Asuma's expression froze.
For a moment, he couldn't process what happened and simply stared at Obito, his eyes slightly dazed. Then he snapped back, and his face twisted with anger.
"You—" he growled. He jerked his chin at the boy with a senbon in his mouth standing to his right. "Genma! Get him!"
Genma Shiranui stiffened. His mouth shifted slightly. He looked at Raido lying on the ground, unmoving, and then looked at Obito standing not far away.
A hint of hesitation crossed his face.
But recalling Asuma's identity, he still stepped forward. He had put in a lot of effort to befriend Asuma, and had finally managed to board the Hokage's son's boat. If he backed down now, all his efforts would be for nothing.
"Damn it," he cursed under his breath and approached Obito with slow, measured steps.
He said with an awkward smile, "Sorry, Obito. Nothing against you. But orders are orders."
Obito didn't respond at first. He simply watched Genma approach. Although he appeared calm and relaxed on the surface, in reality he was also wary of him.
The reason he was able to take down Raido so quickly was because Raido underestimated him. It couldn't be repeated with Genma now that he had witnessed his skills.
Moreover, Genma was more skillful than Raido, who mostly relied on his above-average tall body to win spars.
Obito had watched his spars before, and he seldom lost. His taijutsu wasn't that impressive, but he had good reflexes, and his shuriken-throwing skills were also pretty solid.
And that senbon in his mouth… in the original story, Genma Shiranui was a special jōnin known for using it as a projectile weapon.
Obito couldn't be certain if he already knew that trick at this point in time, but he wasn't planning on assuming otherwise.
The air between them tensed.
Then, Obito's lips curled into a small smile. "It's fine, Genma. Just be prepared to deal with the consequences."
Genma blinked—surprised.
Before he could reply, Obito's feet exploded off the ground.
He dashed forward, then leapt, twisting his hips and snapping out a fierce kick toward Genma's face.
Dynamic Entry!
Genma's eyes widened. *Wait—wasn't this that guy's move?! When did Obito—*
He didn't have time to finish the thought. The kick was already upon him. He quickly raised his arms to block.
Bam!
The force blasted through his guard, sending him skidding backward across the dirt. His arm burned from the impact, muscles trembling.
Obito flipped backward in one smooth motion and landed lightly on his feet.
He didn't pause and charged again.
This time, Genma had already composed himself. He also realized the gap between himself and Obito. At least in terms of taijutsu, he was no match for the opponent.
'Since that's the case, should I use that…' Genma hesitated for a moment, but the rapidly approaching Obito gave him no time.
He gritted his teeth. Then his jaw tensed, and with a sharp exhale—
Swish!
The senbon shot out of his mouth in a silver flash toward Obito.
Obito's eyes widened. Although he was expecting this move, wasn't this senbon a bit too fast? It was even faster than a kunai. How did he even output so much force from his mouth!?
Obito hastily twisted mid-charge, rolling awkwardly to the side, narrowly dodging the projectile. But it still grazed his arm, slicing through his sleeve and skin in one clean line.
Blood welled instantly, followed by a sharp pain. But Obito didn't have time to pay attention to that.
Still low to the ground, on one knee, he felt a sudden rush of air in his perception and saw a knee enlarging in his vision.
Obito jerked his head aside just in time, the knee brushing past his cheek by a hair's breadth.
Genma hadn't expected Obito to dodge in such a postion. His momentum made him stagger forward, throwing him off balance.
And that was all Obito needed.
He turned sharply, grabbed Genma's long hair from the back, hooked his leg behind Genma's foot, and yanked—
SLAM!
Genma's back hit the ground so hard that dust burst upward. A choked groan escaped his mouth as the air was knocked out of his lungs.
His eyes fluttered, rolling slightly. Then he lay there, unable to get up.
Obito exhaled slowly and then examined his right arm. It stung sharply.
A thin bleeding line ran across his skin. The cut was clean, and deep enough to bleed freely but not dangerous. It would have been a different story if he hadn't dodged. The senbon was sharper than he'd expected.
This was also why his reaction had been so violent at the end. If they didn't care whether he got hurt, he wouldn't hold back either.
He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and pressed it to the wound, slowing the bleeding.
Only then did he realize how loud the world around him had become.
The once-empty pathway was now packed with students from multiple grades, all of them surrounding them in a circle, watching like it was a show.
Obito scanned the crowd and found Kakashi not far away.
He was sitting leisurely on Asuma's back, not a speck of dust on his clothes. The latter, though, didn't look so good. He was out cold, his clothes stained with dirt, and his face literally kissing the ground.
Obito couldn't see any wound on him though, suggesting he was knocked down with a single blow and very quickly too.
'As expected of Kakashi.'
'How did that even happen though? Did Asuma provoke him?'
Obito didn't know. He had been too focused on his own fight.
Seeing he was done, Kakashi stood, hands still in his pockets. "Alright. Let's call sensei and end this farce."
Just then, a shadow leapt from behind the crowd.
Obito's eyes widened. "Kakashi! Behind you!"
Kakashi's head turned—but too late. The attacker was already inches away, arm raised, ready to strike him from behind.
Before the strike could land—
A green blur shot in from the side.
A sharp whoooosh tore through the air, followed by a thunderous impact.
BAM!
The attacker was launched into the air like a ragdoll, doing a flip before crashing unconscious meters away.
The crowd gasped. Standing where the blur had landed was a boy in green tights.
He struck a flamboyant pose, one leg stretched dramatically, thumbs up, teeth sparkling brightly.
"The Blue Beast of Konoha, to save the day!" he declared loudly. After a moment of silence, cheers rippled through the crowd.
Kakashi blinked. "…Gai? When did you—"
Gai cut him off, his voice filled with grievance. "Kakashi! Obito! You were having a youthful spar so early in the morning with our classmates! Why didn't you invite me? I also wanted to show my youth!"
Obito and Kakashi exchanged a glances, speechless. Sparring? They were clearly being attacked.
Still, Gai's timing was perfect.
The attacker lay sprawled on the ground, completely unconscious. Obito also recalled his identity.
Aoba Yamashiro, a third-year. He seemed to be on pretty good terms with Asuma. Obito had seen him exchanging greetings with his group a few times.
Suddenly, a sharp voice cut through the noise.
"What in the world is going on here!?"
Mitsuka-sensei stormed through the crowd. His eyes swept over Asuma and the three others lying on the ground, then fixed on Obito, Kakashi, and Gai standing in the center.
His face stiffened then he pinched the bridge of his nose, as if having a sudden headache.
Obito straightened.
This was bad.
Teachers hated fights outside supervised spar sessions—especially ones ending with students unconscious in the dirt.
They would definitely be punished. But he wasn't too worried. Asuma and his group had started it. They were just acting in retaliation.
As for whether anyone would believe them—Asuma was the Hokage's son, and there were definitely ANBU following him in secret. They must have witnessed everything.
Mitsuka's sharp gaze snapped to Kakashi first.
"Kakashi," he said sternly, "you explain what happened."
Kakashi opened his mouth, but someone beat him to it.
"They provoked us!" Asuma shouted hoarsely, apparently woken up long ago. He pointed at Obito. "He insulted me—and my father—and he—he threw Raido! And Genma! And—!"
"Enough." Mitsuka raised a hand, clearly not believing this problem child one bit. "Wake up those three first, and all of you go to the infirmary to get yours wounds checked. After that, you're reporting to the principal's office to give a statement."
At the mention of the principal, Asuma's face strangely turned ugly.
"Sensei, what about the exam?" Obito asked.
Mitsuka sighed, then said after thinking for a moment, "Those of you who are in condition to take the exam may report after it."
Kakashi, Obito, and Gai all let out a sigh of relief.