Chapter 13: Courage Leads to Strength

"Kakashi has always been stubborn since he was a child. I'm worried that he might..."

Sakumo let out a long sigh, leaving the sentence unfinished.

Obito felt a chill run through him.

Had Sakumo already realized something? A sense of helplessness welled up within him.

He genuinely admired this gentle senior and wanted to do something to help. But as things stood, his position was insignificant, and his strength was lacking.

Apart from silently sighing in his heart, it seemed there was nothing he could do.

After a moment of reflection, Obito met Sakumo's eyes and said earnestly,

"White Fang-senpai, please take care of yourself. Stay strong, I beg you."

Sakumo smiled faintly and said no more.

After practicing with Obito for a while longer, Sakumo led him out of the training room.

In the living room, Kakashi had just finished cleaning up the kitchen. He sat on the couch, intending to rest for a bit.

Sakumo entered and said, "Son, it's time for Obito to head home. Go see him off."

Kakashi sighed inwardly but maintained a calm expression as he stood up. "Yes, Father."

Obito, on his way out, bid Sakumo a heavy-hearted farewell.

"White Fang-senpai, thank you for your hospitality today. Goodbye."

The moonlight cast a pale glow, and the cold night wind swept through the empty streets.

The bustling roads of daytime were now silent, with no one in sight.

The only sound in the quiet night was the soft footsteps of the two boys.

Kakashi glanced at Obito, who walked beside him. Unable to hold back, he asked,

"What did my father... talk to you about?"

Obito thought for a moment, shrugged, and replied,

"White Fang-senpai said you're too reserved and should make more friends. He told me to look after you in the future."

Kakashi snorted coldly.

That certainly sounded like something his father would say. And honestly, Obito wasn't clever enough to make that up.

But seriously—what was his father thinking? He didn't need someone like Obito to look after him!

Though Kakashi was mentally grumbling, his face remained impassive. The atmosphere between them fell into silence once again.

After a while, they arrived at Obito's home.

Obito naturally waved goodbye. "See you, Kakashi!"

Kakashi nodded slightly in response, then turned and left without looking back.

Obito clicked his tongue and muttered, "Tch, what a cold guy."

Shaking his head, he called into the house, "Grandma, I'm home!"

The next morning, before the neighbor's rooster even crowed, Obito was already up.

If there was no academy, Obito never lazed around in bed.

"Hmm, what should I do today?"

While he was pondering, the system popped up with three choices:

[Option 1: A heart free of distractions sharpens the blade—practice Iaido 10,000 times. Reward: Mastery of Iaido.]

[Option 2: Forget the blade, spend time with Rin instead. Reward: 0.1 cm increase in a certain area.]

[Option 3: Ignore both women and blades—just lie flat and relax. Reward: 0.01 chakra points.]

"Hmm… Option 3 is out of the question. I, Obito, rise with the dawn and strive for greatness—how could I be so lazy?"

"Option 2 is a bit tempting, but 0.1 cm? Do I, Obito, lack 0.1 cm? What I lack is—" He coughed, cutting off his own train of thought. "Ahem, anyway, if I want to grow stronger quickly, Option 1 is the obvious choice."

Obito quickly made up his mind.

"Option 1 it is. After breakfast, I'll start practicing my blade skills!"

His grandmother hadn't woken up yet, so Obito grabbed some bread and milk for a quick breakfast.

Then, with excitement, he picked up Kageshū, his sword, and began practicing Iaido using the techniques Sakumo had taught him.

"Ha-sa-kay!"

"Death is like the wind—always by my side!"

"The force of this blade grows stronger with each strike… Wait, is this a sword or a katana?"

After an hour, Obito slumped to the ground, gasping for breath. His arms felt like they were weighed down with lead, completely unable to lift.

And for some reason—perhaps due to excessive yelling—his throat was also a bit sore.

"Ugh… Two hours in, and I've only managed about a hundred strikes. When will I ever finish 10,000?!"

He let out a long sigh, feeling the weight of his responsibilities pressing down on him.

Then again, there was a silver lining—he was still young and didn't need his arms for any other important activities… for now.

The week-long break flew by. Obito spent the entire time practicing his blade skills at home.

Seven days! Do you know what these seven days were like for me?!

The skin on his hands was nearly gone, his shoulders ached, and his elbows refused to rotate smoothly anymore!

Despite his hard work, he hadn't even completed a fifth of the task.

"Ugh, that's it for today."

Obito sighed, trembling as he placed Kageshū down. Then he dragged himself to bed.

"Academy starts tomorrow—I'd better get some rest," he thought.

Just as he was about to close his eyes, another system prompt appeared:

[Option 1: Burn the midnight oil—gain power or perish. Push yourself, young man! Reward: Double progress on your current task (Iaido).]

[Option 2: Pretend you didn't see Option 1. Reward: -1 vision.]

What the—?! Was this one of those "no real choice" situations?

Obito sat up abruptly, yelling, "I can do this!"

His grandmother's voice drifted from the other room. "Obito…"

Obito chuckled nervously. "Sorry, Grandma. Sorry. You rest well!"

He picked up Kageshū with trembling hands and resumed practicing.

The next morning, Obito staggered toward Academy, sporting two huge dark circles under his eyes. He looked like some famous sleep-deprived celebrity.

"Ugh, I'm so tired. But hey, with that double progress reward, I've already reached almost 4,000 strikes. This must be the joy of pushing yourself to the limit!"

Yawning endlessly, he stumbled into the classroom and immediately collapsed onto his desk.

"Zzz…"

He wasn't sure how much time had passed when a soft, sweet voice woke him.

"Obito, Kisuke-sensei is here. Wake up!"

Rubbing his eyes, Obito sat up groggily, his mind blank.

Who am I? Where am I? Why am I so incredibly handsome…?

Kisuke breezed into the classroom, holding a sheet of paper with a grin.

"I've got some great news for you all!"

After a dramatic pause, he announced, "Our class ranked first in the entire grade for average scores this time!"

The class erupted in cheers.

"Woohoo!"

Nagano stood up and shouted, "Sensei, when are you treating us to a feast?"

Kisuke scratched his head in confusion. "A feast? What feast?"

The classroom filled with playful jeers.

"Boo!"

Even Kisuke's thick skin couldn't withstand it. Embarrassed, he muttered under his breath.

He had planned to treat them, but his wife had firmly vetoed the idea. Sure, he had a bit of private savings, but nowhere near enough for a whole class!

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