Obito: I'm Eating Lemons! (Seeking Follow-ups and Monthly Votes)

"But next time, I will definitely win!"

Qingyu bent down and pulled him up.

He knew Might Guy wasn't just putting on a brave face; this guy was the type to truly do what he said.

Given Might Guy's personality, his training volume would likely double again once he got home tonight.

"Guy, don't push yourself too hard."

Qingyu patted the dirt off his shoulder.

"The body needs time to develop. A ninja's chakra reserves and physical stamina grow naturally with age during the growth phase. My talent might give me a slight edge in innate conditions, but everyone has their own rhythm of growth."

"That much is true."

Might Guy nodded earnestly.

The physical development of a ninja and the growth of chakra reserves were objective laws that even he could not bypass.

"But youth is all about burning oneself within constraints!"

Might Guy clenched his fists, the flames in his eyes not only failing to extinguish but burning even brighter.

"I will use double the effort to close the gap!"

Kakashi walked over from the edge of the training ground.

"Then, it's my turn."

There were only the three of them training today.

Usually, Obito and Rin Nohara would be there, and occasionally Yūhi Kurenai would come along with Qingyu.

When Obito wasn't around, Kakashi always felt the world was much quieter, and he wanted to take this opportunity to spar with Qingyu for a few more rounds.

"Come on."

Qingyu drew his wooden sword.

Their blades collided in the heatwave, the crisp sound of wooden swords striking echoing across the training ground one after another.

After the training ended, the three of them walked side by side on the streets of Konoha.

"Let's go to Ichiraku Ramen."

Qingyu suggested.

"Good!"

Might Guy was the first to raise his hand in agreement.

The physical exertion from taijutsu training was immense; he felt like he could eat an entire pig right now.

The bone broth at Ichiraku Ramen was thick and salty, and Might Guy would always drink the soup base until it was bone-dry, not leaving a single drop behind.

The three of them pushed aside the door curtain of Ichiraku Ramen, and were greeted by the rich aroma of bone broth.

At first, Qingyu hadn't been quite used to the taste of this ramen, but he had grown accustomed to it over time.

Thinking about it, the reason Ichiraku Ramen was so popular, besides the good taste, was that it was positioned as a "worker's meal."

After finishing their training or returning from a mission, ninjas needed to replenish high-fat, high-salt, and high-carbohydrate foods immediately, otherwise, their bodies would simply collapse.

In September, the sweltering heat of late summer had not yet fully faded when the new semester arrived.

The playground of the Ninja Academy became lively once again as students gathered to exchange stories from their vacations.

Genma Shiranui had a new lollipop in his mouth, Sarutobi Asuma had changed into a new jacket, and Yūhi Kurenai seemed to have grown a bit taller.

Qingyu stood on the training field, holding a kunai in his hand.

By now, throwing ninja tools had become as natural to him as breathing.

He raised his hand, flicked his wrist, and released all the kunai in his grasp.

The kunai collided in mid-air, changing their angles before each headed toward a different bullseye.

Thwip, thwip, thwip...!

Ten muffled thuds merged into one, all striking the center of the targets.

A chorus of gasps erupted across the playground.

Qingyu was already accustomed to such scenes.

The daily life of a genius was always this dull, simple, and unadorned.

His current kunai throwing technique fused the energy-saving skills of the Hatake Style Shurikenjutsu with the shuriken manipulation methods he had "borrowed" from Uchiha Tekka, and with the added assistance of the Sharingan's dynamic vision, he could hit the bullseye even with his eyes closed.

Obito stood behind the crowd, his eyes wide behind his yellow goggles.

He looked down at the shuriken in his own hand, then looked back up at the row of kunai perfectly embedded in the bullseyes.

A whole vacation had passed, and he had clearly put in a lot of extra training.

But how was it that this guy Qingyu kept getting stronger?

The gap not only failed to narrow, but instead grew wider and wider.

Obito clenched his fists.

He had to awaken his eyes as soon as possible. Only by unlocking the Sharingan could he truly catch up to Qingyu and Kakashi.

"Qingyu, here is a towel."

Rin Nohara held a clean white towel in her hands.

During the break, Qingyu had accompanied her to Konoha Hospital several times to help her cram for the practical aspects of medical ninjutsu, and their relationship had grown even closer than it was last semester.

When Rin Nohara spoke to Qingyu now, the reserve in her tone had diminished significantly, replaced by a natural, effortless intimacy.

"Thanks, Rin."

Qingyu took the towel and casually wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Before practicing kunai throwing, they had run many laps around the training ground.

Long-distance running was also a fundamental skill for a ninja.

Because ninjas primarily relied on their own two legs to travel the world, if their stamina was insufficient, the efficiency of their missions would be greatly reduced.

Obito stood not far away, watching this scene, his heart feeling as sour as if he had bitten into a lemon.

Although Rin was usually very kind to him—helping him collect handouts and covering for him during class—she had never shown him that kind of expression, let alone offered him a towel of her own accord.

Obito pouted.

"Well done, Qingyu."

Umino Shika walked over with a clipboard, his face crinkling into a blooming smile.

With two geniuses like Qingyu and Kakashi under his tutelage, his evaluation as an outstanding teacher for this semester was practically a done deal.

He might even receive an extra bonus personally approved by the Third Hokage.

"Teacher Umino."

Qingyu draped the towel over his shoulder and suddenly spoke up.

"I have a request."

"Oh? Let's hear it."

Umino Shika stopped his pen.

He had plenty of patience for a genius with such a good temperament as Qingyu.

"I want to challenge students from other grades."

Qingyu said.

Not far away, Kakashi was stunned upon hearing this.

Challenge students from other grades?

He had only ever considered the path of early graduation, but he had never once thought about cross-grade challenges.

This certainly gave him something to think about.

"The reason?" Umino Shika put away his smile and looked at Qingyu seriously.

"Sparring with those in the same grade no longer puts me under any real pressure. Only by exchanging moves with stronger opponents can I improve faster."

Qingyu said these words without changing his expression.

He couldn't state the real reason, of course; he couldn't exactly tell Umino Shika that he was doing it to farm traits.

Finding more traits and turning the entire Ninja Academy into his own personal harvest field—that was Qingyu's true goal.

Students in higher grades had spent more time training and possessed a richer variety of traits, especially those characters who had left their names in the original story; they were high-quality targets for farming points.

Umino Shika pondered for a moment. It wasn't scary for a child like Qingyu to have talent; what was scary was having talent and being this ambitious.

Other children returned from the break with their minds still lingering in the laziness of the holidays, while Qingyu was already thinking about how to challenge stronger opponents.

No wonder he was able to defeat the son of Sakumo, Kakashi.

Umino Shika thought to himself.

"I can arrange it for you."

Umino Shika nodded.

"But I'll say this upfront: ninjas in higher grades have, after all, trained for a year or two longer than you. Don't be discouraged if you lose; victory and defeat are common occurrences in a ninja's life. What matters is learning something from the experience."

Umino Shika reminded him, thinking that Qingyu was still too young.

"I understand. Thank you, Teacher Umino."

Qingyu said.

It was natural for Umino Shika to be concerned.

However, Qingyu didn't think for a second that he would lose.