White Fang's Invitation

After the written exam ended, it was time for the practical assessment.

For the first-year students, this stage tested only one thing.

That was the shuriken-throwing assessment.

A row of targets had already been set up on the training field, waiting for the students to step forward one by one.

The scoring rules were as follows.

Each person threw ten shuriken.

Hitting the first ring with a shuriken earned one point, and so on. Hitting the tenth ring earned ten points.

The maximum score was one hundred points.

"Kakashi Hatake, one hundred points."

"Might Guy, sixty-nine points."

"Rin Nohara, sixty-seven."

"Nagano Nami, eighty-three points."

Nagano Nami returned to the group with a smug look on her face.

She provocatively raised her middle finger at Obito.

"Tch."

Obito curled his lips and fired back with a few choice words.

"Next, Obito Uchiha."

Hearing his name,

Obito perked up and strode over to stand before the targets.

The teacher in charge of the assessment saw Obito and said with a hearty laugh,

"Oh, so it's you, kid."

Although the children often missed the targets when throwing shuriken,

Obito was the only genius who had managed to miss the target with all ten shuriken.

The teacher reminded him uneasily,

"Kid, make sure you aim this time. Don't throw them at the teacher's face again."

Obito chuckled softly, lifting his cheeks slightly as a hint of a smile played at the corners of his mouth.

"Teacher, you're thinking too small."

"Three days apart, and you must look at someone in a new light. I'm not the same person I was before. My goal is—full marks!"

After showing off, Obito began throwing shuriken with a series of swift whooshes.

With Taijutsu at the Genin level, along with his recent hard training,

his throwing ability was naturally worlds apart from what it had been before.

After Obito stopped,

the teacher glanced at the target and announced in surprise,

"Obito Uchiha, ninety points. You've improved a great deal, kid."

"Uh..."

Obito scratched his head awkwardly.

He had already bragged that he would get full marks, only to accidentally miss twice...

Forget it, forget it. As long as I'm not embarrassed, even a showing-off blunder doesn't matter!

In fact, ninety points was already an excellent score.

Aside from that monster Kakashi, it was considered top-tier.

After all the students had finished their tests, a teacher called out,

"The results of the annual exam will be announced in a week. We won't assign any homework this week, so everyone should relax and enjoy yourselves."

"Remember to come on time next week..."

Before the teacher could finish, his words were drowned out by the students' cheers.

"Woohoo!"

"Yatta!"

Rin moved over beside Obito and asked with wide, blinking eyes,

"Obito, do you have any plans for the break?"

Obito thought for a moment and shook his head.

"Hmm, not yet. How about we..."

(Go play at my house. My house is pretty big.)

Just as Obito was about to invite the little girl to come play at his house during the break,

an unexpected figure walked up beside him.

Rin froze slightly, then asked in pleasant surprise,

"Kakashi, I was just discussing our plans for the break with Obito. Do you want to join us?"

Kakashi ignored Rin completely and faced Obito.

"My father wants to invite you to my house for dinner. Seven o'clock tonight."

The moment Kakashi finished speaking,

a multiple-choice question appeared before Obito's eyes.

[Option One: Can some old geezer really compare to my cute little girl? I'm not going. Reward: LSP points +1.]

[Option Two: Women will only affect the speed of my sword draw. Go ask White Fang for advice on swordsmanship! Reward: Unlocks subsequent missions.]

Huh?

This was the first time Obito had seen a reward that unlocked subsequent missions.

After hesitating for a moment, he chose Option Two.

"Okay. Thank your father for me in advance," he said to Kakashi.

Kakashi gave an "Mm."

He nodded slightly toward Rin, counting it as a greeting.

Then he left on his own.

Obito glanced at the little girl, who looked unhappy, and pretended to complain indignantly,

"Kakashi's as cold as ever. How could he treat my adorable Rin-chan like that?"

Rin's little face flushed red, and she grumbled,

"Obito, you're teasing me again."

Obito said solemnly,

"Not at all. In my heart, Rin-chan is the cutest person in the world."

After coaxing the little girl for a while, Obito finally headed home.

He was going out for dinner that evening, so he had to tell Grandma in advance!

Six-thirty that evening.

Obito set out from home, bobbing his head as he went to the appointment.

"The moon has risen above the willow branches; lovers meet after dusk."

"Too bad, too bad. The person I'm meeting isn't a beautiful older sister, but a middle-aged man."

"But what does Senior White Fang want with me?"

Obito thought about it and figured the most likely explanation was that

Sakumo had learned about the things Obito had said in support of him.

He had decided Obito was a promising junior.

That was why he had invited him to his home for dinner.

Lost in thought,

Obito soon arrived at Kakashi's house.

Outside the modest residence,

a figure had been standing there for quite some time, seemingly waiting specifically for him.

Obito waved at the figure.

"I'm here, Kakashi."

"Mm."

Kakashi replied faintly, turned around, and said without looking back,

"Follow me."

Obito hurried after him, curiously looking around.

The furnishings inside Kakashi's house were simple, but they gave off a warm and cozy feeling.

In a fleeting glance, Obito spotted a photograph of Kakashi as a child on the wall.

He's so adorable he could kill me. He looks like a little silver puffball.

As if he had heard the commotion, footsteps came from inside the house.

A handsome, silver-haired man walked out.

Although he looked somewhat haggard, the heroic air between his brows was impossible to conceal.

Hatake Sakumo!

He smiled at Obito.

"You must be little Obito. I often hear Kakashi mention you."

Obito nodded and said somewhat bashfully,

"Good evening, Senior White Fang. I'm Obito."

"You must have heard plenty of embarrassing stories about me from Kakashi."

Kakashi's young face flushed beneath his mask.

Sakumo laughed heartily and ruffled his son's hair.

"I wouldn't call them embarrassing stories. He's told me a few amusing ones, though."

"Let's sit down and eat while we talk. Uncle prepared several of his best dishes tonight. Give them a try and see if they suit your taste."

Obito nodded enthusiastically. He had been hungry for ages!

The three of them settled down at the dining table.

Obito quietly studied Sakumo beside him.

It was hard to imagine that this gentle, refined family man had earned such a fearsome reputation through slaughter outside.

Sakumo smiled slightly at the somewhat stiff Obito.

"Don't just look at it. Try some of Uncle's cooking."

Obito did not stand on ceremony. He picked up a piece of sweet-and-sour pork and put it in his mouth, and his eyes immediately lit up.

Rich, delicious flavor bloomed across his palate, stimulating every one of his taste buds.

"Delicious!"

The smile in Sakumo's eyes deepened.

"Then eat more. There's still plenty in the pot. Don't be shy in Uncle's house."

Obito grinned.

"Yoshi!"