Chapter 21 — Ninja Tournament Arena
Obuya didn't fully understand what Minato Namikaze meant.
But to him, the result was inevitable.
After all, he wasn't originally from Konoha. His sense of belonging to the village came more from a few friends than anything else.
So, asking him to sacrifice everything for Konoha—even his friends, even his own life—was just something one could say when making a pledge.
"Sensei!!"
Obito called out, his expression slightly distracted.
Minato Namikaze snapped back to attention and smiled.
"As I said earlier, Obuya, since you didn't get the bell, you naturally aren't qualified to participate in the team competition. However…"
"It's only that you can't participate in the team competition. I will personally recommend you as an elite Konoha jōnin to directly compete in the individual finals."
"What!!"
Obito and Rin both jumped for joy.
"This is amazing!"
Rin leapt up in excitement.
Obito nodded repeatedly, as if saying, I knew this all along.
Only Kakashi remained calm, a subtle sense of relief in his eyes.
In his mind, the reason he had succeeded just now—cutting the tree in a single strike—was largely because Obuya had distracted Minato.
Now that Obuya was recommended to join the exam, he could finally exhale a little.
"Sensei Minato… did you already plan this? That no matter who didn't get the bell, you would recommend them to directly participate in the Chūnin Exam?"
Rin's cheeks flushed as she asked.
Minato smiled, tacitly acknowledging her observation.
"Alright, congratulations to all of you for learning how to cooperate. In the previous match, your performance was excellent. No one was reckless, and no one held the team back. There are still a few days until the Chūnin Exam, so you must maintain this level of teamwork…"
"Sensei, I understand. I'll do my best to support Kakashi so he won't become a weak link. The Chūnin Exam—just watch me!"
Obito pushed up his forehead protector, brimming with confidence.
Kakashi shot him a cold glance.
"Since we're all allowed to take the exam, the person Sensei recommended should be Obito. He's a burden—not only useless, but he'll slow us down. Against the other team's three members, he's not even half as good as Rin and me…"
"What are you saying? Do you think I'm still the same as before? I've awakened the Sharingan. I can take all three of you on alone. Want to try?"
Obito's face twisted with anger at being belittled.
"As long as you're not afraid of getting hurt, I'll take you on. If you can't participate in the exam in the end, I'll be ready."
Kakashi posed as if he didn't even consider Obuya a threat.
"So tiring! Here we go again!"
Rin, exasperated, had no choice but to step in, trying to stop the two from arguing.
---
In the following days…
Obito, Rin, and Kakashi worked on refining their teamwork for the upcoming team matches in the Chūnin Exam.
Obuya, having been recommended by Minato for the individual competition, didn't need to join them. But that didn't mean he could slack off. Almost every morning, Rin would show up on time to check on him.
As Obuya had mentioned before, Rin always tried to treat him to meals when money was tight. Now, with tens of thousands of yen at her disposal, it was naturally no exception.
The routine of Rin treating him, and the two eating together, had almost become a habit of daily life.
So in the following days, outside of sleeping at night, the two were almost inseparable.
Even including Obito and Kakashi, though still close comrades, Rin and Obuya seemed to have developed something different.
All these changes occurred in just a few short days.
Under Minato's guidance and Rin's supervision, Obuya's training progressed rapidly.
Including his chakra control, he advanced by leaps and bounds. He could now effortlessly reach the top of a ten-meter-high tree using only his chakra.
---
Time flew by, and five days passed.
The once-a-year Chūnin Exam finally arrived.
The ninja tournament arena was packed with people.
Obuya was brimming with determination, wanting to win the final individual competition with a perfect record.
Only a perfect win would allow him to fully complete the demon side quest, earning forty demon points.
With forty points added to his current sixty, he would reach a total of one hundred—fulfilling the requirement to ascend to a one-star demon.
"I have to succeed. Once I acquire the [Human Modification] fruit ability, I'll be able to perfectly transplant bloodline limits," he muttered quietly to himself, standing on the arena's second level and watching the people arriving below.
"Hey, Obuya!!"
A sudden voice pulled him from his thoughts.
Looking toward the source, a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
It was Rin and Kakashi.
As expected, Obito was absent—likely late once again.
Following Minato's lead, the two reached the tournament arena.
As Rin stepped in, her lively eyes scanned around. She immediately spotted Obuya.
Since Obuya didn't participate in the first team matches, he had arrived early, alone.
He waved at Rin in greeting.
---
The arena's first level was the competition field, while the second level served as the waiting and viewing area.
There were no seats in the viewing area; everyone leaned against the railings.
Under Minato's guidance, Kakashi and Rin arrived at the second level. Rin immediately ran over to Obuya.
"Obuya, you have to do your best! You even captured a jōnin alive before. I'm sure you'll have no problem in this Chūnin Exam!"
Rin raised her fist, her expression serious as she cheered for him.
All the participants on the second level heard her words, causing a ripple of attention.
"Captured a jōnin alive?"
Upon hearing Rin's words about Obuya, some scoffed, some were dumbfounded, and some looked at him as if he were a fool.
To everyone else, it sounded like a tall tale—Rin was clearly exaggerating.
Feeling the surrounding mockery and wary gazes, Obuya sighed.
Rin's confidence in him even exceeded his own.
As for capturing a jōnin alive, that had been a stroke of luck, nearly impossible to replicate.
---
Following Rin, Kakashi also approached. He said nothing but extended a fist toward Obuya.
Obuya bumped his own fist against it.
At this moment, Kakashi, despite becoming more aloof due to family circumstances, wasn't cold-hearted.
The time he had spent with Obuya had allowed them to become somewhat acquainted. Though not as close as with Obito and Rin, they had come to mutually respect their partnership.