Ren had trained far too hard the night before, and by the time he woke up, he was already late for school.
He hurried out of the Uchiha compound and sprinted toward the Academy, only to spot Obito near the entrance helping an elderly woman carry a large sack of eggs back to her home.
Ren was already late anyway, so he slowed down and waited.
He might as well use the opportunity to ruin Obito’s morning!
Obito soon rushed back out of the compound.
The moment he noticed Ren, he gave him a disgusted look and kept running without saying a word.
Ren caught up and ran alongside him.
“Obito, was that all an act?
Because damn, your performance was incredible.
You almost looked like a genuinely decent person!” “Shut up, Beanpole!
Just because you’re a terrible person doesn’t mean everyone else is!
Eggs are expensive.
I was only worried she’d drop them.” “So you’re planning to keep doing good deeds until your reputation reaches Rin, right?
Hoping she’ll start thinking you’re some kind of hero?” Obito fell silent.
Ren immediately knew he had struck something.
“And I bet you’re waiting for the perfect day when Rin happens to see you helping someone with her own eyes.
That way, she’ll finally realize how wonderful you are.” Ren shook his head with exaggerated pity.
“Give it up, Obito.
Being a nice guy doesn’t make girls fall in love with you.
Rin will smile, tell you what a wonderful person you are, and then run straight into Kakashi’s arms.” Obito’s expression stiffened.
“Come on, even I can tell Rin likes Kakashi.
Don’t tell me you seriously haven’t noticed?” Ren glanced at the Uchiha crest on Obito’s clothes.
“Your eyesight is that bad, and you still have the nerve to wear the fan crest?
You’re embarrassing the entire clan!” …
Ren kept talking until his mouth went dry, yet the system remained completely silent.
‘Does this guy not have feelings?
Why isn’t he devastated?’ They had nearly reached the Academy when Obito finally answered.
“I help people because they need help.
That’s all!” His voice was steady and unusually serious.
“I like Rin because she deserves to be liked.
It has nothing to do with Kakashi.” Then he turned toward Ren.
“And you, Uchiha Ren…
you’re exactly the kind of Uchiha everyone hates.
Someone like you will never understand the way I think.” Ren had no response to that.
At this point in his life, Obito’s only selfish desire was his love for Rin.
Most of the time, he was painfully sincere, with the kind of uncomplicated kindness that almost seemed unnatural in the shinobi world.
Breaking him would not be easy.
Ren would probably have to make Rin fall in love with him—or kill her.
No wonder Madara had chosen Obito.
The boy loved one person with his entire heart, yet he was also capable of caring about the whole world.
Once everything was torn away from him, awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan would practically be inevitable.
That kind of emotional intensity was a talent in itself.
Ren doubted he would ever awaken the Mangekyō.
He simply was not built that way.
They entered the Academy together, both equally late.
Obito looked furious.
“Showing up with you makes it look like we’re friends.
This is the worst!” Ren ignored him and casually took his seat in the back row.
The instructor scolded them for a while.
Obito apologized so frantically that he looked ready to bow through the floor, while Ren barely listened.
From his seat, Asuma kept glancing toward Ren, who had been ordered to stand at the back of the classroom during the lesson.
His eyes were filled with open challenge.
He had only lost their last spar because Ren had caught him off guard.
That was all.
Asuma had replayed the fight in his head countless times after going home.
Ren had humiliated him, and he intended to win back every scrap of pride with his own hands.
During the afternoon sparring lesson, Asuma raised his hand before Yamano could even finish speaking.
“Instructor!
I challenge Uchiha Ren!” Yamano was still in a foul mood over his niece’s lack of shinobi talent and had apparently forgotten just how ugly their match had become the previous day.
He approved the challenge without much thought.
Ren stepped into the training area with a grin.
“Well, look who it is.
Asuma ‘My Dad Doesn’t Love Me’ Sarutobi.
Still angry because I exposed you as a useless spoiled brat?” So what if Asuma was the Hokage’s son?
Ren would insult him even if it killed him.
There was no one in Konoha who was safe from emotional damage!
Asuma steadied his breathing, closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again.
“Uchiha Ren, I am not useless!
From now on, I’ll hold myself to a higher standard.” His expression remained firm.
“And whether my father loves me has nothing to do with you.
Yesterday, I lost because I made a mistake.
Today, I’ll prove that I’m not a failure.” Ren clicked his tongue.
“Wow.
That’s almost inspiring.” He gave Asuma a pitying look.
“Did you spend the entire night lying awake, telling yourself you were worthless, then telling yourself you were wrong for thinking you were worthless?” Ren’s smile widened as he began applying pressure.
“You don’t seriously believe your father started loving you because you slept on it, do you?
“And you definitely don’t believe one night of sulking made you strong enough to beat me.” He pointed directly at Asuma.
“A useless rich kid is still a useless rich kid.
Today, I’m going to prove that you didn’t lose because of one small mistake.
I was the one who made a mistake yesterday—by letting you lose with a little dignity left!” His voice rose across the training field.
“Sarutobi Asuma!
Do the clan a favor and give up your surname!
At this rate, the only thing you’ll ever contribute to the Sarutobi name is embarrassment!” “Instructor!” Asuma snapped, refusing to listen any longer.
“Tell us to form the Seal of Confrontation!” After they completed the seal, Asuma rushed forward without hesitation.
Ren smiled.
Chakra burst from the tenketsu in his left leg, launching him sharply to the right and carrying him clear of Asuma’s straight punch.
There was no real exchange after that.
Chakra erupted through Ren’s arm, and his fist slammed into Asuma’s stomach.
Ren had not held back at all.
Asuma folded around the blow with a strangled gasp and pitched forward.
Standing over him, Ren spoke toward the back of his head.
“Just admit it.
You’re the most useless privileged brat in Konoha.” He leaned down slightly.
“When you stand beside actual prodigies, you should feel embarrassed that they’re even forced to look at you!
Honestly, you were unbelievably lucky to be Kakashi’s friend for a while.
Treasure those memories, because that may be the highest point of your entire life.” Asuma slowly turned his head and glared up at him.
“You’re so hopeless that no strong shinobi will ever want anything to do with you again.” Ren watched the anger burning in his eyes.
‘Still nothing?’ If anything, the humiliation seemed to have awakened Asuma’s competitive spirit.
Making someone truly break was not as easy as throwing out a few insults.
Ren did not mind taking his time.
He would crush Asuma’s confidence little by little until there was nothing left.
“What’s with that look?
Don’t tell me you think you’ve finally woken up, and now all you need is a little training to catch up with me.” Ren folded his arms.
“How about a bet, Asuma?
I’ll give you one semester.
By the end of it, I’ll prove that the gap between us is only getting wider.” He grinned.
“The older you get, the more obvious it’ll become.
You won’t grow into a great shinobi.
You’ll just become a bigger, older disappointment.
Understand?” “Uchiha Ren!” Asuma shouted.
“I’ll defeat you during the final exam!
Stop acting like you’ve already won!” Ren scratched his ear.
“Why are you yelling?
If volume decided strength, your father should hand the Hokage hat to the loudest opera singer in the Land of Fire.” A few students failed to hide their laughter.
Ren pointed at Asuma.
“Fine.
I accept.
We’ll settle this during the final exam.” His smile turned merciless.
“And when the time comes, I’ll teach you what real despair feels like.” “Fine!” Asuma shouted back.
“During the final exam, I’ll definitely beat you!”