Chapter 9: The Green-Eyed Monster
"Instructor Mizuki, can't we do more sparring? We're not training to be track stars!" a student shouted, voicing the complaint on many of their faces. Compared to monotonous physical drills, they craved the adrenaline of one-on-one combat. At least then they could earn cheers and prove their worth directly.
"Hey, Kakashi! It's time for my favorite part!" Might Guy boomed, flashing a brilliant, toothpaste-advertisement smile and striking a dramatic thumbs-up pose. "Care for a fiery contest of youth?"
"..." Kakashi, his face mostly obscured by his mask, merely glanced at the boy's infamous green spandex jumpsuit. Watching Guy's erratic, energetic gestures, he felt a profound desire to look away. He still couldn't fathom why his father, the legendary White Fang, had insisted this boy would become his greatest rival. The notion seemed absurd.
"If you don't run, you'll be left behind," Kakashi stated flatly, and set off at a steady, efficient pace.
"Wait for me, Rival!" Guy cheered, immediately falling into step beside him with boundless energy.
"Kakashi is so cool," several girls whispered, their own fatigue seeming to lessen as they watched the prodigy run with effortless grace.
Nohara Rin also found her eyes drawn to him, pushing her own pace to try and keep Kakashi in sight.
"Can you maintain this speed?" Kakashi asked, his tone neutral, not looking at her.
"I can keep up," Rin affirmed, a determined glint in her eyes.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Obito, lagging near the back of the pack, saw Rin and Kakashi running close together, seemingly in their own world. A hot spike of jealousy shot through him. Gritting his teeth, he poured on a burst of speed, weaving through other students until he was running just ahead of Rin, deliberately blocking her view of Kakashi.
"Hey, Kakashi! You're slowing down!" Obito called back, forcing a tone of casual bravado.
"Idiot," Kakashi muttered under his breath. Obito had just shattered his own pacing rhythm in a pointless display. He'd pay for that foolishness with exhaustion later. Shaking his head slightly, Kakashi maintained his own steady cadence.
His gaze, however, was caught by another runner. That's... Uchiha Takumi.
While Obito was busy posturing, Takumi had quietly advanced to the front of the group. As the laps wore on, Kakashi's sharp eyes noticed something peculiar. It didn't seem like an illusion; Takumi was running more easily than the others. While his form wasn't as polished as a specialist's, his breathing remained even, and his movements were economical. By the time the fifty laps were done and most students were gasping, hunched over with hands on their knees, Takumi was merely breathing deeply. He barely seemed to have broken a sweat. He even pulled a small notebook from his pocket and began reviewing it, as if the grueling run had been a mild warm-up.
This performance did not go unnoticed by Instructor Mizuki. His eyes narrowed thoughtfully as they landed on Takumi. The Land of Lightning, he recalled. The shinobi of Kumogakure were renowned for their formidable physicality and stamina. It made a twisted sort of sense that a boy from that harsh land would possess greater endurance. While clans like the Senju and Uzumaki were legendary, their fame wasn't built solely on raw physical power in the same way Kumo's was.
"Aren't you tired?" Kakashi asked, approaching the thinner boy. He was genuinely curious how someone with Takumi's build could possess such reserves of stamina.
"I'm alright," Takumi replied, taking a sip from his water canteen. In a world powered by chakra, the physical limits of shinobi were far beyond those of ordinary people; such endurance, while notable, wasn't supernatural. After drinking, he looked at Kakashi. This was the prodigy who would invent an S-rank lightning technique by age twelve. A small, analytical part of Takumi's mind noted that the Sharingan Kakashi would later receive might have actually stunted his growth, forcing him to rely on a tool that was never truly his. The official records hinted that without it, Kakashi had developed new, formidable lightning techniques.
"Kakashi-kun, aren't you the more outstanding one here?" Takumi deflected. Kakashi was, after all, the top performer in their age group across all disciplines; physical fitness was just one of his many strengths.
"Takumi! So you too understand the flames of passionate youth!" Might Guy declared, bounding over, his bowl-cut hair bouncing with each step.
"No, not really," Takumi said, gesturing to his slender frame. "I just need the exercise. Becoming a shinobi will require more than just this."
"A profound truth!" Guy agreed, his head bobbing enthusiastically. Beneath his spandex, Guy already sported a clearly defined, muscular physique. Takumi, in comparison, genuinely did look like he needed the training.
"Takumi-kun, you're really diligent," Nohara Rin said, walking over and wiping a glistening sheen of sweat from her forehead. The exertion had left her skin flushed and dewy.
Obito, who had ruined his own rhythm to show off for Rin, was one of the last to finish, his legs feeling like lead. He stumbled across the finish line, gasping for air. He scanned the field, looking for Rin, hoping she had seen his effort. A little fatigue was worth it if she noticed how hard he tried.
"Rin..." he panted, spotting her back. He mustered the energy to jog over, only to see her standing with a small group. Guy was automatically filtered out. There was his rival, Kakashi. And that infuriating newcomer from Lightning.
"Nohara Rin-san," Takumi was saying, "would you be willing to teach me more ninjutsu today? I feel I have a basic grasp of the tree-climbing exercise now, and I'd like to try learning an E-rank technique as soon as possible."
Kakashi glanced at Rin, a flicker of curiosity in his visible eye. He'd left early the previous day due to his father. Had Rin been giving this transfer student private lessons?
"Of course," Rin replied warmly. "That way, Takumi-kun can adapt to the curriculum here more quickly." In front of Kakashi, she was always eager to display her kind and helpful nature.
Their conversation, clear as day, hit Obito's ears like a physical blow.
"Why is it him again?" Obito muttered, his hands clenching into tight fists at his sides.
His time with Rin was already limited, usually shared with Kakashi. He'd only managed to tag along yesterday by sheer stubbornness. If they grew closer, wouldn't they start spending time alone? His grandmother had told him this boy's parents had died early, on the battlefield. The same battlefield where the Land of Lightning had been at war with the Land of Fire. This guy was from the Land of Lightning, and he was constantly hovering around Rin. Obito could tolerate many things, but this was a line he couldn't cross. With Kakashi, there was at least a grudging respect for his rival's strength. But why did this new outsider get to capture Rin's attention so easily?
"What's wrong, Obito?" Asuma Sarutobi asked around the lollipop stick in his mouth, noticing the dark cloud over the Uchiha boy's face.
"Nothing," Obito snapped, waving a dismissive hand.
Asuma shrugged, not pressing the issue. They weren't close. He followed Obito's gaze and immediately understood. Obito's puppy-love for Rin was hardly a secret. "Tch," Asuma smirked to himself, finding Obito's devotion rather pathetic. A man shouldn't debase himself like that.
He turned and walked in another direction, a charming smile spreading across his face as he approached a girl with striking red eyes. "Hey, Kurenai, you look tired. I've got some candy here if you'd like some..."
(End of Chapter)