Shuriken Test

However, seeing this only stirred up a fierce sense of defiance in Obito.

"Hmph, what's so impressive about that? Just watch me!"

Obito shouted.

He picked up a Shuriken and hurled it with all his might, sending it flying with all his hopes riding on it.

But the Shuriken traced a crooked, wobbling arc through the air,

and finally landed with a "thwack," burying itself deep in the ground outside the target range.

The students around him burst into laughter, and Obito's face instantly turned bright red.

He felt his pride had taken a terrible blow.

"Damn it!"

Obito muttered a curse. Without wasting any time, he quickly grabbed the remaining Shuriken,

flailing his arm wildly as he threw them all at once. In an instant, Shuriken were flying everywhere.

Perhaps Lady Luck had finally decided to smile on him. Miraculously, one of the Shuriken hit the bull's-eye.

Obito froze for a moment, then a smug grin spread across his face. He tilted his head back and laughed loudly.

"Well? I'm not so bad, am I?"

Obito shouted to the students around him, trying to salvage some of his dignity.

But their reactions varied. Some still looked amused, while others merely shook their heads helplessly.

Before Obito's laughter had even died away, a flash of light suddenly streaked by,

and another Shuriken shot through the air so fast that no one could react in time.

There was a sharp "clang,"

as the Shuriken struck the one Obito had just lodged in the bull's-eye with pinpoint accuracy, knocking it away and embedding itself in the center.

The metallic clash rang across the field, bright and clear.

"Who was that?"

Obito's eyes widened in shock. His smile vanished, replaced by anger and confusion.

He looked in the direction the Shuriken had come from and saw Kakashi standing there with a disdainful expression.

Kakashi's eyes were cold and scornful, as if telling Obito that his little achievement was nothing worth mentioning.

The crowd around them erupted in astonishment once again,

and this time, their gasps carried even more admiration for Kakashi's impressive skill.

The girls' shrieks rose one after another.

"Damn it! I'm going to teach you, you arrogant jerk, a lesson!"

Obito roared at Kakashi, digging his feet into the ground as he prepared to charge at him.

Just then, a strong arm reached out and held Obito firmly in place.

Obito turned to look. It was the teacher.

The teacher's expression held both sternness and helplessness. He looked at Obito and said calmly:

"There's a sparring class tomorrow. If you're still unhappy, you can settle it then."

Obito gritted his teeth, glared fiercely at Kakashi, and shouted:

"Fine! Tomorrow, I'll teach you a proper lesson. I'll show you what Uchiha Obito can do!"

Kakashi merely glanced at Obito, a mocking smile on his face.

To him, Obito was just a Dead Last who didn't know his place, and not worth taking seriously.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and turned to leave, leaving Obito trembling with rage where he stood.

"Next, Uchiha Amada."

The teacher's booming voice successfully drew everyone's attention.

After pulling the furious Obito away, the teacher regained his usual composure and authority, turning his gaze to Amada.

Amada took a deep breath and stood at the throwing line, his eyes fixed on the distant bull's-eye.

He focused all his attention,

"Smack!"

The Shuriken struck firmly near the bull's-eye.

Everyone on the field looked surprised.

The teacher was taken aback.

Uchiha Amada, who usually dozed through class and was regarded by everyone as a Dead Last,

had actually managed such an impressive result?

He couldn't help wondering to himself:

"Could it have been luck?"

Even Kakashi, who usually looked down on everyone else, couldn't help glancing over,

taking a look at Uchiha Amada, who usually went unnoticed.

Still, in his eyes, although the result was good,

it was nowhere near enough to make a genius like him think twice about Amada.

He gave Amada a casual glance, then returned to his usual indifferent expression, as if none of it had anything to do with him.

"Damn it, even Amada can do it!"

Obito grew even angrier.

In his eyes, as a member of the Uchiha Clan,

how could he let Amada, another boy regarded as a Dead Last, outperform him? He was consumed by resentment.

Just as Obito was fuming with nowhere to vent his anger, Rin's gentle, sweet voice sounded beside him:

"Obito, don't be mad. One test doesn't mean anything."

Rin gently patted Obito on the shoulder, her eyes full of concern and comfort.

Looking at the Shuriken embedded near the bull's-eye, Amada felt quite satisfied, even if he couldn't compare to a genius like Kakashi.

But a year ago, he had been just like Obito,

unable even to hit the edge of the target, earning laughter from the students around him.

Over the past year, however, he had trained every day in the woods outside the village, practicing chakra control and building his stamina.

Now, all that effort had finally paid off.

This result showed him that his training was working.

"Amada, you're something else. You've gotten so good without saying a word."

Obito walked over, clearly unwilling to accept it.

There was a sour note in his voice. They were both members of the Uchiha Clan,

and both had always been regarded as Dead Last. Seeing Amada improve left him feeling awful.

"Just luck, that's all."

Amada smiled and waved his hand.

But Amada's mind was already somewhere else.

All he could think about were the seven green ten-pulls he had saved up for so long.

He couldn't wait to get home and try his luck.

At last, he understood why players of gacha games got so hooked.

As soon as class at the Ninja Academy ended, Amada ran home and quickly shut the door.

Now, all he could think about were the seven green ten-pulls he'd been looking forward to so much.

"Let's draw!"

Amada took a deep breath, doing his best to calm his excitement as he focused his thoughts on the green option on the lottery wheel.

At the movement of his will, the wheel began spinning rapidly, its green and blue lights intertwining and flashing.

Amada stared intently at the rapidly spinning wheel.

But when the first green ten-pull results were revealed, Amada's face fell.

The ten green draws he'd eagerly anticipated had turned into five white and five green ones.

"What the hell? They cut it in half!"

Amada couldn't help swearing.

But Amada didn't give up. He gritted his teeth and tried again.

The next three green ten-pulls were just as disappointing.

They were all white and green items, without even a hint of blue.

"Is it really this rigged? Is this the Penguin lottery, or did I forget to wash my hands first?"

Amada muttered to himself, his voice tinged with helplessness and self-mockery.

Then Amada suddenly stood up and hurried to the bathroom.

"Come on, please, at least give me one blue!"

As he spoke, he washed his hands.

After that, he still wasn't satisfied, so he rinsed his face with clean water too.

Back in his room, Amada sat down at the table again, took a deep breath, and immersed his consciousness in the Lottery System once more.