Uchiha Obito

"Whoa?! You like ramen too, Kai?"

Outside Ichiraku Ramen Shop, Uchiha Obito called out, dressed in simple training clothes.

"Obito-senpai? Yeah. It's the best ramen shop in Konoha, after all. What's not to like?"

Uchiha Kai set down his chopsticks and bowl, then replied softly as he watched Uchiha Obito stroll into the shop.

"Well, that's true. Teacher Minato and my sensei Kushina like this place too." Obito sat down and called out loudly,

"One large tonkotsu ramen!"

"Coming right up!" Uncle Ichiraku replied from the kitchen.

"By the way, you've already graduated, right, Kai?" Obito asked casually, fiddling with his chopsticks.

"Yeah, that's right. I graduated yesterday. Today was team assignments, so I went to meet my team's instructor." Uchiha Kai replied.

"How is your assigned instructor? Easy to get along with? How do they compare to Teacher Minato?" Obito nudged Kai with his elbow, asking with a smug look.

"Well, how should I put it? Their strength probably isn't as ridiculous as Teacher Minato's, but they're a member of the Aburame Clan, so they're probably more well-rounded. Anyway, anyone qualified to be an instructor is definitely a capable ninja."

Uchiha Kai rubbed his chin as he replied.

"Huh? Who asked about that? I meant, what's their personality like? You don't have to tell me that an instructor's strong. You're so rigid."

Uchiha Obito covered his face as he spoke.

"Their personality? They look cold, like they don't care about anything, but I get the feeling they're probably warmhearted." Uchiha Kai pursed his lips.

"Oh~ So, the secretly passionate type, like Kakashi..." Uchiha Obito wore a lecherous grin.

"Hey, Obito-senpai, aren't you worried he'll catch you saying that and get back at you?"

"Tch~ Like I'd be afraid of that guy! Besides, isn't everything I said true?" Uchiha Obito replied nonchalantly.

Then, his tone shifted, turning a little more solemn.

"Speaking of which, as your senior and your fellow Uchiha, I can't let my little junior's graduation pass without a gift."

Uchiha Obito rubbed his nose, looking terribly pleased with himself.

"Well, consider this your graduation present!" As he spoke, Obito pulled a neatly wrapped gift box from behind his back.

"These are Special Explosive Tags I got from Teacher Minato. They're several grades better than the ordinary ones on the market. You're about to start going on missions with your team, so having these Explosive Tags to protect yourself should help keep you safe."

"...Thank you, senpai. This is a really practical gift." The boy's eyes flickered, and he replied cheerfully.

"But you really are one of a kind, Obito-senpai. Wrapping Explosive Tags in a gift box is a bit much... I don't mind, but if you gave a gift like this to a girl..."

Uchiha Kai gave him a teasing look, his words carrying an implication.

"Quit nagging! I'm being original! What do you know, you little brat!" Uchiha Obito instantly bristled.

"I even went to all the trouble of preparing it carefully. I had to dip into my savings..." Obito touched his wallet with a pained expression.

"Man... That kid Kakashi's about to become a Jonin. That'll mean another huge expense. What a headache!" Obito muttered casually.

At that, Uchiha Kai stiffened, his expression freezing into something strange.

"Kakashi-senpai's about to become a Jonin? Does that mean that incident is coming soon...? With my strength right now, I still can't change anything..."

"What's wrong? You look constipated. Did eating expired instant noodles scramble your brains?" Obito asked, waving his hand in front of the boy's eyes.

"Ah... It's nothing. Something just crossed my mind." Uchiha Kai quickly composed himself and returned to his usual expression.

"By the way, Obito-senpai, you'll be heading back to the front lines soon, right..." Looking at the ramen in front of him, Uchiha Kai brought it up casually.

"Yeah, probably in the next couple of days. We're Minato's Team, after all, so we're bound to have more responsibility." Obito flashed a smug grin.

"You don't have to envy us too much, Kai. Not every ninja is as talented as we are. But if you work hard at your training, you'll catch up eventually." Obito waved a hand.

"But for now, just sit back and watch your senpai wreak havoc on the Stone Ninja! Heh heh heh!"

Looking at the cheerful, optimistic young man before him, Uchiha Kai felt a pang of dread. The warmth of the present...

Was being torn apart by the cruel future he remembered.

And there was nothing Uchiha Kai could do about it.

All he could do was speak, with a solemnity he had never shown before.

"Obito-senpai."

"Hm? What is it?"

"Did you know? Sometimes, our eyes deceive us. We usually only see what we want to see." The boy looked up, his eyes carrying a weariness far beyond his years.

"Huh? What are you even talking about? We're members of the Uchiha Clan. Is there anything in this world that could fool our eyes?" Obito chuckled, apparently dismissing the boy's words.

"No. This world is vast—far bigger than anything we can see. There are too many things we can neither foresee nor control."

As he spoke, an eerie crimson crept into the boy's eyes, and a single, perfectly round Tomoe emerged.

"! You've awakened your Sharingan already?! Kai!" Obito looked utterly shocked.

"And... this visual prowess?! Can a Single Tomoe really reach this level?"

Feeling the cold Chakra surging from the boy before him, Uchiha Obito was left speechless. He had known for a long time that his junior was a prodigy, but he hadn't imagined he could be this terrifying.

"Well... I guess that's just like you, Kai. You're my junior, yet you've surpassed me in developing these eyes... It's so frustrating! You damn arrogant geniuses!"

Uchiha Obito said glumly, unable to stop the image of a certain white-haired man from appearing in his mind.

"Obito-senpai, I'm not showing off. I just hope you'll take what I said seriously."

Uchiha Kai shook his head, his tone much gentler.

"What is it with all of you? Why do you love lecturing people so much? My ears are practically growing calluses." Obito picked at his ear and spoke nonchalantly.

"Fine, fine. Don't worry, I'll be careful. I'm not going to gamble my life away on the battlefield. There are still plenty of things I haven't done."

"You're the one who needs to be careful on missions. You arrogant geniuses always think you know everything, so you're the most likely to underestimate your opponents and get into serious trouble." Obito turned toward the boy and gave him a grave warning.

"I'll be careful, Obito-senpai." The boy replied.

"Good luck, senpai."

"And please, never forget who you are. Come back in the name of Uchiha Obito." The boy's gaze suddenly turned cold as he spoke.

"If one day, you lose yourself and give up on your convictions and your original resolve—"

Uchiha Kai spoke coldly, his expression serious.

"Then I'll personally send you on your way..."

Uchiha Obito was startled by those words. Goosebumps rose all over him, and he raised a hand in exaggerated protest.

"Hey, hey, hey! Aren't you taking this way too seriously? Is it really that bad?!"

Seeing that the boy's expression remained cold, Uchiha Obito pursed his lips and said carelessly,

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. You're impossible."

The young man paused, determination shining in his eyes.

"Don't worry. If that day really comes,"

"You won't have to do it."

"I'll personally execute that failed version of 'me.'"