"This year's class has quite a few outstanding students. Their future achievements may very well surpass mine."
Takahara Naoyasu glanced at Kyosuke, then swept his gaze over Kakashi, Asuma, and the others, feeling quietly gratified.
After school, just as Kyosuke reached the Academy gates, someone blocked his path.
"Kyosuke, I challenge you! You should feel honored to be defeated by a great Uchiha!"
Obito lifted his chin like a proud rooster, shouting loudly. Yet his eyes were clearly scanning the surrounding crowd, relishing the attention.
Kyosuke studied him thoughtfully.
It seemed his earlier performance hadn't been dazzling enough—if the one challenging him was only Obito.
Then again, refining chakra quickly didn't necessarily mean one was strong.
If Kakashi had been the one to step forward, Kyosuke wasn't confident he could win. But Obito? On the first day of school, his future "dead last" reputation hadn't manifested yet. The Uchiha name alone was intimidating. Defeating him would at least earn some "reputation points," as if this were a game.
While Kyosuke was still considering, Guy stepped forward first, thumbing his chest.
"Obito! I challenge you! I'll go first today!"
Guy wasn't stupid. He knew Kyosuke had only just officially refined chakra. As an Uchiha, Obito had undoubtedly begun shinobi training long ago. Kyosuke might not be a match.
Guy didn't want his friend to be embarrassed.
At the very least, Guy had undergone long-term physical training under his father and knew some taijutsu.
"Hmph! Move aside, bushy brows! Once I deal with pretty-boy here, it'll be your turn!"
Obito dismissed Guy entirely. And seeing that Kyosuke's face had drawn attention from several girls only irritated him further. He was determined to humiliate him.
So that was it—jealousy over looks.
Kyosuke smiled and gently pushed Guy aside.
"Heh, Obito. I'm already more handsome than you. If you lose to me too, you'll be ugly and weak. No girls will like you at all."
Having his thoughts exposed, Obito flushed red with anger.
"W-What nonsense! I don't care about girls! I'll show you how strong I am today!"
Kyosuke wasn't afraid of a child's challenge. He pointed toward the school grounds.
"Let's take it to the training field. More space there."
It was only a sparring match. If he won, great. If he lost, no big deal. Kyosuke's skin was much thicker than that of an actual child.
With a fight to watch, many students who had been heading home stayed behind. Even some parents lingered—after all, Obito was an Uchiha.
The Academy teachers observed from the building, making no move to stop it. If anything, they welcomed the opportunity to better assess their students' abilities and temperaments.
"Who do you think will win?" Ebisu asked, adjusting his sunglasses.
Asuma snorted.
"Kyosuke may have refined chakra quickly, but the Uchiha are one of the most powerful clans in the shinobi world. Difficult personalities aside, their strength is undeniable. Kyosuke's definitely losing."
Guy immediately objected.
"Kyosuke trains hard every day! He hasn't wasted a bit of his youth! He'll win!"
Genma glanced toward the gate, watching Kakashi's departing back.
"For true geniuses, ordinary effort doesn't mean much."
Basking in the crowd's attention, Obito felt exhilarated. He quickly formed hand seals.
"Clone Technique!"
A single illusory clone appeared beside him.
"Hahaha! I'm an Uchiha genius! I've already mastered ninjutsu! You can't beat me!"
Though it was only the basic Clone Technique, most civilian students had never seen ninjutsu before. Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Hearing the admiration, Obito grew even more excited. He and his clone charged at Kyosuke from opposite sides.
"It's over! Accept your defeat!"
Kyosuke calmly formed the confrontation seal with his right hand, then looked at the two Obitos.
He completely ignored the one on the right.
Dodging the punch from the left, he waited for the moment Obito overcommitted—unable to withdraw his full-force strike—then drove a kick straight into his abdomen.
Obito tumbled to the ground.
At the same time, the clone vanished in a puff of smoke.
Sitting on the ground and clutching his stomach, Obito stared in disbelief.
"That's impossible! How did you see through my clone?!"
Because Tasaka Chisuke had already explained and demonstrated it countless times in the dream space.
Of course, Kyosuke couldn't say that.
Instead, he replied calmly, "Your clone's movements and expressions were stiff. Even the voice didn't match your usual arrogance. If you just focus on the loudest, most overconfident one—that's obviously the real you."
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
It was true. Obito's clone had been imperfect, and his constant shouting only highlighted the difference. With a bit of training, most people could identify the original.
But more impressive was Kyosuke's composure. In just a few seconds, under pressure, he had calmly analyzed his opponent and responded correctly.
Many genin couldn't manage that.
"This Uchiha Obito… isn't that strong, is he? Was he holding back?"
"He was knocked down. How could he be holding back?"
"Still, Kyosuke's impressive. No prior shinobi training, yet he stayed calm like a natural shinobi."
"I heard he refined chakra in ten minutes. He might really be a genius."
The whispers burned Obito's ears. His face flushed hot with humiliation. He leapt to his feet and charged again.
"I haven't lost! I was careless! Now I'll show you true Uchiha taijutsu!"
To be fair, Obito had received some formal training. His punches and kicks flowed in sequence, leaving few openings. Kyosuke was forced to retreat repeatedly.
Seeing this, Obito regained his swagger.
"Hahaha! I knew it—you're no match for me!"
Kyosuke had learned taijutsu principles from Tasaka Chisuke, but he couldn't openly display techniques he had no explanation for. So he relied instead on Obito's personality.
He retreated, conserving stamina, letting Obito exhaust himself.
Sure enough, with all his shouting and full-power attacks, Obito began sweating heavily in under a minute. His movements slowed. His form grew sloppy.
Clearly, his stamina couldn't compare to Kyosuke's disciplined conditioning.
Now.
As Obito threw a weakened punch, Kyosuke raised his right arm to block, stepped forward decisively, and drove into Obito's chest.
Then—
A sharp left uppercut to the chin.
"What—?!"
Obito had been on the offensive the entire time, momentum carrying him forward. He hadn't anticipated a sudden counterattack.
Caught completely off guard, eyes blank with shock—
He took the hit cleanly.
Obito fell to the ground once more, his head ringing, pain radiating from his jaw.