'Is his change because of that woman?' Obito thought silently to himself.
Before the Nine-Tails attack, Obito had infiltrated Konoha several times to prevent unexpected occurrences. During these visits, he would also visit Rin's grave. Once, while visiting her grave, he encountered Kakashi, who was also there to pay his respects.
Hiding in the shadows, Obito listened to everything Kakashi said to Rin, but at the time, his mind was filled with hatred. He believed that in this cursed world, happiness was unattainable. Thus, Kakashi's words seemed foolish and naïve to him, a reflection of his contempt for what he saw as Kakashi's hopeless optimism.
Reflecting now, Obito wondered if Kakashi's change was due to marrying that woman.
While Obito was lost in thought, Kakashi announced the start of the last quarter-final match. The moment Kakashi's hand dropped, Itachi, who was already prepared, reached into his ninja pouch and threw four shuriken simultaneously.
His opponent, the Cloud Ninja Alik, possessed the Storm Release kekkei genkai. Alik was a typical Cloud Ninja with dark skin, a muscular build, and a sword strapped to his back.
Itachi had noticed him during the Forest of Death segment of the exam. Since they had arrived at the central tower early, they had watched the live broadcasts of other battles for two days. Many impressive ninjas were remembered, and Alik was one of the more notable ones.
The Cloud Village had two ninjas in the top eight, but Alik was more potent than the others. His muscular build indicated his prowess in taijutsu, and his skilled swordsmanship and powerful Storm Release techniques made him extremely dangerous.
Itachi knew he couldn't fall into Alik's rhythm. Due to his age disadvantage, his stamina couldn't match Alik's. If the fight dragged on, Itachi might struggle to keep up and eventually lose.
Alik was also cautious of Itachi. Underestimating opponents due to their age had led to many losing badly.
He swiftly drew his sword, infused it with chakra, and unleashed several Storm Release slashes, the blue electric light striking the incoming shuriken.
Simultaneously, Alik exploded with chakra, focusing all his power on his legs. He burst forward like lightning, a black streak, and swung his electrified sword at Itachi.
Surprised by Alik's sudden speed, Itachi realized he had held back in previous battles. However, Itachi believed his explosive power, honed through Sun Breathing, would stay with Alik.
Taking a deep breath, Itachi felt his blood boiling. Power surging from within energized every part of his body. Using the sudden burst of strength from Sun Breathing, he dodged Alik's slash.
The silver blade, crackling with electric currents, struck the ground, leaving a charred mark.
'Storm Release, a combination of Lightning and Water chakra nature transformation, has the destructive power of lightning and the fluid control of water,' Itachi recalled.
"But my slashes won't lose to yours," Itachi said, drawing his sword and infusing it with the fire-infused chakra from Sun Breathing.
The blazing red flame enveloped the silver blade, burning fiercely.
"Finally using your weapon," Alik remarked, his eyes lighting up with excitement.
He poured all his strength into his right hand, his chakra fueling the Storm Release. The sword in his hand seemed to turn into a blue lightsaber, emitting explosive sounds as it cut through the air.
"Flowing Cloud Lightning Slash!" Alik charged, his blue lightsaber aiming for Itachi.
Confident in his Sun Breathing, Itachi met the attack head-on. Their swords clashed, flames and lightning exploding upon impact, sending sparks and laser beams flying.
The stalemate broke as Itachi's fiery blade overpowered Alik's electric sword. The intense flames surged forward, forcing Alik back.
"See? My brother is the best. He'll definitely win first place," Sasuke, watching, exclaimed excitedly.
"Don't get ahead of yourself. This is just the quarter-finals," Naruto retorted.
"I'll be stronger than him and beat everyone," Yurika declared confidently.
Kushina, appreciating Yurika's determination, picked her up and rubbed her cheek. "That's right. If someone bullies you, fight back hard. If you can't, call Naruto for help."
Kushina's words made Uzumaki Hana sigh, conflicted about the aggressive approach.
"Uchiha Itachi wins!" Kakashi announced the final quarter-final result.
In the end, Itachi's fiery slash overwhelmed Alik's lightning, leading to his victory.
"You're strong, but next time, my slash will be stronger," Alik admitted.
"I'll be stronger too," Itachi replied confidently.
With the match over, Kakashi approached Hana and Yurika. He had spotted them earlier but was unable to greet them due to his duties.
"Papa!" Yurika ran to Kakashi, who picked her up.
"Kushina-sensei, Hana, what brings you here?" Kakashi asked.
"Kushina suggested we watch the match," Hana replied, brushing dust off Kakashi.
"Now that it's over, we should go," Kushina said, prompting Naruto to say goodbye to his friends before they left.
Uchiha Mikoto then took Sasuke and Itachi home, leaving Kakashi and his family behind.
From a distance, Obito watched, his initial steps forward halted by the sight of their harmonious interaction. Not wanting to interrupt, he followed the crowd, blending in thanks to his ANBU uniform.
Soon, Obito found Nagasawa and joined him.
"How do you feel?" Nagasawa asked casually.
"Impressive. That Uchiha Itachi is quite strong for his age. He should have no problem becoming a Chūnin," Obito replied.
"He was already deemed worthy of promotion after the first round," Nagasawa smiled.
With many participants in this exam, the quality of the third round was exceptionally high. Some who lost early were still recognized for promotion due to their strong opponents.
"Did you see Kakashi? Why didn't you greet him?" Nagasawa inquired.
"His wife and child were there. I didn't want to interrupt," Obito answered.
"Then you'll have to wait. Kakashi isn't off duty yet. I'll take you to the training squad's base later," Nagasawa suggested.
Obito nodded.
"When will you see Kushina?" Nagasawa asked.
"Tomorrow. I'll buy some gifts and visit to apologize," Obito said, planning to get baby supplies and nutrition products as gifts, unsure of what else to bring.
After sorting things out with Kushina, he'd be busy fulfilling his promise to help those he had wronged.
Suppressing his wandering thoughts, Obito prepared himself to face Kakashi.
Half an hour later, Nagasawa led Obito to the training squad's base.
"Go ahead. Kakashi should be inside," Nagasawa pointed to Kakashi's office.
Obito nodded and entered.
Kakashi, engrossed in Jiraiya's novel "Icha Icha Paradise," quickly tried to hide it but dropped it in his haste.