Training Ground No. 9.
Obito was doing a handstand on a tree branch, pulling himself up in an intense and challenging workout.
"This year... This year no matter what, I have to be promoted to Chūnin."
He had his goggles on to prevent sweat from dripping into his eyes due to gravity. His face flushed red, and although his muscles were already protesting with soreness, nothing could stop his determination to become stronger.
"One hundred twenty-one... one hundred twenty-two... one hundred—huh?"
The branch suddenly dipped, as if something heavy had landed on it.
The abrupt change broke Obito's concentration, interrupting the chakra flow to his feet. He dropped straight down toward the ground below.
"Ah! I'm doomed!"
Obito let out a miserable yell and shut his eyes tightly. But the expected pain never came. Instead, it felt like his body had landed on something soft.
Trembling, he cracked one eye open and saw a red toad next to him.
"Yo, kid, training here all by yourself?"
Up on the branch, Jiraiya was sitting cross-legged with a smug expression. It was clearly him who had been the sudden weight Obito felt.
"You pervy freak! You almost scared me to death!"
Obito angrily pushed the toad away and pointed a finger at Jiraiya, glaring with irritation.
"Sorry, sorry. You just looked so determined, I acted on a whim."
Seeing how badly he had startled the boy, Jiraiya didn't argue and simply offered a cheerful apology. He leapt down from the branch.
"Training this hard all of a sudden—what happened? Did something upset you?"
Jiraiya curiously eyed Obito and rubbed his chin as he began to guess.
"Don't tell me... the girl you like got taken by someone else?"
"No!"
Obito shot back immediately. "I just purely want to get stronger!"
"Oh, I see. You want to get stronger. And then what?"
Jiraiya's words made him think of his own childhood.
Back then, he too had wondered why he trained so hard. He'd finally concluded it was to get strong enough to win Tsunade's heart...
Well, in the end, Tsunade still ended up with Dan Katō...
"Hahaha..."
Recalling his childish self, Jiraiya couldn't help but laugh aloud.
"What are you laughing at?"
Obito's already restless mood was only aggravated further. He automatically assumed Jiraiya was making fun of him.
Seeing the misunderstanding, Jiraiya quickly clarified,
"Don't take it the wrong way. Seeing you reminded me of myself when I was your age."
"You? Pfft, you were probably just a little peeping perv back then. What's that got to do with me? I don't peep."
Hearing Jiraiya compare them, Obito looked at him with visible distaste.
Jiraiya's face twitched, his expression becoming hard to describe.
"You little brat, so uncute. Have you been spending too much time with that Shimura kid?"
"Back in the day, I was just like you—bottom of the class. It was only through my own effort that I climbed my way up."
He plopped down onto a relatively clean rock.
"Kid, if you want to become strong, you need a goal—one you never give up on. With a goal, you'll have the drive to chase after it."
"...I..."
Hearing Jiraiya's words, Obito fell into deep thought.
Images flashed through his mind.
Meeting Takeshi for the first time when he was four.
He'd been late for the entrance ceremony and thought he wouldn't get into the Academy—until Takeshi brought his file and got him in.
At graduation, he was late again, but it was Takeshi who helped him receive his forehead protector.
And during countless battles, it was Takeshi who always stepped in at the critical moment to save him...
He always talked about becoming Hokage or the head of the police force, but in the end, he was always the one being protected.
"I want to become stronger—not someone who's protected by Takeshi, but someone who protects him!"
Clenching his fists, Obito burst with determination, his eyes locked on Jiraiya with fierce resolve.
In that moment, his previously black eyes turned scarlet.
A single tomoe began spinning wildly inside his Sharingan, until finally, under Jiraiya's astonished gaze, it settled into place.
"This is..."
Jiraiya had never expected that just a few words would trigger the boy's Sharingan to awaken.
"What's wrong?"
Obito noticed Jiraiya's stunned expression, completely unaware of what had changed.
"See for yourself..."
Jiraiya pulled a small mirror from his pocket—the kind he used for sketching material—and handed it to Obito.
"The Sharingan? I awakened the Sharingan?!"
Staring into the mirror at his admittedly handsome face (self-declared), Obito didn't notice anything unusual at first.
It wasn't until Jiraiya pointed it out that he realized—he'd finally awakened the legendary dōjutsu he'd always dreamed of.
"That old man was right... The new leaves growing in this village really are vibrant. More dazzling than in our time..."
Jiraiya unconsciously smiled, recalling Hiruzen's words.
"In that case, let's make these leaves shine even brighter. Hey, brat! Since you're working so hard, I—Jiraiya-sama, whose name shakes the Shinobi World and makes crying kids shut up—will teach you a few moves!"
Rolling up his sleeves, he got ready to go all out.
"I've got the Sharingan! I've got the Sharingan~!"
But Obito was too excited, dancing around in joy, completely ignoring what Jiraiya just said.
"You brat!"
Seeing himself thoroughly ignored, Jiraiya bonked Obito on the head with a heavy fist.
...
"Come on, Takeshi! Let's have a heated, no-holds-barred match!"
Might Guy, who had followed Takeshi to the training field like a stubborn puppy, couldn't wait to strike a pose and issue a challenge.
"Alright. Since you've been training so diligently, let's do it."
Takeshi, who had planned to practice taijutsu anyway, didn't refuse and stepped into position across from Guy.
He formed an ice spear using Ice Release and gripped it with one hand, pointing the tip toward his opponent.
"Come, Guy!"
"Woahhh!"
Guy charged at Takeshi like a bullet, weaving to avoid the spear as he advanced.
Takeshi didn't move. He tightened his grip on the spear and observed Guy carefully, watching for an opening.
After dodging one of Guy's kicks, Takeshi suddenly thrust his ice spear forward.
Sensing the danger, Guy twisted mid-air with all his might, narrowly evading the strike.
But Takeshi didn't let up.
Without giving Guy a moment to breathe, he yanked the spear back and swept it horizontally—aiming for where Guy was about to land.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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