Chapter 15: The Underdog Obito

At Training Ground 16, Ryuto was taking attendance before the exam.

Because the entire school was taking the exam together and the practical exam required ample space, the school grounds were insufficient to accommodate everyone, so the exams were held at the training grounds.

After confirming that all the examinees were present, Ryuto and Kimura announced the start of the drawing of lots.

The rules for the practical exam were simple: students were called up according to the class roll to draw lots, and the draw numbers determined the battle pairs—number one versus number two, number three versus number four, and so on.

"I'm number one, Rin. What's your number?" Obito eagerly asked Rin after drawing his lot.

"I'm number ten, so you're in the first match, Obito," Rin replied.

"It doesn't matter which match, I'm going to win anyway," Obito said confidently, believing that his current strength would shock everyone.

After a month of training with Yashiro-sensei, Obito felt he had improved tremendously, leaving his old self far behind.

After asking Rin, Obito also asked Might Guy about his number.

"Number forty," Might Guy replied.

"Looks like we'll only meet at the very end," Obito noted, surprised that Might Guy's number was so far from his own.

"Don't lose before we get a chance to fight, Obito," Might Guy cheered with a thumbs-up.

"You should be saying that to yourself. I'm an Uchiha, after all," Obito retorted, unsure if Might Guy was being serious or just teasing.

"Where do you two get all this confidence?" a classmate nearby quipped, puzzled by the enthusiasm of these two underachievers talking about an epic showdown.

"The first match is about to begin. Number one, Uchiha Obito, and number two, Uchiha Tetsuka, please prepare for the exam," Ryuto announced after checking the time.

Ignoring the classmates who mocked him, Obito quickly walked to the marked area for the exam.

Uchiha Tetsuka also entered the exam area, exchanging a glance with Obito.

Though both were Uchihas of the same age and class, they had barely spoken to each other.

There was no dramatic backstory—just mutual disinterest.

Tetsuka found Obito to be somewhat foolish and weak, often late and hardly up to Uchiha standards.

Obito thought Tetsuka seemed cold and unfriendly.

"Two Uchihas fighting each other, this should be interesting," someone chuckled, anticipating a good show.

"It's hardly interesting. Tetsuka will win, no doubt," someone beside them remarked, seeing it as a foregone conclusion.

"Remember, except for his first year when Kakashi was top, Tetsuka has been the class leader in both second and third years," they continued. "And Obito? He's never passed a theory test and is average at best in practicals. How could he beat Tetsuka?"

The first person had to admit that they had a point. Tetsuka was the epitome of an Uchiha—excellent in both theory and practice. No one in the class, aside from the prodigy Kakashi, could rival him.

Expecting Obito, the class underdog, to defeat someone as exceptional as Tetsuka seemed far-fetched.

"Obito, be careful," Rin urged worriedly.

She thought Obito had terrible luck.

Given his abilities, Obito might not be at the top of the class, but he shouldn't be knocked out in the first round either.

However, facing Tetsuka, the perennial top student, Rin could only hope Obito wouldn't get hurt.

Mentally, she supported Obito's victory, but the reality was that their skill levels were vastly different.

"Almost everyone doubts him, but a win in such circumstances would be exhilarating!" Might Guy said cheerfully, believing in Obito.

The commotion in Class 2, Grade 4, even piqued the interest of nearby fourth-grade classes, drawing several onlookers.

Practical exams were relatively free-form; as long as students stayed within the training grounds, they were allowed to move around.

But once they saw it was Obito against Tetsuka, many lost interest.

They had seen these practical exams for years and knew who was skilled and who wasn't.

A match between Tetsuka and Obito seemed like an easy win for Tetsuka, not worth watching.

Only a few stayed to see Tetsuka's prowess.

The two Uchihas faced each other and made the sign of confrontation.

This was a necessary ritual in ninja school battles, signaling the start of the fight. Afterward, they would make a sign of reconciliation, symbolizing that they were still friends.

"Begin!" Ryuto declared once the two were ready.

As soon as Yashiro-sensei finished speaking, Tetsuka swiftly drew three shurikens from his pouch and hurled them at Obito, aiming for his head, body, and legs. He then charged at Obito at full speed.

Obito quickly drew three shurikens and threw them to intercept Tetsuka's.

The six shurikens clashed mid-air with a series of metallic clangs, all falling to the ground.

"The Uchiha clan's shuriken techniques are truly exceptional. Even someone with ordinary talent like Obito has impressive shuriken skills," Kimura commented.

Intercepting shurikens required exceptional precision.

Due to the small area, Tetsuka quickly closed in on Obito, launching a right hook.

Obito did not flinch, meeting Tetsuka's attack with his own punch, and the two engaged in close combat.

The dust flew as they exchanged blows fiercely.

"Wow, who knew Obito was this good at taijutsu?" one of the onlookers remarked in surprise.

The underdog Uchiha Obito was holding his ground against Tetsuka.

The outsiders were shocked, and the classmates were even more astonished. They had expected Obito to be defeated quickly.

"Obito has really gotten a lot stronger," Rin said, her mouth slightly agape.

She had always thought Obito was just being boastful, but now she saw that he had genuinely improved.

"Obito is still a bit lacking," Kimura-sensei noted. As a Chunin, he could see more than the students.

"His taijutsu is indeed a bit weaker," Ryuto agreed.

After all, it had only been a month of training, and Obito couldn't master everything in that short time. This past month, his primary focus had been on learning Fire Style ninjutsu, with significant progress in chakra nature transformation under Ryuto's guidance.

As Kimura-sensei observed, Obito soon began to be pushed back.

"I knew it, there's no way Obito could beat Tetsuka," the student who had mocked Obito earlier said, relieved.

If Obito had beaten Tetsuka, it would have made him look like a poor judge of talent.

However, he decided that from now on, he should stop calling Obito the class underdog. With such a performance, it was clear Obito had improved significantly.

Finding an opportunity, Obito used the force of Tetsuka's punch to create some distance and quickly began forming hand seals.

He hadn't trained so hard in Fire Style just to exchange punches with Tetsuka.

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