A Showdown Between Dead Lasts

Early the next morning, after finishing his run and taking a shower, Uchiha Yu arrived at the riverside training ground. All three genin were already there; no one, including Obito, was late.

The threat of collective punishment with Rin was very effective.

The training then got on track. Rin and Shinichi practiced tree climbing, while Obito trained his basic physical fitness.

Uchiha Yu finally had enough spare time to stand in place in the Hunyuan Stance, harmonizing his body, absorbing Natural Energy, and nourishing his spirit.

By noon, everyone had successfully completed their morning plans and received their specially ordered lunch.

That afternoon, Uchiha Yu added weights for Obito. Obito had lost focus seven times that morning, yet he had still completed all his training and punishments. Clearly, just one day of effective exercise had greatly improved his physical condition, and the training intensity was no longer enough.

The added weights made Obito's astonishing progress plainly obvious to his other two teammates. Perhaps spurred on by that, Shinichi successfully climbed to the top of the sixteen-meter tree at around two in the afternoon.

By four o'clock, Rin had also reached the treetop for the first time.

Uchiha Yu was very satisfied with their progress. "For the rest of today, each of you will climb up five more times. After that, your time is your own."

"Tomorrow, I'll teach you how to walk on water."

"Yay!" x2

"Hmph!"

Obito grumbled indignantly and was assigned another set of punishment frog jumps for losing focus again.

As the sun gradually moved westward, Obito completed his training plan and began his twenty sets of punishment frog jumps. Then, violent splashing came from the rushing waters of the Naka River.

Before long, two figures in green jumpsuits swam upstream and appeared before them. Their soaked jumpsuits were far too revealing, frightening Rin into covering her eyes.

"Huh, Obito? You're doing basic physical training too?"

"Guy, this is your classmate? Look, physical training is the foundation of everything!"

"I understand, Father! After swimming practice, I'll run five more laps around the village!"

"Excellent, my son! Dad will run with you!"

"This is youth!!!" x2

[Psychic pollution? No, this is a mental shock!!]

Uchiha Obito was unexpectedly unafraid of the Might family's mental shock. He said disdainfully, "You're so annoying, Guy. I'm not like a dead last like you. I only need a little training."

Might Guy scratched his head and said in confusion, "Obito, I'm second to last in the class. You're the dead-last ranked last."

Pfft—

Rin and Shinichi could not hold back their laughter. Even Uchiha Yu nearly lost it.

His embarrassing past exposed, Uchiha Obito trembled with rage and roared, "Shut up! I'm not dead last anymore! Let me show you the results of my hard work!"

Might Guy instantly perked up. "A sparring match! Father, may I?"

"A sparring match is a fine way to test youth. Of course I have no objection." Might Duy looked at Uchiha Yu. "Chunin-sama, may these two children have a sparring match?"

Uchiha Yu did not dare be careless. He lowered his head in salute and said, "No problem, Senior Duy."

Uchiha Obito and Might Guy stood face-to-face, with Might Duy serving as referee. The two officially began their sparring match.

After forming the Seal of Confrontation, they both charged forward at once, trying to seize the initiative. Instead, they collided, their fists crashing as they became a tangled blur of combat.

Shinichi did not know about Obito's past, but Rin had been classmates with Might Guy for four years. Both were immediately shocked: Obito was actually evenly matched with Guy.

Such fierce exchanges were fought in a single held breath. When they ran out of air, they struck each other's fists hard, then retreated.

Might Guy laughed happily, baring his gleaming white molars. "Obito, you really worked hard after graduation. What incredible progress. I acknowledge your youth!"

Obito was also quite surprised by his own progress. Hearing Guy's words, his competitive spirit flared. "Guy, don't get cocky. I'm going all out now."

As he spoke, Obito removed the weights from his wrists, ankles, and belt. Feeling as light as if he could fly, his confidence swelled to unprecedented heights.

But when he looked up, he discovered that Guy was also removing his weights—and Guy's were far heavier than his.

"Obito, I truly see you in a new light. As an Uchiha, you haven't slacked off in your basic training at all. Impressive."

"Let our youth bloom to its fullest!"

There was no surprise in the outcome. Once they both removed their weights, Might Guy easily overwhelmed Uchiha Obito. His movements were so fast that Obito could not see them clearly, much less respond effectively.

Rin and Shinichi were equally stunned by Guy's speed.

Might Guy's inability to use ninjutsu was well known, and his academic grades were undisputedly at the bottom of the class. As his classmates, they had actually looked down on this dead last.

But after Might Guy removed his weights, even without using the Eight Inner Gates or any taijutsu techniques, his speed alone made the two genin understand that even if they could use ninjutsu, they would not be his match.

If Might Guy had been an enemy, he could have killed both of them in a single exchange. Their proud advantage in ninjutsu would have had no chance to come into play; they would not even have been able to complete a single hand seal.

Obito barely held on for two exchanges before being knocked down without suspense, ending the sparring match.

After seeing Might Duy and his son off, Uchiha Yu said with a smile, "We got lucky today and had a simulated test. You all saw Obito's progress. You should understand the importance of basic training now."

Rin and Shinichi nodded repeatedly.

"Obito, don't be discouraged. Might Guy has been training with weights for years, while you only just started. It's normal that you can't beat him in taijutsu."

"That's enough for today. Go home and rest well. We'll continue tomorrow."

"Yes!" x3

"Oh, right, Rin. Wear a swimsuit under your jacket tomorrow."

"Ah? I understand."

The next day, Uchiha Obito continued his physical training, while Uchiha Yu guided Rin and Shinichi in water-walking practice.

"Compared to tree climbing, water walking places greater emphasis on control. After all, a tree trunk is a hard, solid object, while water is a fluid that cannot bear weight. You must use chakra to control the water's surface before it can become a platform that supports your body."

Water walking was indeed very difficult. Tree climbing only required chakra absorption, but water walking required both absorbing and releasing chakra at the same time. They also had to constantly adjust that balance according to their weight, movements, and center of gravity.

Even Rin, whose chakra control was very strong, could not get the hang of it right away. The two genin kept falling into the water, getting drenched from head to toe.

Rin wore a swimsuit beneath her jacket, so nothing was exposed. But after she got wet, the curves of her body became visible. The eleven-year-old girl's figure had begun to take shape. Uchiha Yu felt nothing at all, but Uchiha Obito stared wide-eyed.

Uchiha Yu hit him with heavy punches more than ten times without stopping the fool. Only after he pulled up a prepared curtain to block Obito's view did the fool finally look away and resume the physical training assigned to him.

The training tasks progressed more and more smoothly.