"I can't believe it. That tiny bit of excitement was enough to awaken his eye?"
Genye, who had been keeping watch, jumped out of the bushes and stared at Obito in shock.
"Right?" Rin picked her nose and chimed in. "The Ping-Pong Clan awakens their eyes way too easily!"
"Uh, well, that's not always the case." Genye thought of a younger brother whose entire clan had been slaughtered, awakening a One-Tomoe Sharingan in his rage.
Obito instantly understood everything and pointed at them, cursing furiously:
"Hyuga Genye, Sarutobi Asuma, you two bastards! Why are you doing something this weird while wearing Rin's face?"
"Why?"
Genye and Asuma exchanged glances.
After Shimura Hofu left, both of them had felt a little down, so they'd decided to come out and find something fun to do.
Then, on their way, Genye spotted Obito sulking. Hey, what better source of amusement could there be?
The two jokers had put their heads together and come up with this little stunt.
Thanks to Obito, they were both feeling a lot better now.
"You two bastards! You actually dared to make fun of me? I'll kill youuuuu!"
Obito instantly lost his temper, transformed into a furious little kid, and charged at them.
"Oh, look at you. Awakened your eye and think you're hot stuff now, huh?"
"Asuma, beat him up!"
Why would Genye and Asuma be afraid of Obito?
They immediately rushed him together, ready to make the kid face reality.
Obito: "Sharingan!"
Genye: "Byakugan!"
Asuma: "I'll poke your eyes out!"
Obito: "You freaking—!"
After roughhousing, the three boys lay panting on the grass, gazing up at the stars together.
After a while, Genye sat up and turned to look at Obito beside him.
"Obito, if you like Rin, why don't you tell her how you feel?"
Obito pursed his lips, turned his head away, and said sourly:
"Quit spouting nonsense. Do you think I'm as handsome as you, able to win girls over just like that?"
"Pfft, what's that got to do with looks? What matters is being responsible! Taking responsibility!" Asuma spat at Obito.
"Girls like responsible men. You don't even have the guts to confess, so why would you expect her to see you differently?"
(ÒωÓױ)!
"I-is that so?" With one of them chiming in after the other, Obito began to waver.
"Of course." Asuma vigorously ruffled Obito's head, messing up his hair.
"Tenten, you never take responsibility for anything. You just let Rin look after you. She doesn't see you as a little brother."
Genye nodded in agreement. "Exactly. You need to get your act together and outshine that Kakashi guy!"
At the mention of Kakashi, Obito wilted again. "There's no way I can beat Kakashi..."
"I do have an idea," Genye said, putting on a mysterious air.
"What idea? Genye, tell me!" Obito's eyes lit up.
"Ah, my back's aching right now. Give me a moment to recover," Genye said.
At once, Obito scrambled to his feet and sidled up to Genye, eagerly massaging his back.
"Oh, Genye-senpai, please tell me already~"
"Get lost." Genye couldn't stand the guy and shoved him away. "Do you know why my Taijutsu is so good?"
(✧▽✧)
As Obito watched expectantly, Genye pulled a book from inside his vest and handed it to him.
"Here. I learned from this book."
"It's a rare book written by a legendary ninja, filled with all sorts of profound Taijutsu techniques."
Genye spoke solemnly. "Now, I'm giving it to you. You have to study it carefully!"
"I understand!" Obito took the book excitedly and immediately tried to open it.
Genye stopped him and shook his head. "Hey, wait until you get home, take a bath, and change your clothes before reading it. You need to make a proper occasion of it."
"Oh, right, right." Obito put the book away. He had no mind to chat with the other two anymore; all he could think about was reading the book of wisdom.
A few minutes later, he said goodbye to Genye and Asuma and hurried off, eager to get home.
"Pfft-hahahaha!"
After Obito left, Asuma flopped onto the ground, laughing and pounding the grass. He was practically laughing himself numb.
"That idiot really believes anything you tell him. I'm dying!"
Genye waved a hand, trying to hold back his laughter.
"Hey, I didn't lie to him. There are plenty of tips on romance in that book. If he learns them, he'll definitely be able to win Nohara Rin over."
Meanwhile.
When Obito got home, he opened the book reverently. The more he read, the more something seemed off.
Why did the male lead only fight women?
Oh, there were men too. Hmm... Better read on...
After a long while, Obito hurled the book to the floor and cried out in anguish:
"Hyuga Genye, I can't believe I fell for your crap! Knowing you is the worst luck I've ever had!"
Obito jumped off the bed and viciously threw the book into the trash, as if it weren't a book he was throwing away, but that despicable Genye himself!
A trashy book like this? Even a dog wouldn't read it!
A week later, at Training Ground 8.
"You know what, Asuma? Obito was cursing me out just two days ago, but yesterday he actually came back to ask me for the sequel."
"Haha, that kid's unbelievable. Next time, let's come up with another way to mess with him."
Watching Asuma and Genye whispering together, Yuhi Kurenai came over and asked curiously:
"Genye, what are you two talking about?"
"Ahem, nothing."
The two of them cleared their throats and immediately straightened up, waiting quietly for their new Jonin instructor to arrive.
Normally, they were all Chunin now and no longer needed a Jonin instructor. They could have gone on missions by themselves.
However, the village had taken their recent promotions into account, and with the war making commissioned missions much more difficult, it still wanted someone to guide them for a while.
Of course, the village wasn't this considerate with every team. Genye guessed they were benefiting from Asuma's connections.
A few minutes later.
A young Jonin walked toward the three of them, and Genye looked startled.
Holy crap, Hyuga Hiashi?!
...No. Seeing the gentle expression on the other man's face, Genye realized it should be Hizashi Hyuga.
Damn, these brothers share the same face. With their Forehead Protectors on, they're impossible to tell apart.
After grumbling to himself, Genye asked, puzzled:
"Lord Hizashi, why are you here? Are you our new Jonin instructor?"
Hizashi Hyuga had a special status. Normally, the village shouldn't have assigned him to a team.
In response to Genye's question, Hizashi smiled.
"That's right. I asked the clan and Lord Hokage myself to let me serve as your Jonin instructor and take you on a few A-rank missions."
"I see." Genye nodded and didn't ask anything else.
After the four introduced themselves, they began their training.
When training ended, Hizashi asked Genye to stay behind and accompany him on a walk so they could talk.
The two walked and talked through the woods, and Genye didn't feel awkward around Hizashi.
Hizashi was very popular within the clan.
Unlike Hyuga Hiashi, who only showed concern for the clan members in public, Hizashi often used his special status to protect the interests of the branch family.
For that reason, Genye respected him greatly.
"Genye, you..."
During their conversation, Hizashi suddenly looked at Genye and spoke with certainty.
"You must have broken free of the Caged Bird Seal!"
!!!
Caught off guard, Genye's pupils contracted sharply, and he stopped in his tracks without meaning to.
...Damn! Genye cursed under his breath.
He hadn't reacted too strongly, but he knew that the slight, instinctive movement he'd just made could not have escaped Hizashi's notice.
"Lord Hizashi, why are you suddenly asking me this?"
Genye concealed the murderous glint in his eyes, turned around, and looked at Hizashi with a calm expression.
Before you continue