Hoshiyomi had originally planned to first visit Hokushin and his daughter Kuugetsu to ask them about Obito. But events unfolded in an entirely unexpected way.
Though Hokushin and Kuugetsu were already quite well-known within both Konoha and the Uchiha clan, they still lived in a house far from the clan's central district.
On his way there, Hoshiyomi passed by a small river. As he neared the water, he suddenly heard a young, somewhat immature voice:
"Fire Style: Fireball Juts—ah, damn it, failed again!"
The voice was full of frustration, but beneath it, there was still a lively energy.
Hoshiyomi instinctively turned his head and saw a little brat by the riverbank, panting heavily. The kid was wearing a blue tracksuit and oversized goggles. Hoshiyomi's steps halted at once—this getup could only belong to one person: Uchiha Obito.
What a coincidence. He hadn't even had the chance to ask Kuugetsu and Hokushin, and Obito had shown up on his own.
Instead of stepping out dramatically, Hoshiyomi chose to hide in the grass. His senses told him that several other figures were approaching—kids about the same age as Obito.
Along with them came mocking, unfriendly voices:
"Well, well, if it isn't the famous dead-last of the Uchiha! Still out here practicing at this hour?"
Hearing their bratty tone, the playful expression on Hoshiyomi's face grew even stronger. Oh ho? A classic scene was about to play out.
Now Hoshiyomi was even less inclined to step out. He wanted to take this chance to see for himself—was Obito really as weak as the manga portrayed?
If memory served, this was supposed to go like in the anime: Obito talks back, then promptly gets thrashed.
Sure enough, young Obito was practically Naruto's clone—weak skills, strong mouth. At their jeering, he glared back angrily and snapped:
"None of your business!"
That only delighted them further. They mocked in chorus:
"Wrong. It is our business. Your pathetic skills drag down the entire Uchiha name!"
"Look at Kakashi—he graduated three years ago. And you? Still can't even manage a Fireball Jutsu. Honestly, you should just drop out. Stay in the compound, live like an ordinary clansman, and stop embarrassing us."
Obito's face flushed red with anger.
"You bastards!"
With that, he charged forward, unable to hold himself back.
But what happened next surprised Hoshiyomi.
Obito didn't get one-sidedly beaten as Hoshiyomi had expected. Instead, he fought back evenly against his peers. Though he was eventually overwhelmed and pinned down—numbers mattered, after all—his performance was nothing like a so-called "dead-last."
Judging purely from his taijutsu, Obito was already at genin level.
The other kids were clearly shocked by Obito's sudden leap in ability. Sure, they still pressed him into the dirt, but calling him "the weakest" suddenly didn't sound very convincing. In a one-on-one, they might not even win.
Just as Hoshiyomi was puzzling over why the "script" didn't match what he remembered, a figure he hadn't expected appeared.
The newcomer turned out to be Hoshiyomi's own disciple, Kuugetsu.
Seeing the kids bullying Obito, Kuugetsu's cold voice rang out:
"You lot should know when to stop."
The moment they heard her voice, the little brats all shivered. Once they realized it was Kuugetsu, they scattered like frightened birds, yelling:
"It's the witch! Run for your lives!"
In the blink of an eye, the riverside was empty except for Kuugetsu and Obito.
After pulling Obito up from the ground, Kuugetsu looked at him with her usual cold expression and said:
"Why are you fighting with them again? Didn't I tell you—just ignore those guys. And if they still provoke you, grab one and beat him down. Once you scare one, the others won't dare touch you anymore."
Hidden in the grass, Hoshiyomi twitched the corner of his mouth at this. As expected of the post-fusion Kuugetsu.
She wasn't as domineering as "Inner Kuugetsu" had been, but that tooth-for-tooth attitude hadn't changed one bit. Who would've thought the once-gentle Kuugetsu would be teaching others like this one day?
Hoshiyomi hadn't planned to keep hiding anyway, but hearing her words made him chuckle out loud.
Kuugetsu immediately turned her sharp gaze toward the sound, drawing her Kusanan Sword: Chokutō.
"Who's there?"
But when she saw it was Hoshiyomi, she froze in surprise. Then, as if realizing her earlier words might have been overheard by her sensei, her pretty face flushed red. For once, she looked shy and hesitant.
"S-Sensei… what are you doing here…"
Off to the side, Obito nearly gawked his eyes out. Rubbing them in disbelief, he stammered:
"You've got to be kidding me. The ice-queen Kuugetsu-senpai actually making that face?"
Hearing him say such an embarrassing thing right in front of her sensei only made Kuugetsu blush harder. She smacked Obito on the back of the head.
"How many times have I told you not to call me that!"
Hoshiyomi, amused by their banter, laughed lightly.
"I was just planning to visit you and your father. Passing by here, I heard some noise and decided to check it out. So, who's this kid? And what's this about a witch?"
Kuugetsu's blush deepened at his teasing tone. She replied, a little embarrassed:
"After I returned from the battlefield, some people still thought I was the same as before—that my jonin rank was only thanks to your influence. So… I made an example of them. And then people started calling me that…"
Clearly too ashamed to dwell on the topic, she quickly changed the subject:
"This boy's name is Obito. He's also from the Uchiha clan, but as you can see, he's… different from the others. One day he saw me training around here and just wouldn't leave me alone. I got tired of him pestering me, so I taught him a few tricks—at least enough to stop him from getting bullied every day."
At that, Obito's eyes suddenly went wide.
"Wait a second! If Kuugetsu-senpai calls you sensei, then you must be the legendary 'Konoha's Silver Moon,' Hoshiyomi-sama!"
Both Hoshiyomi and Kuugetsu gave him a flat, speechless look. Then Kuugetsu smacked the back of his head again.
"Don't ever call me that again! If you do, I won't teach you anymore."
Hoshiyomi watched the odd pair before him—one older, one younger—and felt a strange sense of wonder.
Unknowingly, he'd altered the story again.
Originally, Kuugetsu and Hokushin should have died during the Second War. But thanks to his influence, they survived intact. And now, because of them, even Obito's fate was shifting.
The butterfly effect… really was something incredible.
Author's Note:
The upcoming Third War arc won't be rushed like the Second. Expect more scenes like this—snippets of everyday life, small shifts in the fates of canon characters, and Hoshiyomi showing off in front of them. Honestly, that's the real "fun" core of a Naruto fanfic.