Genye's Killing Intent Arose

"I'm seriously impressed. You unlocked your eyes just from that little bit of excitement?"

Hyuga Genya, who had been on lookout duty, jumped out of the bushes and stared at Obito with a look of utter shock.

"Exactly, exactly!" Rin chimed in, picking her nose. "Isn't it a bit too easy for the Ping-Pong Clan to unlock their eyes?"

"Uh, that's not necessarily true." Xuanye recalled his younger brother, who had unlocked a single tomoe in a fit of rage after their entire clan was slaughtered.

Obito realized everything in an instant and pointed at the two of them, cursing loudly:

"Hyuga Genya, Sarutobi Asuma, you two bastards! Why are you wearing Rin's face to do such weird things!"

"Why?"

Xuanye and Asuma exchanged a glance.

After Shimura Hofu left, both of them had felt a bit uneasy, so they thought they'd come out to find some amusement.

As it turned out, while walking down the road, Xuanye spotted Obito sulking. Hey, wasn't the entertainment right there?

The two pranksters put their heads together and staged the whole scene.

Thanks to Obito, they were both feeling much better now.

"You two sons of bitches, daring to make fun of me—die, die, die, die, die!"

Obito lost his cool instantly, transforming into a furious child as he lunged at the pair.

"Yo, you think you're all that just because you unlocked your eyes?"

"Asuma, go take him down!"

Could Xuanye and Asuma possibly be afraid of Obito?

They swarmed him immediately, intending to make the kid face reality.

Obito: "Sharingan!"

Xuanye: "Byakugan!"

Asuma: "Eye poke!"

Obito: "You motherf—!"

After the three boys finished their scuffle, they lay panting on the grass, looking up at the stars in the sky together.

After a while, Xuanye sat up and turned his head to look at Obito beside him.

"Obito, since you like Rin, why don't you just tell her how you feel?"

Obito curled his lip, turned his head away, and retorted irritably:

"Cut the crap. Do you think I'm as handsome as you, able to win a girl's heart whenever I feel like it?"

"Pah, what does looks have to do with it? It's about having backbone, backbone!" Asuma spat at Obito.

"Girls like men who have a sense of responsibility. You don't even have the courage to confess; how can you expect her to look at you differently?"

(ÒωÓױ)!

"Is... is that so?" With the two of them chipping in from both sides, Obito began to waver.

"Of course." Asuma ruffled Obito's hair hard, leaving it in a total mess.

"You don't show any backbone at all, always letting Rin take care of you. She doesn't see you as anything more than a little brother."

Xuanye nodded in agreement. "That's right. You need to stand tall and outshine that guy Kakashi!"

At the mention of Kakashi, Obito wilted again. "How could I ever beat Kakashi..."

"I actually have a way," Xuanye said, feigning mystery.

"What way? Xuanye, tell me!" Obito's eyes lit up.

"Sigh, my back is aching right now. Let me rest for a bit first," Xuanye said.

Hearing this, Obito scrambled up from the ground immediately and, acting like a total sycophant, leaned over to massage Xuanye's back.

"Oh, big brother Xuanye, just tell me already~"

"Go on, get off." Xuanye couldn't stand the guy, pushed him away, and said, "Do you know why my taijutsu is so strong?"

(✧▽✧)

Under Obito's expectant gaze, Xuanye pulled a book from his robes and handed it to him.

"Here, I learned it from this book."

"This is a legendary tome written by a master ninja, containing many profound taijutsu techniques."

Xuanye looked solemn. "Now, I'm gifting it to you. You must study it well!"

"I understand!" Obito took the book with excitement and immediately wanted to flip it open to study.

Xuanye stopped him, shaking his head. "No, wait until you go back, bathe, and change clothes before reading it. You have to have a sense of ritual."

"Oh, oh, okay, okay." Obito tucked the book away, no longer in the mood to chat with the two of them, his heart set entirely on reading the sage's wisdom.

A few minutes later, he bid farewell to Xuanye and the other, hurrying away as if he were an arrow shot from a bow.

"Pfft, hahaha!"

After Obito left, Asuma collapsed onto the ground, pounding the earth as he laughed until his body went numb.

"That silly kid, he really believes whatever anyone tells him. He's going to be the death of me."

Xuanye waved his hand, suppressing his laughter as he said:

"Hey, I didn't lie to him. There are plenty of dating tips in that book; if he masters them, it'll definitely help him win over Nohara Rin."

Meanwhile.

Back at home, Obito opened the book with a look of devout sincerity, but the more he read, the more wrong it felt.

Why is the male lead only fighting women?

Oh, there are men too, hmm... let me keep looking...

A while later, Obito slammed the book onto the floor and shouted in grief and indignation:

"Hyuga Genya, I really fell for your nonsense! Knowing you is truly my misfortune!"

Obito jumped off his bed and viciously tossed the book into the trash can, as if he weren't throwing away a book, but that scoundrel Xuanye himself!

A piece of trash like this? Not even a dog would read it!

A week later, Training Ground 8.

"You know, Asuma, Obito was still cursing me two days ago, but yesterday he actually came running to ask me for the sequel."

"Haha, that kid is truly something else. Let's think of another idea to mess with him next time."

Seeing Asuma and Xuanye whispering to each other, Yuhi Kurenai leaned in, asking with a curious expression:

"Xuanye-kun, what are you two talking about?"

"Ahem, nothing."

The two coughed, immediately regaining their composure as they waited quietly for their new jonin instructor to arrive.

Logically, they were all chunin now and no longer needed a jonin instructor, fully capable of carrying out missions on their own.

However, considering they had just been promoted and the difficulty of requested missions had spiked due to the war, the village decided they still needed someone to lead them for a while.

Of course, the village wasn't this considerate to every squad; Xuanye guessed they were benefiting from Asuma's connections.

A few minutes later.

A young jonin walked toward the three of them, and Xuanye's expression immediately turned to one of surprise.

Holy crap, Hyuga Hiashi?!

...No, looking at the man's gentle expression, Xuanye realized it must be Hyuga Hizashi.

Damn, these brothers share the same face. Once they put on their headbands, it's honestly impossible to tell them apart.

After a silent grumble, Xuanye asked with some curiosity:

"Hizashi-sama, why is it you? Are you our new jonin instructor?"

Hyuga Hizashi had a special status; it was unexpected that the village would appoint him.

Facing Xuanye's question, Hyuga Hizashi smiled:

"That's right. I personally proposed to the clan and the Hokage that I wanted to serve as your jonin instructor and lead you on a few A-rank missions."

"I see." Xuanye nodded, not asking any further.

The four of them introduced themselves and began their training.

After the training concluded, Hizashi kept Xuanye behind, asking him to walk and chat for a while.

In the woods, Xuanye and Hyuga Hizashi walked and talked, not feeling particularly constrained.

Hizashi had an excellent reputation within the clan.

Unlike Hyuga Hiashi, who only "cared" for the clan members on the surface, Hizashi often used his unique position to protect the interests of the branch family.

Because of this, Xuanye held him in high regard.

"Xuanye, you..."

In the midst of their casual chat, Hyuga Hizashi suddenly looked at Xuanye and said with a tone of certainty:

"You must have gotten rid of the Caged Bird Seal, right!"

!!!

Caught off guard, Xuanye's pupils contracted sharply, and his footsteps faltered involuntarily.

...Damn it! Xuanye cursed inwardly.

Although he didn't have an extreme reaction, Xuanye knew very well that his subconscious micro-movements could never escape someone as observant as Hizashi.

"Hizashi-sama, what do you mean by asking me this so suddenly?"

Xuanye hid the fierce glint in his eyes, turned around, and looked at Hizashi with a calm expression.