The moment Uchiha Obito stepped forward to challenge Youyu, the entire class froze.
"The dead-last is challenging Youyu?"
"Who gave him the courage?"
"Does he have a death wish?"
No one had dared to speak moments ago, hoping they wouldn't be forced to fight Youyu. Yet here was Obito, the weakest in class, stepping forward like he actually had a chance. His challenge wasn't just foolish—it was insulting. He had done what none of them had the guts to do, which only made them angrier. The resentment of the entire class shifted toward him, making him the target of their frustration.
Tanaka Hideichi, watching from the side, sighed. Uchiha Obito, of all people. The tail of the class, someone who couldn't even perform basic Clone Jutsu properly, now challenging the most dangerous student Konoha had ever seen. He glanced at his roster. Next to Obito's name, three words were clearly marked—
Fail. No Hope.
Obito, however, wasn't listening to any of this. His fists were clenched, his breath heavy. Youyu had ignored him completely, continuing to drink his sake as if the challenge wasn't even worth acknowledging. And to make matters worse, Rin was standing beside him, talking softly in his ear, acting as if the two were in their own little world.
That sight made something inside Obito snap.
"You bastard... LOOK AT ME!" he shouted.
Youyu, half-listening, lazily raised an eyebrow. "How do you ease worries? Only through good wine."
The class had long stopped trying to understand Youyu's drunken wisdom. But Obito didn't care about the words—he cared about the
tone
. The sheer
disinterest
in Youyu's voice, the fact that he wasn't taking him seriously at all.
"ASSHOLE! STOP IGNORING ME!"
Tanaka sighed, rubbing his temple. Obito was going to regret this.
"Youyu, you've been challenged," Tanaka said.
At that, Youyu finally blinked, looking at Kurenai and Rin for an explanation. Rin gave him a brief summary, making sure to
emphasize
that this was just a test, not a real fight.
Youyu grinned. "Oh? It's been a while since I cut someone down." His fingers idly drifted toward the hilt of his sword.
Tanaka's
soul nearly left his body.
"WAIT! WAIT WAIT WAIT!!"
The Jōnin instructors hiding in the area
subtly tensed
, ready to intervene if necessary. They had been stationed around the field by the Hokage himself, fully aware that
if Youyu got serious, Obito wouldn't be walking away from this.
But Obito was too blinded by emotion to realize the
gravity of his mistake
. His fists clenched tighter, his eyes burning with frustration.
"I'LL MAKE YOU REMEMBER MY NAME!"
Tanaka sighed in defeat. "Oh no. He's dead."
Obito had spent his whole life being called the
weakest Uchiha in history.
No matter how hard he tried, he could never keep up. He wanted recognition, wanted to prove that he was more than just a failure. And yet, here Youyu was—
not even acknowledging his existence.
That was what hurt the most.
But Youyu's mind was elsewhere. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Your name was... Uchiha Roku-something?"
Obito saw black.
"MY NAME IS OBITO, YOU BASTARD!!!"
The class immediately backed away. They were
already
mourning him.
Tanaka, wiping the sweat from his forehead,
tried one last time
to prevent disaster.
"Youyu! Remember, this is just a test!
Not a real fight!
Be gentle!"
At those words, Youyu's expression
lit up
with realization.
"Ohhh, hit him harder? You got it!"
"WAIT, NO!—"
Before Tanaka could stop it, Youyu
moved.
Despite his drunken swaying, his hand moved
faster than anyone could react.
SHING—
A
cold flash of steel
gleamed under the sunlight.
Obito's breath caught in his throat. His body locked up. For a split second,
he saw his own death.
His instincts screamed at him to
run
, but it was too late.
The
next thing he knew
, his back hit the ground.
Silence.
The class
stared
in shock.
The Jōnin instructors
remained still
, watching closely, ready to intervene if necessary.
Obito lay
flat on his back
, his body unscathed, but his mind reeling.
What just happened?
Youyu stood above him, still
holding his sword
—except, the blade was still
sheathed.
"Huh. Didn't even have to pull it out," Youyu muttered, shaking his head before taking another
long
swig of sake.
Obito
didn't move
. His mind was still trapped in that moment—where he had felt
death looming over him
.
His body
refused
to respond.
Tanaka cleared his throat. "In this test,
Uchiha Obito fails.
"
"FAIL? WHY?!" Obito snapped, though his voice lacked its usual fire.
Tanaka sighed. "What did you learn in theory class, Obito?"
This was never a
test of strength
—it was a
test of character
.
Youyu's power was
beyond
any student here. That was obvious. The purpose of this challenge was to see if someone
knew when to stand down.
Ninjas weren't supposed to fight
just because they were angry
. They fought to
complete a mission
. Allowing emotions to dictate actions was a
sign of weakness.
Obito's decision to challenge Youyu was
reckless, emotional, and completely illogical.
It wasn't bravery—it was
suicide.
Tanaka closed his roster and motioned for the class to move on. "Next challenger."
No one stepped forward.
Tanaka sighed. "That's what I thought."
With that, he dismissed the class.
As the students slowly shuffled away, Tanaka noticed something odd. Obito was still on the ground, staring up at the sky, his hands trembling slightly.
He had
never
felt so weak in his entire life.
Youyu, meanwhile, continued drinking, as if nothing had happened.
The rest of the class had learned an important lesson that day.
They were all
children playing ninja.
But Youyu?
He was
already a monster.