Tobi Takes the Stage

But everyone below the stage could see it.

Horii Masami was getting emotional and slowly falling into Nagano Nami's rhythm.

Panting, Horii Masami thrust his sword at Nagano Nami again.

Nagano Nami calmly raised his Kunai across his body and stepped in sideways to meet him.

Clang!

After knocking Horii Masami's sword aside,

Nagano Nami raised his other hand and drove a fist at him.

Thud!

The punch landed squarely on Horii Masami's face.

He went flying backward.

Nagano Nami pressed his advantage and closed in at once.

"Taijutsu: Nagano Barrage!"

Nagano Nami's fists rained down on Horii Masami.

And the whole time he was hitting him, he kept roaring.

"Die, Obito!"

Obito: "..."

Whoa. You're taking this a little personally, aren't you?

The young female examiner stepped onto the stage.

She announced the result of the first match.

"Match over! The winner of Group One is Nagano Nami!"

"Die, Obito!"

"Hey, contestant, stop hitting him... Stop... Stop right now!"

Nagano Nami and Horii Masami were both carried off the stage.

With that, the first match was over.

Looking rather exasperated, the examiner drew the contestants for the second match.

"Group Two: Shikaba Nara versus Marco."

Marco was a ninja from Takigakure.

His short curls made his head look like a pineapple.

"Pfft."

Obito burst out laughing below the stage.

A pineapple head against another pineapple head. This should be interesting.

Shikaba and Marco exchanged no words.

The moment they stepped onto the stage, Shuriken began whistling through the air.

The distance between them steadily closed.

Marco drew a Tachi and went straight for close combat.

His blade flashed with fierce, precise strikes.

Shikaba dared not meet it head-on and retreated again and again.

In raw strength, he seemed to be at a slight disadvantage.

But what came next

showed everyone just how far he could take a game of keep-away.

Weave left, weave right~

Shikaba's slippery footwork left the spectators below the stage in awe.

Obito said enviously,

"Shikaba's got one hell of a flexible waist."

Hearing that, Guy shook his head.

"Not so, Obito-kun! You and I practice the Dragon Spine Opener every day. Our core strength must be better than his!"

Rin looked over curiously.

"Dragon Spine Opener? What's that?"

It wasn't just Rin. Kakashi, Ayako, and the others turned to look as well.

Guy said proudly,

"The Dragon Spine Opener is—mmph!"

At the crucial moment, Obito clapped a hand over Guy's mouth.

Looking a little guilty, he said,

"It's nothing, nothing... Look! Shikaba's about to win!"

Everyone turned their attention back to the stage.

Shikaba had been fighting Marco while retreating, and they had reached the edge of the stage.

Shikaba's back was to the edge, with only a few steps between him and a fall.

Across from him, Marco pushed off with both legs and attacked again.

Now!

Shikaba spun sharply and darted to one side.

The shadow beneath his feet stretched out in an instant, spreading like a web to catch Marco's shadow.

Shadow Imitation Technique, activate!

Pulled by the Shadow Imitation Technique,

and carried by his own momentum,

Marco rushed straight off the stage.

In the spectator stands, the Third Hokage smiled and took a sip of tea.

"Splendid! Just what I'd expect from a child of the Nara Clan."

The examiner stepped onto the stage and swept out a slender hand.

"The match is decided. The winner of the second match is Shikaba Nara!"

Marco left the arena looking dejected.

Shikaba, meanwhile, laced his hands behind his head and strolled lazily off the stage.

In the meantime,

the examiner had already drawn the contestants for the third match.

"Third match: Kakashi Hatake versus Aoyama Shinichi."

Kakashi walked onto the stage with a cold expression.

He drew his short blade and pointed it at the Grass Ninja opposite him.

Below the stage, Rin waved her little fists and cheered him on.

"You can do it, Kakashi!"

Obito took Rin's hand and said with a straight face,

"Rin, Kakashi's going to win for sure. No need to cheer for him. You'd just be wasting your energy."

"You need to save your strength so you can beat your own opponent later!"

Rin tilted her head.

Something about that felt wrong, but she couldn't quite say what.

"But..."

"The winner of the third match is Kakashi Hatake," the examiner announced in a cool voice.

Obito: "???"

Rin: "???"

Only then did they realize

that while they had been talking, Kakashi had already won.

Ayako gazed up at Kakashi on the stage with open admiration.

It felt as though a little deer were dancing a waltz of love in her heart.

Kakashi is way too strong!

The whole match didn't even last half a minute!

But... is being that fast really a good thing?

Konoha had won three matches in a row,

and the leaders from the other countries were starting to look grim.

Their faces were as dark as Black Zetsu.

"Why is it Konoha again...? Wasn't their younger generation supposed to be lacking these past few years?"

"Even a starving camel is bigger than a horse. Hard to argue with that..."

"Konoha is still Konoha. As long as the old man is around, no one else is taking the top spot..."

Of course,

the darker their faces grew and the harsher their complaints became,

the wider Hiruzen smiled.

He savored his tea, smacking his lips now and then.

The people from the other countries were furious, but none of them dared say a word to him.

Before long,

the examiner's voice rang out again.

"Group Four: Obito Uchiha versus Might Guy."

Someone on the second level of the arena burst out laughing.

"Konoha's finally going to lose! Hahahaha!"

The person beside him was speechless.

"Buddy, is something wrong with you? That's taking self-comfort a bit far, isn't it?"

For crying out loud.

It's two Konoha ninja fighting. What difference does the winner make to you?

By that logic, I could say Konoha's about to win its fourth match in a row!

Rin quietly encouraged Obito.

"Good luck, Obito-kun."

Obito nodded and walked onto the stage with Guy.

He looked at Guy across from him and said gravely,

"Guy, when we fight, could you please—"

Guy waved a hand, cutting Obito off.

"Don't worry, Obito-kun. I know exactly what you want."

As Obito's closest friend, Guy believed they understood each other perfectly.

They had no need for words.

One look was all he needed to know what Obito was thinking.

Guy removed his training weights and declared solemnly,

"I'll give it everything I've got. I won't hold back against you!"

Obito's expression turned complicated.

...Heh.

I knew it!

Seeing the "gratitude" in Obito's eyes,

Guy smiled from the bottom of his heart.

Nothing more needed to be said.

Obito began thinking gloomily.

Guy's Taijutsu is outstanding.

Overwhelming him probably isn't realistic.

And his will is strong.

With my level of Genjutsu, I probably can't trap him for long.

This is going to be tricky.

If I can't win easily, I won't be able to dazzle everyone...

No choice. I'll have to find another way!

Dazzle everyone, dazzle everyone...

As the thought turned over in his mind, Obito's eyes suddenly lit up.

I've got it!

(The author's wild guess: someone's making a wild guess.)