"Sensei Umino Ruka, can't we do more real combat training? We're not becoming ninja just to learn how to run away."
Many of the students grumbled in agreement.Compared to the dull repetition of physical conditioning, they much preferred sparring matches.At least then, they could earn the cheers of their classmates.
"Yo, Kakashi! It's time for my favorite part of the day!"
Might Guy flashed his gleaming white teeth—polished until they reflected light—and threw up a dramatic thumbs-up.
"How about a fiery showdown of youth?"
"…"
Kakashi, scarf wrapped around his neck, glanced at Guy's blindingly green spandex. Watching Guy strike exaggerated poses made him want to wash his eyes out.
He still couldn't understand why his father, Hatake Sakumo, insisted that Might Guy would one day become a rival worthy of respect. At this moment, it felt absurd.
"If you don't start running, you'll fall behind."
With that, Kakashi set off at an even pace.
"Kakashi! I'm right behind you!"
Guy immediately followed, his bowl-cut bouncing as he ran.
"Kakashi, you're as cool as ever!"
A cluster of girls whispered as they watched Kakashi lap the track. Just seeing him run somehow made the exercise less exhausting.
Nohara Rin, too, stole glances at him while keeping pace as best she could.
"Can you keep up?" Kakashi asked coolly.
"I can," Rin replied with a nod, breathing steadily.
Obito, running far behind, grit his teeth when he saw Rin chatting so casually with Kakashi. He pushed himself forward in a burst, cutting in front of Rin to block her view.
"Kakashi, you're running too slow!" Obito said with feigned ease.
"Idiot."
Kakashi shook his head. Obito was already messing up his rhythm just to show off. It was only the first few laps—he'd exhaust himself before long. Kakashi ignored him and pressed forward.
"…That's Uchiha Seiji."
Kakashi's eyes narrowed.
In the brief moment he had spent dealing with Obito, he noticed Seiji already among the frontrunners. What struck him was how effortless Seiji looked, as if the run was only getting easier for him.
For the rest of the laps, Kakashi kept watching.Yet even at the end, Seiji barely broke a sweat.
While everyone else collapsed, panting for breath, Seiji calmly pulled out a notebook and began reading.
This performance caught the attention of Instructor Umino Ruka.
He thought back to Seiji's origins."The Land of Lightning, huh…"
His mind drifted to the Hidden Cloud ninja, famed across nations for their taijutsu prowess.It wasn't surprising, then, that Seiji's stamina outstripped his classmates.
Neither the Senju nor the Uzumaki were known for taijutsu the way the shinobi of Lightning were.
"You're not tired?" Kakashi finally asked.
He couldn't hide his curiosity. Despite Seiji's thin frame, his endurance was remarkable.
"Not really."
Seiji took a drink from a water flask he'd prepared in advance. With chakra enhancing the body, ninja naturally surpassed ordinary people in endurance. Long-distance running was no exception.
After a sip, Seiji studied Kakashi.
This was the prodigy who, at only twelve, would create the S-rank technique Chidori.Ironically, the Sharingan gifted to him by Obito would end up hindering his growth.
In the official novel Kakashi Hiden: Lightning in the Frozen Sky, Hatake Kakashi, after losing the Sharingan, soon developed a new lightning-style technique—one that required no hand seals and no Sharingan.
That was Purple Lightning, the perfected successor to Chidori.
"Kakashi, aren't you the one who stands out even more?" Seiji remarked.
After all, Kakashi was the top student in every subject, stamina included.
"Seiji! So you too are burning with the fires of youth!"
Guy bounded over, his bowl-cut bouncing wildly.
"No," Seiji replied flatly. "I'm just training my body." He gestured at his thin frame. "If I want to be a shinobi one day, this won't be enough."
"That's true," Guy nodded solemnly.
Beneath his spandex, Guy had already sculpted a powerful body through relentless training. For someone like Seiji, who looked frail, strengthening himself was essential.
"Seiji, you work really hard."
Rin wiped the sweat from her brow and walked over. A sheen of sweat glistened on her fair skin, giving her a delicate glow.
"Bet I looked cool, right?"
Obito stumbled across the finish line, drenched in sweat. He had destroyed his rhythm earlier trying to impress Rin, and now he was paying for it. He was the last to finish, legs dragging as he gasped for air.
Still, he immediately searched for Rin, hoping she had noticed his effort.
"Rin…"
Spotting her ahead, Obito ran a few steps toward her—only to freeze when he saw who she was with.
Guy, of course, he ignored completely.
But there was Kakashi.And that infuriating Lightning-born Uchiha.
"Rin, could I ask you to teach me more ninjutsu today?" Seiji said. "I think I've got the basics of tree-climbing down. I want to move on to learning an E-rank technique."
Kakashi turned, eyebrows raised.
Yesterday, his father had called him home early. So Rin had spent that time teaching Seiji?
"I'd be happy to," Rin said warmly. "That way, Seiji can get used to our curriculum faster."
In front of Kakashi, she always tried to show her kind, gentle side.
Their exchange reached Obito's ears like poison.
"That guy again…"
Obito clenched his fists, rooted to the spot.
He barely had time to be alone with Rin himself. Usually it was Kakashi, Rin, and him—the three of them together. And even then, he often had to force himself into their conversations.
If he hadn't done that yesterday, Rin and Seiji might have been alone.
His grandmother once told him: both his parents died early in the war. And who was the war against? The Land of Lightning.
And now this boy—born of Lightning—was always around Rin.
Anything else, Obito could tolerate. But not this. Not Rin.
"Keh… What's wrong, Obito?"
Sarutobi Asuma, chewing on a lollipop stick, noticed Obito's scowl.
"It's nothing," Obito muttered, waving him off.
Asuma didn't press. He wasn't particularly close to Obito anyway.
Following Obito's gaze, though, he instantly understood.
"Oh. Rin."
Everyone in class had noticed Obito's clumsy attempts to win her attention.
"Tch."
Asuma clicked his tongue. He didn't respect Obito's groveling infatuation. How could a man act so pathetic?
He turned away with a smirk and strolled toward another girl.
"Kurenai, tired? I've got candy…"