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After giving Obito a quick pre-exam briefing, the two of them returned to the shop. Only then did Akio remember his other apprentice.
"Where's Rin? Didn't she come with you? Off on a date with Kakashi?" Akio teased.
Obito's face flushed. He blurted, "Rin wouldn't go on a date with that Kakashi guy!"
"Oh? So she's going on a date with you then?"
Obito brightened for a moment, then his expression fell.
"Sensei, how did you win over your wife back then? Teach me."
Akio paused, almost swore: How the hell would I know? After a beat he had to make some sort of reply. "A man as handsome as me — it was your sensei's wife who chased after me."
Obito believed him at once and looked up at Akio with admiration, which made Akio a little embarrassed.
He quickly changed the subject. "You still haven't said where Rin went."
"She went home to tell her parents about the Chūnin Exams," Obito said, his voice dropping a little.
Akio froze — then he remembered: Obito's parents had died in the Second Shinobi War. That made Obito practically an orphan.
He meant to reassure him, but Obito perked up on his own.
"Sensei, come watch me become a Chūnin with your own eyes tomorrow!"
Akio blinked, then nodded. For once he didn't snap. "Do your best. Go get ready."
…
The next day at the Konoha Academy, Akio found Obito completely crestfallen. Yesterday he'd been full of confidence — he hadn't expected the first exam to be the written test.
Akio didn't enter the exam hall openly. Instead he used a concealment technique to hide by the wall outside and watch.
"This kid actually didn't know the first round is a written exam?" Akio half-laughed. He'd assumed Obito was prepared. Not so.
After watching for over ten minutes and seeing Obito still not put pen to paper, Akio resigned himself: "Looks like I'll have to help him cheat…"
Then the scraping of a chair sounded: Kakashi stood, walked to the front, and the proctor asked in surprise, "Already finished?"
"Yes."
Akio smirked. Nice timing.
While the proctor's attention was on Kakashi, Rin quietly tossed a scrap of paper to Obito — it had at least half the answers.
Akio stopped watching. The written test was probably safe now.
Sure enough, two hours later he heard Obito cheering in the shop.
"Don't get cocky — go prepare for the second exam. Do you know what the second round is?" Akio asked.
Obito hesitated, then pouted. "It's a class battle. I just hope Kakashi doesn't hold me back."
Akio blinked. Class battle? He hadn't expected that. Still, that eased his mind a bit. A class battle shows overall team strength, and Minato's team had Kakashi — among their peers Kakashi was practically unmatched. Guy might catch up later, but not yet.
Akio glanced at Obito — the boy's worry that Kakashi would be a drag looked genuine, and Akio couldn't help smiling wryly. "Where does that confidence come from?"
"Whatever. Confidence is good. Do your best tomorrow." He sent Obito off.
…
The next day Akio watched in disbelief as Obito arrived at the arena just before the match began. After a few words with Kakashi they entered the field — and their opponents were Guy's class.
"Did he stop to help an old lady cross the street again? Why does Obito always run into old ladies?" Akio muttered. Is this the Will of the World?
At least they weren't immediately disqualified. The fight started.
Then Akio watched, stunned, as Obito's Great Fireball Technique (Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu) failed, and Guy knocked him out with a single powerful kick — one of Guy's trademark opening strikes.
"…Candy?" Akio muttered, spotting a piece of candy tumble from Obito's mouth as he fell.
"Eating candy mid-battle…" Akio was exasperated. Everything he'd taught the boy went unused; Obito had managed to get himself KO'd.
Sighing, he stopped watching. Kakashi was essentially handling three opponents on his own, with Rin offering only minimal support.
"Hatake's fifty-fifty… do your best," Akio murmured, then left.
That evening he found Obito back at the shop, dejected.
"You're something else. All those sneaky tactics I taught you — and you only managed to sabotage yourself?" Akio said.
Obito looked miserable. "Sensei, I actually helped an old lady home today…"
Akio waved a hand. "I'm not mad about you being late."
Obito's face fell further. "She gave me a piece of candy as thanks."
Akio couldn't help laughing.
"Alright. Tomorrow's your last chance. Try your best." He wasn't holding out much hope for a witness point this time.
"Sensei, I'll win tomorrow for sure!" Obito still had faith.
"…Heh."
…
May 1st. The final round of the Chūnin Exams: the individual battles.
Of course Obito drew Might Guy again — the same man who'd knocked him out before.
Obito gripped a kunai, ready to throw it into the air as part of a plan, but first he had to say something.
"You again! I won't be careless this time!" he snapped.
Guy looked puzzled. "Did I ever do anything unfair to you?"
Akio nearly laughed from the stands. "Guy's got a short memory. He even forgets faces sometimes."
"Obito — good luck!" Rin called.
Obito grinned and flashed a victory sign at Rin. Akio couldn't watch the rest.
BAM! The arena shook with the impact — Obito was down again, a one-round KO from Guy's opening kick.
"As I thought," Akio said, resigned. Rin had nothing to say.
Then a message flickered before Akio's eyes: "Witness and participate in Naruto-world side story: Obito fails Chūnin Exams — witness points gained: 3."
Akio half-smiled. "A consolation prize. That brings me to 1,000 points. Just a thousand more and I'll be unstoppable…"
This time he stayed to watch. Rin cheered as Kakashi cut through opponents one after another. Beside Akio, Obito sat utterly dejected, a fresh bandage on his face.
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