The next day, Konoha Year 45.
"Our class has no missions today, but it's wartime, so no one can afford to relax! Especially now that Kakashi and Rin have been promoted to Chunin, we won't have much free time in the future.
So, Kakashi, Obito, Rin, I'm planning a practical combat exercise."
Minato's stern words made all three—Rin, Kakashi, and Obito—hold their breath simultaneously.
Especially Obito. Hearing the harsh word "Chunin" stung him deeply, and he clenched his fists in disbelief. But within a heartbeat, he adjusted his goggles, and a hint of smugness curled at his lips.
Just wait, Rin, Kakashi. Today, I'll show you the true power of the Uchiha…
"It seems a certain dead-last Genin is very confident about this exercise. But! I hope a certain someone doesn't get injured again and make us take care of him."
Kakashi's cold voice cut through, his eyes narrowing as he caught sight of Obito's smirk.
"Kakashi, you—!" Obito snapped, ready to explode, but Minato's sharp gaze silenced him instantly.
"Alright, let's start the exercise first. We'll talk about other things later." Minato gave the order firmly, unwilling to watch his students quarrel.
Immediately, under his arrangement, Rin, Kakashi, and Obito formed a V-shape and charged into the Shuriken trap he had set.
"Here they come!" Kakashi muttered, as countless Shuriken rained from every direction.
Instinctively, Kakashi rushed to Rin's side to shield her. But on the opposite flank, Obito failed to appear where he should have been. Instead, he tore off his goggles and darted forward.
"Obito!!"
"Nani??"
Both Kakashi and Rin froze, their faces paling. Even Minato was caught off guard, his mouth hanging open at Obito's reckless move.
Just as Minato prepared to use Body Flicker to save him, Obito's eyes turned crimson. Two tomoe swirled in each pupil.
"Sharingan…"
With a flash of lightning, Obito's gaze sharpened. In rapid succession, he hurled several Kunai and Shuriken.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The metallic clatter echoed as the deadly storm of Shuriken suddenly lost formation, colliding midair and canceling each other out.
But Obito wasn't done. His hands blurred through seals— Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
With a roar, he unleashed a blazing fireball nearly five meters wide, blasting away the remaining projectiles.
"Sharingan! Obito—you've awakened your Sharingan!!" Rin exclaimed, her eyes wide.
History had shifted. Obito, who should have awakened his Sharingan at the Kannabi Bridge, had done so years earlier.
"Is this… the power of the Sharingan?" Kakashi muttered, stunned. He had just witnessed Obito not only track and counter the Shuriken trap but also unleash a fireball twice as strong as usual.
So this is the Uchiha power Obito always bragged about… it can turn a dead-last into a genius.
"Heh… now you see how amazing I am!" Obito couldn't help but boast, relishing Rin and Kakashi's astonished expressions. All his secret training, all the effort to master his Sharingan in silence, had finally paid off.
"Hmph, even with Sharingan, you're still just a Genin," Kakashi shot back coldly. Yet inside, a storm raged. Rin had learned Rasengan, and now Obito had awakened Sharingan. Was he, the so-called genius, about to be surpassed? No—he had to push himself harder, develop that Ninjutsu…
"It seems today's exercise no longer suits you. Still, congratulations, Obito, on awakening your Sharingan."
Minato appeared beside them, smiling warmly. His praise made Obito's pride soar as he basked in his teacher's recognition.
"Kakashi, this is for you." Rin suddenly stepped forward, offering a scroll.
"This is?" Kakashi asked, puzzled. As he unrolled it, his eyes widened, his whole body trembling.
"Don't ask where I got it—you'll understand in time. Just take it as compensation for breaking White Fang's sword."
Rin's eyes flickered with resolve. In three years, she would tell Kakashi and even Minato-sensei the truth about the Time-Space Room. But until she secured the future of the Minato Class, she would say nothing.
Yes—perhaps it was time to seek Kushina-nee-chan's help to place a sealing technique on her very memories.
---
Meanwhile, Konoha Year 59 – Artisan Workshop.
"Then recast the long sword according to this style. I'll pick it up in ten days, understood?"
Pointing to a design resembling Sasuke's Kusanagi sword, Ishikawa pulled out ten thousand ryo from his pocket and handed it over for final confirmation.
With the materials from the two broken White Fang swords combined, forging the long sword naturally required no additional chakra metal. Not only were the materials sufficient, but there was even enough left over to create a chakra-infused kunai.
But Ishikawa refused the suggestion. Instead, he ordered the artisan to use all the materials to forge a chakra long sword that would surpass the quality of White Fang's original blade.
"Pick up the sword in ten days. Please come again!" The artisan nodded eagerly, thrilled at the commission. This was the kind of large order he hadn't seen in years.
What surprised him most, however, was that the customer had brought in two identical broken swords. So much for his plan to skim off some of the leftover materials! Could those twin blades have been forged by the same master?
Leaving the Artisan Workshop, Ishikawa gave it little thought. He wasn't concerned that the twin swords might arouse suspicion. Instead, he headed straight to the Ninja Tool Shop to deal with the chakra short sword.
The short sword, valued at one hundred thousand ryo, was finally sold for one hundred fifty thousand after a round of bargaining.
With that profit in hand, Ishikawa immediately spent lavishly—purchasing five hundred thousand ryo worth of soldier pills, blood increasing pills, explosive tags, and other supplies before packing them all up to take home.
Now that he had both resources and time, Ishikawa naturally chose to train while relying on the pills!
With the safety net of the door handle's protective effect at night, he wasn't worried about the side effects of soldier pills. He threw himself into desperate training, determined never again to experience the powerlessness and despair he had felt in his last battle.
Without hesitation, Ishikawa began with the Mystical Palm Technique, pushing himself relentlessly. He was already planning to free up training time later for both his swordsmanship and the Lightning Release: Chakra Mode.