Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Tsundere Boy

"Uchiha Obito!!!"

The teacher's furious roar echoed, but Obito remained slumped on the desk, fast asleep, completely oblivious to the increasingly angry glare of the teacher.

"Obito, wake up! The teacher is watching you," Rin nudged Obito gently a few times, but he was still deep in his dreams, showing no reaction.

On the other hand, Haneda, sitting next to him, reached over and pinched Obito's waist hard.

"Aah!!!" Obito shot up instantly, glaring at Hatake and pointing at him, yelling loudly:

"Damn you, Haneda! You wanna challenge your master Obito?!"

Haneda ignored him, instead pointing subtly at the teacher at the front of the class and whispering:

"You got caught sleeping in class, dead last."

"Huh?!"

Obito instinctively glanced at the teacher, then scratched his head awkwardly and quickly forced a smile.

"Sorry, teacher, I didn't mean to."

The teacher looked at Obito, who appeared to apologize earnestly but had a clear "I'll do it again" attitude. He sighed deeply but then firmed up, thinking that Obito was still young and there was hope for change. With a fierce tone, the teacher scolded:

"Obito! How many times have I caught you sleeping in class now?!"

Without giving Obito a chance to reply, the teacher continued:

"Late to class, sleeping in lessons, and always finishing last in exams. I'm not even from the Uchiha clan, but I feel ashamed for you!"

"Think about it: all the other Uchiha kids in the academy are top students, ranking in the top ten. And then there's you!!!"

When the teacher finished, the whole classroom fell a little quieter. Even the sparrows outside seemed to be scared by the teacher's ninja aura and flew away from the scene.

Obito lowered his head and mumbled dryly:

"Haneda is from the Uchiha clan too, and he's dead last as well, teacher."

The teacher glanced at the well-behaved Hatake sitting quietly and snorted, roaring:

"Get out!!!"

...

In the hallway outside the classroom, the warm wind blew, but it couldn't thaw the chill in Obito's heart.

"Damn Haneda! You promised to help me with my studies, but only reminded me when the teacher was already watching!"

Obito leaned against the wall, gazing at the distant scenery, muttering to himself. Even though he knew it was his own fault, he just wanted to shift the blame.

After a few grumbles, though, Obito felt a little better. He crouched down, resting his face on his hands, and stared blankly at the Hokage building in the distance.

"Obito~ are you staring at the Hokage building?" A familiar voice came from beside him. Obito didn't even need to look to know it was Haneda, that damn guy again. Without thinking, he replied:

"Of course, I, Uchiha Obito, will become the Hokage in the future!"

"That's a nice dream, but no matter how I look at it, I can't see a dead last becoming Hokage," Haneda leaned against the wall beside Obito.

Obito stood up, glancing at Hatake, and asked softly:

"Why are you here? Did the teacher kick you out too?"

"Of course not," Haneda shook his head, hands in his pockets, smiling.

"I just saw you squatting out here all by yourself and felt bad, so I came to keep you company."

"You're that kind-hearted?" Obito turned his head, habitually denying him, though his rising mood was evident.

*Ding! Uchiha Obito's affection has increased by 20 points. Current affection: 203.*

*Affection has reached 200. Reward: Two-Tomoe Sharingan, 0.2 units of chakra.*

Haneda smiled, thinking that Obito really had inherited the usual Uchiha tsundere trait. Even when touched, he still acted indifferent, saying things that belied how he really felt.

Haneda wasn't good at comforting people, but he believed that simply being there was most important. Some things, people had to work out for themselves. Besides, knowing Obito's carefree personality, he'd probably forget this whole event in no time and go right back to sleeping in class.

Yeah, that's typical Uchiha Obito.

"System, open the panel," Haneda thought, and a light blue screen appeared before his eyes.

*Uchiha Haneda*

*Strength: Genin (89/100)*

*Chakra: 0.6 units, attributes: Fire, Wind, Lightning*

*Bloodline Limits: Sharingan (Two-Tomoe, not awakened), Sage Body (Insufficient purity, not awakened)*

*Special Abilities: None*

(Note 1: Eye power can be stored. Awakening the Sharingan is up to the host's decision.)

(Note 2: One unit equals the chakra of a young Kakashi.)

"0.6 units, heh," Haneda chuckled.

"Maybe I can use an S-rank jutsu now..." He thought of the chakra-deprived young Kakashi and shook his head.

Ah, still a long way to go!

...

After school.

Since both Hatake and Obito lived in the Uchiha district, they walked home together.

"Hey, Haneda, how did you get out of the classroom during class?" Obito blushed a little, feeling embarrassed as he asked.

"I just walked out, told the teacher, and left," Haneda laughed, patting Obito's shoulder gently.

"You know, Obito, I rarely pay attention in class. I'd rather get some fresh air outside than sit inside all day."

Obito paused for a second, recalling that Haneda had once mentioned the term *tsundere*. He realized that Haneda had left the classroom for his sake. Usually, Haneda was so well-behaved and never did anything to anger the teacher...

A wave of emotion washed over Obito. No wonder they had been best friends for so long.

*Ding! Uchiha Obito's affection increased by 1 point.*

*Ding! Uchiha Obito's affection increased by 3 points.*

...

*Affection reached 210. Reward: Partial Sage Body. Awakening condition for the basic Sage Body: 61%.*

A series of system notifications left Haneda slightly bewildered. He hadn't said much, yet Obito's affection had increased by 13 points, and he'd even gained part of the Sage Body!

Considering that an affection level of 100 was about the level of a close friend, and it was harder to increase beyond that, Haneda was in a great mood. He decided to reward himself and bring Obito along.

After all, eating dinner alone could be a bit lonely.

"Obito~ got any plans tonight? I'm treating you to a fancy dinner."

"Huh???"

Obito thought he'd misheard and quickly asked, "Haneda, what did you just say?"

"Can't hear me, dead last? I said I'm treating you to a fancy dinner."

Hearing Haneda offer to pay, Obito didn't even care about being called "dead last."

After all, the one paying is the boss—who cares about a little insult?

However, Obito suddenly remembered Rin, scratching the back of his head.

"Sorry, Haneda. I made plans with Rin to go watch the lanterns tonight."

"That's fine. One guest or two, it makes no difference."

"Why don't you invite Rin to join us? We can all go to the barbecue place for dinner."

"Okay!" Obito thought for a second. Rin probably wouldn't mind, so he agreed.

Chatting as they walked, they soon reached Obito's house.

As Obito walked inside, he waved to Haneda.

"See you tonight."

"Don't be late, dead last."

With that, Haneda turned and quickly walked away, his steps noticeably faster than usual.

"Damn you, Haneda!!!"

Obito's shout echoed in the air as Haneda smiled, feeling even better.

...

T/N: Thanks for reading.

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