Then, Obito glanced around and lowered his voice even further.
"I want to tell you that your father was never a failure, but a great hero in my eyes. And there are many suspicious points about what happened. I believe that no matter what choice Senior White Fang made—whether to save his comrades or complete the mission—the result would have been the same. Do you believe me?"
Kakashi frowned.
He was still just a five-year-old child, after all. In that moment, he couldn't help but grab Obito's collar and demand,
"Obito, what do you mean by that last part? Explain yourself!"
Obito shrugged, deliberately glanced at the surrounding classmates, and whispered,
"Some things aren't suitable to talk about here. Do you want to make this public?"
"If you really want to know the truth, Rin and I will visit your house tonight. We can take our time talking then."
Kakashi looked at Obito, who seemed so sincere and composed, and gradually loosened his grip.
He truly didn't understand. In just a few days, how had Obito changed so drastically? Although some of his previous quirks remained, he had clearly matured and sharpened his thinking.
Was it because of him?
But Obito wasn't the one who had lost a father—he was!
"Hmph. Come if you want."
Kakashi shrugged and walked past Obito.
"I still have to register at the Hokage building, so I'm not going to talk anymore. Goodbye."
With that, Kakashi walked through the crowd and gradually disappeared from view.
Obito watched Kakashi's departing figure, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
Just then, he felt a tap on his shoulder.
Rin leaned in and asked suspiciously, "Obito, what were you and Kakashi talking about? It looked like things almost got physical."
"Nothing much. I just told him we'd visit his house tonight."
Rin was a little surprised. "Kakashi… agreed?"
No wonder she was surprised.
Since White Fang's death, Kakashi had locked himself at home and hadn't come to school for several days. She and Obito had tried visiting multiple times, but were always turned away.
Obito nodded. "Yes, he agreed."
Rin immediately let out a sigh of relief.
She had seen the state Kakashi was in recently and felt helpless. All she could do was worry from afar.
"Sure enough, only you, Obito, can change Kakashi."
Rin suddenly felt like she was shipping the two of them together.
Then she remembered something and smacked her forehead.
"Oh! I almost forgot—we still have class this afternoon. Obito, let's head back."
She tugged on Obito's sleeve.
Class, huh…
Obito hesitated for a moment.
If they left now, he wouldn't hear Rin say, "I'll always be watching you."
To walk away just like that—honestly, Obito felt a bit reluctant.
But then he remembered how, in his previous life, his impulsiveness had gotten both of them punished for being late. That thought alone was enough to put his hesitation to rest.
He gave a faint smile.
"Let's go. We'll head back."
So the two of them returned to class, chatting and laughing as they walked…
Kakashi's graduation exam had taken place at noon, and regular classes resumed in the afternoon.
So, most of the students who had gone to watch gradually returned to the classroom…
Not long after, the Chunin teacher also entered, and class officially began.
"Today's lesson is Ninjutsu. I'll be focusing on the principles of the Three-Body Technique. Everyone, pay close attention. This is essential knowledge for graduation."
The teacher began drawing on the blackboard with chalk while explaining.
Having just witnessed Kakashi's graduation, most of the students were motivated and paid extra attention in class.
Obito also took the class seriously.
In his previous life, Ninjutsu class had been his least favorite. It only covered the basics—like the Three-Body Technique, Chakra Extraction, and Chakra Control.
But ironically, these foundational techniques involved an overwhelming amount of dull and repetitive knowledge. It was enough to make anyone drowsy.
The Ninja Academy devoted more than one class each day to drilling these concepts, tirelessly repeating them until graduation.
In his past life, Obito had felt it was a complete waste of time. He had wanted to learn powerful and flashy ninjutsu, not these hide-and-seek tricks.
But many years later, he finally realized how wrong he had been.
He had traveled to many ninja villages and seen the various ways they trained their ninjas.
Some villages started by teaching children powerful ninjutsu from the get-go. Once they learned them, their combat power would improve drastically.
However, later on, those children struggled to grow. Their strength plateaued. At best, they became expendable soldiers who spammed ninjutsu in the Fourth Great Ninja War.
But Konoha was different.
Its young ninjas were often weak right after graduation, but once paired with the right teacher, some of them displayed astonishing talent—reaching levels others couldn't even comprehend in a short amount of time.
At first, Obito thought it was just because Konoha had an abundance of talented bloodline clans—like the Uchiha, Hyuga, Nara, and so on—dating back to the Warring States Period. It made sense that a few monsters would emerge.
But over time, he noticed something strange: apart from the Uchiha clan, those bloodline families rarely produced top-tier ninja.
Instead, it was the civilian-born students who often became the most impressive.
Because of this, Obito dug deeper and discovered something fascinating: the real reason lay in the academy's curriculum, designed by none other than Tobirama Senju—the old schemer himself.
He had encoded countless secrets for becoming strong into the most basic techniques.
And ironically, the heirs of noble clans ignored them, while civilian students, lacking any special resources, practiced them diligently.
That's why the Ninja Academy was the root cause of why so many civilian geniuses could rise in Konoha…
Of course, Obito's view of what it meant to be "strong" was shaped by his experiences. To him, only those who reached Kage level truly counted as powerful.
In Obito's perspective, there were only five true paths to becoming strong in the ninja world.
The first is bloodline.
Bloodline is the most direct and effective shortcut to power.
Take the Uchiha clan, for example. As direct descendants of the Sage of Six Paths, their combat ability surged as soon as they awakened their Sharingan.
The Three Tomoe Sharingan alone was top-tier among Jonin. Mangekyo? That elevated them straight to the ranks of elite powerhouses.
The reason the Uchiha clan was wiped out in his previous life was precisely because of how much others feared them.
While others spent decades of grueling training, a Uchiha could surpass them just by awakening their eyes. Who could accept that?
Obito himself, the so-called "dead last," after awakening Mangekyo and combining it with Hashirama's cells and Aoba's possession, had slaughtered the Mist Village's Anbu like stray dogs.
That's why, when Itachi approached him about wiping out the clan, he didn't hesitate.
It wasn't just for a few Sharingan—it was also because he feared that one day, a Uchiha might awaken some strange Mangekyo ability that would derail his plans.
Even though his Kamui was immensely powerful, ignoring most ninjutsu and taijutsu, he still had to be wary of things like Kotoamatsukami and Tsukuyomi.
What if someone eventually awakened an ability that could seal space or even stop time?
He wouldn't stand a chance.
So, to prevent any unpredictable threats, he had to let his clan die first.
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Next Chapter Preview:
What is the second path to becoming strong in the ninja world?
Obito begins to explore the other hidden methods carved into the structure of the ninja system itself.