Chapter 23 — Individual Battle: Obuya vs. Hyūga
Rin was forced into a desperate corner almost instantly.
If she had been facing only one opponent, she might have been able to hold her ground for a while. Even if defeat was inevitable, it would not have come so quickly.
But against two at once, there was simply no way to resist. Outnumbered and outpaced, she was steadily driven into a shrinking space, her movements restricted with each passing second.
On the other side, Kakashi was locked in a fierce exchange with Might Guy. The two clashed at high speed, their movements sharp and relentless, but even Kakashi could not break through Guy's offense in a short time.
Helping Rin was impossible.
From the moment Obito had been sent flying and temporarily removed from the fight, the outcome of the battle had already been decided.
Everyone watching from the second level understood this clearly.
As expected, Rin fell under the coordinated pressure of Ebisu and Genma without any real surprise.
With her defeat, Kakashi—who had been holding his own against Guy—was immediately forced into a one-versus-three situation. The balance of the battle collapsed completely.
Still, Kakashi did not give up easily.
Even under overwhelming pressure, he continued to resist, evading and countering for several more minutes before finally being forced to concede and withdraw from the match.
"Team Two wins!"
The referee's voice rang out, followed by a wave of cheers and noise from the audience.
Amid the excitement, many gazes shifted toward Obito.
Some whispered, others pointed openly, their expressions filled with blame and ridicule.
Obito walked back to the second-level waiting area, his clothes in disarray, head lowered. His face was flushed—not from exertion this time, but from embarrassment.
"Obito, don't be discouraged. This was only the first match. The individual battles are next—you still have a chance to prove yourself."
Seeing his state, Obuya stepped forward and spoke in a steady tone.
Rin quickly nodded in agreement. "Obuya's right. You don't need to feel guilty. In the team battle, whether we win or lose doesn't directly determine if Kakashi or I will be promoted."
"If we perform well, even in defeat, we can still advance. But if we perform poorly, even a victory won't matter."
Her words were calm but firm, and they managed to ease some of the tension in Obito's expression.
"Fall where you failed, then rise again there," Minato Namikaze added, placing a hand on Obito's shoulder. "In the individual battle, give it your all. You still have a chance to become a Chūnin."
Kakashi, unusually, said nothing.
But his silence carried more weight than any words—it was the closest thing to encouragement he could offer at that moment.
The class battles continued in an orderly sequence.
An hour later, all team matches had concluded.
The second round—the individual battles—officially began.
"Next, we will proceed with the individual battles," the referee announced. "This round is slightly different. In addition to the participants who have already competed, several candidates have been recommended directly by elite jōnin. I will now introduce them…"
"The first, recommended by elite jōnin Minato Namikaze… Obuya!"
The moment his name was called, a wave of murmurs spread through the waiting area.
"Obuya… that newcomer who only joined Konoha recently?"
"I heard he has some kind of rare kekkei genkai. Supposedly, he defeated Uchiha Kirito so badly that his limbs were twisted—he couldn't even take care of himself afterward."
"A genin who just arrived already entering the Chūnin Exam? That's bold."
"Bold? Sounds more like overconfidence. From what I heard, Kirito lost because of a sneak attack. No one even knew Obuya had a kekkei genkai back then, so they were caught off guard. Now he thinks he can stand among us? Ridiculous."
"That makes sense. He used to be known as a complete failure—no talent in ninjutsu or taijutsu. Even if he awakened a bloodline ability, unless it's on the level of the Sharingan, what can he really do?"
Obuya paid no attention to the surrounding voices.
But beside him, Rin's expression darkened with every word she heard. She wanted to argue, to defend him—but the voices were too many, and she alone could not silence them.
"Damn it… don't they understand? Obuya captured an Iwa jōnin alive…" she muttered under her breath.
Obuya himself suspected that the news of his capture of Tōki had been deliberately suppressed—likely to prevent information from leaking to the Land of Earth.
From that alone, he could infer that Konoha's higher-ups had extracted something valuable from the prisoner. Otherwise, there would be no need for such caution.
The referee continued.
"The second, recommended by elite jōnin Uchiha Fugaku… Uchiha Shisui."
"What… Uchiha Shisui?!"
The reaction this time was entirely different.
The murmurs turned into gasps, and even the air seemed to grow heavier.
"It's him…"
Obuya's eyes narrowed slightly.
In the Land of Fire, there were few who didn't know that name.
There was even a saying:
If you were to name the greatest genius of the past decade, it would undoubtedly be Uchiha Shisui.
For Obuya, who understood the broader history of the ninja world, this name carried even greater weight.
A figure who had left behind a dazzling legacy—despite his short life.
"His Sharingan is said to surpass even Uchiha Itachi's. His Kotoamatsukami is known as the strongest genjutsu. If not for the Uchiha clan's downfall, he might have stood at the very peak of the ninja world…"
Obito, who had only just begun to recover, fell silent again.
He had always been called the disgrace of the Uchiha.
While the one being spoken of now was its pride.
Both from the same clan—yet standing at completely opposite extremes.
The referee announced two more names afterward, but none stirred the same level of attention as Obuya and Shisui.
"Now, the first matches will be between the recommended participants. As per tradition, victory or defeat will not determine promotion. The evaluation will be based on performance."
"First match: Obuya versus Hyūga Tokuma."
"Second match: Uchiha Shisui versus Aburame Muta."
"We will now begin the first match."
Hearing that Obuya's opponent was Hyūga Tokuma—and not Shisui—Rin visibly relaxed.
"Obuya, your opponent is from the Hyūga clan. Their Byakugan is extremely powerful, and their Gentle Fist is considered the strongest taijutsu style. You have to be very careful."
Her voice was tense, filled with concern.
If she could, she would have poured everything she knew about the Hyūga directly into his mind.
"Don't worry. I'll be careful."
Obuya gave a simple reply before leaping down into the arena.
Opposite him stood a boy with pale, almost translucent eyes—like frozen light beneath a calm surface.
The moment their gazes met, Obuya felt a strange sensation, as if his entire body had been seen through, every movement and weakness laid bare.
"As expected of the Byakugan… one of the three great dōjutsu of the ninja world."
He murmured quietly to himself, a trace of curiosity flickering in his eyes.
A kekkei genkai that granted nearly complete vision in all directions—no blind spots, no easy openings.
Facing such an opponent…
This would not be an easy fight.