My Name Is Yemo!

When the Chakra flowing underground returned to Yemo's body, Obito was released from its restraint. He strained with both legs and pulled them out of the ground with a pop.

Obito shook the dirt off his feet and looked up to see Yemo strolling toward him. He froze, his face darkened, and he turned his head away.

Why else would Yemo come over now? As far as Obito was concerned, he was preparing to mock him. It was the victor's right to mock the loser.

Even so, Obito was still furious, and he clenched his fists. He was a proud person, and there was only one person in the world for whom he would set aside his pride.

Yemo walked over and stopped two or three steps away from Obito. Just as Obito prepared to endure his mockery, Yemo said something he would never have imagined.

"To be honest, I thought you were no different from those other clan members. Every other word out of your mouth was Uchiha, as if being part of the Uchiha Clan made you so impressive and somehow nobler than ordinary people."

At first, Obito was furious to hear this. He clenched his fists, snorted, and looked away. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to stop himself from punching this guy in the face.

But the next second, Yemo changed tack. "That's what I used to think of you, but just now, my opinion changed. If someone can admit defeat in front of the person he likes, I don't think he can be all that bad. You have something ordinary people don't."

"You..."

Obito stared at Yemo in shock, his mouth hanging open. He raised his head and looked at him in disbelief. What was this guy saying? He was actually praising him? How was that possible? He was the winner.

Obito shook his head. This was all an illusion, an illusion. But as he felt the slight dizziness in his head, he realized it wasn't an illusion. It was all real.

But Obito couldn't understand why Yemo would praise him. They might not be enemies, but they weren't friends either, and they had just fought a fierce battle.

Seeing the confusion on Obito's face, Yemo naturally understood what he was thinking. He smiled and said, "Are you wondering why I'm telling you all this?"

"Yeah." Obito nodded and asked in confusion, "I don't understand. You're the winner. You have no reason to do this."

Yemo shrugged and said with feigned resignation, "Looks like you didn't listen to what I just told you. I already said it: a proud man admitted defeat in front of the person he likes. That alone is enough for me to think more highly of you."

There was another thing Yemo hadn't said: Your future, too. Though according to Hokage, you're going to throw the entire ninja world into chaos, there's no harm in getting to know you now. Maybe this acquaintance alone will lead to earth-shaking changes in the future.

At the mention of the person he liked, Obito immediately grew embarrassed. He instinctively glanced at Rin in the distance and protested, "What do you mean, someone I like? Don't just make things up. There's no one I like."

"Haha..."

Seeing Obito deny it so bashfully, Yemo couldn't help laughing. That only made Obito even more embarrassed.

Yemo shook his head and said with a smile, "Don't tell me there's no one. I could tell what you were thinking the first time I saw you. All your attention was on Rin, and you didn't even notice the two living, breathing people beside her. Besides, you only challenged me because you wanted to show off in front of Rin and make her fall for you."

Obito looked embarrassed when Yemo exposed his feelings, but he still refused to admit it. "No, that's just your guess. There's someone I like."

"Really?" Yemo's voice was full of doubt, and Obito didn't dare meet his gaze.

A thought flashed through Yemo's mind, and a suggestive smile appeared on his face. Affecting a casual tone, he said, "So that's how it is. I guess I was wrong. Then I'll tell Rin later that Obito has no feelings for her at all, that he only thinks of her as a teammate, and that there's someone else he likes."

"Don't!" Obito finally couldn't hold back. He looked up and shouted at Yemo.

Yemo smiled. "What? Still not going to admit it?"

Obito gritted his teeth. "So what if it's true? What if I do like Rin?"

As soon as he said it, Obito felt much lighter. It was as if boulders weighing ten thousand tons had been pressing down on him, and now they were all gone. He was even in a much better mood.

That was only natural. Obito had always kept his crush on Rin hidden in his heart, afraid to say it and even more afraid that someone would find out. Sometimes, when Rin caught him sneaking glances at her, he didn't dare look at her. Feelings like that only built up over time, and now that he had suddenly spoken them aloud, it was like finding an outlet for all that pressure. Naturally, Obito felt relieved.

Yemo spread his hands. "Nothing. But you challenged me for no reason, so you had to give me an explanation. Now I have one. Don't worry, I'm not interested in Rin at all."

Obito felt very uncomfortable hearing that. He snorted and said dismissively, "Rin would never fall for you anyway. Besides, how could someone like you possibly be worthy of Rin? She's so beautiful."

Yemo couldn't help smiling wryly. To be honest, Rin wasn't all that pretty. In a crowd, she would only be about average, not even as pretty as the little loli Ayame.

But in Obito's eyes, it was different. Rin was the most beautiful, and no one in the world could surpass her, whether in looks or in spirit. Yemo could understand that. As the saying went, beauty was in the eye of the beholder.

"Since we're not love rivals, let's introduce ourselves again. Hello, my name is Yemo!"

Obito stared at Yemo's outstretched hand for a moment. Then the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and he reached out to shake it. "Hello, my name is Obito!"

Time seemed to stop at that moment. The breeze ceased to blow, and the falling leaves hung motionless in the air. Heaven seemed to be saying something about the two of them coming together, as if it had glimpsed some earth-shaking event through the future.

For some reason, neither of them had included his clan name when introducing himself. It was like an agreement, yet also like a tacit understanding.

"Obito, are you two all right?"

The worried shout from Rin as she hurried over shattered it all. Hearing her call out to him, Obito's face instantly lit up with the warmest smile, and his gaze fixed entirely on her.

Earlier, the enormous range of Yemo's Ninjutsu had forced Rin back to the edge of the training ground. In daylight, she could have seen the two fighting, but at night they were only two blurry shadows. She had only been able to make out that they had suddenly stopped and then walked toward each other.

When Yemo withdrew his Ninjutsu, Rin immediately hurried over with Ayame. Seeing that both Yemo and Obito were all right, she finally felt the weight lift from her heart and breathed a great sigh of relief.

The next second, though, she couldn't help reproaching Obito. "It's all your fault, Obito! Why did you challenge Yemo for no reason? Seeing you two fight just now had me worried to death!"

As she spoke, tears welled in Rin's eyes, and a tear appeared at the corner of one eye. Faced with the reproach of the person he loved, Obito was immediately at a loss. He didn't know what to say, much less what to do.

Yemo was observant and saw the tear at the corner of Rin's eye clearly. He reached out and gave Obito a gentle push, then whispered, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and admit you were wrong. Say something nice."

Prompted by Yemo, Obito hurried two steps forward and bowed his head in apology. "I'm sorry. It was all my fault, Rin. I'll never do that again."

Watching this, Yemo felt helpless and frustrated that Obito wouldn't do better. No wonder he had only ever dared to admire her from afar. How could he possibly pick up a girl like that?