Time passed minute by minute, and soon it was 8:30.
Kakashi had been waiting under that crooked tree for more than half an hour, yet he still hadn't seen any sign of Obito, making him increasingly impatient.
After all, the graduation exam was at 9 o'clock sharp, and there wasn't much time left.
After waiting a few more minutes, Kakashi, who didn't want to miss the exam because of Obito, finally made a decision.
As expected, expecting something from that fool was just as foolish as the fool himself.
Kakashi chuckled at himself and prepared to leave for the exam venue.
But just then, a sound of hurried footsteps came from the distance.
Kakashi looked in the direction of the sound and saw Obito rushing over.
"Sorry...sorry!"
Obito ran over, hands on his knees, panting heavily as he spoke:
"I actually left early to come here..."
"But...on the way, I happened to meet an old lady who had forgotten how to get home. I thought I had plenty of time, so I decided to take her home first..."
"But then...that old lady, it turned out she lived in a nursing home!"
"There was also a group of elderly people there who needed help..."
Kakashi fell silent.
If it were anyone else, he might have thought they were making excuses.
However, given Obito's tendency to attract the elderly, which Kakashi had heard about and even witnessed several times, he reluctantly accepted the explanation.
Seeing that Obito seemed about to go into detail about what he had done to help those elderly people, Kakashi had to interrupt:
"Let's get started."
"Oh, right, sure."
Obito, realising the situation, replied.
However, seeing that Obito was still drenched in sweat and panting heavily, Kakashi thought for a moment and dryly suggested:
"Maybe you should rest for a bit first."
He didn't want Obito to use this as an excuse to keep bothering him later.
"But don't you have to—ouch!"
Obito, who was about to decline, suddenly winced in pain, instinctively touching his lips.
It was only then that Kakashi noticed several blisters on Obito's lips as if they had been burned.
This is...
A slight ripple of concern rose in Kakashi's heart.
Seeing Kakashi's gaze, Obito quickly pursed his lips, pretending nothing was wrong, and said again:
"Kakashi, don't you have to take the graduation exam?"
Kakashi replied calmly, "It's fine. This fight will end quickly anyway."
Hearing this, Obito's face froze, and veins popped on his forehead.
Damn it, Kakashi managed to show off again...
Hatake Kakashi, this guy always finds a way to show off from an unexpected angle.
Kakashi really is annoying!
Although a bit annoyed, Obito accepted Kakashi's "kindness," sitting down to rest and refining his chakra.
The two remained silent for a while, making the situation quite awkward.
To break the tension, Obito brought up the old topic again, talking to Kakashi about his recent experiences helping the elderly while resting...
After a few more minutes, Obito adjusted his breathing, and Kakashi learned a lot of useless information about elderly care.
Finally, their duel was about to begin.
Obito stood up and created some distance between himself and Kakashi, locking eyes with him from afar.
"Hehehehehe..."
But just then, a strange laugh echoed through the grove.
Then Kakashi and Obito heard a male voice:
"First! Never act on impulse!"
"Second! Never let any wrongdoing go unpunished!"
"Third! Always judge fairly and beautifully..."
As the two of them looked around in confusion, a white figure suddenly appeared between them without any warning.
"The judging machine... No, it's me, Amou Natsuhiko, reporting for duty!"
The speaker was, of course, Natsuhiko himself.
"Natsuhiko Sensei, why are you here?" Obito exclaimed in surprise as he looked at the teacher in the white lab coat not far away.
Kakashi, however, looked at Natsuhiko with a severe expression.
Because even now, he still didn't know how the man had appeared.
Is this the power of a Special Jōnin?
No wonder Obito has improved so quickly this semester under Natsuhiko's guidance.
But if a Special Jōnin is this powerful, then how strong must a Jōnin, especially an elite Jōnin, be?
Come to think of it, I've never seen that man's true strength with my own eyes.
But I probably won't have the chance now...
At this thought, Kakashi's heart dimmed, but he quickly shook his head to clear away the distracting thoughts.
Meanwhile, Natsuhiko, who was very satisfied with his grand entrance, was smiling as he answered Obito's question:
"Obito, don't you know that according to school rules, a teacher must be present during ninja school sparring to prevent any accidents?"
"Especially since this sparring session has already reached the level of a Genin, I naturally have to be here to oversee it."
"Otherwise, if anything happened to either of you, Principal Biwako wouldn't let me off the hook."
"So, I'll be the judge for your match."
Natsuhiko then turned to look at Kakashi, who had white hair like him, and smiled warmly:
"Kakashi, you don't have any objections, do you?"
"Don't worry, even though I've been helping Obito with his special training, I won't be biased."
Kakashi knew that Natsuhiko had been guiding Obito, but he didn't mind too much, so he shook his head slightly, indicating no objection.
Seeing this, Natsuhiko nodded and continued:
"Then I'll explain the rules."
"In order for you to fully showcase your abilities, this duel will follow the rules of the upper-grade practical classes."
"Apart from high-power ninja tools like explosive tags, there are no restrictions on other tools."
"And if there's a situation that could lead to serious injury or death, I'll intervene immediately, so you don't need to hold back at all."
"Of course, if I have to step in to save someone, that person will be considered defeated."
"Do you have any questions?"
"No, sir," Obito responded.
Kakashi also shook his head again.
"Alright, time is running out, so let's begin."
Natsuhiko stepped back a few paces, looked at the two of them, and announced loudly:
"Then... Ninja sparring, begin."
"Form the seal of confrontation."
Kakashi and Obito raised their right hands in response, forming the seal of confrontation.
This seal is a simplified version of the Ram hand sign, commonly used for chakra gathering. It is also used as a ritual before sparring to indicate the start of an attack.
Then Natsuhiko raised his hand and swiftly brought it down, declaring:
"Sparring, begin!"
(End of Chapter)
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