He had practiced way too hard last night, and when morning came, he was already late for school.
Uchiha Ling hurried toward Konoha Ninja Academy.
Just as he rushed out the gate of the Uchiha Compound, he saw Obito Uchiha helping an old lady carry a large bag of eggs, escorting her back inside the compound.
Since he was already late anyway, Uchiha Ling waited for Obito, getting ready to give him a bit of pressure.
Obito hurried out from the compound, and upon seeing Uchiha Ling, he shot him a disgusted look before continuing his sprint toward the school.
Uchiha Ling caught up and ran side-by-side with him, asking as they moved, "Obito, are you acting?! Your acting skills are way too good, you look just like a good person!"
"Skinny Pole! You're no good person, you think everyone looks like a bad guy! Eggs are very expensive, I was just afraid the old lady would drop and break them."
"Do you want to keep doing good deeds until a good reputation reaches Rin Nohara's ears, just to boost your image?"
Obito Uchiha stopped talking.
"Don't you also want Rin Nohara to happen to see you doing a good deed sometime, so seeing becomes believing for her?"
"Stop it, Obito, being a good person won't attract girls. Rin Nohara will praise you for being a good guy, and then turn around and throw herself into Kakashi's arms."
"I can tell Rin Nohara likes Kakashi, surely you can't be blind to it?"
"You can't even tell that? Is your dojutsu talent really that pathetic? How can you face the Uchiha Gunbai crest on your clothes like this?"
Uchiha Ling's mouth was parched from all the talking, but there wasn't even a shadow of a system notification.
Does Obito Uchiha not have a heart? Why isn't he sad?
When they reached the school gate, Obito Uchiha finally spoke up in response:
"I help people on the road simply because they need help."
"I like Rin Nohara simply because Rin Nohara is worthy of my affection, and it has nothing to do with Kakashi."
"And you, Uchiha Ling, as an Uchiha who is repulsive in the traditional sense, will never understand my thoughts."
Uchiha Ling felt somewhat helpless.
Obito Uchiha at this point in time had only one selfish desire, which was liking Rin Nohara; for the most part, he possessed a childlike innocence and a purely innate purity.
Making him trigger a Defense Break was just too difficult—presumably, the only way would be to make Rin Nohara like himself, or kill Rin Nohara.
No wonder Obito Uchiha could be chosen by Madara Uchiha; with both pure love and grand benevolence, losing everything later and awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan would be as natural as water flowing into a canal.
This was raw talent.
Uchiha Ling figured he was unlikely to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan himself, as he simply wasn't cut out for it.
Entering the ninja academy together and being late together, Obito Uchiha was furious.
"Coming in with you makes it look like our relationship is good, it's really annoying."
Uchiha Ling didn't care about Obito's disgust and sat down by himself in the back row.
The teacher scolded them for a few moments, and while Obito apologized frantically, Uchiha Ling felt completely unbothered.
Asuma Sarutobi turned his head to glare at Uchiha Ling, who was standing in the back row to listen to the lecture, his eyes filled with provocation.
During their sparring class last time, he had carelessly let Uchiha Ling climb all over his head—he had been too careless.
He had replayed it in his mind for a long time; the face he had lost, he would definitely take back with his own hands!
During the afternoon sparring class, Asuma Sarutobi eagerly raised his hand.
"Teacher! I want to challenge Uchiha Ling!"
Teacher Yamano was in a terrible mood because his niece lacked ninja talent, and having forgotten about the intensely fierce sparring match the two had shared yesterday, he casually agreed.
Uchiha Ling stepped into the arena and taunted, "Oh! Isn't this Asuma Sarutobi, the boy whose father doesn't love him? What, are you still hating me for exposing the truth that you're a good-for-nothing second-generation heir?"
So what if he was the Hokage's son?
He would pressure him even at the risk of his life!
Just say whether he was brave or not!
In the Hidden Leaf Village, there was no one who couldn't be pressured.
Asuma Sarutobi adjusted his breathing, closed his eyes, and then opened them again as he said:
"Uchiha Ling, I am not a good-for-nothing second-generation heir, and I will hold myself to a higher standard. As for whether my father loves me or not, it has nothing to do with you."
"Yesterday was just a momentary slip on my part, and today I will prove that I am no good-for-nothing."
"Tsk tsk tsk, what a pitiful person. Tossing and turning last night, did you deny yourself over and over, only to deny your own denials over and over again?" Uchiha Ling began laying the pressure on Asuma Sarutobi:
"You don't really think your dad is going to love you after a night's sleep, do you?"
"You don't really think you can beat me after a night's sleep, do you?"
"A good-for-nothing second-generation is just a good-for-nothing second-generation. Today I'll prove that it wasn't a momentary slip that made you lose to me, but rather a momentary slip on my part that made your defeat look a little less ugly."
"Asuma Sarutobi!"
"Like the Senju Clan, voluntarily give up your surname! You are only bringing shame to the Sarutobi name!"
"Teacher!" Asuma Sarutobi didn't want to listen anymore, and turning his head, he said, "Please order the Opposing Hands Seal!"
After the two performed the Opposing Hands Seal, Asuma Sarutobi charged eagerly toward Uchiha Ling.
Uchiha Ling smiled. Chakra instantly erupted within the acupoints of his left leg, propelling him in a rapid horizontal shift to the right to dodge Asuma Sarutobi's straight punch.
There were no drawn-out exchanges at all; Uchiha Ling's arm burst with sudden force, slamming a punch straight into Asuma Sarutobi's abdomen.
Asuma Sarutobi doubled over in agony and collapsed forward.
This punch was far too heavy, and Uchiha Ling had held nothing back.
Looking down at the back of Asuma Sarutobi's head, Uchiha Ling said:
"Admit it, you are a good-for-nothing second-generation heir, the most useless young master among all the second-generations in the Hidden Leaf Village."
"As for the other geniuses of the Hidden Leaf, you should be ashamed that you even appear in their field of view."
"You really lucked out, actually getting to be friends with Kakashi for a period of time."
"Cherish that memory, because that memory will be the absolute peak of your life."
"You're so useless, you won't ever be able to make friends with any strong people in the future."
Asuma Sarutobi turned his head, glaring up at Uchiha Ling with furious eyes.
Uchiha Ling thought to himself, Kid, are you still not triggering a Defense Break?
Judging by Asuma Sarutobi's gaze, it seemed his competitive spirit had been ignited by shame.
Triggering a Defense Break wasn't all that easy.
Uchiha Ling didn't mind taking a very long time to completely crush Asuma Sarutobi's competitive drive and trigger a complete Defense Break.
"What kind of look is that? You don't actually think that because you've woken up late, a bit of good practice will let you catch up to me, do you?"
"Asuma Sarutobi, how about we make a bet? I'll give you one semester, and I'll prove that the gap between you and me will only grow wider."
"As time goes on and you grow older, you'll simply turn into an over-aged good-for-nothing. Understand?"
"Uchiha Ling! I will definitely defeat you in the Final Exams! Don't be so arrogant!"
Uchiha Ling scratched his ear and said:
"What are you shouting so loud for? If whoever was loudest was stronger, then your father's Hokage seat should be handed over to the tenor from the theater."
"I accept your challenge. See you at the Final Exams, where I'll make you understand what true despair is—bone-chilling despair!"
"Fine! The Final Exams! I will definitely defeat you!"
Before you continue