Evening, Uchiha Clan Compound.
"Obito, don't eat so fast. Be careful not to choke."
Hearing his grandmother's warning, Obito Uchiha slowed down a little while shoveling rice into his mouth and explained,
"Grandma, a friend invited me out to hang out."
"Which friend? Is it little Rin?" his grandmother asked with a knowing smile.
Since Nohara Rin often came to play with Obito, his grandmother already knew her well.
"Yeah… but there are others too," Obito replied while continuing to eat.
Tomorrow was the Youth Ninjutsu Tournament, and today he had trained seriously the entire day. The training had exhausted him.
Perhaps because he and Kakashi Hatake would become rivals again tomorrow, Rin had invited them to hang out tonight and relax a little.
Since Kakashi would also be there, Obito invited Might Guy along as well.
"I'm full!"
After finishing his meal, Obito wiped his mouth and rushed toward the door.
His grandmother followed him to the entrance and said cheerfully,
"Do your best, Obito. I still want to see my great-grandchild someday."
Obito nearly tripped and fell.
Turning around with a red face, he shouted,
"Grandma! I'm still in school!"
Although he did have certain thoughts in his heart… they were still way too young for that.
The group had agreed to meet on a street in the southern part of Konoha's main district.
When Obito arrived, he discovered the other three had already come—he was the last one.
"I ran into an old lady who needed help on the way here, so I was a little late," Obito explained.
"You really run into old ladies a lot. It's always the same excuse," Kakashi said, finding it somewhat unbelievable.
"I can't help it! If I see an old lady who needs help, I can't just ignore her," Obito protested.
He truly had helped someone on the way.
"Alright, it's fine," Rin said with a gentle smile as she stepped between the two of them.
"Maybe Obito is just kind-hearted and has a talent for noticing people who need help."
With the small incident settled, the four of them began walking through the street together.
"So many people! Kakashi, want to compete and see who can get through the crowd faster?" Might Guy asked excitedly.
"I refuse," Kakashi answered immediately without leaving Guy even a sliver of hope.
That kind of challenge was simply too ridiculous.
"There's a festival event happening on this street today, so a lot of people came," Rin explained.
Soon she led the group to the center of the festivities.
The entire street was packed with vendors, bright lanterns illuminated everything, and many people were walking around in yukata.
"Look! These goldfish are so cute!"
Rin spotted a goldfish scooping stall and waved excitedly.
"Little miss, want to try?" the stall owner said.
"It's only ten ryō for one scoop net."
"Ten ryō…" Rin murmured thoughtfully.
Ten ryō wasn't much, but those paper nets tore easily. One might not be enough.
"I'll try!"
Obito stepped forward enthusiastically and handed the owner ten ryō.
He immediately targeted the most lively and beautiful goldfish.
But after two or three attempts, the fish remained uncaught while the fragile net tore apart.
"Again!"
Obito wasn't discouraged and tried again.
Still failed.
By the ninth attempt, Rin finally grabbed his arm and stopped him.
"That's enough. Let's go look around somewhere else."
Eighty ryō was already enough to buy a bowl of ramen.
"But I've already tried so many times! I'm getting better at it. If I stop now, it'll feel like such a waste," Obito said hesitantly.
"Let me try too!"
Having never played before, Might Guy rolled up his sleeves and prepared to catch a fish with full force.
Snap.
The wooden stick holding the paper net broke instantly.
"…Let me do it."
Kakashi stepped forward calmly, handed ten ryō to the stall owner, and casually scooped up a goldfish in a single try.
He passed the bagged goldfish to Rin.
"For you."
Rin smiled brightly.
"Thank you, Kakashi."
Then she added,
"And thank you too, Obito and Guy."
Obito's gloomy expression instantly turned into a foolish grin.
After that, the four of them continued exploring the festival.
They played various games—throwing shuriken at targets, guessing the real body among clone techniques, and more.
Only when the streets gradually grew quieter did they finally buy some takoyaki before heading home.
"Just wait and see tomorrow, Kakashi," Obito declared after taking a bite of takoyaki.
"This time, first place will definitely be mine."
"If you want the prize that badly, I can win it and give it to you afterward," Kakashi replied calmly—but with clear provocation.
Their rivalry ignited Might Guy 's fighting spirit.
If there were a Youth Taijutsu Tournament, he would definitely challenge Kakashi to a serious match.
The next day.
Since it was Sunday, there was no school.
The competition would begin in the afternoon, so Obito spent the morning doing his final training session.
The Youth Ninjutsu Tournament was being held on a commercial street in Konoha's main district.
Obito had heard that it was originally organized by an elderly ninja who owned a shop. He wanted to encourage Ninja Academy students.
Later, other merchants realized it attracted crowds, so they pooled money together to host it every year.
"Obito, which ninjutsu are you planning to use for the competition?" Rin asked.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique."
Obito answered directly without trying to keep it a secret.
"You're not using the Fire Release: Dragon Flame Technique you used during the combat exam?" Rin asked in confusion.
The last time Obito faced Kakashi, he had used the Great Fireball Technique and scored 21 out of 30 points, nine points lower than Kakashi.
"This time it's different!"
Obito showed a confident expression.
"My Great Fireball Technique is much stronger now!"
He believed his technique would absolutely shock the entire audience.
"Then I'm looking forward to it," Rin said gently.
"Do your best, Obito," Guy said while crossing his arms in a profound pose.
"As my rival, that man will not be easy to defeat."
"Should I leave?" Kakashi suddenly asked from the side.
They were openly discussing how to defeat him right in front of him.
"Kakashi, what ninjutsu are you planning to use?" Rin quickly asked with a smile.
"I haven't decided yet. I'll just use something casually."
"Maybe Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall."
This didn't sound like bragging—because Kakashi truly knew quite a few techniques.
For a competition like this, he really could choose randomly.
Obito glanced around and noticed many familiar faces from the Ninja Academy.
He even saw two actual ninja wearing shinobi forehead protectors.
"There are a lot more people this time compared to the last competition," Obito remarked.
"That's because the prizes increased," Rin explained.
"This year, the first-place winner will receive a silver-plated kunai and a reward of 8,000 ryō."
"Eight thousand ryō?!"
Obito's eyes widened.
Now he was even more determined to win first place.
With that much money, he could easily treat Rin to meals… or even buy her gifts.
At that moment, the host's voice rang out.
"The competition is about to begin!"
"Contestant Number One, please step forward and demonstrate your ninjutsu!"
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