Early in the morning, Obito sat up with a long yawn and rubbed his eyes. He glanced at the small clock beside his bed.
5:00 a.m.
He blinked once.
Then twice.
"...That's earlier than I expected."
He'd practiced the leaf-sticking exercise until late last night and wasn't even sure he'd wake up on time—much less an hour early. Still, it wasn't a bad thing. With the extra time, he could finish his morning workout before moving on to spars.
He quickly rolled off the bed, slipped into a simple black training shirt and a pair of loose training pants, washed his face, and then stepped outside.
The sky was still painted in the soft orange-gray of dawn. Mist clung to the rooftops, drifting lazily between the houses of the Uchiha compound. The air had a sharp bite to it, cold enough to make him wrap his arms around himself.
Most of the compound was silent. Only a few early-rising shopkeepers were sweeping the fronts of their stores, and Obito spotted two or three clan shinobi walking briskly toward the gate—either heading to the Police Force headquarters or leaving on missions.
Obito exhaled softly, his breath turning faintly white, and made his way toward the training ground.
He half-expected to arrive first. His house was closest, after all. But when he stepped onto the field, he froze.
Kakashi was already standing in the center of the training ground. He stood with perfect posture, headband straight, training shirt fitting neatly on him. A couple of shuriken pouches hung at his waist.
Obito walked over, rubbing his eyes.
"You're early."
Kakashi's eyes widened as he turned, looking at him in shock. "Y-you…? How are you here this early?"
Obito opened his mouth to say why shouldn't he be, but stopped himself, recalling the original Obito's habit of always being late to class.
In fact, he himself didn't quite understand those memories. Obito always encountered elderly people who needed help on the way to the academy, almost like divine intervention, so Kakashi's reaction seemed fair.
He let out a dry cough, waved a hand casually, and said, "I'm a changed person now."
Kakashi stared at him for a long moment as if assessing whether this was a joke. Then he simply turned away and began stretching.
Obito went to his usual corner and started his own training.
For the next hour, both trained separately, the quiet only broken by the dull thumps of footwork, controlled breathing, and the occasional rustle of leaves.
Obito had just finished going through the basic taijutsu movements and was about to walk over to ask Kakashi for a spar when—
"YOUTHFUL GREETINGS!"
A voice boomed across the entire training ground.
Gai came sprinting down the slope at full speed, windmilling his arms like he was trying to wave at the entire village at once. His bright green jumpsuit was freshly washed—somehow even shinier than yesterday.
A faint dust cloud clung to his sandals.
"The sun rises to witness our burning flames of youth!" Gai declared, striking a pose and showing pearly white teeth.
Kakashi sighed. "Why am I here…"
Obito cleared his throat. "You agreed, remember?"
"Regret is a powerful motivator," Kakashi muttered.
Gai clapped both of them on the shoulders. "Come now, comrades! Let us begin our morning with a youthful spar!"
Obito blinked. "Gai, don't you have to stretch first?"
"Hahaha!" Gai laughed, flashing his white teeth proudly. "I have already stretched! I just completed a three-hour youthful workout with my father!"
Obito and Kakashi both stopped breathing for a second.
Three… hours?
That meant—
"Did you wake up at three?" Obito asked, startled.
Gai nodded brightly. "Yes! And after my usual training, Father and I typically spar for another three hours! But today, since I told him I had a youthful sparring session with friends, he encouraged me to burn my youth here instead!"
Obito and Kakashi both looked at him as if he were a monster.
'How is his body even alive?' Obito wondered.
In the anime, numbers like "500 push-ups" felt normal coming from Gai's mouth, but seeing it in real life was different.
Obito felt a headache just thinking about it.
Gai clapped again. "So! Who goes first?"
Obito and Kakashi exchanged a look.
"I'll go," Obito said before he could talk himself out of it.
Kakashi nodded and took his place opposite him. "Don't worry," Kakashi said. "I'll go easy on you."
"That's reassuring," Obito said. It really was—the gap between them was huge. If Kakashi went all out, he might not last a single exchange.
Gai raised his hand. "Begin!"
The moment Gai's hand dropped, Obito jumped back, barely dodging Kakashi's sweeping kick.
A second kick came instantly after, and he ducked under it before rolling backward to create some distance between them.
Yesterday's spar with Asuma had taught him something important about himself. Asuma had attacked like a storm—fast, aggressive, never giving him a second to breathe, let alone counterattack. He was completely out of his skill level.
But despite that, he still managed to dodge and block some of his attacks, which meant his reaction speed was above average.
Since he had such talent, he immediately decided to hone it first. And what's a better way to do that than dodging and blocking blows from Kakashi, who was almost reaching genin level?
Kakashi also understood exactly what he was doing. So instead of overwhelming him, he deliberately varied his attacks—straight punches, low kicks, sudden jabs, wide sweeps—letting Obito experience different attacks.
A few minutes in, Obito finally started catching the rhythm.
Suddenly, Kakashi stepped forward and threw a straight jab. Obito smoothly sidestepped it, but Kakashi, appearing to lose his balance, was pushed forward by his own momentum.
Obito's eyes sharpened immediately. 'A chance!'
He abandoned his guard and spun a back kick toward Kakashi's exposed side.
But seeing this, Kakashi's expression didn't even twitch. He, who was almost about to stumble forward, paused in an instant, regaining his balance as if nothing had happened.
'A feint!'
Obito realized a second too late as Kakashi's leg swept under him cleanly.
The next moment, Obito found himself staring up at the clouds.
"You react well," Kakashi said, offering no apology. "But you're inexperienced. That makes you predictable and easy to fool."
Obito groaned, sitting up. "You didn't have to sweep that hard."
"It wasn't hard at all."
That hurt more than the fall.
"Again."
Kakashi nodded.
The second round went almost the same—Obito dodged well, adjusted faster, then fell for a different feint. Instead of a sweep, Kakashi pushed his chest sharply, knocking him flat on his back again.
It happened again.
Then again.
Then again.
By the fifth round, Obito was panting heavily, sweat running down his face.
"Your form's improving," Kakashi said. "But you still waste too much motion."
"Kakashi… why don't you let me hit you once? I think I can improve faster that way."
"That's not how training works." Kakashi's eyebrow twitched.
"Magnificent!" Gai shouted. "The fires of rivalry burn bright!"
He stepped forward, eyes shining.
"Obito! Now it is my turn!"
Obito's eyes widened. "Wait—Gai, hold on—"
He tried to plead, but it was too late. Gai appeared in front of him in a blur.
Obito, already tired, barely raised his hands to block—which Gai immediately pried open.
A punch sank into his chest. Obito hit the ground again, motionless.
"Splendid spirit!" Gai shouted. "You fought bravely!"
Kakashi leaned against a tree, looking at Obito's motionless figure with genuine pity in his eyes.
Then he felt a stare.
An intense, burning stare.
He turned, swallowing instinctively.
"Kakashi! My eternal rival!" Gai declared, pointing dramatically. "My youth still burns fiercely! Let us have a youthful spar!"
Kakashi hesitated, visibly uncomfortable—but walked to the center anyway.
"That's it, my rival!" Gai beamed.
There was no referee to call the start, so after giving Kakashi a quick heads-up, Gai charged first—a straight sprint that kicked up dust behind him.
He leapt, twisted midair, and whipped a high kick toward Kakashi's head.
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
Kakashi's expression tightened. This kick was definitely faster than the one Gai had thrown back at the academy.
'Did he improve this much in such a short time?'
Kakashi didn't dare take it lightly like before. He tilted his head, narrowly slipping past the strike—only for his eyes to widen as Gai spun again in midair, sending a second high kick from the opposite leg.
Kakashi raised his arm to block, but even then the impact forced him back several meters.
He glanced at the red mark blooming on his forearm, and his gaze sharpened.
Looking at Gai, who was practically bouncing with excitement, he remembered his father's words from the day of their enrollment—when he had first met this strange, loud boy.
A small smile tugged at his lips. 'Interesting.'
"Again, Gai. Give me everything you've got this time."
"That's exactly what I want, Kakashi!"
The spar resumed.
Gai charged again, starting with a flying front kick this time. Kakashi stepped back sharply, letting the kick slice past, and countered with a precise back kick just as Gai landed.
Gai raised his arm to block, but the force still shoved him back several meters. Rather than faze him, it made him grin wider.
He lunged again, faster this time.
"Dynamic Entry!"
Obito, lying on the ground, slowly tilted his head to watch.
His body ached everywhere.
But his eyes—
At some point, had turned red.
A tomoe rotated slowly in each Sharingan, reflecting the moving figures of Kakashi and Gai as they clashed again and again on the field.