"Do you want to head back together?" Shisui asked Obito, who was putting away his test papers.
"Shisui, are you heading back early today?" Obito asked with some confusion.
Both of them were from the Uchiha Clan, and their homes were not far apart, but they rarely went back together because Shisui often returned later than the others.
It wasn't that Obito was unwilling to train more; he was just worried that if he went back too late, his grandmother would worry about him.
"Mm, Teacher Mokgetsu said to go home early today to rest up for tomorrow's training." Shisui nodded in agreement.
The reason he returned late every day was that no one was at home anyway, so it didn't make much difference where he was.
"Then you really should rest well, Shisui. Tomorrow's training will definitely be exhausting." Obito reminded, looking at Shisui with a hint of sympathy.
After all, since Mokgetsu said so, the training Shisui would face tomorrow was certainly no joke.
The level of training he was undergoing didn't have Mokgetsu telling him to rest well.
"I have a bit of a hunch; I think it'll focus on strengthening the body," Shisui said.
Mokgetsu had mentioned that the new Instant Body Jutsu would put more pressure on the legs, so body conditioning was definitely necessary.
"Perhaps I'll even join in your battles. If it comes to that, I'll give it my all," Shisui joked.
"Let's hope not." Obito clasped his hands together silently praying to the Six Paths Sage.
He'd watched Shisui practice Instant Body Jutsu while doing exercises, and the speed was so fast that if it were in battle, it would undoubtedly be too much to handle.
If the opponent were Shisui, he'd probably have to double the amount of exercises for one fight.
"It probably won't happen; if it were, Teacher Mokgetsu would have told me in advance." Seeing Obito's earnest praying face, Shisui couldn't help but laugh.
To be frank, whether it was Obito or Guy, neither posed any challenge to him, so Mokgetsu wouldn't organize training with them together.
Unless Mokgetsu's aim was to put pressure on Obito and the others.
As they walked along, Obito suddenly stopped, leaving Shisui looking back at him with some confusion.
"Shisui, wait a minute. There's an elderly lady over there who seems to need help," Obito pointed at an old woman hunched over with a large bundle on her back.
Shisui glanced in the direction Obito indicated, and indeed, there was an elderly person struggling to move forward on the street.
"Is Obito's observational skill really that sharp?" Shisui was a bit stunned, as he hadn't noticed at all just now.
After finding out what trouble the elderly woman was facing, Obito immediately offered to help carry her luggage to her destination.
"Don't worry, Granny, I'm fine. Although I look young, I'll be a ninja next year and I'm very strong," Obito said, patting his chest with a silly smile.
Having said that, Obito even demonstrated a set of Taijutsu moves, which actually managed to convince the old lady, who eventually gave her luggage to Obito.
Obito walked ahead, with the elderly lady following. Shisui, at the back, showed a thoughtful expression.
After helping the elderly woman, the two continued heading home. After walking for a while, Obito stopped again to help another elderly lady using a walking cane get home.
Shisui seemed to understand why Obito was considered an oddball.
Children of the Uchiha were not first taught to respect elders or be kind to the young, but that the strong are respected and that power in Ninjutsu is most important.
There's nothing more crucial than enhancing one's strength; as long as you are strong enough, nothing is a problem.
Though Shisui was young, his talent and strength were evident, and even older children had to defer to him.
Obito was different; he lacked the enthusiasm for training that could enhance strength but was very interested in action like helping the elderly.
Shisui thought this might be the reason why Obito noticed the elderly needing assistance.
"Shisui."
After entering the Uchiha Clan Land, they began encountering familiar peers. Uchiha Tekka greeted Shisui when he saw him, but seemed puzzled seeing Obito standing by his side.
"Tekka." Shisui also greeted him.
"I'll head home first," Obito hurriedly said goodbye to Shisui and went home, eager to see his grandmother.
He didn't greet Uchiha Tekka because they weren't really familiar.
"Hmm." Shisui nodded.
"Why are you with him?" Uchiha Tekka asked curiously.
Before this exam, Obito had always seemed like an oddball Uchiha in his eyes—poor in grades and seemingly not motivated, looking a bit foolish and not behaving at all like an Uchiha.
After the exam, those labels mostly faded, yet he still considered Obito a strange Uchiha.
This wasn't just his thought; it was a common view among their peers in the Uchiha Clan.
"Is there a problem?" Shisui asked.
"Well, it's just surprising, given that he's Uchiha Obito," Uchiha Tekka considered before speaking.
"Once you get to know him, you'll find that Obito is a really nice person," Shisui said.
Shisui didn't elaborate much, and after a few words, he returned home.
"Could Obito's improvement in strength be because Shisui taught him some cultivation secret?" Uchiha Tekka thought, watching Shisui walk away.
Being defeated by Obito left him a bit unwilling, and he had been rigorously cultivating to regain his pride at the final exam.
...
In the morning, Shisui and Obito rose early to reach the training ground in the Southern Border Forest.
As Shisui expected, Mokgetsu arranged for him a large volume of body-conditioning exercises.
Push-ups and squats were just basic; they also had to swim and run laps around Konoha—a training volume that exceeded Shisui's imagination.
"Is this level of training appropriate for someone my age?" Shisui couldn't help but ask.
Though some said a ninja's body had unlimited potential, the fact was that overtraining would leave hidden injuries.
Seeing Shisui say this, Obito looked over curiously, and was stunned by what he saw, suddenly feeling his own training was light in comparison.
"Normally, such a large training load wouldn't be possible, but I have a special secret medicine that can alleviate post-training fatigue and heal the body," Mokgetsu explained.
Shisui didn't know that this was actually a reward for doing exceptionally well.
Since the system provided a limited amount of secret medicine, Mokgetsu had to save two pieces for future research, using one piece at a time meant one less.
Among Mokgetsu's three disciples, only Might Guy had to rely on Taijutsu, so he intended to save all for Guy.
However, seeing Shisui's excellent performance, he decided to give two pieces to Shisui for intensive training.
Shisui's potential was currently the highest among the disciples, and Mokgetsu hoped Shisui would quickly enter a growth spurt, so the Chakra provided by the apprentice's return to the master would be quite substantial.
"Secret medicine?" Shisui was a little surprised. If it had special effects, then it made sense.
Judging by Mokgetsu's usual training plans, he wasn't a teacher who would increase the training load without reason.
"Teacher Mokgetsu, how much does this secret medicine cost? My family left me quite a bit of money," Shisui asked.
Though his grandparents and parents were gone, their assets were left to him.
"You don't need to worry about that. Completing your training diligently is the best reward for me," Mokgetsu said with a smile.
Seeing Mokgetsu's sincere expression, Shisui felt deeply moved, sensing that Mokgetsu truly meant what he said from the heart.
To be honest, the warmth Mokgetsu brought him was even more than that from his uncle.