Chapter 6

Chapter 6 Practical Lesson

"When you ask that question, it means you've already made your decision."

Haneda didn't give Kakashi a direct answer.

He couldn't help it—he wasn't great at talking his way through things.

Especially when it came to these kinds of conflicting, complex, and contradictory dilemmas.

If he really had to answer, he would prioritize his own interests.

If he were in the White Fang's position, Haneda would choose the mission without hesitation, never a temporary comrade.

But he couldn't say that. If he had to respond, he'd have to lie.

And if he lied, well...

With Kakashi's keen mind and his own lackluster acting skills, he'd probably get caught.

Haneda was well aware of his limits.

"Decision, huh? For someone like you who can't even be on time, it's obvious that you value comrades more," Kakashi said, hands in his pockets, walking back to the classroom with the same distant demeanor, but now with a heavier sense of confusion in his eyes.

Haneda understood him, but when it came to his father, the villagers, and even himself... Kakashi was lost.

...

**Afternoon, Training Grounds.**

Groups of students were excitedly gathering and chatting together.

Just like in Haneda's previous life, any class that didn't involve sitting and studying was always a favorite among students.

And whenever they stepped out of the classroom, their faces would naturally light up with smiles.

At this moment, Obito had one arm around Haneda's shoulder, laughing as he said:

"Haneda, you'd better be careful in this practice session, because the title of *dead last* is about to be passed to you!"

"Is there a chance you'll still be at the bottom of the rankings?" Haneda retorted, not holding back on his sarcasm.

"No way! Your master Obito has been preparing for this day for a long time, you fool!"

"Heh..."

Haneda chuckled, but didn't say anything more.

If Obito could really shake off the title of dead last, the sun might as well rise from the west!

Of course, unless he turned evil—that'd be a different story.

"What's that supposed to mean, Haneda? You don't believe in me??"

Obito, catching Haneda's dismissive look, got worked up, his expression resembling that of a certain dead-fish-eyed individual. It irritated him as a fellow dead last.

Sure, Kakashi could look down on him since he was top of the class, but Haneda? He was just one rank above him—how could he dare?!

"Whatever."

Haneda shrugged, not bothering to continue the argument.

Just as Obito was about to escalate things, Rin stepped in with a gentle smile:

"Alright, Obito, stop arguing. The teacher's coming."

Hearing Rin's familiar voice, Obito immediately calmed down, his face turning slightly red as he looked at her.

"Rin, you know I don't really want to argue with Haneda..."

"Mm." Rin smiled brightly, her eyes curving like crescent moons.

"Come on, Obito, let's go gather by the teacher."

She took Obito's hand and led him toward the teacher.

Seeing this, Obito happily left Haneda behind and followed Rin.

'Abandoning me again... Damn love-struck fool...'

Haneda watched their backs, muttering under his breath.

...

Practical training was different from theory lessons—it required hands-on practice, similar to a mix of physical education and lab work.

For first-year students, practical sessions usually involved practicing with shuriken and simple combat.

Of course, being a ninja wasn't that simple. There were many skills to train, like the transformation jutsu, outdoor survival, reconnaissance, and counter-reconnaissance.

However, for first years, there was still plenty of time, so today's focus was just shuriken practice, laying the groundwork.

The shuriken provided by the school weren't sharpened, but they had the same weight and feel as standard ones to ensure proper handling.

Haneda held a shuriken in his hand, feeling the familiar cold metal against his palm.

He'd been familiar with shuriken for a long time.

Both of his parents were jōnin, and they often trained together. To take care of little Haneda, his mother would frequently bring him to the training grounds.

At that time, he would just observe, not actively participate.

Perhaps because Haneda was always watching his father intently during training, his father thought Haneda liked shuriken. On his third birthday, his father gifted him one.

After that, his father would occasionally take Haneda to train together, teaching him techniques hand by hand.

That's how Haneda learned quite a bit about using shuriken.

"Everyone holding their shuriken?"

The teacher stood in front, smiling as he observed the students. Seeing that no one was missing theirs, he continued,

"Kakashi, come up and demonstrate for the class."

"Alright."

Kakashi stepped forward, shuriken in hand. Before he even reached the platform, three shuriken flew through the air with a sharp whistle.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

The sound of shuriken piercing the targets echoed, as all three shuriken hit the bullseye simultaneously.

The speed was so fast that most students didn't even have time to react.

But that didn't lessen their amazement.

"As expected of Kakashi—no wasted movements at all," one of the more composed students analyzed.

"As expected of Lord Kakashi! That was so cool and effortless!"

"Aaah! I want to have Kakashi's babies!!!" one of the fangirls screamed, turning the scene into a fan frenzy.

Just like in the case of Sasuke in Team 7—Kakashi, with his handsome face and genius persona, attracted a lot of admirers.

Rin, like many of the other fangirls, stared at Kakashi with admiration, much to Obito's frustration.

But Rin's feelings toward Kakashi were more admiration than affection, something that Obito, at his age and with his experience, couldn't yet grasp.

Of course, admiration could easily turn into affection in the future—who knew what would happen.

"Damn that Kakashi!"

Obito, overwhelmed with jealousy, muttered under his breath.

He glanced at Haneda, who was expressionless, and asked:

"Hey, Haneda, didn't you see that stupid Kakashi steal all the attention? Aren't you gonna say something?"

'I don't have a crush on anyone, and I'm not some starry-eyed fanboy…'

Haneda glanced at the fuming Obito and replied calmly:

"You should be grateful you weren't the one called up. If you were, you'd have stolen the spotlight too... but probably not in a good way."

"Heh!" Obito scoffed, clearly hearing the sarcasm in Haneda's voice.

"I'll say it again, I've prepared a super-strong jutsu. You just wait and see!"

"Oh?"

Seeing how serious Obito looked, Haneda raised an eyebrow.

'Could this guy have secretly trained and learned a trick or two from the clan?'

After all, the Uchiha were known for their shuriken prowess.

If Obito had mastered even a bit of it, he could easily outperform most of the kids here—Kakashi being the exception, of course.

At this point, Kakashi quietly stepped down, paying no attention to the chatter around him.

The teacher praised Kakashi appropriately:

"Kakashi's demonstration was excellent. It looked effortless, yet if you pay attention, you'll see how precise his movements were."

"To reach Kakashi's level, it would take at least one or two years of hard training. Everyone, make sure to learn from him and don't slack off."

"Got it, sensei," the students responded in unison, though their thoughts were more along the lines of 'yeah, right'.

Who liked competing with a genius?

It's just asking to feel inadequate.

The teacher scanned the group and immediately locked eyes on Obito and Haneda, who had been late that morning.

"Next up, Uchiha Obito."

Obito, still boasting to Haneda about how impressive his secret jutsu was, hadn't noticed the teacher calling him.

"It's your turn, dead last," Haneda tugged at Obito's sleeve, reminding him.

"Hmph, I heard already."

Obito responded with feigned confidence, flashing a self-assured smile before saying loudly,

"Watch closely, Haneda—I'm only showing this once!"

Obito's confident tone surprised the teacher, shocked the other students, and even made Haneda feel a little uncertain.

'Since when did dead last suddenly have this much confidence?'

***

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