After shuriken training ended for the morning, it was time for the lunch break.
"Qiyun, let's eat lunch together." Obito, who had just been scolded, immediately perked up.
Everyone brought bento boxes from home and would team up with close friends to share their meals.
This time, the bento was prepared by Sakumo. Ever since his wife passed away, White Fang had played the roles of both father and mother, so cooking was naturally a breeze for him. Considering that Obito had stayed over last night, Sakumo had naturally prepared a portion for him as well.
"Obito." Rin walked over to the three of them and looked in surprise at their identical bento boxes. "Eh? Obito's bento looks so lavish today."
"That's because White Fang made it!" Mentioning this made Obito's eyes light up. "You have no idea, Rin, White Fang's cooking is so delicious! He really lives up to being my idol!"
"Eh——" Rin's gaze swept past Qiyun and Kakashi, and then she broke into a delighted smile. "So that's how it is. Obito went to visit Qiyun and Kakashi's home yesterday."
"Hehe, yep."
When Rin waved goodbye with a smile, Qiyun finally spoke up with a teasing tone, "Miss Rin came over to share her bento with you, you know. It seems we got in the way of Obito's romance."
"Wh—" Obito's face instantly turned bright red, and he waved his hands frantically. "It's not like that! Rin... Rin is just... well... it's because I only know how to make rice balls, and Rin thought I wouldn't be able to take proper care of yourself, so she shared her bento with me!"
"I see." Qiyun understood. He hadn't been interested in starting rumors about two five-year-olds anyway.
After Rin left, Kakashi took off his mask to continue eating. His relationship with Rin was still far from being that close.
Hearing Qiyun say that, Obito for some reason let out a sigh of relief, and then happily dug into his lunch again.
The afternoon was reserved for combat training, but before that, Teacher Yamamoto needed to gauge everyone's skill levels.
"Everyone draw a lot. The ones who draw the same color will be opponents."
Obito nervously unfolded the slip of paper in his hand bit by bit.
Looking at the red slip in Obito's hand, Qiyun held out his own slip for him to see. The identical slips revealed their status as opponents.
"Looks like we're opponents."
Obito's eyes widened. "Me... and Qiyun?"
"Just do your best. Hang in there, Obito." Qiyun patted Obito on the shoulder.
Obito fell silent for a moment, then suddenly blurted out, "What kind of encouragement is that to give your opponent!"
His dark eyes stared stubbornly at Qiyun's face. "Use your full strength to defeat me!"
Kakashi, standing nearby, let out a cold snort. What an arrogant thing for this guy to say.
Qiyun raised an eyebrow, looking at Obito with eyes that seemed to burn with raging flames. So that was it; his own tone of seemingly standing in an undefeated position had stirred up the kid's competitive spirit.
...But so what?
"That's assuming you're worth me using my full strength." Qiyun put away his gentle expression, giving Obito a blank, appraising look before slowly curving the corners of his lips into a confident and proud smirk he had never shown in front of Obito before.
"Obito." He slowly let the name roll off his tongue, radiating an overwhelming sense of pressure.
To be honest, Qiyun didn't like showing off in front of children—it was really pointless. But it wouldn't do for a kid to bite off more than he could chew. Being peers, it was fine for now, but if they encountered powerful enemies or unmanageable situations in the future, charging in recklessly fueled only by hot-blooded passion would get them killed miserably.
Obito was frozen in place by Qiyun's aura, staring blankly at this unfamiliar Qiyun.
Qi... Qiyun?
"Next match, Hatake Kakashi versus Gekko Hayate."
Teacher Yamamoto's voice broke the stagnant atmosphere. Qiyun withdrew his gaze and turned his attention to Kakashi's match instead.
"Sigh..." The boy with dark circles under his eyes, who looked somewhat sickly, let out a dejected sigh. "Please go easy on me, Hatake-kun."
"Yeah." Kakashi gave a cool acknowledgement and assumed his battle stance.
Qiyun didn't think Kakashi—someone who had been put through the wringer by him—would lose, and the result proved him right. After exchanging a few probing moves, Kakashi decisively claimed victory, while Gekko Hayate accepted the outcome with great sportsmanship.
"As expected of Hatake-kun, you're amazing." Gekko Hayate said with genuine admiration as he took Kakashi's hand to pull himself up from the ground.
"It's... nothing special." Kakashi paused for a moment before saying, "Anija is much stronger than me."
"Is that so?" Gekko Hayate showed a curious look, stumbling slightly as he addressed the brothers by name. "Hata... uh, can I call you by your names?"
"Sure." Kakashi nodded.
"Then I'll look forward to seeing Qiyun-kun's moves," Gekko Hayate said expectantly.
"Next match, Hatake Qiyun versus Uchiha Obito."
Qiyun and Obito stood in the center of the training ground.
"Form the opposing seals."
Qiyun and Obito stepped forward, their fingertips touching.
Qiyun looked up and saw Obito tensing his small face into an extremely serious expression, bringing back the urge to laugh.
Ah~ ah~ I simply must hold it in, otherwise I'll hurt the child's pride~
Looking at Qiyun across from him, Obito couldn't help but swallow hard. Though his mouth was sharp, he had self-awareness regarding his own abilities. But even so...
He stepped his right leg back, lowered his center of gravity slightly, and put his hands into an offensive stance.
Only by knowing the gap could he find the direction to strive for!
"Start!"
The moment Teacher Yamamoto's voice fell, Obito saw Qiyun's lips curve slightly. He only had time to catch a fleeting glimpse of that subtle arc before the silver-haired boy vanished entirely from his field of vision.
...What?
Obito's pupils constricted, and a creeping sense of horror rose from the bottom of his heart.
Qiyun... disappeared?
Having never encountered such a situation, the boy instinctively whipped his head around, trying to widen his field of vision to locate him.
"Where are you looking?"
A clear voice rang out right beside his ear, and Obito could feel warm breath blowing into his ear canal, instantly setting his pale earlobes blazing red.
Too close...
The force applied to the inside of his knee wasn't heavy, but it was enough to send Obito straight to his knees.
The battle was decided.
Not just for Obito, but to the spectators as well, the match had ended far too quickly. From the teacher's command to Obito's defeat, it was nothing more than a flash of white light to them.
Let alone the little kids, even Teacher Yamamoto, a Chunin, was left dumbfounded, only managing to announce after a long pause, "Ha... Hatake Qiyun wins!"
Obito still wore a dazed expression even after Qiyun pulled him up from the ground.
Qiyun waved a hand in front of his eyes. "Snap out of it."
"An expected victory, Anija." Kakashi walked over to Qiyun's side with a calm expression.
Although Obito was currently the person closest to the brothers in the class, based on the strength Obito had displayed recently, Kakashi didn't think they walked the same path.
He was simply too weak.
Kakashi now wasn't as lonely as in the original timeline, and he was even more arrogant because he already had someone accompanying him, with his eyes fixed on only one person.
He glanced sideways at Obito. *Did you see that? The gap between you and us, so that foolish look...*
"You really are strong, Qiyun..." Obito, whose head had been lowered with an unreadable expression, finally spoke up. He suddenly jerked his head up, his dark eyes sparkling like stars. "You're too strong, Qiyun!"
Although he could sense Qiyun's strength through various details, facing it directly in actual combat was a first for Obito. Prepared as he was, he wasn't depressed in the way Kakashi had imagined; on the contrary, those round dark eyes burned with even greater determination and perseverance.
"I'll work hard to catch up to you, Qiyun!" Obito said with a bright laugh, earnest and sincere. "I'm going to be Hokage!"
Hearing this, Qiyun curved his lips into a smile, reached out, and pulled Obito's hand to form the reconciliation seal. His palm felt as warm as the sun.
"Then you'd better work hard."
"Qiyun, Kakashi, you guys are both amazing!" Rin clapped her hands together, looking at the silver-haired twins with adoration.
"I'll catch up to them sooner or later!" Obito said full of drive. "Once I awaken my Sharingan, I definitely can!"
"Mm-hm, Obito can definitely do it," Rin encouraged, though her gaze quickly drifted back to the twins. "Hey, hey, Kakashi, Qiyun, I heard a new ramen shop just opened, do you want to go together?"
Qiyun: "Is it that Ichiraku Ramen?"
"Eh? Has Qiyun been there already?"
"No." He shook his head. "In that case, let's go together."
Even though his test scores had been less than ideal several times in a row, Obito's face during break time showed no negative emotions. He kept a goofy smile on his face, greeting the elderly villagers he was close to with boundless energy along the way to Ichiraku Ramen.
"In a way, this kind of popularity is a form of ability too." Qiyun watched as Obito stopped to help another old grandmother cross the street.
"Well... he's Obito, after all," Rin chimed in with a gentle smile.
"Hah? What's the use of that?" Kakashi said speechlessly.
"Don't underestimate this kind of popularity; sometimes it plays an entirely unexpected role," Qiyun said.
Uchiha shinobi would eventually serve in the Military Police Force. In grassroots jobs requiring frequent contact with ordinary citizens, Obito's personality would allow him to thrive in the Police Force, which might eventually change the Uchiha's awkward status within the village. Of course, that would also depend on Obito's growth.
".....Hmph." Kakashi gave a noncommittal response.
He didn't understand why Qiyun looked at Obito with special regard. Although... Obito indeed possessed unexpected persistence, if it was all just talk, it was useless—his feeble strength couldn't be faked.
Upon returning, Obito scratched his head in confusion at everyone's stares. "Why is everyone looking at me?"
"Nothing." Qiyun smiled. Then, recalling what Obito had just said about awakening his Sharingan, he realized that because he already had plans for his own future, he had never paid attention to the unique advancement methods of other bloodline families in the village. Now that he knew Obito, a bit of curiosity was inevitable.
"Your strength doubles the moment an Uchiha awakens their eyes, right? So how do you awaken them?" Qiyun stared intently at Obito's eyes.
*Don't look directly into an Uchiha's eyes*—this phrase was still passed around Konoha today. After all, these red-eyed rabbits were masters of Genjutsu, and Genjutsu cast through the Sharingan was practically impossible to guard against.
What was the difference between Genjutsu and psychic-type supernatural powers? Qiyun had always wanted to see for himself, but Sakumo didn't use Genjutsu, and he hadn't been close to any other Uchiha.
Faced with Qiyun's somewhat intense gaze, Obito instinctively averted his eyes, a blush creeping across his pale face.
Fortunately, Obito was just an overlooked orphan within the Uchiha clan, nor was he any sort of gifted genius; elite clan education didn't include him. He looked entirely like an innocent soul untainted by that knowledge, and even the precious bloodline Sharingan didn't amount to much in Obito's eyes.
"How to awaken the eyes..." Obito scratched his head. "Actually, I'm not really sure either."
He wrinkled his nose. "The old folks in the clan just say that when the time comes, they'll awaken naturally."
"So you don't even know," Kakashi said coolly. "And yet you keep talking about awakening your eyes. At the end of the day, you aren't even sure if you *can* awaken them. Not every Uchiha can, you know. Who says *you're* going to be the one who can?"
"Wh—Kakashi!!!" Obito's buttons were pushed to the red-hot limit once again by Kakashi, and he shouted in exasperation, "I will definitely awaken them! Definitely!"
"Ha, the fact is you haven't awakened them now."
"Stop looking down on people!"
"Come on, come on, don't fight..." Rin looked troubled as she watched the two of them glaring at each other.
Qiyun sighed, taking one kid in each hand. "Alright, aren't we here to eat?"
The two pulled apart by Qiyun turned their heads away simultaneously and let out a huff.
Qiyun sighed. What is all this? Ever since meeting Obito, he felt like he had acquired an extra younger brother, and even his own sensible younger brother had become hot-tempered. Thank goodness he was used to logistics and had a good temper.
By the time they were seated inside Ichiraku Ramen, the two were still ignoring each other. Qiyun exchanged a glance with Rin, shook his head silently, and raised his hand.
"Boss, I'll take a tonkotsu ramen."
"Um..." Rin looked at the menu and hesitated for a moment. "I'll just have the original flavor."
"Hah? You guys already ordered? Then... then I'll have a tonkotsu ramen too!" Obito quickly chimed in.
"A miso ramen," Kakashi said flatly.
"Coming right up, please wait a moment, little guests." The young chef, Teuchi, said with a beaming smile.
The new shop didn't have many customers yet, and the four bowls of ramen were served quickly.
Qiyun took a tentative sip. The taste wasn't bad, but it was a bit too light for him.
Although he was picky, since it was food he had chosen himself, Qiyun would finish it properly without wasting any.
"Whoa! So good!" Obito's eyes lit up as he polished off three bowls in a row.
"Average strength, but quite the appetite," Kakashi glanced sideways at the stack of empty bowls piled to the side.
"Hmph, I'm taller than you, after all." Obito found a great counterattack point and proudly compared their heights.
That broke Kakashi's defenses. He truly was the shortest of the four—while age was a factor, even the twin Qiyun was half a head taller than him, which just wasn't right.
"That's only because I'm younger than you," Kakashi retorted with a dark face, while secretly pondering methods to grow taller.
Unusually perceptive only at times like this, Obito raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? But you and Qiyun are twins, aren't you? Then why is Qiyun taller than you?"
Innocently dragged into the crossfire, Qiyun twitched the corner of his mouth. *Personal constitution issue, please do not ping.*
"Don't get cocky, you stupid underachiever!" Kakashi gritted his teeth. "I'll grow taller sooner or later!"
"Me? An... underachiever?!" Obito jumped up. "Then you're shorty Kakashi!"
Qiyun finished his last bite, kept a blank face, and said to Rin, "Let's go, Rin."