“Digest our food?!”
Obito immediately flared up.
He turned his head to look at Kakashi:
“This guy is way too arrogant.
I’m going first!”
Kakashi gave him a faint glance:
“Just don’t cry when you lose later.”
“Heh, just watch.
Until I defeat you, I absolutely won’t lose again, Kakashi!”
Obito pointed a thumb at himself, looking incredibly confident.
Kakashi was long accustomed to this and could only helplessly spread his hands.
After graduating, they had been assigned to the same squad.
Over several years of missions, they had become intimately familiar with each other’s personalities.
Obito was usually like this—reckless and impulsive—but in crucial moments, he was barely reliable enough.
“In that case, let’s change locations after we finish eating.
I’m looking forward to Shingen-kun’s strength even more now.”
Minato had somewhat figured out Uchiha Shingen’s temperament by now, but his curiosity about him hadn’t diminished.
Instead, just like Kakashi, it had only grown.
…
Two hours later.
Having eaten and drank their fill, the group left the barbecue restaurant and arrived at the Forest of Death just outside Konoha.
This was where Uchiha Shingen usually trained.
The surroundings were littered with scorch marks and slash gashes, which, under the moonlight, actually added a bit of a chilling, deadly atmosphere.
Even Obito, who had been chattering non-stop, was infected by the mood and gradually fell silent.
His hands beneath his sleeves tightly gripped a kunai as he secretly swore in his heart that he absolutely could not lose face in front of Rin.
Tap—!
Uchiha Shingen took the first step, standing on one side of the clearing with his hands hanging casually at his sides.
His eyelids drooped lazily as his gaze swept over the members of Team Minato, saying faintly:
“Who’s going first?
Or are you all coming at me together?!”
“Let’s get this over with quickly, I still want to go home and rest.
After a full day of work, my bones are falling apart.”
“I’ll do it!”
Obito gritted his teeth.
He took a step toward Uchiha Shingen, pulling a kunai from the ninja pouch at his waist with one hand and gripping it tightly.
He dashed frantically toward Uchiha Shingen!
After graduating from the Ninja Academy, the fact that Obito was assigned to Team Minato alongside Kakashi naturally meant his aptitude wasn’t bad. Read this novel at novelping . com for the best experience.
Although most of the time he acted like a dead-last dropout, just as Kakashi had said, Obito never held them back during crucial moments.
Getting serious now, the level of skill he displayed was already that of a fully qualified Chunin!
“This kid isn’t bad.”
Jiraiya nodded.
He was naturally clear about Minato’s own level of strength.
Relying on the Flying Thunder God Technique, he was already practically invincible in battle, not to mention the signless ninjutsu he had recently developed, the Rasengan.
The combination of the two was absolutely perfect.
Even the current Jiraiya would have to expend quite a bit of effort if he wanted to suppress Minato.
However, Jiraiya had never known what level Minato’s students were at under his guidance.
But seeing Obito’s performance now, he had a pretty good idea.
His eldest disciple could finally stand on his own as a capable leader.
“Although Obito is usually unreliable, he has never slacked off on his training.
Even if there’s a gap between him and Kakashi now, it’s not impossible for him to catch up in the future.”
“It’s just…”
Minato raised his eyes to look at the battlefield in the distance, sighing inwardly:
“He’s still lacking a lot of refinement right now.”
Just as Minato’s voice fell, Obito’s forward momentum abruptly halted.
He maintained his posture with both hands gripping the kunai, thrusting toward Uchiha Shingen, but his entire body froze in place as if someone had hit the pause button.
“Obito, do your be—”
Rin swallowed the words of encouragement she was about to shout.
She looked at the sudden change in the distance, puzzled:
“What happened?!”
“It’s Genjutsu.
It should be the Uchiha’s Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique.”
Kakashi looked toward Uchiha Shingen.
Under the moonlight, those scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan eyes exuded an exceptionally dangerous aura.
It was Konoha’s premier Kekkei Genkai, and the only known Kekkei Genkai out of all of them that could evolve alongside the user’s growing abilities.
The terrifying power of the Sharingan was already an indisputable fact.
And more importantly, there was an ironclad rule among Uchiha shinobi.
That was, as long as one could awaken the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, becoming a Jonin was a guaranteed certainty.
In other words, Uchiha Shingen already had his ticket to becoming a Jonin!
If Kakashi originally thought that Uchiha Shingen was merely preparing for the Jonin Exams, looking at him now, there was an eighty percent chance he was already completely confident he would pass!
As long as I can defeat him, there won’t be any issues with me passing the Jonin Exams!
At this thought.
Kakashi quietly reached back and gripped the short sword strapped to his back.
Beneath his seemingly calm expression, his will to fight was gradually surging.
Recalling what had just happened, he was still somewhat dazed.
He had merely pulled out his kunai and rushed toward Uchiha Shingen, only to suddenly feel his entire body being bound, completely unable to move a single muscle.
“Kakashi!”
Obito’s eyes were full of solemnity:
“This guy…
is very dangerous!”
“Shingen, he’s completely different from when we were at the Academy!”
“Ah~”
“I know.”
Kakashi gave the short sword in his hand a little wave as a response to Obito.
He turned and walked step by step toward Uchiha Shingen.
His originally slouching posture became sharp and crisp in the process, like a snow leopard waking from a deep slumber, opening its mouth to bare its fangs!
“Is this the White Fang’s child?!”
Looking at Kakashi’s back, Jiraiya saw the shadow of an old friend and recalled the tragedy that had occurred in Konoha several years ago.
One of Konoha’s strongest shinobi, Hatake Sakumo, known as the White Fang of Konoha.
Because he chose to abandon his mission to save his comrades during an operation, leading to the mission’s failure and massive losses for the village, he was subjected to harsh public condemnation.
Ultimately, this caused Hatake Sakumo, unable to bear the psychological pressure, to commit suicide.
As the White Fang’s only child, Kakashi had borne all the resulting pressure in his father’s stead after his passing.
“Yeah.”
Minato nodded, his gaze resting on Kakashi’s back as he said:
“After Sakumo-senpai passed away, Kakashi’s personality became somewhat extreme.
He prioritizes the mission above all else, even to the point where he’s willing to abandon his comrades.”
“I’m trying to correct this, but I haven’t seen any results yet.
I can only take it slowly during future missions.”
“However.”
“Kakashi has perfectly inherited Sakumo-senpai’s talent as a shinobi.
His strength already wouldn’t lose to the Jonin in the village.”
Changing the topic to Kakashi’s strength, Minato’s face bore a wider smile.
After all, this was the disciple he had personally trained.
To reach this level before even turning thirteen—as his Teacher, he was naturally proud.
“But I really don’t know exactly what level my junior brother has reached now.”
As he spoke.
Minato’s gaze fell on Jiraiya’s face, attempting to discern something from his Teacher’s eyes, only to hear Jiraiya say faintly:
“If you want to take this kid down, I’m afraid you might have to step in yourself.”