Chapter 35: Duel with Obito
Watching Obito suddenly burst into laughter without warning, Yuu could only shake his head inwardly.
He had known for a long time that Obito was like this, loud and full of energy, but seeing it in person still felt a little unreal.
If Yuu had not known the full story, he would never have imagined what Obito would become later.
"So, please give me some guidance, Senior."
Yuu loosened his ninja tool pouch, drew a kunai, and faced Obito head on.
"I will not go easy on you!"
Obito shouted and charged forward.
Yuu watched him closely, showing nothing on his face as he retreated in silence.
"Take this!"
Obito lunged in and threw a punch, putting his weight into it.
The strike cut through the air.
It missed.
At the last instant, Yuu's figure blurred into an afterimage and vanished from where he had been standing.
"It's the Body Flicker Technique…"
A startled voice came from the side.
Teacher Akiya stared at Yuu, surprise flashing across his face.
"A Body Flicker at this level is truly rare."
Academy students were ninja in training, but the techniques they mastered were limited. The Body Flicker Technique was considered basic, something nearly every student was expected to learn.
Even so, to execute it as cleanly as Yuu had just done was uncommon.
Not just for genin. Even some chūnin could not handle it with that kind of precision.
Unsurprisingly, Obito immediately fell into a disadvantage.
By academy standards, his combat ability was not bad at all. If anything, he resembled the Uzumaki Naruto of later years, someone whose practical fighting sense was decent, but whose theory was terrible.
In pure combat ability, Obito was already at a standard genin level.
Among genin, he could even be called good.
Unfortunately, in front of Yuu, those strengths meant nothing.
His basic techniques are rough, but his taijutsu is solid.
Standing behind Obito, Yuu assessed him calmly.
If it is only this level, dealing with him is not difficult.
Yuu stepped in, his hand thrusting forward.
The kunai in his grip stabbed straight ahead.
"You fell for it!"
Obito's excited voice rang out from in front of him.
At some point, Obito had already turned around, clearly waiting for this opening so he could counterattack.
The next instant, he lunged into Yuu's space and brought his strike down hard.
Bang!
A loud impact echoed across the training field. The exchange looked fierce, almost evenly matched.
"The fight looks intense."
Teacher Akiya shook his head.
"Unfortunately, the gap is simply too big."
When he said the gap was too big, he was not talking about Yuu.
He was talking about Obito.
To someone like Akiya, it was obvious at a glance. Yuu's level was far above Obito's.
The reason the duel looked so heated was simple.
Yuu was deliberately making it look that way.
If he wanted to, Obito would not even have time to react. He would be defeated instantly.
"Interesting."
On the raised platform, a middle aged man watched the match below, a faint smile forming at the corner of his mouth.
He looked to be around fifty, his posture steady and imposing.
"Is he being considerate of the other boy's pride? Or is he doing it for another reason?"
When Teacher Akiya noticed who it was, his expression changed on the spot.
"Third Hokage sama!"
He stepped forward quickly and bowed. "I did not expect you to come."
"Haha, Akiya, there's no need to be so formal."
The Third Hokage waved it off with a gentle smile.
"I happened to be passing by, so I came to watch for a bit."
"Do not mind me. Continue as usual."
With Yuu's current status, it was not enough to summon the Third Hokage here on purpose.
He truly had just been nearby.
The Third Hokage watched for a moment, then shook his head slightly.
"I thought he might be a genius like Kakashi, but he still falls short."
A few years ago, Kakashi had also applied for early graduation. Back then, the Third Hokage had watched as well.
From his perspective, compared to Kakashi at that time, Yuu was still far behind.
Aside from a refined Body Flicker and solid taijutsu, there did not seem to be much else worth praising.
"Still, it could also be that his opponent is too weak to force out more."
The Third Hokage looked down, murmuring to himself.
A ninja's performance depended not only on their own ability, but also on the strength of the person they faced.
If the opponent was weak, then winning with only basic techniques was natural.
Everyone could tell Yuu was holding back.
But there were still people cheering for Obito as if the outcome were uncertain.
"Obito, keep going!"
In the crowd not far away, a girl called out loudly.
It was Rin Nohara, one of Obito's few close friends at the academy.
Beside her stood a boy with half his face covered.
Kakashi Hatake.
Both Kakashi and Rin were Obito's friends.
In rank, Rin and Obito were still academy students, while Kakashi was already a chūnin. The difference sounded ridiculous.
Yet they were bonds formed in the academy, and they had never really faded.
Recently, because of certain rumors spreading outside, Kakashi had been in a foul mood. Rin had dragged him here to watch the duel and cheer Obito on.
While Rin shouted encouragement, Kakashi frowned.
"The opponent is far stronger than Obito."
He saw Yuu's restraint immediately and shook his head.
"This is a waste of time."
In Kakashi's eyes, if Yuu truly wanted to, he could end the match at any moment.
Dragging it out like this was meaningless.
"Hey, Kakashi, do not say that."
Rin smiled, unbothered.
"Obito is working really hard too."
"He probably thinks Obito is a good opponent, so he is doing this."
"Rin!"
Hearing her voice, Obito was instantly fired up.
His momentum surged as if he had found new strength.
Unfortunately, willpower could not fully make up for what his body lacked.
"Senior Obito, you should rest."
Yuu smiled gently.
"If this keeps going, you will strain yourself."
In the next moment, Yuu moved.
He hooked Obito's balance at a strange angle, tripping him cleanly.
Before Obito could recover, Yuu's kunai flashed forward and stopped precisely against Obito's throat.
"The winner, Minamikawa Yuu."
.....
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