[System]: ——Now loading: Uchiha Obito!"
The moment the title flared across the sky, the whole ninja world blinked in confusion.
Wait, wasn't this guy the Fourth Hokage's favorite student?
Didn't he die heroically saving his teammates?
[Kakashi Hatake]: "Finally! A spotlight on Obito!"
[Naruto Uzumaki]: "Yeah! Just seeing Uncle Obito makes me feel all warm inside!"
[Neji Hyūga]: "Warm? I feel cold. My chest hurts every time his face appears…"
[Kushina Uzumaki]: "Obito always gave me warm vibes too~"
[Fugaku Uchiha]: "@UchihaClan—watch and learn. THIS is how an Uchiha becomes a hero!"
[Sarada Uchiha]: "Ancestor Obito looks so cheerful!"
Down in the village, Sarada and Chōchō watched the video from the street.
"Ohhh, cute boy alert," Chōchō teased.
"Wait, he's an Uchiha? But he's smiling!" Sarada gawked.
"I thought all my clansmen were brooding sword models!"
(Editor's Note: except Itachi—he used Pantene.)
(Sarada: …and I use it too! Pantene, sponsor us already!)
On the Sky-Screen:
"A tear hidden behind Kamui, a heart filled only with Rin. A dropout who rose to challenge the world itself for love."
"A man who could face the entire world—yet never confess to the girl he loved. The strongest eyes that saw everything but her heart."
The title card flashed:
"Team Minato's Beginning — Obito's First Ray of Light."
Confusion rippled again.
[Rasa]: "Didn't this boy die young?"
[Kakashi]: "Wait… Obito, you're not actually dead, right?"
[Obito]: "Cough cough…"
[Madara]: "Cough cough…"
[Hashirama]: "Why are you both coughing?"
[Tobirama]: "Because they're still alive, obviously."
[Izuna]: "Hmph, you just can't resist slandering Uchiha, can you, mutt?"
A Late Start
The video cut to a boy sprinting toward the academy—Obito Uchiha, goggles bouncing.
He'd stopped to help an old lady cross the street and… missed the entire entrance ceremony.
When he arrived, everyone was already leaving, clutching their new student scrolls.
Kakashi, already smug and polished, glanced at him.
"Hmph. Late to your own ceremony? People like you don't deserve to be ninjas."
The modern audience collectively froze.
[Naruto]: "Excuse me?! You of all people?"
[Sasuke]: "Yeah, says the man who shows up three hours late to every mission."
[Sakura]: "Hypocrite alert!"
[Iwabe]: "Sixth Hokage-sama… tardy? Impossible!"
[Sarada]: "I refuse to believe it!"
[Denki]: "No way!"
They all stared up, horrified. The legend of the perpetually calm, responsible Sixth was crumbling.
Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck, sweat-dropping. "Ahaha… times change?"
"Don't worry, Obito," Rin said gently, holding out the form. "I already picked up your registration."
Obito blushed crimson. "Th-thank you, Rin!"
She smiled. "Just don't be late again!"
Kakashi snorted. "See? Rin, you coddle him too much. People like him never change."
The irony hit the audience like a Rasengan.
[Iwabe]: "The Sixth speaks facts."
[Aoi]: "So serious and disciplined!"
[Sarada]: "That's why Dad respects him so much!"
[Boruto]: "Oh, you have no idea…"
Naruto's eye twitched. If only they knew about Kakashi's afternoon naps and "research materials."
[Sakura]: "Wow, baby Kakashi was mouthy."
[Sasuke]: "Still is."
[Kakashi]: "…I regret nothing."
"The Dead-Last Uchiha"
Obito, bless his heart, was hopeless.
Theory—barely passing.
Combat—spectacularly bad.
And yet, every week, he'd challenge Kakashi to a duel… only to get planted face-first into the dirt.
[Rasa]: "Is this kid really Uchiha?"
[Gaara]: "Maybe… the recessive gene."
[Sasuke]: "Impossible. Must be a glitch."
[Minato]: "Ahaha, they were best friends. Such spirit!"
[Rin]: "They always bickered, but cared deeply for each other."
[Kakashi]: "Obito… I miss you. How are you doing now?"
[Obito]: "…" (sweating bullets inside Kamui dimension)
Obito peeked nervously around the void.
If Kakashi found out he was still alive, he'd probably Kamui his way in here and drag him out by the collar.
The screen dimmed, closing on a young Obito smiling awkwardly beneath the sunset.
The text shimmered:
"He began as the weakest in his team… but his heart burned brighter than anyone's."
Next Time:
When the warmest soul turns to shadow—what drives a boy who loved his friends to declare war on the entire world?
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