The instant Hanyū Yuuma declared the match open, Obito moved first.
No hesitation. No breath wasted.
He slid backward across the training ground, hands flashing through seals even as his footing skidded on the dust.
He already knew: Going head-on against Might Guy in taijutsu was suicide.
"Clone Technique!"
A sharp pop erupted beside him—then another.Two perfect copies burst into place at his flanks.
Three Obitos sprinted in crisscrossing arcs, swapping positions with jittery, unpredictable footwork meant to shred Guy's target lock.
But—
"Konoha Tornado!"
Guy was already in front of the middle Obito before half the onlookers even registered he had moved.
A violent spin-kick howled through the air.
WHAM!
Both clones burst into white smoke instantly.
Obito himself staggered back a full meter, boots scraping hard.A numb shock rattled up his forearm where he'd blocked the blow.
Tch… that power…He couldn't stop the tremor in his wrist. Guy wasn't holding back at all.
And he didn't give Obito even a second to breathe.
Guy lunged forward, pressing him relentlessly into a melee he had zero business participating in.
In raw close-quarters combat, the gulf between them was an abyss.
Within seconds, Obito was forced on the defensive, sliding, blocking, barely keeping up—
—and losing ground every exchange.
"Who's winning?" a student whispered from the crowd.
"It's clearly Might Guy. Obito's almost done," another muttered.
"Not sure. Obito beat Uchiha Tetsuka earlier, remember? Maybe he's waiting for an opening to use Fire Style again."
The crowd wasn't united.Obito had surprised them once today—maybe he would again.
Kimura Shanren glanced to the side."Teacher Hanyū, who do you favor?"
Yuuma didn't even pause.
"Might Guy."
Kimura nodded. "Even with Obito's fire jutsu advantage?"
"This field is too open," Yuuma replied."Obito's like a mage who needs a second to cast. Guy's a pure speed-type. He won't give him that second."
And Yuuma was right.
Guy spun into a vicious low roundhouse—
"Konoha Whirlwind!"
—and Obito was blasted across the ground, skidding to a hard stop.
"Might Guy wins!" Yuuma declared.
The murmurs erupted instantly.
"The hell, man… Obito is unpredictable.""When he's supposed to lose, he wins…""And when he's supposed to win, he loses.""He never disappoints in disappointing."
After the match, a bold student stepped forward.
"Might Guy, you're insane. How do you train like that?"
Guy blinked, then answered sincerely:
"I get up at 5:30 AM, run a lap around Konoha before class, then do night-long taijutsu drills on the practice posts. On weekends—"
"Okay, goodbye."
The student backed away like he'd seen a ghost.
Even full-fledged shinobi don't train like that…
Rin hurried to Obito's side.
"Obito! Are you hurt?"
Obito straightened his back instantly, brushing dust off his clothes like it was nothing.
"Me? Please. I'm fine. Totally fine. Next time I'll win."
But Rin wasn't fooled.
She seized his wrist, rolled up the sleeve, and found deep bruises blooming across his forearm.
Her eyes sharpened.
"So this is 'fine' to you? Get to the infirmary. Now."
Obito opened his mouth to protest—
—but followed her meekly.
The mouth was stubborn, but the body was honest.
With the class rankings finalized, the second day of exams finally ended.
Tomorrow would be the real test:Top two students from each class battling for the title of "Grade Champion."
Guy was practically vibrating with excitement. He could already imagine his father's teary, youthful scream of pride.
But before he could leave, Yuuma called to him:
"Kai. Wait."
He gestured toward a quieter corner of the training ground.
Guy followed.
Yuuma smiled softly and handed him a slim booklet.
"Congratulations on taking first place. Here. A gift. A taijutsu training manual I wrote recently. It includes ideas for improving the Konoha Whirlwind. I think it'll suit you well."
Guy accepted it—and froze.
Not because of the contents.
But because Yuuma's fingers were stained with faint gray smudges.Ink that had clearly been scrubbed off again and again, but never fully disappeared.
Guy's breath caught.
This… wasn't something written in idle boredom.
Yuuma had poured time into this. Energy. Thought.Effort he absolutely didn't need to give.
It wasn't a gift.It was a belief placed into his hands.
His throat tightened.
"Teacher… Hanyū Yuuma-sensei… I—I swear… I will never waste what you've given me. I'll become the strongest taijutsu shinobi in the world!"
Tears streamed down his face.
Yuuma chuckled softly. He wiped the tears away with a folded cloth.
"A teacher's greatest reward is seeing his students grow stronger. Make sure you do."
"Yes!" Guy bowed deeply, fists trembling with renewed resolve.
Once Guy left, Yuuma opened his System panel.
Two notifications dropped immediately:
[Reward Granted: Water Attribute Manipulation — Master Level][Disciple Might Guy's Trust Level Increased — Current Level: 3]
Yuuma exhaled slowly, a grin spreading across his face.
Jackpot.
Normally, the System only returned rewards related to a student's specialty.Shisui and Obito returned Fire-based power-ups.Guy usually returned physical technique buffs.
But sometimes, rarely, the System critted hard.
This was one of those times.
And Water Attribute Manipulation at Master Level…
That was the kind of thing that edged him closer to creating a new bloodline limit someday.
He leaned back, amused.
So emotions amplified the reward?Interesting.
If he planned his timing right—If he gave gifts at moments when a student's gratitude peaked—
He could turbo-charge returns.
Good. I'll use this.
The exam would conclude tomorrow. Results would follow a day after.
Yuuma closed his panel, anticipation simmering quietly beneath his calm.
Let's see how the System rewards a teacher whose students dominate the leaderboard…