The morning sun hung low over the training field, casting long shadows across the ground. Wooden targets were lined neatly along the wall, their surfaces marked with old cuts and dents.
Students stood in rows, ninja tool pouches hanging at their waists. The chatter among them slowly faded when the instructor for their practical arts stepped forward.
He was a lean chunin with a serious expression and sharp eyes.
"We'll start shuriken practice," he said. "Come forward one at a time. Use standard throws only."
The first boy in line stepped up, gripping a shuriken tightly. He took a moment to aim, then threw.
The shuriken spun through the air and struck the target near the edge, barely embedding itself into the wood.
"Acceptable," the instructor said. "Your stance is fine, but put some more force into the throw."
The boy nodded and stepped aside.
As the line moved, Obito watched each student take their turn. Most of them were about the same—their shuriken hit the target, but only barely.
It wasn't surprising. They were first-year students, after all. Unless someone trained outside the academy, the difference between them shouldn't be that big.
Those canon characters were no different. Among them, only Asuma and Genma performed exceptionally, hitting near the very center.
Some even missed entirely and got a good earful from the instructor as a result.
Then Kakashi stepped forward.
His arm moved like a whip, and the shuriken flew straight, striking the dead center of the target with a solid thunk.
The instructor nodded approvingly and praised him without reservation. "Excellent control, Kakashi."
Kakashi stepped back, his expression unchanged.
Obito's turn came next.
He took a slow breath and pulled out a shuriken from his pouch. He tried to imitate the stance the others used, aimed, and then threw with all his might.
The shuriken wobbled in midair, lost speed, and then fell to the ground before reaching the target.
There was a brief pause. Then a few laughs came from behind him.
"Obito Uchiha, right?" the instructor said calmly. "You've got good eyes—use them. Watch how the shuriken spins. Don't just throw it randomly. And put some force in those arms."
With that, he waved Obito aside. He didn't get as severely reprimanded as the rest who failed. The instructor probably knew his situation.
Obito nodded and calmly stepped aside.
He had fully expected to make a fool out of himself. After all, in his past life, the closest he'd come to something like this was throwing paper balls into a trash bin. But shuriken throwing was a completely different thing.
It was like throwing a flying disk, just a lot heavier.
He wasn't discouraged, though. He just had to grind it like the ninjutsu.
He found a quiet spot at the edge of the field and started practicing on his own. One throw after another, adjusting his grip, his stance, and the angle of his arm.
By the end of the session, a few of his shuriken had finally struck the outer ring of the target.
They didn't go deep, but they stuck.
He panted heavily, feeling a soreness in his right arm, but a faint smile appeared on his face as he checked the changes on his panel.
Ninja Tool Utilization: Beginner (11/100) —> Beginner (20/100)
It wasn't much, but it was progress.
The instructor clapped his hands. "That's enough. Gather around the sparring ring. We're moving on to taijutsu. When I call your name, step forward."
The students quickly formed lines.
"Fujikawa Haru and Akiyama Shinosuke ."
The two boys stepped into the training area and faced each other. At the instructor's signal, they performed the Seal of Confrontation.
"Begin."
They rushed at each other immediately, throwing punches and kicks. Their movements were wild and clumsy, with no real technique. They didn't bother to block or dodge either.
After a few messy exchanges, one of them tripped and stayed down. His ragged breathing made it clear he was completely out of stamina.
"Enough," the instructor said. "Seal of Reconciliation."
They complied and were sent off.
'This looks more like a middle school brawl than a taijutsu spar,' Obito sighed in relief. He had half expected to embarrass himself in this class too, but if this was the level everyone had reached during his absence, maybe he was worrying for nothing.
Even though he had never fought before, he was a quick learner. He felt like he could already put into practice what he trained this morning.
But the next match quickly shattered that bit of relief.
"Begin."
A Hyuga student rushed forward in a blur. His opponent barely had time to react before a palm strike landed squarely on his chest, sending him sliding out of bounds.
The match ended instantly.
Obito blinked. 'Of course. How could I forget the clan kids?'
As more matches went on, the pattern became obvious. Most students from civilian backgrounds were like the first pair. Some of the better ones could at least perform the basic taijutsu forms properly. But the clan kids—they were on a completely different level.
Their movements were sharp and controlled. They used proper techniques instead of basic academy forms.
They knew when to advance and when to pull back, having basic combat awareness.
It was obvious they'd been getting extra training outside of class. Obito could only hope he wouldn't be paired against one of them.
Technically, he was from a clan too, but that didn't mean much. His parents were dead, and the Uchiha didn't pay attention to children who showed neither talent nor produced results.
He hadn't shown any of that yet, so no one paid him any attention. The only thing the clan had ever given him was a congratulatory scroll with the Three Body Techniques when he got into the academy.
He supposed he should be grateful for that at least. They weren't taught until the second year in the academy.
He still had his parents' past contributions that hadn't been used, though. As their child, he could exchange them to request techniques or ninjutsu from the clan.
He didn't know the exact value, but his grandmother said it should be enough for one A-rank ninjutsu and a few B-rank ones. He planned to cash them in once he had finished learning all the other stuff he had on his plate.
"Next," the instructor called out. "Hatake Kakashi and Might Gai."
The field went quiet for a second as everyone's gaze turned to the silver-haired boy who calmly stepped forward, his hands in his pockets as usual.
All the girls' eyes were practically glinting, while the boys gave him jealous looks.
Kakashi was a little celebrity in the academy. Despite being the youngest, no one in the class was his match. Whether it be taijutsu, ninja tool utilization, or theory, he was in a class of his own.
More importantly, he looked so cool and mysterious with that mask!
What girl could resist that!?
Gai jumped into position opposite him, grinning widely. "Kakashi, my eternal rival! Let's have a youthful spar."
Kakashi's eyebrows twitched uncomfortably at the mention of youth as he extended his hand to form the Seal of Confrontation.
"Begin."
Gai moved first.
He shot forward the moment the instructor spoke, almost like a cannonball. His fist swung straight for Kakashi's face—
—and passed through empty air.
'How did he do that?' Obito's eyes widened.
Kakashi had sidestepped the moment Gai moved, as if he already knew what was coming. It wasn't a big movement either, just enough to avoid the punch.
Then he countered with a simple front kick that forced Gai to raise his guard.
From there, the flow of the fight shifted, and Kakashi seemed to have gained complete control.
He moved forward and kept attacking. His punches were quick and tricky, coming from different angles. Gai tried to fight back, but he kept getting pushed closer and closer to the edge of the field.
Just as it looked like Gai was about to be forced out of bounds, he suddenly grabbed Kakashi's fist, an action that surprised everyone!
Gai almost flinched for a moment.
"That's gotta hurt," Obito muttered. But it also gave Gai an opening to counterattack.
He twisted his body and launched into a spinning kick with a loud shout. "Leaf Whirlwind!"
Obito watched closely.
Kakashi's expression remained unchanged. He leaned back slightly, then caught Gai's leg under the knee mid-swing, locked his hips, and turned with the motion instead of resisting it.
Using Gai's own spin, he flipped him over in one clean motion.
Gai hit the ground on his back with a heavy thud, dust rising around him.
The field went silent.
"Enough," the instructor said. "Winner — Hatake Kakashi."
Gai lay there panting for a moment, then laughed loudly. "As expected of my eternal rival! It seems I'll have to work even harder if I want to defeat you!"
Kakashi gave a small nod, slid his hands into his pockets, and walked off the field like nothing had happened. A few girls followed his figure with starry eyes.
Obito's eyebrows twitched. Yeah. No way this guy wasn't doing that on purpose.
"Next — Obito Uchiha and Asuma Sarutobi!"
Obito froze. 'Asuma!?'
He had totally jinxed it!
Asuma stepped into the ring with a relaxed grin. "Try not to cry when I hit you, Obito."
Obito walked forward, extended his hand to form the Seal of Confrontation, and said with a sigh, "Then don't hit me too hard. Though I heard girls like emotional boys more these days."
"Wha—"
"Begin," the instructor's voice cut him off.