"Ah?"
Kakashi was a little dazed.
It was Obito who ran over and slapped him on the back, snapping him out of his stupor.
"Kakashi, nice going! You passed!"
"And hey, when did you learn the Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu?"
Obito was genuinely happy for Kakashi—after all, Kakashi was the rival he'd acknowledged.
As for his own upcoming test, he was going to give it his all and pass no matter what.
"Oh, I saw you use it once, remembered the Hand Seals, and gave it a try. It just worked."
"Nothing special."
After his initial surprise, Kakashi quickly returned to his usual cold demeanor—but the excitement in his eyes was impossible to hide.
"Come on! If you don't know how to talk like a human being, maybe just don't talk!"
"I might die of rage before even getting on stage!"
Obito shot Kakashi a fierce glare, then turned his attention to Gekko Chizan standing on the stage.
"Uchiha Obito, Chizan-sensei, please instruct me!"
With a leap, Obito landed on the training field.
Gekko Chizan nodded and gave a casual wave.
"Come, Obito. Let's see what you've got."
Uchiha Obito gave a firm nod, then charged at Gekko Chizan like a young calf.
No shuriken feints, no Ninjutsu—he went straight in with a Taijutsu assault.
Everyone watching from below was stunned.
They all thought—is this guy really this reckless?
Even Gekko Chizan furrowed his brow slightly.
With fists swinging and legs flying, Obito in that moment reminded Chizan of Guy.
"You've been training Taijutsu specifically?"
"For an Uchiha, that's definitely a unique approach."
Gekko Chizan blocked with one hand. Whether fists or kicks, he parried them all effortlessly.
Then, in one swift motion, he grabbed Obito's right leg and flung him away.
Obito didn't panic. He flipped in midair and landed solidly on his feet.
Then he began forming hand seals—the same sequence, the same Great Fireball Jutsu.
And the result...
"Fwoo..."
A wisp of heat emerged from his mouth—but the expected fireball never materialized.
For a moment, silence fell over everyone.
Gekko Chizan sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation.
"Obito, maybe you should go back and practice a bit more?"
It wasn't that Gekko Chizan wanted to hold him back from graduating, but... this performance was just too weak.
"Uh, that was a mistake just now!"
"Let me try again!"
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
With everyone staring at him, Obito's face turned red as he hastily formed the hand seals again.
This time, a fireball finally appeared.
But compared to Kakashi's giant fireball, this one looked a bit... pocket-sized...
"Sigh..."
Gekko Chizan let out a long breath. In the next second, another examiner used Body Flicker and instantly appeared behind Obito, placing a hand on his head.
"Uchiha Obito, you failed the test. Try again next year."
Obito's face instantly filled with disappointment.
After that, the exam results were announced.
As for Gekko Chizan, he suddenly sensed his teacher's chakra signature. With a flicker, he vanished from where he stood.
When he reappeared, he was already beside Orochimaru.
"Sensei, you're back."
Orochimaru smiled slightly.
"Chizan-kun, that Wind Style modification of yours isn't bad."
"Looks like you really studied the scroll I gave you."
"Tomorrow, come to my lab. It's time you started working with me on experiments."
Oh? So I can finally enter the lab? Nice.
I wonder what good stuff is hidden in Orochimaru's lab... I'd better keep an eye out when I get there.
...
That evening, behind the Hokage Rock.
Gekko Chizan sat on a boulder, gazing at the sky.
"Chizan-kun, still have a habit of watching the scenery?"
Suddenly, a voice called out from behind him.
"Sakumo-sama, isn't it a bit much to be sneaking up on people like this?"
Gekko Chizan had sensed someone approaching long ago—his sensory perception was still sharp, after all.
And the moment he heard the voice, he knew exactly who it was—Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo.
"Hahaha, just an old habit from the battlefield."
"So, Sakumo-sama, what brings you to me?"
As the saying goes, no one visits a temple without a reason. He wasn't about to believe Sakumo came just for a chat.
"Thanks for what you did for Kakashi today. I could tell you held back."
"Kakashi's a lot like me, and he's already more than ready to graduate. A kid who can use Shadow Clones and has already grasped chakra nature transformation—anyone with eyes can see he's well beyond genin level."
Hearing Gekko Chizan praise Kakashi, Sakumo just chuckled and shook his head.
"He's still got a long way to go."
"Chizan-kun, what do you think about Sunagakure?"
Ah, so here comes the main topic.
"Sunagakure? A declining village that's always craving Konoha's fertile land, nothing more."
"They launched attacks in the last two Shinobi World Wars because they wanted to seize our territory, didn't they?"
Sakumo nodded—Chizan's analysis was spot-on.
The Land of Wind lacked fertile land, making survival harsh.
But at the same time, the quality of their shinobi was quite high. Their wars were driven by a need for land and a desire to improve living conditions.
"You handled the Kumogakure incident well."
"Today I came to talk to you about Sunagakure."
"In the near future, the Third Great Ninja War may break out."
"Before that, we need intel from Sunagakure. I want to invite you to join my team and go with us."
Gekko Chizan frowned slightly at that.
It wasn't that he was unwilling to take a mission, but the name Hatake Sakumo brought to mind his eventual fate.
In the original story, it was during a mission to retrieve intel that Sakumo chose to abandon the mission in order to save his comrades, and was later blamed for the mission's failure.
The rumors and gossip in the village shattered his spirit, and the powerful, Kage-level shinobi eventually chose to end his life.
Timeline-wise, this must be that mission.
"Don't worry. This mission is mainly focused on intel gathering. It won't be particularly dangerous."
"Besides, with me leading and your stealth skills, there's really nothing to worry about, is there?"
Sakumo thought Chizan was concerned about the difficulty of the mission, and tried to reassure him.
"Ah no, it's not that. I'm just worried about being away too long—my little brother can't live without me, haha."
"But since Sakumo-sama is personally inviting me, how could I possibly refuse?"
"Once the mission starts, just give me a heads-up and I'll rejoin the team right away."
"After all, I'm currently apprenticed under Orochimaru-sama—I still need to study and help out with his research."
Go to Sunagakure, huh? Never been there—maybe I can do a little side business while I'm there.
Those folks in Kumogakure sure gave me plenty of money and supplies last time.
Sigh... such a shame about that Takigakure mission. I got so caught up in stealing the Seven-Tails, I forgot to swipe anything valuable... what a waste, a major waste!
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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