Obito's Challenge

"Obito, what are you saying? Even Lord Orochimaru took Yemo as his student, and Minato-sensei praised Yemo as a gifted genius. What's there to doubt?"

Hearing Obito's words, Rin couldn't help speaking up. She looked at him in confusion, not quite understanding why he would say such a thing.

Seeing Rin speak up for him, Yemo felt helpless. It would have been better if she'd said nothing. Speaking up would only provoke Obito further and make the misunderstanding even harder to resolve.

Yemo didn't take Obito's provocation to heart. It was just a jealous kid, after all. But he had been caught up in this love triangle for no reason, and he didn't want any trouble of that sort, not even a little.

Just as Yemo had feared, a flicker of jealousy appeared in Obito's eyes when he heard Rin speak up for Yemo. He became even more determined to defeat Yemo and show Rin that he was the real genius, so she would see him in a new light. At the thought, Obito unconsciously grinned like an idiot.

Obito put away his smile and pointed a finger at Yemo. "Yemo, I, Obito Uchiha of the Uchiha Clan, challenge you! With Uchiha blood in my veins, I'll definitely defeat a genius like you."

Rin froze at Obito's challenge. Once he recovered, he hurriedly tried to dissuade him. "Obito, what are you saying? Why are you challenging Yemo?"

"Yeah," little Ayame chimed in. She didn't yet understand what was going on. Blinking her wide, innocent eyes, she asked in confusion, "Big Brother Obito, why are you challenging Big Brother Yemo? Big Brother Yemo is a genius. How could you possibly beat him?"

Children spoke their minds. Ayame had merely voiced what she was thinking, without considering what her words might do to Obito.

Obito looked thoroughly embarrassed. Ayame's seemingly honest words were like a little knife stabbing him in the chest. But what could he say to a child several years younger than him? He couldn't scold her or hit her.

So he had no choice but to take his anger out on Yemo. "Yemo, do you dare accept my challenge? So what if you're a genius? I'm an Uchiha!"

It seemed this wouldn't end today unless Yemo accepted the challenge. "Fine. I, Yemo Uzumaki, accept your challenge. Let's see what you, this so-called Uchiha genius, can really do."

Yemo deliberately stressed the word "genius." Although Obito had originally wanted to challenge him to make Rin see him in a new light, Yemo now wanted to fight a member of the Uchiha Clan himself, and even test the power of the Uchiha Sharingan.

Sure enough, when Obito heard Yemo say "genius," he was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. He said angrily, "Then let's settle this and see who the real genius is!"

Obito's talent was nowhere near enough to call him a genius. His aptitude was entirely ordinary, so he naturally took Yemo's description as mockery.

Obito turned to Rin, his voice becoming gentle in an instant. "Rin, why don't you go home first?"

"No. I'm going to watch you two and make sure you don't do anything reckless."

Rin had failed to talk them out of it, but she couldn't let them do as they pleased either, so she had no choice but to follow them. Ayame wanted to see a fight between ninja even more, so she naturally followed Sister Rin.

Obito could refuse anyone, but the one person he couldn't refuse was Rin. Yemo had only just met Rin, so he couldn't very well say anything either. They could only let Rin bring Ayame along behind them.

The two didn't go far, picking a nearby training ground at random. The enormous field was deserted, with only dim yellow lights swaying in the breeze. It was nighttime, after all, and everyone had gone home. Who would train in the middle of the night for no reason?

Under the dim yellow light, two shadows fell across the ground. Yemo and Obito stood more than ten meters apart, while Rin and Ayame sat on a bench to one side.

Rin's eyes showed her worry. She didn't want either Yemo or Obito to get hurt. Ayame's bright eyes, on the other hand, shone with anticipation. She wanted to see what a fight between real ninja was like. Although she also attended the Ninja Academy, she had only started a few days ago.

"Uchiha genius, make your move!" Yemo said with a faint smile, his arms hanging naturally at his sides. He showed no sign of wanting to fight.

The Uchiha Clan's strength lay mostly in the Sharingan. Although Obito would later stir up turmoil throughout the Shinobi World and become powerful enough to contend with Kage Level figures, as far as Yemo knew, Obito was currently just an ordinary Uchiha boy, not someone who could be called a genius. Everything had changed after he met Madara.

Although Yemo wasn't a ninja yet, he was confident he could handle a Genin. So far, the weakest opponents he had fought had all been Jonin.

The sight of Yemo's complete lack of tension struck a nerve with Obito. He felt that Yemo was mocking his strength.

"Let me show you the power of the Uchiha!"

Whoosh...

With an angry shout, Obito quickly flung out several Kunai. The sharp blades gleamed coldly as they shot forward like arrows loosed from a bow.

Yemo's eyes narrowed as he saw the Kunai coming. He finally looked ready to fight. A Kunai hidden in his sleeve slipped into his hand, and he gripped it in reverse, knocking every incoming blade away. Sparks flashed, and with a series of metallic clangs, the Kunai fell to the ground.

Seeing Yemo knock his thrown Kunai down so easily, Obito finally remembered that this was the genius Minato-sensei had spoken of. Obito didn't want to admit it, but it was a fact.

The next second, Obito's eyes flickered, and he declared confidently, "So what if you're a genius? I, Obito Uchiha, am no slouch!"

Before he had finished speaking, Obito's hands were already moving rapidly, blurring into a flurry of motion. He opened his mouth and shouted, "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

Yemo was no slower to react. Almost at the same time as Obito, he formed Hand Seals: Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

In an instant, both of them spat out enormous fireballs. The fireballs flew through the air, flames blazing fiercely. Like meteors falling from the sky, they collided with world-destroying force.

Boom...

The instant the fireballs collided, it was as though dozens of explosive tags had detonated. Both fireballs burst apart, sending blazing flames in every direction. The flames rolled in overlapping waves, as though a giant flower of fire had bloomed in midair.

"How scary! Sister Rin!"

Seeing the flames rushing toward her, Ayame screamed and dove into Rin's arms. In truth, they were dozens of meters from where Yemo and Obito were fighting, and the flames couldn't possibly reach them.

Seeing the destructive force of their fight, Rin Nohara grew even more worried. If they weren't careful, someone could very well be injured or killed. No matter who got hurt, Rin Nohara didn't want to see it.

As the fireballs burst, the flames Yemo had spat out were torn apart with crushing ease. The flames pouring from Obito's mouth surged toward him like a tide, and the terrifying heat made Yemo feel as though he were inside a giant furnace.

Without stopping to think, Yemo quickly shot backward more than ten meters. Only when he was out of the flames' range did he stop retreating.

"The Uchiha Clan's Fire Style really is powerful. No wonder there's always been a saying in the Shinobi World that you should never compete with an Uchiha in Fire Style," Yemo muttered to himself.

In Fire Style, Yemo had been utterly defeated by Obito. His Fire Style had been torn apart by Obito's in an instant. Even with his vast reserves of Chakra and the larger fireball he had unleashed, he still couldn't match Obito. When it came to controlling Fire Style, every member of the Uchiha Clan was a master.

When all the flames had dispersed, the level ground had been replaced by a huge, deep crater. Its interior was scorched black, and wisps of white smoke still rose from it.

Having driven Yemo back, Obito raised his head and said proudly, "Well? Have you seen our Uchiha Fire Style now? The Uchiha Clan's Fire Style is the strongest in the entire Shinobi World."

Yemo couldn't help laughing. "Uchiha this, Uchiha that," he said disdainfully. "Are you fighting by relying on the Uchiha? The fight has only just begun. That was only a warm-up. Now it's time for the main course."

Hearing Obito talk about the Uchiha nonstop annoyed Yemo. He hated people who talked about their clan every time they opened their mouths. It made them seem like spoiled heirs. You were yourself, so what did your strength, or lack of it, have to do with your clan?

The Uchiha weren't so great. In the future, they would be nothing more than a destroyed clan, and Obito himself would be the one to destroy them. Of course, Yemo could never say those words to Obito's face.