Obito lay on the ground, one hand clutching his chest and the other his butt, grimacing in pain.
He had actually lost yet again.
He felt miserable, especially since the guy who beat him was foolishly shouting “Youth, youth!” while giving a thumbs-up and flashing a wide, toothy grin, looking exactly like a massive idiot.
*I actually lost to a guy like this again?
And right in front of the Hokage?*
Perhaps this was just a lesser idiot despising a bigger idiot.
The bigger idiot hopped a couple of times, stepped forward, and offered his hand to the lesser idiot.
“Obito, get up!
Win or lose, it’s all…
youth!”
Obito reluctantly let himself be pulled up.
He cast a gloomy glance around the sidelines, looked at the Third Hokage stroking his beard in the distance, and pouted.
Feeling the need to save face, he puffed out his chest and declared to Guy, “I’ll definitely beat you next time!
He who laughs last, laughs best!
Don’t look down on…
uh, whatever, I’m poor!”
Guy froze for a moment, and then…
his eyes welled up with tears.
“Such youth!”
Covered in Guy’s snot and tears, Obito was completely bewildered and struggled frantically.
Teacher Daiki put an end to the farce.
“Second match, Tanryo versus Bian Ze.”
Obito stepped off the field.
After receiving a few words of encouragement from Rin, he cheered up again.
However, when he sidled up to Kaito, he deliberately pulled a long face.
But before he could complain, his attention was diverted by Kaito’s muttering.
“Likes spicy food.”
“Dislikes sweet food.”
“This is heresy.
It needs to be corrected.”
Obito didn’t understand.
“Can’t eat spicy food?”
Kaito shot him a glance.
“Eat whatever you want, nobody cares.
You lost, right?
Go cry to Rin and use the chance to hug her.”
Obito’s face turned red.
“I…
I wouldn’t do something as embarrassing as crying!
And h-hug her…”
He stood frozen in place, lost in his fantasies.
Having successfully brushed Obito off, Kaito stared blankly up at the sun, pondering a profound question—a question about the world itself.
*What is wrong with the Naruto world I transmigrated into?*
*A depressed Kakashi really wasn’t an isolated case.
Now there’s an Azuki who dislikes sweets!*
*These inverted personalities…
it’s a bit like the Infinite Tsukuyomi world.
Thinking back to the dream I had before crossing over, with Lord Madara and Orochimaru, there is only one truth—*
*Orochimaru invented some dark technology for time travel and brought Lord Madara to modern society!*
*But why wouldn’t they go find Kishimoto?
Why cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi on me?
Wait, no, if this really is the Infinite Tsukuyomi world, why haven’t Obito and Rin changed?
And Guy isn’t the trendy Guy either.*
*How bizarre.*
While he pondered, the class’s combat assessments continued in full swing.
The battle between the dead-lasts had actually been somewhat entertaining, but the dozen or so matches that followed were just amateurs flailing at each other.
As the Third Hokage watched, he could barely maintain his smile and began to zone out.
“Carry several of my works at all times after graduation and spend a lifetime studying them?” he muttered under his breath.
He glanced at Kaito in the distance, a smile flashing in his eyes, then waved Daiki over and gave him an instruction.
Half a minute later, Teacher Daiki walked to the center of the field.
“Tobichiku Tombo wins!
Next match, Kakashi Hatake versus Kaito.
Both students, step forward.”
“Huh?”
“Kakashi and Kaito?”
“Why them?”
As soon as he spoke, several surprised questions rang out.
The previous match between Tobichiku Tombo and Mizuki had been a duel between the 17th and 18th ranked students in the class.
If the matches were continuing, shouldn’t it be the 15th and 16th?
Kakashi was ranked 15th and should have fought the 16th, Hizashi Hyuga.
Kaito, ranked 5th, shouldn’t have been called up for a long time.
Asuma was the most anxious.
He had just seen Kaito pestering Kurenai with endless questions, secretly chatting with her for ages.
How could he tolerate that?
The Third Hokage’s presence made him hesitate.
Before he could speak up, he saw Kakashi already walking silently to the center of the field, his short sword strapped to his back.
“Kakashi…” Rin was a bit worried.
Kaito loved to bully Kakashi more than anything; how could they be paired together?
“Rin!” Kakashi called out, gently shaking his head.
He shifted his gaze to Kaito, his meaning perfectly clear.
Rin paused, understood, and fell silent, simply worrying and cheering for Kakashi in her heart.
“Kakashi and Kaito are the two students who have shown the most improvement in academic classes this semester.
As your teacher, I’m not entirely sure how much their combat strength has progressed either.
Since they were paired together at the end of last term, let’s have them face off again this time, haha.”
Daiki offered an explanation that wasn’t very convincing.
As the teacher, he didn’t need to explain much anyway.
The combat assessments were entirely up to him.
“Kaito, step forward.”
Kaito adjusted his bangs and slowly made his way over.
*Teacher Daiki…
no, it must be the Third Hokage.
He’s way too petty!*
*He definitely knows how much I’ve bullied Kakashi this past month.
Is he making things difficult for me as revenge for trying to get out of studying his writings?*
*What a headache.*
In the class, Kaito wasn’t afraid of anyone.
Even if he had a taijutsu showdown with Guy or fought Asuma, with his current attributes, his chances of winning were very high, or at least he could force a draw.
Kakashi was the sole exception.
Heaven knew how much anger Kakashi had built up over these past few days.
Anyone else being angry wouldn’t matter, but Kakashi was a genius who should have become a Chunin at age six.
Now he was seven—a veteran Chunin?
*I can’t calculate it like that.
After all, the Kakashi in front of me is different from the original story.
But before his slump, Kakashi was still widely recognized as the strongest in the class.*
And a Kakashi whose correction progress had been personally pushed to 79% by Kaito would, conservatively speaking, at least have the strength of a high-tier Genin.
Kaito really wasn’t confident.
*I absolutely cannot lose.
If I lose to Kakashi, I won’t be able to correct the remaining 21%.*
Standing opposite Kakashi and meeting his sharp gaze, Kaito kept a relaxed expression.
He casually adjusted his bangs and smiled.
“Kakashi, same place, same outcome.
One punch, remember?”
Kakashi calmly looked toward Teacher Daiki.
“Kakashi!
You can do it!”
A chorus of enthusiastic cheers rang out.
“Beat that guy into the ground!” Azuki’s voice even carried over from a distance.
“Kaito!
Good luck…” Only Obito offered a weak cheer for Kaito.
When Rin didn’t even turn to look at him, he spinelessly switched to cheering for Kakashi instead.
Dozens of meters away, the Third Hokage smiled and shook his head.
“It’s completely one-sided…
It seems Kakashi has indeed pulled himself together.
However, that boy doesn’t seem panicked at all.
Perhaps he can still bring a surprise.”
His arrangement had a deeper meaning; it absolutely wasn’t about whether or not someone studied the writings of the Hokages…
Daiki looked left and right.
“Match, be—”
“Wait, Teacher Daiki!” Kaito suddenly said with a worried tone.
“The 16th in the class is Hizashi, right?
Kakashi was originally supposed to fight him.
Isn’t it…
a bit inappropriate for me to steal his opponent?”
*Kaito must be afraid that Hizashi Hyuga will get angry about having his opponent stolen and bully him again, right?* Many students thought this as they looked toward Hizashi Hyuga.
The veins on Hizashi Hyuga’s forehead throbbed, making it look as if he had activated his Byakugan.
*This damn commoner, again?*
*Who wants to fight a Kakashi when no one knows how much of his strength he’s recovered?
Besides, I wanted to use this chance to see exactly how strong you are.
But a member of the Hyuga clan cannot show fear.
If I have to step up, I’ll step up…*
Fortunately, Daiki waved his hand and refused.
“I have my own arrangements.
Match, begin!”
Kaito let out a long breath.
*Fine, there’s no avoiding it.
If we’re fighting, we’re fighting.
Who’s afraid of who?*
*Today, I’ll beat Kakashi so hard he’ll call me daddy!*
*Oh, mother!