Kakashi stepped onto the stage in a flicker of movement, the instant-body technique slicing through the air like a clean UI transition.
"Kakashi, good luck!" Nohara Rin called out, hands cupped around her mouth.
Obito scowled. Show-off. I'm learning that technique next…
The host brightened. "Our next contestant, Hatake Kakashi, is no ordinary participant! A prodigy of Konoha—this is his second time joining us!"
Kakashi nodded once, expression cold, efficient. "Mm."
"What ninjutsu will you be performing today?" the host asked.
"Earth Flow Wall."
The host stepped back. Kakashi's hands blurred.
Boom.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"
The ground trembled. A massive wall rose behind him, thick and tall, like a fortress built from the earth's spine.
The judges stared, stunned.If this were any other year, they'd have slammed down full marks immediately.But today… there was already a perfect score on the board.
Still, one judge slowly raised his placard: 10.
The others followed.
Asuma sighed. "He's still built different…"
Might Guy crossed his arms, solemn. "To defeat Kakashi with ninjutsu… Obito will need years of training."
Obito swallowed hard. The full marks made his stomach twist.If Kakashi tied with him, then—
"Ten points, ten points, ten points! Hatake Kakashi earns a perfect thirty!Historic—two perfect scores in the same competition!"
The crowd roared.
Uchiha Tetsuka's shoulders slumped."Third place… just like that."
He glanced at Shisui. "If only you competed. You'd take full marks for sure."
Shisui smiled quietly.He had zero interest in stealing Obito's moment.
Kakashi walked back, hands in pockets.
"Are you satisfied? If you want to beat me, you'll need to train for a few more years."
Obito pointed at him. "What are you bragging for?! We both got 30. I got mine earlier. I should be first!"
"You got 30 because that's your limit. I got 30 because it's the cap."
"You—!!"
Rin slipped between them, sighing. "Please stop fighting. You're both amazing."
Behind the scenes — the merchants panic.
"How do we score this?! Two first places?!"
"Have them fight again?"
"That's insane, one of them is still a student!"
"Tie for first?"
A new voice cut in.
"You could… turn the double-first into a marketing event."
The merchants turned. A blond ninja stood beside them, smiling faintly.
"Two champions. Two discounts. Double celebration. You'll draw more crowds."
They blinked.
"That's… brilliant!"
"Sir, are you opening a shop here someday?"
"No. Just a passing chūnin." Hanyū Yuuma waved it off smoothly. "Your event is good for motivating the village's youth."
He disappeared before anyone could ask more.
If they'd forced a duel…Obito would've been crushed by Kakashi.Yuuma had no intention of letting twenty days of grinding go to waste.
The rest of the contestants were solid but ordinary.No one surpassed even Uchiha Tetsuka's score.
Finally—
"Uchiha Obito is first!Hatake Kakashi is also first!Uchiha Tetsuka takes second!"
A clean tie.
Obito pumped his fist. "Hah! I won first! Next time, Kakashi—I'm beating you outright!"
"When your strength finally matches your loud mouth, maybe." Kakashi shot back.
But Obito didn't mind.He clutched the silver-plated kunai and 8,000 ryō like they were royal treasure.
Then—the System chimed.
[Training Quest Completed — Disciple: Uchiha Obito][Reward Granted: Chakra +800][Reward Granted: Ninjutsu Mastery Scroll][Reward Granted: Yin Attribute Chakra Manipulation — Mastery]
Yuuma's eyes sharpened.
Jackpot.
Eight hundred chakra—that alone required forty B-rank evaluations to earn.The Ninjutsu Mastery Scroll was priceless: an instant upgrade item.But the last reward…
That was the real treasure.
The moment it activated, a flood of memories surged into his mind—detailed practice sequences, precise internal pathways, the cold logic of Yin attribute manipulation.
A new window flickered across his inner vision.
Yuuma opened his invisible panel.
Time to see the new stats.