting for Gai as the crowd continued to flow past them.
Minutes passed by.
The once-packed hallway gradually thinned out, with only a handful of people remaining. But there was still no sign of Gai.
Obito frowned slightly and glanced at Kakashi. Kakashi, in turn, looked back at him.
"What's he doing?" Obito muttered.
Kakashi shrugged. "No idea."
Just as they were about to turn around and check the classroom themselves, a familiar figure finally emerged through the doorway.
It was Gai.
But the moment Obito saw him, he realized something was wrong.
Gai walked out slowly, his shoulders slumped. His back—usually straight—was slightly hunched. Even his thick eyebrows, normally arched high with energy, drooped downward, giving him an unusually gloomy look.
He looked like a completely different person.
A flicker of understanding flashed through both Obito's and Kakashi's eyes at the same time.
Obito stepped forward. "Yo, Gai. What's with the long face?"
Gai didn't respond.
Obito continued, his tone earnest. "It's fine even if it didn't go well. A single piece of paper can't decide your future."
He shamelessly borrowed a phrase students from his past life used to cope with bad exam results.
Kakashi also spoke up, backing him. "Obito's right, Gai. In the end, it's just theory. To become a ninja, practical ability is what matters most."
The two of them spoke without mockery or pity. They weren't even lying. For someone like Gai—who relied almost entirely on hard work and relentless endurance to carve his path forward—a theoretical exam was never going to be a true measure of his potential.
Obito, who knew the original story, was even more certain of this. Gai was like a bug in the Naruto world. Despite having no bloodline limit, he nearly kicked Six Paths Madara to death in the end, earning the title of the strongest taijutsu user.
Gai stood there in silence, staring at the floor. His expression remained heavy, almost dazed, as if he hadn't heard a single word.
Then, a teardrop fell onto the ground from his eyes.
"H-Hey—wait," Obito said, startled. "Gai?"
Another drop followed. Then another.
Before he could say anything else, Gai suddenly sucked in a sharp breath.
"I—!"
His voice cracked, then… exploded.
"I DID IT!!!"
The shout echoed down the corridor, making several remaining students jump and turn their heads in astonishment.
Obito nearly fell backward. "W-What?!"
"Three!" Gai lifted his head. Tears streamed down his face without restraint. "I answered three questions!!!"
"…Three?" Kakashi repeated, confused. If he remembered correctly, there were a total of twenty questions on the test. Why was this guy getting so worked up over answering just three? He felt like he had heavily underestimated Gai's enthusiasm.
Gai suddenly lunged forward and grabbed Kakashi's shoulders tightly.
"It was all because of your notes, Kakashi, my rival!" he shouted straight into his face. "I persevered through them all night! And when I saw the questions, my brain—my brain actually worked!"
"…Let go," Kakashi muttered, visibly embarrassed. "You're too loud."
"But my tears are louder!" Gai declared, crying even harder.
He released Kakashi, only to punch his own chest with conviction.
"This is the ultimate proof!" he roared. "Proof that even someone with no talent can conquer the written test with the power of youth!"
Kakashi stiffened slightly at the word youth.
"…Tch," he muttered, turning his head away. "It's nothing worth crying over."
Obito smiled and stepped forward, resting a hand on Gai's shoulder. "That's amazing, Gai."
"You answered three questions today," Obito continued. "That means you'll answer four next time. Then five. Then all ten."
His grin widened. "This is just the beginning. Just keep working hard."
Gai's eyes widened, then—slowly—his lips trembled upward.
"Obito…!" He clenched his fists again.
"Yes!" Gai declared, tears still streaming down his face. "I will burn with the flames of youth even brighter!"
Kakashi sighed and looked away. "…I'm surrounded by idiots."
But the corner of his lips curved slightly.
The corridor had mostly emptied by now, leaving the three of them standing together.
After seeing that Gai was completely fine—even throwing light kicks into the air and muttering about "youthful momentum"—the three of them made their way outside toward the training grounds.
The Ninja Academy's first-year assessment was mainly divided into two stages.
The first was a written test, covering all theory-based subjects taught so far. The second was the practical assessment, which tested basic ninja tool utilization and taijutsu sparring.
But the latter was slightly different from the usual spars held at the academy, where only hand-to-hand combat was allowed. In the assessment, one was also allowed to use weapons. In simple words, it tried to imitate a real ninja battle.
Of course, for safety measures, their chūnin instructor was on standby, ready to interfere at a moment's notice.
Once both tests were completed, the scores were averaged together and used to determine each student's class ranking. The results would be publicly posted for everyone to see.
So there was no hiding poor performance.
Obito knew that better than anyone. In the first monthly assessment after enrollment, his overall score had been the lowest in the class. That was how he had earned the title of dead last.
It didn't take long for them to reach the training ground.
A crowd of students from their class had already gathered there, forming an orderly line. At the front stood their ninja tool utilization instructor, a clipboard in hand, calling students forward one by one.
Each student was given ten shuriken. The score was based on how many hit the target, with bonus points awarded for strikes closer to the center.
It was no different from their usual practical classes—just stricter, and recorded.
As the line slowly advanced, Obito eventually reached the front.
"Good luck, Obito!" Gai said from behind him, flashing a thumbs-up.
Kakashi, standing just beside Gai, gave a brief nod.
"It'll be a piece of cake," Obito replied, turning back with a reassuring smile.
Stepping forward, he took his position and waited for the instructor's signal.
When it came, Obito inhaled slowly and fixed his gaze on the wooden target set about fifteen meters away.
He clasped the first shuriken between his fingers and flicked his wrist.
Thunk!
The shuriken buried itself cleanly into the center of the target.
"Very good, Obito. You've improved," the instructor said with a smile, though his expression carried a hint of surprise as he jotted something down in his notebook.
Obito paid him no mind. He calmly took out the second shuriken.
Thunk.
The third followed.
Thunk.
One after another, the shuriken flew. In the end, all ten hit the target, seven of them embedded directly in the bullseye.
Satisfied, Obito stepped aside and made room for the next student.
"Good luck, Gai," he said.
"Just leave it to me!" Gai replied confidently, marching forward.
Although Gai struggled with theory—as Kakashi had pointed out—his practical ability was far from bad. When his turn ended, eight shuriken had struck the target, with two landing squarely in the bullseye.
Gai laughed loudly, clearly pleased with himself.
Then it was Kakashi's turn.
With no surprise to anyone paying attention, Kakashi hit every single shuriken, nine of them clustered tightly around the center.
Kakashi, as always, was in a league of his own.
Obito didn't bother comparing himself to him. After all, much of his own throwing technique had been copied from Kakashi. Without using the Sharingan, it was only natural that Kakashi performed better.
After roughly half an hour, the shuriken portion of the assessment concluded.
The instructor then stepped forward again, his expression turning serious.
"We'll now proceed to the final round of the assessment," he announced.
His gaze swept across the students before he called out the first pair.
"Obito Uchiha… and Asuma Sarutobi. Step forward."