Social Death Amid the Crowd

He slapped the whole pouch into Ye's palm.

"Guess I'm unlucky to have ended up with a deskmate like you!"

"There are six standard Kunai in there. Take three and use them!"

"Don't take them all. I still need to put on a good show in front of Rin later!"

Even while standing outside as punishment, Obito had accurately picked out Rin's voice during her introduction and learned her name.

Ye accepted the Ninja Tools pouch with both hands.

This brother was solid. If he had a pouch, he really gave it away.

"Don't worry. As if I'd screw you over."

Ye grinned.

Then he turned around, conveniently leaving his back to Obito.

The instant he faced away from everyone, Ye's hands moved so fast they left afterimages.

A faint zip sounded.

Without the slightest politeness, he poured all six brand-new real Kunai from Obito's pouch and stuffed them into his own pocket.

Then, with a thought, a flash of light flickered inside his system inventory.

The three "Kunai guaranteed to fly off target once thrown" that he had pulled from the ten-draw instantly appeared in his hands.

They looked ordinary on the outside, but their blades glimmered with an eerie black light.

No matter how accurately they were aimed, these things would always dodge the target at some bizarre angle.

This kind of physics-defying phenomenon was perfect for breaking an ordinary person's mentality.

Obito, Obito. For your brother's grand ambitions, you'll just have to suffer a little.

Ye muttered silently to himself, his expression unchanged as he stuffed the three bizarre scrap-metal Kunai into Obito's now-empty Ninja Tools pouch.

He zipped it up and smoothed it flat.

The entire swap took less than two seconds.

Ye took a deep breath and slapped the Ninja Tools pouch back against Obito's chest with a smack.

He gripped Obito's shoulders with both hands and offered earnest encouragement.

"Thanks, brother! When the test starts, make sure you go all out. I'm extremely optimistic about you!"

Obito casually caught the Ninja Tools pouch and gave it a habitual shake. The weight seemed fine; three Kunai remained.

The foolish boy had no idea that the ordinary weapons in his pouch had become cursed tools governed by causality.

He patted his chest and flashed a bright, sunny smile.

"Of course! Just wait and see how I take first place today!"

"What's Kakashi, that pretentious bastard, supposed to be? Rin will definitely be captivated by my heroic bearing!"

Ye forced down the smile tugging at his lips and said nothing.

The two followed the main group of students side by side, heading down the stairs toward the Training Ground in a grand procession.

The walk to the Training Ground was short, and the new students chattered excitedly about the coming test.

Might Guy forcibly squeezed through the crowd and sidled up to Ye.

The thick-browed boy clearly had not recovered from the blow earlier. Still clinging to his youthful fighting spirit, he clenched his fists and loudly declared.

"Uchiha Ye! I lost our battle of words just now!"

"But next comes a real Ninja Tools test! I absolutely won't lose to you!"

Ye did not even lift his eyelids. Staring at an ant by the roadside, he gave a perfunctory reply.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You won."

"By the way, is that green outfit of yours a one-piece?"

"When you go to the bathroom, do you have to strip from the collar down?"

Guy's impassioned expression instantly froze.

His hands stopped in midair. An embarrassing image of himself going to the bathroom involuntarily surfaced in his mind, and his face flushed the color of Kurenai to the tips of his ears.

[Guard-Break Points from Might Guy: +155!]

Hearing the points arrive, Ye nodded in satisfaction.

Kakashi, walking ahead, slightly turned his head and shot Ye a cold glance. Open disgust showed in those dead-fish eyes.

Kakashi thought this guy not only had a filthy mouth, but also acted without any logic whatsoever. He was simply a dangerous lunatic.

Ye keenly caught Kakashi's gaze. Not only did he not rein himself in, he smoothly blew him a kiss from afar.

Kakashi's body stiffened abruptly. His stomach churned, and he quickly turned away, speeding up to put distance between them.

[Guard-Break Points from Kakashi Hatake: +50!]

Obito had no attention to spare for those side incidents.

Rin Nohara was walking ahead of them. Obito stared fixedly at her back and lowered his voice.

"Ye, if I hit the bullseye three times later, do you think Rin will come talk to me on her own?"

Ye patted the six real Kunai in his pocket and answered without changing his expression.

"Have some confidence!"

"As long as you throw your Ninja Tools, everyone's eyes will be on you."

"I guarantee it!"

Konoha Ninja Academy Training Ground.

The sunlight was blinding, and the air carried the harsh scent of dry soil.

A Chunin instructor stood before the students, pointing toward a row of wooden targets twenty-five meters away.

Kurenai circles marked the bullseyes, while fake trees had been set around them as obstacles.

"The rules are simple."

The teacher announced loudly.

"Everyone gets three chances."

"Ten points for the Kurenai bullseye, five for the outer ring, and zero if you miss!"

A distance of twenty-five meters was exceedingly harsh for six- or seven-year-old children.

The first group stepped up, and the hands of the three students holding their Kunai trembled violently.

After several crisp whistles through the air.

"Miss!"

"Five points!"

"Missed! Were you throwing Kunai or bricks?!"

The teacher's irritable voice rang across the Training Ground.

More than ten students went up in succession, yet the highest score was only five points.

Obito watched with sweat all over his forehead, his confidence beginning to leak away. "Twenty-five meters is so far..." He swallowed.

Ye stood slightly behind him and spoke, his gaze dark as he stared at Obito's swaying Ninja Tools pouch.

"What are you scared of? You're an Uchiha. Isn't a mere twenty-five-meter target easy for you?"

The moment Obito heard the word Uchiha, his back straightened sharply.

"Next, Kakashi Hatake!"

The teacher called out.

The entire field instantly fell silent.

With his hands in his pockets, Kakashi slowly walked to the throwing line.

He did not take up a standard stance. Instead, his right hand simply swept quickly over his Ninja Tools pouch.

Three black gleams flashed between his fingers at once.

With an extremely casual flick of his wrist and no buildup at all.

The three Kunai traced tricky arcs through the air and collided with one another once, their trajectories changing after a crisp clash.

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!

The three Kunai struck dead center on three separate targets without the slightest deviation.

The entire field went silent for a second before a chorus of sharp inhales erupted.

"Three perfect scores!"

The teacher's voice rose excitedly, while the girls burst into shrieks.

Kakashi turned with a cold face and walked back to the group.

When he passed Obito, he paused briefly and left behind a casual remark. "Uchiha? Nothing special."

Obito's eyes instantly turned the color of Kurenai.

That was practically dancing on a land mine.

"Next, Rin Nohara!"

Rin Nohara walked forward with a face flushed the color of Kurenai.

She took a deep breath and threw three Kunai. Two missed, while one embedded itself in the outer ring.

"Five points!"

Rin ran back to the group. As she passed Obito, she smiled politely at him.

That smile completely stole Obito's soul. He felt his blood boil and strength surge through him.

"Next, Obito Uchiha!"

A fierce light burst from Obito's eyes.

He shouted, "Yes!" and strode out of the line with the swagger of someone who answered to no one.

The whole class focused on him. Kakashi slightly raised his eyes, and Rin also looked over curiously.

Standing where he was, Ye looked at the gazes of the surrounding students as though he were looking at lush fields of chives waiting to be harvested.

The corners of his mouth slowly rose. His breathing slowed, while his heart began racing uncontrollably.

The moment of truth was almost here. As long as the blind-test mechanism worked, Konoha would no longer be decided by the Hokage.

At the throwing line.

Obito took a deep breath and assumed his most handsome sideways starting pose.

His eyes locked onto the Kurenai bullseye, and he had already rehearsed the cool pose he would strike after hitting it.

His right hand reached toward his waist and pulled open the zipper with a rip.

Obito's fingers touched a Kunai.

Without hesitation, he grabbed it tight, then in an instant... threw it!

"Watch this!"

Obito roared, violently exerting force with his right hand.

He hurled the first scrap-metal Kunai, imbued with the system's laws of causality, with earth-shattering force.