Seeing this, Obito quickly ripped off his track jacket and with a loud splash, dove straight into the water.
"Idiot. You're supposed to stand on the water, not dive into it."
Kakashi's sharp tongue was quick to respond.
"Hey! You're the idiot, Kakashi. It's way too hot! Can I not cool down a little first?"
Obito popped his head back up, his orange visor goggles now dripping with water.
"Is that so."
Kakashi's tone remained flat.
"Don't underestimate me."
Watching the argument unfold between Kakashi and Obito, Rin couldn't help but giggle.
"Alright, alright. You two, cut it out."
As always, Rin stepped in to ease the tension.
Keiji had no interest in joining their banter. He remained focused on his training.
As always, the only two people who could ever reach Obito's heart were Kakashi and Rin.
To witness your first love die at the hands of your best friend... that moment had ignited an all-consuming hatred in him. He hated Minato, the so-called "Fastest Shinobi Alive," for not being there. He hated Kakashi, the genius, for failing to protect Rin. He hated the Mist Village for kidnapping her.
This hatred was what drove Obito to carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan. It was the origin of his extremism.
And in the end, even Minato and Kushina—who had treated him so well—were slaughtered without hesitation.
"Maybe it's time I get closer to Rin."
Keiji considered this.
Rin had potential.
And in the future, she might become his trump card against Obito.
After all, Kamui was one of the most powerful Mangekyo Sharingan abilities.
Far more impressive than Amaterasu, which couldn't even guarantee a kill.
Approaching Obito carried far more risk than dealing with Kumogakure.
At least Kumo had a track record of infiltration—like when they kidnapped Kushina and nearly made it out of the Land of Fire.
Keiji had taken all of this into account when arranging his meeting point.
But Obito? Who knew if Madara had already planted a White Zetsu with perfect infiltration abilities to monitor him inside Konoha?
The odds of Obito turning rogue were dangerously high.
And any chance to improve his odds of survival was worth it.
Gradually, the golden sunlight faded, replaced by the star-scattered curtain of night.
Evening had come.
The distant glow of streetlights shimmered on the water's surface, creating rippling waves of reflected light.
The Third Training Field wasn't far from the village center.
Obito's grandmother came to take him home. Rin was picked up by her parents.
They had all informed their families beforehand about where they'd be.
A man clad in a green flak jacket, with the same white hair as Kakashi, approached.
"Kakashi, it's time to head back."
"Yes, Father."
Kakashi nodded and followed him.
Keiji was now the only one left, still training by the riverside.
Sakumo Hatake ruffled Kakashi's hair as they walked home. After a few steps, he turned back toward Keiji and asked:
"Is that Uchiha Keiji from the Land of Lightning?"
Sakumo spoke.
The Uchiha clan had recently retrieved a distant relative from outside the village, causing quite a stir.
After all, this was the first known case of Konoha bloodlines leaking outside the village!
Even the Hyuga clan, renowned for their dōjutsu like the Uchiha, had never let a Byakugan fall into foreign hands.
And even among weaker clans like the Yamanaka, Inuzuka, Akimichi, and Nara, there had never been such an incident.
That made Keiji the subject of great interest.
Most people wondered: could someone raised outside the village truly inherit the Will of Fire?
"Yes, that's Uchiha Keiji," Kakashi replied, glancing back.
From this distance, Keiji was just a silhouette still immersed in training.
"Looks like a determined kid."
Sakumo's sharp eyes saw deeper than most.
Keiji was now barely able to stand on the water, his feet partially submerged, the current reaching just above his ankles.
It hadn't been long since Keiji enrolled at the academy.
"Seems like he may become a worthy rival for you, maybe even stronger than Might Guy's kid."
Sakumo said seriously.
Aside from possessing the Sharingan, Keiji was rumored to have inherited the bloodline of the Yagetsu Clan.
When ninja clans of different lineages intermarry, there are only two outcomes:
The child becomes more powerful than purebloods, inheriting multiple abilities.
The bloodlines conflict, and the child inherits neither, becoming ordinary.
The second case was far more common.
Which is why inter-clan marriages were rare.
Keiji, however, appeared to be the first type.
His rapid learning pace and physical resilience were beyond what any Uchiha alone could produce.
Sakumo glanced at Kakashi's forehead, drenched in sweat.
Even his genius son couldn't withstand such prolonged training.
"You're right, Father," Kakashi admitted.
He hadn't felt much when his father had said Might Guy would be a worthy rival.
But watching Keiji's steady strides and swift progress, Kakashi could relate.
If Keiji hadn't been a transfer student, but had started from the beginning like them, how strong would he be?
Kakashi didn't know.
But he had a feeling that one day, Uchiha Keiji might also be hailed as a genius.
Father and son walked farther and farther away.
Once they were completely gone, Keiji looked in their direction.
"Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang of Konoha..."
It wouldn't be long before he took his own life, crushed by the village's scorn for failing a mission.
"Time is running out,"
Keiji muttered.
Sakumo's mission record was listed in the official archives.
He had completed a terrifying 27 S-rank missions, and 123 A-rank ones.
This meant Sakumo was a battle-hardened veteran, long used to death and killing.
And yet he committed suicide.
His son, Kakashi, discovered the body.
To see your greatest hero—your father—take his own life like a coward, left a scar that would never heal.
Only Sakumo himself might have known why he truly chose to die.
But it likely couldn't be separated from politics.
When Minato introduced Kakashi's father to Obito, he said: "Even the Legendary Sannin reportedly fear him."
The rest is open to interpretation.
All Keiji could do now was grow stronger, faster.
If even someone like Sakumo ended up like that...
What chance did he, a so-called "outsider" from the Land of Lightning, a Yagetsu, an Uchiha, truly have?
These labels had already painted a complicated picture of who he was.
Danzo Shimura or someone like him was almost certainly watching.
His only option was to rise in power as quickly as possible.
Keiji turned back to continue training.
The night life in the bustling streets of Konoha was just beginning.
He still had time.
[Skill Acquired: Water Strider (White)]
[Requirement Fulfilled: Walk across the surface of water as if on land.]
[Progress: 25%]
[Effect: Your chakra control improves significantly on special terrain. Chakra "endurance" increases by 5%.]
[Note: This skill can evolve.]