Obito Felt Sour

Inside the Uchiha clan's training grounds, Uchiha Itachi, having just finished school, was practicing his shurikenjutsu with a focused expression.

"Swish."

"Swish."

Uchiha Itachi sprinted rapidly, shuriken flying from various angles and consistently striking the distant bullseyes.

Frowning in thought for a moment, Uchiha Itachi shook his head, unsatisfied. He lowered his head to connect several shuriken with thin wires, and after throwing them, he flicked the wires with his fingers.

Just as the shuriken were about to hit the targets, they suddenly traced a wide arc, circled behind the wooden targets, and embedded themselves perfectly into the back of the bullseyes.

"Clap, clap."

"Your talent is quite impressive."

Obito emerged from the shadows, clapping his hands with an appreciative smile as he watched Uchiha Itachi.

"Clan Head."

Uchiha Itachi bowed respectfully. Of course, he recognized this senior. Although he hadn't attended the Uchiha clan meeting due to school, he knew his father had become the deputy clan head, and this man had become the new clan head.

"Hmm."

Obito nodded casually, sizing up Uchiha Itachi, who was known as "Itachi-god" in his previous life.

Uchiha Itachi's life was both legendary and tragic: entering the academy at six, graduating at seven, witnessing his best friend Shisui's suicide at eleven to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan, personally wiping out the Uchiha clan—including his own parents—at thirteen for the sake of his brother Sasuke and the peace of the Hidden Leaf Village, and choosing to die at the hands of his younger brother Sasuke at twenty-one due to a terminal illness.

Uchiha Itachi felt somewhat uncomfortable under Obito's gaze. Thinking of his mother's temper and her complaints that his father hadn't been home for days, he asked respectfully, "Clan Head, may I ask when my father will be able to come home?"

"Senior Fugaku, eh!"

Obito's expression turned awkward, and he laughed it off. "He is currently executing a very important mission; he might be quite busy lately."

Uchiha Itachi nodded in disappointment, retrieved the shuriken from the wooden targets one by one, bowed to Obito, and prepared to leave the training ground.

"Wait."

"Your father personally entrusted me to take you as my disciple."

"I have come here specifically to evaluate you."

Obito turned his back to Uchiha Itachi, striking a pose of a high-level expert.

Uchiha Itachi looked at Obito with hesitation and said, "Clan Head, I do not wish to take on a master."

Obito's face darkened at these words. He took a deep breath, telling himself, I cannot get angry, I cannot get angry. Chen Yulou also refused to take a master at first, but later he was begging to call me master.

Adjusting his facial expression, Obito turned around with a gentle look and asked, "Why is that?"

Uchiha Itachi seemed to struggle with his words, but finally made up his mind. "Senior Shisui has taught me a great deal. Although we are only close friends, in my heart, he is the teacher I respect. Therefore, I will not take anyone else as my master."

"Shisui, huh?"

Obito wore a kind smile, though he made a mental note to settle the score with Uchiha Shisui later. He lifted his head proudly and said, "Many of his skills were taught by me. Wouldn't it be perfect for you to take me as your master?"

"Is that so?"

Uchiha Itachi looked blank and confused. "But Senior Shisui never mentioned that to me!"

Obito waved his hand impatiently and said loudly, "That was because I ordered him to keep it a secret. As the Uchiha Clan Head, would I lie to you? You can ask him later and you will know. Hurry up and accept me as your master; you should know that I am far stronger than Shisui."

Uchiha Itachi pondered for a moment, nodded, knelt on the ground, and called out respectfully, "Master."

"Hmm."

Obito smiled with satisfaction. He took out a crystal ball used for measuring spiritual power and said, "Place your hand on it, clear your mind, and let me see how your innate spiritual power is."

Uchiha Itachi was a bit puzzled, but he obediently placed his hand on the crystal ball.

It was dusk, and the surroundings were somewhat dim, but when Uchiha Itachi's hand touched the crystal ball, a blinding white light erupted from it. Obito felt both the joy of gaining a talented disciple and a touch of bitterness.

To be honest, when he was in the Wizard World, Obito's spiritual talent was not outstanding; otherwise, he wouldn't have spent seven or eight years becoming an official wizard even after gaining massive resources from the copyright of his modified pistols.

After transmigrating to the Naruto World, the original Obito's spiritual talent was quite exceptional, which was enough to make him happy.

He hadn't expected that both disciples he took would have even greater talent than him. Obito was truly sour inside. He could accept that Chen Yulou, as the protagonist of the plot, had great talent.

But in the Naruto anime, he was clearly the big boss, and Uchiha Itachi was just his subordinate—yet Uchiha Itachi's talent was actually better than his?

"Master!"

"Master?"

Uchiha Itachi looked at Obito, who was staring blankly, and called out a few times in confusion.

Obito snapped back to reality and shook his head with a laugh, feeling that ever since he merged with the original Obito's soul, he had become increasingly childish. If his disciple had great talent, wasn't that perfect? In the future, when he went out with a powerful disciple, he, as the master, would also have plenty of face.

Clearing his mind, Obito tapped his finger on Uchiha Itachi's forehead. Just as he had done when teaching Chen Yulou, he transmitted the meditation technique and some basic knowledge directly into Uchiha Itachi's mind.

Uchiha Itachi felt a vast amount of knowledge he had never encountered before surging into his mind. He shook his head, feeling a bit of a headache, and his footsteps staggered as if he were drunk.

Watching Uchiha Itachi's pained expression, Obito suppressed a mischievous grin and said sternly, "From now on, you are my second disciple. You have a senior brother named Chen Yulou, though I expect you won't be seeing him for a while."

"I don't have many rules. You just need to remember not to harm your fellow disciples and to respect your master."

After speaking, Obito took a ring identical to Chen Yulou's from the Kamui Dimension and handed it to Uchiha Itachi. "Consider this a meeting gift from your master. It has been enchanted with Clear Mind and a Deflection Field. Clear Mind will protect you from ordinary illusions, and the Deflection Field can deflect attacks."

Uchiha Itachi took the ring with both hands and said respectfully, "Thank you, Master."

"Mm."

Obito patted Uchiha Itachi on the shoulder, a relaxed smile appearing on his face as he said, "I've fulfilled your father's request. Train hard; I'll come back to check on your progress in a while."

As soon as the words left his lips, Obito's figure dissipated into the wind like a phantom.

Uchiha Itachi gripped the ring in his hand, watching Obito's figure vanish in the blink of an eye. His eyes were filled with fighting spirit as he said earnestly, "Teacher is so good to me; I must work hard."

As the sky gradually darkened, Uchiha Itachi left the training ground at a brisk pace, heading toward home.

"Mother, I'm home."

Uchiha Itachi called out loudly as he watched Uchiha Mikoto busy in the kitchen.

Uchiha Mikoto gently wiped the sweat from Uchiha Itachi's forehead, saying with a pained heart, "Itachi, you went to train again after school; you must be exhausted."

"It's alright."

Uchiha Itachi offered a well-behaved smile, basking in his mother's tenderness.

"Oh, that's right."

As Uchiha Itachi helped his mother carry dishes from the kitchen, he said, "Father requested that Teacher Obito take me on as a disciple, and I have already apprenticed under him."

Uchiha Mikoto bent down to place the food on the table and let out a cold snort: "Your father is a heartless thing. He doesn't care about the home for days on end; he's busier than when he was just the clan head."

"That Obito isn't any better. He must be the one pushing all the work onto Fugaku. I saw him eating ramen with his companions on the street today—and to think I even held him when he was a child."

Uchiha Itachi felt a bit awkward and defended his father and teacher: "Mother, Father must be busy with important matters, and Teacher is very good to me."

"That's good, then."

Uchiha Mikoto nodded and vigorously piled food into Uchiha Itachi's bowl: "Eat more. Learn well from Obito; he must be capable if he could become clan head at such a young age."

"Kushina and I are best friends. If he dares to bully you, just watch me get his wife to deal with him."

"Mm."

Uchiha Itachi nodded heavily, shoveling the food into his mouth.

Meanwhile, in the distance, Obito, who was thinking about how to ruthlessly drill Uchiha Itachi, suddenly let out a sneeze, feeling a mysterious chill.