Chapter 141: The Enthusiastic Grandfather
On a park bench on the street, Obito Uchiha, after a moment of hesitation, began to pour out his troubles to the elderly woman. His problem, in a nutshell, was that he couldn't beat Hoshikawa.
"You don't have to be so discouraged," the old woman said with a kind smile. "At your age, being able to unlock the two-tomoe Sharingan is a sign of genius."
"I know," Obito said, nodding slightly before sighing again. "But he's a genius among geniuses. I can't beat him at all."
"Not necessarily," the old woman said after a moment of thought. "I think you're just missing a good teacher."
"A teacher?" Obito scratched his head. "But my sensei is already very good." He had been with Minato Namikaze for over a year and was very familiar with his strength. There weren't many jōnin stronger than him, only the Hokage, the Three Legendary Sannin, and Sakumo Hatake. If Minato couldn't help him, who could?
"But your teacher isn't an Uchiha," the old woman said, shaking her head with a smile. "Your talent lies in your Sharingan. He can't help you there."
"That sounds right," Obito said, stunned. He thought about it carefully. For the past year, Minato had mostly taught him chakra control techniques. While his strength had increased a lot, it was nowhere near as significant as the leap he took after unlocking his Sharingan, which he had done on his own without Minato's help.
"Then... should I go see the clan head?" Obito asked hesitantly.
"The clan head is a very busy man. Do you think he'll have time to teach you?" the old woman asked back.
"Probably not," Obito said with a frown. "I've only seen him a few times this past year."
"I do know an Uchiha jōnin," the old woman said, reaching out to pat his head. "Although he's retired, he still has the experience to help you."
"Really?" Obito's eyes lit up.
"Of course it's real," the old woman said with a kind smile. "Let's call it a thank you for helping me cross the street every day."
"Thank you, Grandma!" Obito asked eagerly. "Where is he?"
"He's very old and in poor health, so he's resting at an inn outside the village," the old woman said, pausing. "The inn isn't too far, about a fifteen-minute walk."
"Perfect!" Obito stood up. "Let's go now!"
"No need to rush," the old woman said with a chuckle. "He doesn't know about this yet. It's a question of whether he'll even agree to teach you."
"Then what should I do?" Obito asked quickly.
"Don't worry," the old woman said, standing up. "I'll go talk to him today. With your talent, I'm sure he'll be happy to teach you."
"Thank you, Grandma!" Obito said, feeling very touched. Good deeds really do come back to you! All his good deeds were finally paying off.
"I'll see you tomorrow," the old woman said, patting his shoulder. "You've worked hard today. Go home and rest early."
"Okay!" Obito nodded enthusiastically. After the old woman left, he let out a long breath. Maybe this is my chance to defeat Hoshikawa ! Obito returned home excitedly.
At his front door, he saw an unexpected visitor.
"Clan head," Obito said, walking up to him.
"You performed well today," Fugaku Uchiha said with a slight nod. "Congratulations on unlocking your two-tomoe Sharingan."
"Thank you, Clan Head!" Obito was overjoyed that Fugaku Uchiha had been paying attention to him.
"Keep up the good work and don't disgrace the Uchiha name," Fugaku said, pulling out a ninjutsu scroll. "This is your reward."
"Clan Head, I don't deserve this. I lost to Hoshikawa ," Obito said, his excitement gone.
"Hoshikawa is nothing to worry about," Fugaku said calmly. "No matter how many jutsu he learns, it's meaningless in front of the three-tomoe Sharingan."
Obito wanted to say something, but he had been proven wrong too many times and had lost his confidence.
"You'll understand when you reach the three-tomoe Sharingan," Fugaku said with a chuckle. "The Sharingan isn't as simple as you think." He was referring to the Mangekyō Sharingan. Of course, he felt Shisui Uchiha was more likely to unlock it. As for Obito, he was a backup just in case.
"Yes!" Obito's spirits lifted. "Clan Head, I'll work hard!"
"I'm leaving now," Fugaku said, turning to leave. He also had to go find Shisui. Ordinary Uchiha youngsters were not worthy of a personal visit, but Shisui and Obito's sensei were not ordinary. For the future of the Uchiha clan, he had to invest in them.
"What a shame," Fugaku sighed. If an Uchiha could become an apprentice to one of the Three Legendary Sannin, the clan would have even more hope.
Within the same afternoon, the results of the Chūnin Exams had spread throughout Konoha. Konoha held the Chūnin Exams every year, but most of them were unremarkable. The reason was simple: there weren't many standout genin. But this time was different.
There were too many shocking geniuses. Especially the last few matches, which had the fighting style of jōnin. Coupled with the unusual identities of Hoshikawa and Kakashi Hatake, the exams had become a very popular topic.
At the Konoha Knowledge Bookstore.
"This is truly incredible!" Tsubashi said, lamenting after learning the results of the Chūnin Exams. No one would have ever thought that Hoshikawa , the promising first-place winner, was a spy from Kumogakure. In fact, he and the Third Raikage didn't see this coming either. It was just a twist of fate.
"I need to report this to the Raikage immediately," Tsubashi said, coming back to his senses and grabbing a pen and paper. As a spy, Hoshikawa had attracted too much attention. Tsubashi didn't know how Kumogakure would view him now.
Tsubashi hoped nothing bad would happen. After all, his friend's novel had made him a lot of money these past few years. Once his life as a spy was over, he could go back to Kumogakure and live out his days in peace.
The next day, Obito Uchiha woke up very early. To be more precise, he was too excited to sleep. After breakfast, he jogged out the door and soon saw the old woman at their usual meeting spot.
"Grandma!" Obito ran up and helped her.
"Good morning, Obito," the old woman said with a chuckle. "Let's go."
"Okay!" Obito followed her out of the village and to a nearby inn.
"He's here," the old woman said, knocking on the door.
"Come in," a weak voice said, as if the person would die any second. Obito couldn't help but worry. Can this person really teach me anything? The old woman pushed the door open. Obito subconsciously looked into the room. An old man was sitting by the bed. He was wearing a black robe, with a head full of white hair and a face full of wrinkles. Only his eyes seemed to have a divine glow.
"Hello, Grandpa," Obito said, walking forward and greeting him politely.
"Go outside," the old man said, looking at him, then stood up and walked out of the room. Obito had many questions, but he held them back and followed him to the open area outside the house.
"Show me your best jutsu," the old man said expressionlessly.
Obito was taken aback but did as he was told.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
He formed the hand seals, tilted his head back, and shot a huge fireball from his mouth.
"How was that?" Obito said with a hint of pride. In his opinion, besides Shisui Uchiha, no one else his age was better at the Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique than him.
"A mess!" the old man said with a cold huff.
Obito's expression froze. Although the old man didn't say it, he naturally felt a surge of indignation.
"Watch this," the old man said, guessing his thoughts. He instantly formed a hand seal. In an instant, a wave of heat rolled out, and the air around them became distorted. A colossal fireball, ten meters tall, appeared out of nowhere. The grass and wild flowers nearby instantly turned to ashes, and the ground became scorched earth.
"This... this is impossible..." Obito stood frozen in place, speechless. He had never seen such a terrifying Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique. This wasn't a fireball anymore; it was a sun!
"Grandpa!" Obito said, coming back to his senses. "Please teach me!"
"I have only one condition," the old man said calmly. "No other Uchiha can know of my existence."
"Huh? Why?" Obito asked, confused.
"I don't like them," the old man said casually. "If you can't do that, then you can leave."
"I can do it!" Obito said earnestly. "I promise!" To defeat Hoshikawa , what's a little secret?
"Alright," the old man said with a slight nod. "You can come find me whenever you're free."
"Yes!" Obito suddenly remembered something. "Grandpa, what should I call you?"
"I have abandoned my name," the old man said calmly, with his hands behind his back. Obito's heart trembled. He felt that this old man had a lot of stories and that he was invincible. But the fact that he was willing to teach him for free meant he was a good person. What an enthusiastic old man!
Time flew by, and soon it was evening. Obito, who had been training all day, was completely shocked. He believed that the old man's mastery of Fire Release was far superior to Minato Namikaze's. He wondered how the clan head, Fugaku Uchiha, would stack up.
"Goodbye, Grandpa!" Obito waved with a big smile. "I'll come see you again tomorrow!"
"He really doesn't act like an Uchiha at all," the old woman said, shaking her head. "Lord Madara, why did you choose him?"
"He has the potential to unlock his eyes," Madara Uchiha said. To be more accurate, it was a shadow clone of Madara Uchiha.
"But I think Shisui Uchiha has better talent than him," the old woman said, confused.
"Shisui Uchiha's personality is still to be seen," Madara Uchiha said. He then gave an order. "White Zetsu, keep an eye on Obito Uchiha and make sure he doesn't reveal my existence."
"Yes, Lord Madara," White Zetsu said, disappearing into the ground.
The next day, in the Raikage's office at the Raikage Tower.
A knock came from the door.
"Come in," the Third Raikage said, looking up.
The door opened, and a ninja from the Anbu walked in.
"Lord Raikage," the Anbu said, presenting a scroll with both hands. "A secret report from Konohagakure."
The Third Raikage opened the scroll. It detailed the entire Chūnin Exams in Konoha, especially the jutsu Hoshikawa had used.
"Go get Tsubashi," the Third Raikage said. "And Mabui."
"Yes," the Anbu said, turning to leave.
Not long after, Tsubashi and Mabui knocked and entered. The Third Raikage didn't call his son, A, or the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, Killer B, because they weren't good at analysis. Tsubashi was his right-hand man and the one who had approved the Lariat technique. His strength and loyalty were trustworthy.
As for Mabui, the white-haired girl with dark skin, she was calm and intelligent despite her young age. In a village full of brutes like Kumogakure, she was a rare treasure.
After the Third Raikage discovered Mabui's talent, he didn't hesitate to promote her and train her to be his secretary and strategist. Of course, she was also very talented herself. She, along with Yugito Nii, Samui, and Darui, were the pillars of the younger generation in Kumogakure.
But the Third Raikage felt a sense of pity for Hoshikawa . From the looks of it, even Yugito Nii, the jinchūriki, couldn't compare to him.
"What do you two think?" the Third Raikage said, handing the scroll to Mabui.
It's him. Mabui glanced at the scroll and raised an eyebrow. There were no more than ten people in Kumogakure who knew Hoshikawa 's true identity, and she was one of them. The most recent time she had heard about him was from her good friend Samui. Long ago, Samui had met Hoshikawa and they had a spar. She lost miserably.
At the time, Mabui was a bit skeptical, but now she completely believed it. The scroll detailed the many jutsu Hoshikawa had used. To be honest, most jōnin couldn't master so many jutsu, let alone a genin. It was completely beyond her comprehension.
"This is a good thing," Tsubashi said with a smile after reading the scroll. "The more talented Hoshikawa is, the higher he'll climb."
"It's not necessarily a good thing," Mabui said after a moment of thought. "Hoshikawa can now completely break away from Kumogakure."
Sorry, Samui. She knew that Samui had a good impression of Hoshikawa after losing to him and receiving his guidance. But this was about Kumogakure, and she had to consider the worst-case scenario.
"He has a seal on him," Tsubashi said with a frown. "He wouldn't dare betray us."
"He has a seal, but who's to say he can't break it?" Mabui said in a low voice. "With Hoshikawa 's identity and status, the entire village of Konoha would help him break the seal."
"That is a possibility," the Third Raikage said after a moment of thought. "Should we summon him back?"
"That would be a shame, and it might tip our hand. If he doesn't come back, then our plans will all be for nothing," Mabui said calmly. "It's better to let him prove his loyalty, especially since war is not far away."
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