Chapter 3: Obsession with Unwillingness

Ryo's actions were constantly being observed by Obito.

When he saw Ryo close his eyes and stop looking at him, his eyelids trembling slightly, as if deliberately provoking him, Obito couldn't help but clench his fists.

"Dammit... What's there to be so arrogant about..." he muttered under his breath.

"Someone who was left behind by his younger brother..." Obito gritted his teeth in frustration.

However, Kakashi was also an arrogant bastard. Though he had only been in the academy for less than half a year before graduating early, he still managed to outshine everyone. These two brothers were both incredibly hard to like.

"I heard Kakashi recently completed an A-rank mission with a Jonin."

"Even though it's a bit frustrating, that guy really is quite talented. He was promoted to Chunin last year, and it wouldn't be surprising if he becomes a Jonin soon..."

Someone who had overheard Obito's words chimed in, making sure to emphasize Kakashi's achievements.

Ryo's performance in class was usually among the top ten, and sometimes he even came first. It was hard to find an appropriate reason to mock him based on his grades or performance, but by comparing him to Kakashi, they could easily put Ryo down.

After all, when compared to Kakashi, who graduated at five and became a Chunin at six, Ryo's brilliance was immediately overshadowed, and it became hard to even compare them.

The people nearby immediately grasped his intention, glancing at Ryo and saying casually, "As much as I don't want to admit it, that guy really is a genius. Compared to him, it seems like some people aren't really fit to be an older brother."

Suddenly, a girl named Yamanka Ino, who was sitting in front of Ryo, stood up, angrily glaring at the speaker, Inuzuka Kiba, and said, "Hey! What did you just say?!"

Inuzuka Kiba met her angry stare and stubbornly responded, "What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"

Ino was furious, but she couldn't find the words to counter him.

Ryo opened his eyes and glanced at Ino. Smiling indifferently, he said, "Kakashi really is a genius. It's tough for anyone to compare to him..."

Ino nodded in agreement. "Mm, Ryo, don't worry about him. A ninja like your younger brother is someone who might only come around once in a generation, no need to compare with Kakashi."

Sunagakure's Kurenai also nodded in agreement.

As long as they didn't compare Ryo to a 'monster' like Kakashi, Ryo already stood out as an impressive genius in their class with no flaws to speak of.

Ryo was cut off before he could finish his words. He shrugged innocently, not wanting to argue any further, and simply smiled at Kurenai.

Seeing that Ryo didn't want to argue and the girls had reached a consensus, Kiba, though somewhat unwilling, could only grumble a bit before averting his gaze.

Kurenai looked at Ryo, her beautiful eyes glimmering slightly as she whispered, "It must be tough, having a brother like Kakashi, right?"

"No," Ryo replied, glancing at her with a smile. "Why would I feel pressure? The stronger my younger brother is, the better. He's not from the Hyuga clan, after all..."

Kurenai blinked in confusion. "What's wrong with the Hyuga clan?"

"Oh, you don't know?" Ryo briefly explained the situation of the Hyuga clan's main and branch families, which left Kurenai a little surprised.

She glanced toward the corner of the class, where a boy named Hinata Hiromu, a branch member of the Hyuga clan and the nephew of Hyuga Hiashi, was sitting.

As a member of the prestigious Hyuga clan, Hiromu was always proud of his lineage. He despised Ryo, who was always surrounded by girls, and the fact that Ryo's grades in class were consistently among the top only made him see Kakashi as his sole target.

In fact, Hiromu could have graduated early too, but his elders advised against it, urging him to follow the proper path and train at a steady pace, so he complied.

"..."

When Hiromu vaguely overheard Ryo's mention of the Hyuga clan, he turned his head slightly toward Ryo's direction, furrowing his brows, but he couldn't quite make out what Ryo had said.

Although he couldn't hear clearly, he had a feeling Ryo had brought up the Hyuga clan. His gaze flickered for a moment.

"He's a bit too arrogant, huh..."

While he found Ryo's popularity and being surrounded by girls a bit distasteful, it didn't bother him much. But bringing up the Hyuga clan was a different matter.

Maybe he should go give him a 'warning' after class?

Hiromu's eyes flickered with thought.

After all, Ryo wasn't Kakashi. To Hiromu, the only person his age who could surpass him was Kakashi.

As Hiromu continued to contemplate, the last student finished their clone technique test. The Jonin instructor recorded the final scores, glanced at the result sheet, and spoke up:

"Today's test is over."

"The ones who failed include Obito, Oil Woman, and... you few. After class, practice more."

"Tomorrow we'll have a mock test. Four days from now will be the official assessment. If you fail, you'll have to stay at the school during the winter break until you can pass!"

At the instructor's words, many students in the class let out a long sigh of relief.

The students who failed, including Obito, had dark expressions. No one wanted to have to stay for winter break, not only because it meant no time off but also because it was embarrassing.

"Alright, that's all for today. You can leave early."

The instructor placed the score sheet in his folder and, after organizing his things, addressed the class.

Hearing this, many students stood up, bowed to the instructor, and left after he nodded and left the classroom.

Ryo, using the excuse of "I've got something to do, I'm heading home early," quickly made his way home, after shaking off Kurenai and Ino and the other girls.

Watching those mature eight or nine-year-old girls vying for attention was rather amusing. However, Ryo had more important things to do—he needed to adapt to his triple-speed state as soon as possible.

Triple-speed, which was an upgrade from double-speed, further enhanced his movement speed.

After a simple dinner, Ryo headed to the backyard, entered his triple-speed state, and began practicing with the specialized wooden stake set up there.

To help his body grow faster, Ryo used the speed-up state not only during training but also while sleeping. His cells multiplied and his metabolism sped up, so while other people experienced one day, it felt like two days for him. As a result, though he was eight years old, his actual physical age, due to two years of dream-based speed training, had already reached nine.

If he kept the speed-up state on constantly, his body would develop even faster. But maintaining it all the time was too boring, especially in class, where it felt like listening to a 0.5x playback of the lessons, stretching every tone of the teacher's voice and driving him crazy.

Moreover, keeping the speed-up on constantly meant that to appear normal, he'd have to slow down his speech and movements, which was very troublesome. So, in class, Ryo kept it at the normal pace.

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