Obito's daily life

Amegakure,

The training ground.

This place was often damaged by the aftermath of Rin and Obito's training. With Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan joining them recently, the training ground was wearing out much faster than before.

After repeated repairs, this training ground had become sturdier than most places in the Shinobi World.

At that moment, a chase was unfolding on the training ground.

Wood Release: Tree Binding Eternal Burial

Obito Uchiha formed hand seals with both hands and slammed them against the ground.

Dozens of thick roots burst from the earth like giant pythons, pursuing another figure across the training ground.

That figure dodged every one of Obito's attacks with just a few nimble movements.

He handled them with ease, even finding time to turn around and taunt Obito.

"Hey, Obito! What's wrong with your Wood Release? It's all limp. It's not nearly as fierce as it used to be!"

That figure was Yahiko.

He landed steadily on the ground and patted nonexistent dust off himself, his tone carrying a hint of teasing.

Ever since Rin and Nagato had thrashed him and he had narrowly defeated Obito last time, he had become considerably more composed.

"Damn it!"

Obito stopped, panting, his hands braced against his knees as hot sweat dripped from his face onto the ground.

He felt as though he had nearly exhausted the chakra in his body, yet his opponent had barely even broken a sweat!

Ever since Uncle Pero brought him back to Akatsuki, Obito had settled down to study the half-body fused with his own. With the help of a few secret scrolls Pero had brought back, he had mastered quite a few Wood Release ninjutsu.

When Obito first learned Wood Release, he could fight Kakuzu for a long time thanks to his Kamui. Handling Yahiko had been even easier.

Ever since Yahiko and Rin obtained that golden power from Uncle Pero, he felt his standing among the others had begun to grow precarious.

He felt he had become the only ordinary person on the team.

Even though he possessed this utterly broken Sharingan.

Kamui.

Rin's strength and combat awareness grew by the day, and now she could hold her own against most people.

Uncle Kakuzu lost one of his lives when Rin accidentally injured him last time. Ever since then, he hasn't dared to spar with her again, but he keeps dragging me off for a beating every day.

Oh, right, Uncle Kakuzu actually has five lives. That's ridiculous.

Yahiko had also begun applying himself, using the strength that golden power gave him to improve his combat skills. His strength grew more outrageous by the day. At first, Obito could still use Kamui to hold him off.

As for Obito himself, although he had Kamui and Wood Release, his chakra and physique were serious weaknesses. He simply could not compare with this bunch of superhumans, and his Wood Release did not feel very smooth to use either.

"I'm done. I'm done." Obito plopped onto the ground and waved a hand. "There's no fighting you bunch of cheaters. It's no fun."

"Oh?" Yahiko raised an eyebrow. "That's not what you said a few days ago. Who egged me on to challenge Nagato?"

"I was trying to motivate you! Aren't you getting stronger and stronger now?" Obito argued shamelessly.

Just then, a golden streak flashed past, and Rin suddenly appeared on the training ground.

She had just finished her own training, overclocking her chakra output to exercise her body.

Faint heat still rose from her.

Holding a bottle of water, she walked up to Obito.

"Obito, your problem is that your chakra control isn't precise enough." Rin handed him the water and spoke gently.

"The Wood Release in your body isn't actually yours. It feels blocked when you use it, doesn't it? You're rushing things too much."

"I..." Obito opened his mouth but could not find a retort.

He looked at Rin before him, at those clear eyes.

A complicated feeling welled up in his heart.

Somewhere along the way, the person he wanted to protect had already moved ahead of him.

"How about the two of us have a spar?" Rin invited him with a smile, holding out her fist. "I'll help you put your recent efforts to the test."

"All right!" Fighting spirit flared in Obito's eyes again, and he reached out to bump fists with Rin.

Five minutes later.

Obito lay sprawled facedown on the ground. He felt as though every bone in his body had been dismantled and then haphazardly pieced back together.

Rin stood beside Obito, without so much as a luminous flame appearing around her.

Relying only on the body she had recently trained and the reflexes granted by her Jinchūriki modifications, at the instant Obito launched each attack,

She used the simplest, most direct, and fastest method to strike precisely at the joints where he released his force and the nodes of his chakra pathways.

She forced every attack he launched right back into him.

"Do you see now, Obito?" Rin crouched and gently massaged his injured arm, green light glowing where she touched him.

"Your power is spread far too thin, and you leave huge openings. Every time, I can focus on a single point to break through your attack."

"I can get ten times your results with one-tenth of your strength."

"..."

Obito buried his face in the dirt, unable to say a word.

He felt that Rin had crushed both his confidence and his pride into the ground.

Especially in front of the person he loved most.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. What a sorry sight."

A gloating voice came from the edge of the training ground. Kakuzu had appeared there at some point.

He held a little notebook, scribbling away in it.

"You cause so much damage every time you train, and the repair costs are through the roof. Remember to pay up. I won't be covering them for you."

"Where are we supposed to get that much money?!" Obito shouted at Kakuzu in anguish and indignation.

"You don't have it now, but won't you have it in a little while?" Kakuzu gave Obito a meaningful look.

"..."

Obito's vision went dark, and he nearly fainted.

I can't live like this.

He looked at Rin standing nearby and Yahiko resting a short distance away. Both radiated powerful auras.

He no longer fit in with them at all.

I, Obito Uchiha, will never live in anyone else's shadow! Not for my entire life!

Never!

He struggled up from the ground, his gaze turning firm, and walked over to Yahiko.

"What is it?" Yahiko asked curiously as Obito approached him with a solemn expression.

"Big Brother Yahiko!" Obito bowed deeply.

"Please lend me some money! I can't afford to repair the training ground!"

Thud-!

Startled, Yahiko involuntarily leaned backward. With a tremendous crash, his sturdy skull smashed a large hole in the wall behind him.

"What are you thinking?! This is Akatsuki's training ground! Why would you have to pay for the repairs yourself?!" Yahiko tugged Obito's ear and shouted into it. Having handled logistics for a while, he knew perfectly well that the training ground had a fixed budget for such things.

"Huh? Then Kakuzu...?" Obito turned around. The place where Kakuzu had been standing was empty.

Realizing he had been tricked, Obito let out a heart-wrenching roar.

"No-!!!"

Suddenly.

Yahiko reached out to cover Obito's mouth and turned to look into the distance, his expression serious as his pupils kept adjusting their focus.

Through layer upon layer of obstructions, he saw countless figures in the distance, along with a few chess pieces.

The corners of his mouth lifted. He took a paper crane from inside his clothes, and it flapped its wings and flew toward the office.

"So the allied forces Pero mentioned have finally arrived?"