Chapter 639

Early morning.

Obito woke up early, had breakfast, and headed to Training Ground No. 2.

On the way, he split a Shadow Clone to help any elderly in need, while his main body continued onward.

After all, he had called Kakashi and the others to help—as the initiator, how could he be late?

Thanks to waking up early and hurrying, Obito successfully arrived at the training ground when it was still empty, achieving the feat of being first to arrive.

About six or seven minutes passed, and disciples such as Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane arrived one after another at the training ground.

"Good morning, Captain Obito. You're here very early today," Kotetsu greeted.

Ninja teams each have fixed meeting times; generally, everyone arrives around the same time.

"Not really—I am the captain, after all," Obito replied with a nod.

Soon, all three squad members had arrived.

Kakashi and Rin Nohara hadn't arrived yet—not because they were late, but because Obito had deliberately given them a later meeting time.

"Captain Obito, which ninja did you get to teach us ninjutsu?" Kotetsu asked eagerly.

Yoshio Ishizaka didn't know Lightning Release at all, let alone teach powerful Lightning Release techniques, so Kotetsu was very much looking forward to Obito's reward.

"You're all my future guards—how could I mistreat you? It's definitely a highly capable jōnin," Obito said boldly, patting Kotetsu on the shoulder.

"Even across the entire shinobi world, they're one of the top elites—their Lightning Release skill is unquestionable."

Hearing this, Kotetsu's eyes instantly lit up.

Although he felt a bit sorry for Yoshio Ishizaka, Kotetsu had to admit that, as a captain, Obito was the cooler one now.

He had no doubt that Obito had such connections—Obito himself was a famous super-genius, a member of Konoha's strongest clan, the Uchiha, and also a disciple of the Hokage.

Kakashi happened to arrive at the training ground just then and overheard Obito's speech.

"Of course, they're still a bit weaker than me, but they're still a Lightning Release powerhouse," Obito said with a smirk.

Kakashi wore an expression that said, "As expected."

The reason he praised the other was purely to elevate himself even higher.

Still, there wasn't much wrong with Obito's words—right now, Kakashi really couldn't beat Obito.

Of course, truth is truth, but one could still be displeased.

"It's Kakashi-senpai!" Izumo Kamizuki exclaimed as he happened to spot Kakashi approaching.

If Obito was the unforgettable genius of their first year at the Ninja Academy, then Kakashi was a legendary genius to them.

Kakashi enrolled and graduated at age five—when Kakashi graduated from the Academy, they were still two-year-old toddlers.

Although they hadn't attended the same school as Kakashi, he had left too many legends at the Academy—the name Hatake Kakashi left a deep impression.

Kotetsu's mouth was already stretched almost to his ears.

Although Kakashi was famous for his Lightning Blade and swordsmanship, powerful Lightning Release swordsmanship required superb Lightning Release skill—and besides, Kotetsu might be able to learn swordsmanship too.

"It's you, Anko-chan! Long time no see," Rin Nohara greeted with a smile.

Rin Nohara was no stranger to Anko, Kotetsu, and the others.

When Muyue had held special training at the Ninja Academy back then, in addition to fourth-year graduates, the top first-year ninjas had also joined—Anko and the others were among them.

"That's right. Let's eat dango together sometime," Anko replied warmly.

"In that case, I'll be taught by Rin-senpai," Izumo analyzed in his mind.

Izumo looked at Kotetsu with some envy—Rin Nohara wasn't an ordinary jōnin among Konoha's jōnin, but she was still far inferior to Kakashi.

Moreover, more than Water Release, Rin was famous for her medical ninjutsu—it was said she had received the true teachings of the Sannin Tsunade, and her medical skills were such that even some experienced veteran medical jōnin felt inferior.

Seeing his two subordinates and future guards showing such respect for Kakashi, Obito turned to Kakashi and said:

"Kakashi, although you lost to me in our last fight, don't be discouraged. Keep working hard—you might still catch up to me."

Kakashi:?

Who was discussing this with you?

"Oh, as expected of Captain Obito, it must have been an incredibly thrilling battle. It's a pity I couldn't watch it in person," Izumo Kamizuki said flatteringly.

Obito wore a satisfied smile. "It was alright. There will always be opportunities in the future."

"Which of you wants to learn Lightning Release from me?" Kakashi asked, looking at Kotetsu and the other two.

He wasn't familiar with Kotetsu and the others, so he didn't know what ninjutsu they could use.

"Senpai Kakashi, it's me!" Kotetsu Hagane quickly stepped forward and said.

"Study hard. If you do well, I have a mysterious reward for you," Kakashi said with a smile.

"As expected of Senpai Kakashi, known as Raiga! Actually, I've been your fan since I was born!" Kotetsu said excitedly.

Getting to be taught by Kakashi was already a reward from Obito, and now being able to receive another reward from Kakashi—this was a reward on top of a reward.

"What reward? Can I have one too?" Anko asked curiously.

"A very interesting photo. If you want one, you can have it too," Kakashi replied leisurely, uttering words that made Obito's expression drastically change.

"Team member Kotetsu, I don't mean to criticize you, but a ninja trains to strengthen their own power, to protect the village. Chasing rewards will only tarnish your dream," Obito said with a serious expression.

Kotetsu was a bit dumbfounded. What Obito said seemed to make some sense, but hadn't Obito himself set up a reward not long ago?

Captain Obito, are you clear-headed?

"You too, Team member Anko. We ninja of Team Six must eliminate this bad practice! Preserve the purity of training and practice," Obito declared with righteous indignation, looking at Anko.

Anko thought about the dango Obito had returned, and nodded.

"Obito, you make a good point. Then I won't use it as a reward. I'll just hand it out to everyone directly," Kakashi nodded in agreement, then reached his hand into his ninja tool pouch.

Whoosh!

Obito burst forth with terrifying speed and grabbed Kakashi's reaching hand.

"Oh, so you still have something to discuss with me, Kakashi? Then let's talk over there. No point in disturbing Rin-chan while she's teaching."

As he spoke, Obito focused his breathing to the utmost and pulled Kakashi aside.

Anko scratched her hair and complained, "How strange. I feel like Captain Obito and Senpai Kakashi have silently exchanged a lot of things we don't know about."

She felt like she had accidentally flipped a few pages and suddenly couldn't understand what Obito and Kakashi were talking about.

"That's just how they are. They're really close," Nohara Rin explained with a smile.

"I see."

Anko made a face of sudden realization, but still hadn't understood what Kakashi and Obito had just said.

On the other side, Obito pulled Kakashi behind a large tree.

Kakashi smiled at Obito. "What's the matter, Captain Obito? Worried that your glorious image will be affected?"

"There were too many people just now. Kakashi, I apologize now. I shouldn't have kept saying you're inferior to me and that you lost to me."

Obito put his hands together and looked at Kakashi sincerely as he apologized.

"When I become Hokage, every white-haired person will have to do one test paper every day!" Obito had already resolved to take revenge on all white-haired people in the world.

That photo had threatened him so many times. This white-haired guy was extraordinarily evil; he had to strike hard.

"Let's just forget about the photo thing. Anko and the others really hate looking at photos; they can't stand that kind of thing." While mentally executing Kakashi, Obito's mouth kept working hard.

"Is that so? Then we should do desensitization training even more. It wouldn't be good if something unexpected happens during a mission later," Kakashi continued with a smile.

"I'll add another hundred thousand ryo to the training fee!" Obito reluctantly offered a new condition.

That was a hundred thousand ryo! With a bit more money, he could buy a new good camera.

"On second thought, using a photo as a reward really isn't that great," Kakashi immediately changed his tune.

Although he hadn't intended to actually spread the photo around, seeing Obito's pained expression was quite amusing.

And so, a delighted Kakashi and a forced-smiling Obito walked back to the group.

"Show me your strongest Lightning Release ninjutsu," Kakashi said to Kotetsu Hagane.

Since he promised to teach, Kakashi would naturally teach responsibly and not embarrass Muyue.

"Lightning Release: Electric Shockwave!"

Gangzitie nodded, rapidly forming hand seals, gathering chakra in his palm.

At the moment the hand seals were completed, all the chakra gathered in his palm was converted into lightning-natured chakra.

Zzzz!!

Gangzitie's palms were rapidly covered in yellow lightning, and then one palm shot out a bolt of lightning, leaving two scorched marks on a wooden dummy ten meters away.

Kakashi had a general idea of Gangzitie's Lightning Release level, but instead of teaching immediately, he decided to test him further before deciding which jutsu to teach.

"The jutsu I'm going to teach you is called Lightning Release: Thunder Spear, a B-rank Lightning Release jutsu developed by Muyue-sensei," Kakashi said.

He was also willing to teach False Darkness Purple Lightning and such, but those two were too costly and not something Gangzitie could currently use.

Hearing that it was a B-rank Lightning Release developed by Muyue, Gangzitie nodded rapidly like a chick pecking rice.

The only B-rank jutsu he currently mastered was Shadow Clone, and for Lightning Release he only mastered one C-rank and one D-rank.

On the other side, after careful consideration, Rin Nohara decided to teach Shingetsu Izumo the Torrent Beam developed by Muyue.

This Water Release had considerable power but didn't consume much chakra; it mainly tested one's skill in chakra shape transformation.

If Shingetsu Izumo learned it, even if he became a Jonin later, it would still be a trump card jutsu that could last a lifetime if trained well.

At first, Shingetsu Izumo envied Gangzitie, but after Rin Nohara started teaching, he realized she was stronger than he imagined and more than capable of teaching him, so he threw himself into training wholeheartedly.

Obito chose to teach Red Bean the Flame Vortex, which had good range, decent power, and could even be used for support.

PS:

The fourth day's explosive updates were successfully completed, but it's become a bit eerie; see if it can be adjusted.