Obito didn't hesitate. The moment he saw the situation, he hurriedly tore off his sports jacket and leapt straight into the water with a loud splash.
"Idiot. You're supposed to stand on top of the water, not dive into it."
Kakashi's voice was as sharp as always.
"Hey! You're the idiot, Kakashi! It's way too hot. Can't I cool down first?"
Obito's head popped out of the water, his orange goggles now dripping with droplets.
"Is that so."
Kakashi's tone didn't change at all.
"Don't underestimate me!"
Watching Kakashi and Obito bicker endlessly, Nohara Rin couldn't help but giggle softly.
"Alright, alright. Both of you, stop arguing."
Whenever things reached this point, Rin would naturally step in to ease the tension.
Raizen had no interest in joining their squabbles. He focused fully on his training.
As always—only Kakashi and Rin had the ability to reach Obito's heart. From beginning to end.
Witnessing his crush die at the hands of his closest friend… in that moment, Obito's hatred consumed everything.
He hated Minato for being the "fastest shinobi" yet not appearing in time.
He hated Kakashi, the genius, for failing to protect Rin.
He hated the Mist for abducting her.
This was the root of Obito's descent into the Eye of the Moon plan....his extreme decision to end the shinobi system.
Even Minato and Kushina, who were so good to him, were killed without hesitation.
"Maybe Rin is someone I should consider getting close to."
Raizen thought to himself.
Nohara Rin's talent wasn't bad at all.
Given enough time, she might even become Raizen's trump card against Obito.
After all, Kamui was the most effective Mangekyō ability in real combat....far better than Amaterasu, which couldn't even finish enemies half the time.
Approaching Obito carried far more risk.
Even the Cloud Ninja, notorious for infiltration—like when they nearly smuggled Kushina across the border—felt safer than dealing directly with Obito.
Raizen had chosen his contacts carefully.
As for Obito, who knew whether Madara had stationed a perfectly hidden White Zetsu in Konoha to monitor him?
Obito's descent into darkness had a very high probability.
Any extra layer of protection for himself was valuable.
Gradually, golden sunlight faded away, replaced by a sky filled with quiet, scattered stars.
Night had arrived.
Distant street lights cast shimmering reflections on the river's surface.
Training Ground Three sat close to the village center—just a short distance away.
Obito's grandmother came to pick him up. Rin's parents also arrived to bring her home.
They had all informed their families in advance.
A man in a green flak jacket, with the same silver hair as Kakashi, walked toward them.
"Kakashi, it's time to go home."
"Yes, Father."
Kakashi nodded and followed him.
Now, only Raizen remained by the river, continuing his practice.
Hatake Sakumo gently ruffled Kakashi's hair as they walked together.
After a short while, he glanced back at Raizen, still training alone by the riverbank.
"So that's the boy from the Land of Lightning...Uchiha Raizen, isn't he?"
The news had spread widely.
The Uchiha clan had recently recovered a lost descendant—something unheard of.
Never before had a major bloodline clan like the Uchiha experienced a case where their kekkei genkai had leaked outside the village.
Even the Hyūga clan—another famed dōjutsu family—had never lost a single Byakugan beyond Konoha.
Lesser clans like the Yamanaka, Inuzuka, Akimichi, and Nara had also never had their clan abilities drift outside the village.
This incident made Uchiha Raizen the center of attention.
People wondered:
Could a boy who grew up in the Land of Lightning, without ever receiving Konoha's teachings, truly inherit the Will of Fire?
"That's him. Uchiha Raizen."
Kakashi replied, glancing back as well. At this distance, Raizen had become only a silhouette, standing firmly upon the water.
"He seems like a determined kid."
Sakumo's sharp perception allowed him to see far more.
Raizen was now able to barely hold his stance on the water surface—his feet sinking halfway, the current touching the tops of his ankles.
How long had it been since he entered the Academy?
"Looks like Uchiha Raizen is destined to be your worthy rival. Maybe even stronger than Might Duy's son."
Sakumo spoke seriously.
Beyond the Uchiha's Sharingan, Raizen reportedly possessed the physical gifts of the Yotsuki clan.
The offspring of two shinobi clans only ever produced two outcomes:
1. They became far stronger, inheriting both bloodlines.
2. The bloodlines interfered, causing the child to inherit neither and become an ordinary person.
The second outcome was far more common.
This was why clan intermarriage was rare.
But Uchiha Raizen… was clearly the former.
Such rapid learning speed and physical durability were not traits of an ordinary Uchiha.
Sakumo glanced at Kakashi's forehead, soaked in sweat.
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