The next morning.
Hideki's body clock woke him up. As usual, he got up, made breakfast, and washed up before the food was ready.
After eating, there was still over an hour before class, so Hideki refined chakra for a while longer.
As a diligent and studious young man, Hideki's mornings were busy and fulfilling.
Once he had everything ready, Hideki slung on his little backpack and set off.
It was Friday, and there were only morning classes, so there was no need to skip school.
Still, the three of them had agreed that whoever went down first would be responsible for using the Clone Technique and Transformation Technique.
That made Obito go all out against Kakashi, and made Kakashi feel even more like he was being singled out.
Hideki strolled along at an unhurried pace, arriving at school and then the classroom, only to find that Kakashi and Obito were already there.
As usual, Kakashi was reading extracurricular material—material that would become a certain sage's bestselling books once he grew up.
Obito, meanwhile, was sitting at his desk in a daze.
"Morning, Kakashi." Hideki greeted him.
"Morning." Kakashi responded. He was part of the stronger-together group now, after all, so he did not need to keep up such a cold front.
"Morning, Obito."
The absent-minded Obito did not respond and continued staring blankly out the window.
"Obito?"
Obito still did not respond. Hideki and Kakashi exchanged a look, both sensing that something was off.
His expression was vacant, but his eyes carried a hint of gravity, as though something major had happened.
Hideki recognized that look. The last time he had seen it was the day before they arranged that fight with the Uchiha Clan.
"Obito." Hideki walked over to his desk and nudged him. Only then did Obito come back to his senses. He glanced at Hideki. "Morning, Hideki."
"...Morning." Hideki hesitated for a moment, but ultimately chose not to press him.
That was just Obito's personality. Normally, he could not keep secrets to himself and would love for all of Konoha to know, but if he did not want to talk, even Ichiraku Ramen could not coax it out of him.
Ring, ring, ring—
The class bell rang. The teacher entered the classroom, carrying that somewhat aged textbook.
The students opened their brand-new books and attended class while battling drowsiness. It was a hard-fought struggle.
At last, the dull lesson ended. But the moment the teacher announced school was over, the classmates who had just been half-asleep transformed into elites of the Shinobi World and rushed out in a swarm.
It was livelier than even practical combat class, several times more so than on a normal school day.
Yet Obito remained sitting where he was. He was neither excited by the dismissal bell nor stirred by his classmates' cheers, as though he had seen through everything and become an Uchiha sage.
"Come on, Obito. Let's get lunch. We've still got work this afternoon." Hideki suppressed his doubts and asked.
"I won't be going, Hideki. My grandma told me to get home early. Spring cleaning."
Obito seemed to have prepared that answer in advance. He scratched his head and gave Hideki an apologetic smile.
That made Hideki feel that something was even more wrong. If Obito had merely been spacing out, it would have been understandable—perhaps yesterday's sparring had exhausted him.
But Obito had even brought up his grandmother. That made the situation seem rather serious.
Still, Hideki pushed down his curiosity and concern, smiling. "All right, then. See you tomorrow."
"Yeah, see you tomorrow."
Only then did Obito sling on his little backpack and leave the classroom alone.
"What happened to him?"
After Obito left, Kakashi walked over to Hideki. The two watched Obito's running figure through the window, and Kakashi wore a puzzled expression as well.
"Doesn't seem like him..."
"Forget it. Once he sorts it out, he'll tell us himself. It probably isn't anything serious."
Hideki raised an eyebrow.
It was not like they were heading into a decisive battle at Kannabi Bridge. It could not be that bad.
Obito jogged all the way.
When he reached a street corner, he cautiously looked around. Still not reassured, he sneakily circled around several more times.
"They shouldn't have followed me..." Obito let out a breath. His eyes were filled with worry, but it quickly turned into determination.
At last, Obito returned to the Uchiha Compound. But rather than going home, he headed straight for one of the Uchiha Clan's training grounds.
After the tireless efforts of the Second Hokage and Shimura Danzō over two generations.
The Uchiha Clan had finally obtained a territory that was absolutely theirs, where no one would disturb them.
The compound had everything: snack streets, taverns, casinos, training grounds, even a Song-and-Dance District. It was practically a miniature Konoha.
It was just a little remote, a full half-Konoha away from the city's core, though at least it was quiet.
Obito arrived at the training ground. It was nowhere near as lively as Konoha's training grounds. Only one person stood inside, waiting for him.
The man appeared to be nearing adulthood. He wore Uchiha Clan attire and carried a sword at his waist. He stood three heads taller than Obito, with long black hair. He looked fairly handsome, though his gaze was somewhat cold.
"Senior Retsu..." Obito nervously approached the young man and lowered his head. "Sorry, I couldn't bring Hideki here."
The young man before Obito was Uchiha Retsu, the older brother of Uchiha Beiying's cousin.
Within the Uchiha Clan, conflicts between clan members did not matter much, especially when children were involved.
But if outsiders interfered, even if they only mocked them, the Uchiha Clan would regard them as enemies!
This was quite similar to Konoha's other great clan—the Hyuga Clan. Both did it to establish their clan's prestige and protect their members' Kekkei Genkai from being coveted by outsiders.
However, the two clans differed fundamentally in their starting points.
The Hyuga Clan used the Caged Bird Seal to ensure that the Byakugan would not be lost. Even if an accident occurred, the Caged Bird Seal would destroy the Byakugan.
The Uchiha Clan's approach was far more direct.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth!
Any enemy who provoked the Uchiha Clan's honor would be hunted down by the Uchiha Clan at any cost!
In the Uchiha Clan's eyes, Hideki and Obito's actions were exactly that.
Of course, Obito was an Uchiha clansman, so he would not be treated too harshly—at least not openly.
But Hideki was an outsider who had beaten an Uchiha clansman so badly that he was hospitalized. The Uchiha Clan could not possibly let that slide.
Otherwise, they would not be the Uchiha Clan.
"I gave you a chance, Obito," Uchiha Retsu said coldly.
"Ruohuo and Beiying were inferior in skill, but the Uchiha Clan's honor cannot be violated. I only intended to give that brat a small warning, but what you did today has greatly disappointed me."
"Since that's the case, I'll find him myself."
Uchiha Retsu walked straight out of the training ground. Before leaving, he gave Obito a cold look filled with disgust.
"At this time, he should still be on his way home..."
"Do you really think I have to go through you to find him?"
"Regret it... What I hate most is deception. Originally, he only needed to wait for Ruohuo to wake up and take revenge himself. But now, what he will face is my wrath."
Obito's expression changed at those words, and he hurriedly turned around. "Senior!"
But Obito received no response. Uchiha Retsu kept walking, completely ignoring him.
Obito gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, his breathing gradually growing heavier.
"If you've got the guts, come at me!"
"Why didn't any of you show up when they were beating me up?! Bastard!"
Obito shouted hysterically, venting all the grievances he had suffered over the years. Waving his fists, he charged straight at Uchiha Retsu!
"You're courting death!" Uchiha Retsu's gaze immediately turned cold. He spun around, faced the charging brat, did not even draw his sword, and simply kicked out.
The kick was powerful and heavy, infused with chakra. Coupled with Obito's own momentum, if it landed, Obito would probably lose half his life on the spot.
Yet Uchiha Retsu had no intention of holding back.
Some people were born into the Uchiha Clan, raised in the Uchiha Clan, wore Uchiha clothing, and even bore the Uchiha crest.
But in this clan where strength reigned supreme, to some people, they were merely ordinary people with the Uchiha surname.
They were unworthy of the Uchiha Clan's noble bloodline and honor!
And Obito had taken the initiative to attack Uchiha Retsu. Even if Uchiha Retsu beat Obito into another Uchiha Ruohuo, no one would care!
Just as Obito was about to meet his end at the hands of the Uchiha Clan.
A voice suddenly exploded through the air!
"Get him!"
Uchiha Retsu froze.
The next instant, a figure flashed between him and Obito, just before the two could collide.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
Obito was crafty. He knew Uchiha Retsu was a Chunin, definitely not someone he and Hideki could handle.
He was also an Uchiha clansman, so they probably would not make things too difficult for him. That was why he chose to bear everything alone.
Obito was also reckless. Although he knew Uchiha Retsu was a Chunin, the moment he heard that Retsu was going after Hideki, his first thought was to fight him!
But while Obito was crafty and reckless, he was not stupid. Challenging Uchiha Retsu was one thing; smashing into a wall was another, especially when Kakashi's dog face was on that wall.
Bang!
Obito hurriedly crossed his arms in front of himself, but he still slammed into it hard. For a moment, his head rang.
Meanwhile, Hideki, who had slowly formed two Rasengan with his left and right hands, had already charged at Uchiha Retsu!
"You dare hit Obito?!"
"Didn't you know he's under my protection, bastard?!"
Before you continue