"Ahem, um... Yahiko, long time no see." Obito reluctantly stepped forward to greet.
Hearing someone call his name, Yahiko turned to look.
"Long time no see, Obito." Yahiko replied with a smile.
Although Yahiko had only met Obito once, he had a deep impression of him because Obito had said he wanted to become Hokage and end the war.
Moreover, Obito was also a ninja that Kakuzu's intelligence highlighted as noteworthy.
"What a coincidence, I didn't expect to meet here." Obito said as he walked to Yahiko's side.
"Yeah." Yahiko nodded, and couldn't help but laugh at a sudden thought.
"Haha, but it seems our reunion came a bit early; neither of us has made a name for ourselves in the Ninja World."
In their previous meeting, Yahiko and Obito had agreed that the next time they heard news of each other, they would have already made a name for themselves in the Ninja World. Clearly, this was a failed outcome.
Both Yahiko and Obito were only famous within their circles and hadn't yet gained recognition throughout the Ninja World.
"Isn't the Youth Martial Arts Tournament the perfect stage to make a name for ourselves in the Ninja World? If we both make it to the finals, our fame will surely skyrocket." Obito answered with a cheeky grin.
The Youth Martial Arts Tournament is different from the Ninja Village's joint Chunin Examination; it truly garnered a lot of attention from across the Ninja World. Winning first place would undoubtedly spread one's name far and wide.
"Indeed." Yahiko thought for a moment, realizing that with the Youth Martial Arts Tournament's popularity, the top two would definitely receive a lot of attention.
"Rin, have you seen my photo? You didn't lose it, right?" Kakashi intentionally raised his voice to ask Nohara Rin.
He noticed Obito seemed to be having a lively conversation and had forgotten their purpose was to gather intelligence.
"I don't think so." Nohara Rin looked around and replied.
Obito successfully grasped the photo keyword, remembering Kakashi's instructions, and quickly asked:
"Yahiko, do you know Ninja Master Sosuke, the one hosting this competition? He's been quite famous in the Ninja World recently."
"Of course I know Master Sosuke. I'm one of Master Sosuke's first followers." Yahiko responded proudly.
"Under Master Sosuke's leadership, the Land of Rain is gradually improving, moving towards peace and stability."
Listening to Yahiko's words, Kakashi fell into thought.
It's obvious that Yahiko is now a die-hard fan of Sosuke, having even joined the Ninja Sect.
Judging by Nagato's expression when looking at Sosuke, Kakashi estimated that Nagato was on the same page as Yahiko.
"The Akatsuki's transformation into the malicious organization that captures Tailed Beasts in the future is likely related to Sosuke." Kakashi speculated.
The current Akatsuki is vastly different from its future counterpart; such an extreme transformation evidently isn't a normal development.
Kakashi believed the Akatsuki leadership underwent significant personal changes, leading to such a drastic shift in the organization over time.
"Obito, how's your path to becoming Hokage progressing?" Yahiko asked.
Obito scratched his head, "Still working hard."
Becoming Hokage is Obito's dream, but for now, Obito doesn't really know how to become Hokage.
He's never heard of a Hokage examination, passing which would make someone a Hokage.
"Keep at it! As long as you try your best, there's definitely a chance." Yahiko encouraged.
Yahiko thought Obito becoming Hokage would be quite nice, as someone who loves peace couldn't possibly be a bad person.
"Contestants, please proceed to the lounge to draw lots for the battle." A staff member from the Ninja Sect announced in the waiting area.
Seeing this, Yahiko and Obito tacitly ended their conversation, and Obito returned to his team, heading to the lounge with Kakashi and the others.
Upon reaching the lounge, a Ninja Sect staff member brought out a large box for the contestants to draw their numbers one by one.
"Number one fights number two, number three fights number four, and so on. Defeat your opponent to advance to the next round," the ninja staff explained the rules.
The rules of the Youth Martial Arts Tournament were the simplest kind, so no one stood up to question them. After all, such straightforward rules didn't even require explanation.
"So far back." Obito looked at the stick in his hand marked with the number thirty, thinking his luck with drawing numbers was average this time.
Number thirty meant that beyond the first round, he'd be the last fight in all subsequent battles.
"Rin, what's your number? I'm number thirty." Obito walked straight to Kakashi and Nohara Rin and asked.
Once everyone completed their draw, the Ninja Sect staff would immediately record it; it's impossible to exchange or change numbers, as it's considered public knowledge.
"I'm number thirteen." Nohara Rin answered.
"Fifteen." Kakashi replied concisely.
Obito widened his eyes; their numbers were so close, if they both advanced to the second round, they'd meet in the next match!
"That naturally evil white-haired guy, how dare he stop Rin in the second round!" Obito muttered internally.
Originally, Obito thought Nohara Rin had a fair chance of making it to the quarterfinals. Aside from the fellow disciples of Mokgetsu, it was only Nagato who displayed overwhelmingly strong suppressive power, with Puppet Master suspected of being equally formidable.
However, Nohara Rin clearly had worse luck today than Obito, facing Kakashi in the second round instead.
"On second thought, maybe it's Kakashi's bad luck dragging Rin down."
Thinking of Kakashi's recent threats to make him work, Obito cursed Kakashi again internally. The kind and beautiful Nohara Rin couldn't possibly have issues; it must be Kakashi's fault!
"I'm number eleven, the numbers are quite close, Kakashi; is this the bond between best friends?" Might Guy exclaimed excitedly after the draws were done.