As Long As The Hoe Is Wielded Well, No Corner Can't Be Dug

"Bang!!"

A familiar muffled thud, a familiar figure.

Obito flew backward with a "wah," clutching his stomach and crying out in pain.

"Obito, I've told you before, you aren't skilled enough with your Sharingan yet; it takes time to practice. Besides, the Sharingan enhances your kinetic vision, not your speed. If you can't pick up your speed, how do you expect to fight me!"

Suifeng stood with his hands behind his head, looking lazy.

"Suifeng, don't get cocky! One day, I will defeat you!" Obito shouted, waving his fist.

"Sure, I'll be waiting!" Suifeng watched Obito with a grin, adding a thought to himself, 'The river flows east for thirty years, then west for thirty years; don't bully a young man because he's poor!!'

The news that Obito had awakened his eyes—and as a Two-Tomoe at that—didn't cause much of a stir in the village, but it triggered quite a shock within the clan.

As part of the Great Elder's faction—though Obito was currently unaware of the clan's internal politics—awakening as a Two-Tomoe meant his future prospects were bright. Even if he couldn't compare to Suifeng, he was destined to become a Jonin.

The Great Elder's lineage had produced another genius!

While pleased, the Great Elder also gave Suifeng a rare piece of advice: since you two are friends, you should help each other out. Train the kid more and help him improve his strength quickly.

Suifeng smiled and agreed.

But before he could even go find Obito, the boy, having been discharged from the hospital, came knocking on his door himself.

And that led to the scene that had just unfolded.

Obito stormed off, looking thoroughly displeased.

"What's wrong with that kid? He lost, so he lost—is he really such a sore loser?!"

Hideki had watched the whole thing, looking puzzled.

You know how strong Suifeng is; did he really think he could stand a chance just because he awakened his eyes? Losing was inevitable, so why be so upset?

He had no idea that Suifeng and Obito weren't friends right now—they were romantic rivals!!

At least, in Obito's eyes, they were.

Ever since Suifeng saved Rin that one time, the relationship between them had heated up rapidly. Obito saw all of this and naturally felt resentful, but since he couldn't beat Suifeng, he was left bottling up his frustration.

"Hmph, a brat who just started first grade trying to fight me? If I don't let you suffer a few beatings from society, you'll never know how high the sky is and how deep the earth goes!"

Suifeng personally looked down on "simps" like Obito. If it weren't for the fact that his Mangekyo Sharingan might be useful later, he wouldn't even bother with the guy.

To make this guy awaken his Mangekyo, the key naturally lay with Rin. To control the progression of his Sharingan, one had to control Rin.

And how to control Rin? Naturally, by relying on the Leader's good looks.

As long as you swing the hoe well, there's no corner you can't dig out. Given enough time and energy, he was confident he could even poach Kushina, though he had no interest in older women—especially a hot-tempered Bloody Habanero. That wasn't his style; someone gentle, obedient, and sensible like Rin was his target.

Don't talk to me about "original canon pairings" or how Rin supposedly liked Obito.

Right now, both Obito and Rin were only nine years old, just third-graders at the Ninja Academy. They hadn't even been assigned to a squad yet—let alone Minato's squad. They hadn't experienced war, hadn't supported each other through life-or-death, and had no "comrades-in-arms" bond. At the end of the day, they were just two classmates who got along reasonably well.

Obito was too timid to approach Rin, relegated to being a silent simp. How could a relationship like that possibly be deep?

Unlike Suifeng, who had both looks and strength, and had even "saved" Rin. Plus, while Suifeng acted a bit tsundere and didn't talk much, he was fundamentally a very gentle person, which naturally allowed him to capture the young girl's heart quickly.

No, wait—the older girl. Rin was a year older than him, which, in some respects, was also an advantage!

After awakening his Sharingan and leaving the hospital, once the initial excitement faded, Obito's insecure, shut-in heart keenly noticed the warming relationship between Suifeng and Rin. Imagining himself wearing a green hat, he had rushed over to challenge Suifeng.

How could Suifeng possibly indulge him? Did he really think he was invincible just because he awakened two tomoe? What a fool...

"Suifeng, do you have a moment?!"

Seeing Obito walk away, Uchiha Hideki approached and asked.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?!" Seeing his grim expression, Suifeng couldn't help but ask.

"It's like this, Suifeng. Haku and I want to form a squad with you!"

"Aren't we already in a squad?!"

"I don't mean the Police Force. I mean on the battlefield!"

"The battlefield?!" Suifeng's expression shifted. He had noticed it too; ever since the Kirigakure attack, the patrol missions for the Police Force had increased significantly. The atmosphere in the village had become tense, and an unusual scent seemed to be growing stronger.

However, all of this was currently classified, and his persona was just that of a genius kid. An eight-year-old boy shouldn't be able to deduce signs of war from mere clues—at least, most villagers hadn't noticed yet—so he acted as if he didn't know.

Suddenly hearing Hideki mention the battlefield, Suifeng naturally showed appropriate surprise. "What are you talking about, Hideki? What battlefield? Is there going to be a war? Who did you hear that from?!"

"I've only heard some rumors. The atmosphere in the village isn't right. I think war is about to start," Hideki said. "Once it begins, even we Uchiha will definitely be sent to the front lines. When that happens, we hope to be in a squad with you!"

"I see!" Suifeng nodded. "I have no problem with that, but I'm not the captain. Once we're on the battlefield, how the squads are assigned isn't up to me!"

"We'll find a way to handle that. As long as you agree, that's enough!"

"Of course I agree!" Suifeng smiled, feeling quite satisfied with Hideki's attitude.

Hideki and Haku were his teammates. Although they hadn't been teamed up for long, it was clear that both had been won over by his genius looks—oh, wait, his genius talent. They were, at the very least, his supporters.

Their potential was decent, especially Hideki, who had already awakened two tomoe at such a young age. If nurtured properly, he would definitely be a useful subordinate.

How do factions form? This is how.

If you want to have a voice in the clan, relying on yourself alone isn't enough.

He also needed friends, subordinates, and supporters...

He currently belonged to the faction of the Great Elder, and those closest to him were Fushan and his two teammates.

Although Fushan was a subordinate of the Great Elder, the Great Elder was already old. For the sake of the future, Fushan would also stand on his side. To say nothing else, because of the Iron Body ninjutsu he had developed, Fushan's strength had now ascended to a new level. Even without activating the Sharingan, he possessed the strength of an elite jonin; once the Sharingan was activated, his strength was absolutely top-tier among elite jonin, vaguely reaching the level of a quasi-Kage.

Such an expert was rare even within the Uchiha clan. What did he rely on to stand out among so many jonin? Wasn't it precisely the Iron Body developed by Suifeng?

Fushan had witnessed the entire process of turning this technique from a concept into reality and then mastering it. He himself had vaguely sensed that the limits and potential of this technique far exceeded his imagination. Naturally, he valued Suifeng, who had developed this technique, even more. The Great Elder represented the past, while Suifeng represented an infinite future.

During their recent interactions, Suifeng had vaguely sensed the subtle shift in Fushan's attitude toward him. In many matters, the advice he gave began to unconsciously consider things from Suifeng's perspective rather than the Great Elder's. At times, he even subtly guided Suifeng to voice his own opinions. This alone already spoke volumes.