After leaving the barbecue restaurant, the three made their way to the training ground behind the mountain.
"Obito, Rin, starting tonight, we begin our special training," Kakashi said as he stopped and turned to face them.
He crossed his arms, a faint smirk playing at his lips.
"Rin, start by using your chakra to form a ball of water in your hand. Then, while maintaining its shape, shift it back and forth between a sphere and a cube."
"Huh?"
Rin blinked in confusion but followed his instructions.
A shimmering ball of water slowly formed in her left hand, but the moment she tried to morph its shape, it began to wobble and destabilize.
"S-So difficult!"
Her brow furrowed as she concentrated, trying to force the water into a cube.
Kakashi nodded. "Exactly. Keep practicing until you can do it without thinking. Once you succeed, I'll teach you the next step."
Then he turned to Obito. "As for you… you've awakened the Sharingan. Let's see if it's more than just a fancy eye color."
Kakashi raised his right hand, forming the seal of confrontation.
Obito's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Heh! This time, I'll wipe that smug face off you, Kakashi! Get ready to be amazed!"
Before he finished speaking, he launched himself forward, fists flying.
But Kakashi vanished.
A split second later, Obito was on the ground, a knee pressed into his back and a cold kunai resting against his throat.
"That's it? If this were a battlefield, you'd be fertilizer."
Kakashi stood and looked down with a bored expression. "Disappointing, really."
"Don't underestimate me!" Obito shouted as he rolled to his feet, his Sharingan spinning to life. "I haven't even started getting serious!"
Obito gritted his teeth and grabbed three kunai in each hand—one between every pair of fingers—and flung the left-hand set toward Kakashi in a tight inverted "品" formation.
Then, with precise timing, he threw the second set. The later trio curved subtly, colliding with the first to redirect them mid-air—toward Kakashi's blind spot.
"Oh no, shurikens. My one true weakness," Kakashi deadpanned, drawing his blade—but not even bothering to unsheath it. With smooth movements, he batted all six projectiles aside like he was flicking lint off his shirt.
Obito's frustration boiled over. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball roared from his mouth.
But Kakashi raised a single hand. "Water Style: Water Barrier."
Sizzle—!
The fire met water in a steamy explosion, and a thick fog rolled through the training ground. Obito squinted, eyes darting.
Something wasn't right.
A cold sensation suddenly hit him from behind—low and sharp.
"Konoha's Secret Taijutsu: Thousand Years of Death."
"PUFF!"
Obito's face turned crimson, and he shot into the sky with a scream.
Kakashi looked up, unfazed. "Tsk. First try and it already works like a charm. Not bad, if I do say so myself."
"You bastard, Kakashi!!" Obito groaned, landing in a heap and rubbing his sore backside.
"We agreed on a duel, not a prank war! How the hell am I supposed to fight if you're going to do that?!"
Kakashi shrugged. "Think of it as practical battlefield simulation. You never know what dirty tricks your enemy will pull. But hey—look on the bright side. Now you know your weak point."
"You—!"
Obito seethed, but then stopped himself. As annoying as Kakashi was, there was a point buried under all the sarcasm.
"...So what do you think I should do?"
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. The kid's learning. Good.
"It's simple. The Sharingan boosted your perception and reaction time, but you're like a kid handed a sword twice his size. All power, no control."
"You lack real combat experience. So, starting today, I'll beat it into you. Repeatedly."
Obito clenched his fists. "Bring it on! I'm not backing down!"
Just then, Rin ran over, beaming. "Kakashi, I did it!"
In her hand, a ball of water morphed smoothly between a perfect sphere and a crisp-edged cube.
Kakashi's eye curved with approval. "Impressive. You've got a knack for this, Rin."
Rin blushed at the praise. "Thank you!"
"Now for the next stage," Kakashi said. "Use both hands to control two water shapes. The left hand should form a sphere while the right forms a cube—and then switch them back and forth."
Rin nodded determinedly.
Obito blinked. "Uh, Kakashi… not that I don't appreciate the water show, but wouldn't it be faster to just teach her some ninjutsu?"
"You're not wrong," Kakashi replied casually. "Learning ninjutsu is a quick way to boost strength."
He paused, then smirked. "But it's also like building a tower on sand. You'll get height fast—until it all comes crashing down."
He gestured to Rin. "Water Style requires precision and control. Not everyone can brute-force their way like the Second Hokage, who could summon a tidal wave in a desert. Rin doesn't have his chakra reserves—but she has fine chakra control, which is even rarer."
"Training this way strengthens her affinity, reduces chakra waste, and amplifies ninjutsu power. Long-term gains over short-term flash."
Obito scratched his head, then gave a reluctant nod. "Alright… makes sense."
"I'll work hard!" Rin said, pumping her fist.
Kakashi nodded. "Good. Keep it up."
Then he turned his head slowly toward Obito. "Now... back to you. We still haven't addressed the fact that you're the weakest link right now."
As expected, the jab worked like a charm.
"Wha—! Don't go thinking Rin will look down on me, you bastard Kakashi!"
And with that, Obito launched himself into another attack.
Kakashi smiled faintly, sidestepping with ease. "That's more like it."
Obito was knocked down again. And again. And again. But every time, he gritted his teeth, stood up, and charged forward once more.
By the time the moon had risen high, the village was dark and quiet, its lights slowly flickering out one by one.
But on the training ground, three silhouettes remained—drenched in sweat, surrounded by ripples of water, scattered shuriken, and the unwavering sound of determination.