Two years later.
Graduation from the ninja school was about to begin, and the students in the class were a mix of happy and sad.
Most of the students were excited because they were about to become ninjas.
Their five-year career at the Ninja Academy was finally coming to an end. At last, they wouldn't have to listen to their homeroom teacher's nagging or fear the occasional criticism from their teachers.
But this only applied to those who weren't worried about the graduation exam. For those who were, this period was nothing short of a disaster.
A prime example of this was Uchiha Obito. In the past two years, Obito still hadn't managed to shake off his reputation as the last in the class. His overall class ranking was on par with Guy.
Obito was currently worried about the final exam. He had heard that this year's final exam would involve the Clone Technique.
Originally, this wouldn't have been a difficult task, but he wasn't proficient in the Clone Technique.
Although both Obito and Guy were considered the class's weakest students, their situations were different.
Guy was seen as a special Taijutsu recruit in his class, and his Ninjutsu scores were always at the bottom, whereas Obito's Ninjutsu scores were among the best in all subjects.
The common ground between the two was their very low scores in cultural classes.
Initially, of these two, one excelled in Ninjutsu while the other excelled in Taijutsu, but it seemed that Obito had a slight edge, and both had promising futures.
However, when it came to the graduation exam, their situations were vastly different.
Guy was always at the bottom in Ninjutsu, so the school considered his special circumstances and exempted him from the Ninjutsu exam.
Obito, on the other hand, usually had good Ninjutsu scores and was at least average in his class.
Therefore, there was no reason to exempt him from the exam.
This made him extremely anxious, to the point that he had to work overtime every day to practice.
It had to be said that Obito's cramming was quite effective.
After all, he would practice at the training ground even in the rain. Now, Obito's [Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique] had reached Shintaro's level from two years ago. Not only were his shuriken techniques significantly improved, but he could at least hit the target.
However, Obito's proficiency in the Clone Technique was something he had only just managed to grasp after much struggle. Facing the graduation exam at such a level made him feel very unsure.
The reason Obito was so worried about the final exam was because he was discovered by Rin practicing in the rain. He had been thinking about it for a long time and suddenly remembered a helpful figure, Uchiha Shintaro.
"Yes, Shintaro is a member of the Uchiha Clan, he can definitely help me."
So Obito found him and explained his purpose for coming, and Shintaro did not refuse.
At the training ground, Obito stood upright. Shintaro, in front of him, touched his chin and observed him.
He scanned Obito's information with his Six Eyes. Although Obito's grades were poor, his strength wasn't.
Though his physical abilities weren't as good as Guy's, he still had a solid foundation but lacked skills.
In terms of Ninjutsu, the amount of chakra forming the basis of his Ninjutsu was quite large. Though the Ninjutsu he mastered wasn't extensive, it was enough to tackle the graduation exam.
Though Obito had only mastered the basics of Genjutsu, the Genjutsu subject in the graduation exam was essentially a written test, so there was no need to worry.
From this perspective, Obito should be able to pass the exam.
It was just that Obito didn't know what he was doing wrong, so Shintaro could only guide him symbolically.
Obito had a good foundation; what needed to be trained was his skills.
"Your previous training methods were too sloppy, that's your weakness. Our next training will focus on specific skill training." Shintaro said.
In terms of physical skills, he personally acted as a sparring partner, imparting his combat experience to Obito with punches and kicks, then letting him practice on his own while guiding him.
In terms of Ninjutsu, the process of performing the Clone Technique was optimized for him. The Six Eyes were used to examine the flow of chakra in Obito's body and provide continuous guidance.
Obito felt that Shintaro was truly amazing; he could even direct the chakra flow in his body without any obstacles. His ability to perform the Clone Technique became much easier after following Shintaro's instructions.
In fact, Obito's original level in the Clone Technique had already reached the standard, but his method of execution was too cumbersome.
Shintaro merely pointed out a better way, and he felt he didn't help much, at most just giving a nudge.
However, Obito was extremely grateful to him. To express his gratitude, he even treated him to a barbecue.
It's worth noting that Obito's parents had long since passed away, his grandmother had died, and his family's situation was far worse than Shintaro's, who could get support from Fugaku and Shinku.
This barbecue meal cost Obito almost half a month's living expenses.
Even inviting him to a barbecue wasn't enough. Obito patted his chest and said he still owed him. If Shintaro needed help in the future, he would assist without hesitation.
Shintaro just laughed it off. After all, he thought he wouldn't need any help from Obito.
However, he found this Uchiha before him to be truly special. Such a lively, cheerful, and carefree character was unique among the entire Uchiha Clan.
There were calm and composed individuals like him in the Uchiha Clan, sly and cunning ones like Uchiha Kotetsu, quiet and dull ones like Uchiha Hamasu, and wise ones like Uchiha Fugaku.
But there wasn't anyone as cheerful and lively as Obito, and the word "cheerful" seemed unrelated to the entire Uchiha Clan.
With Shintaro's help, Obito passed the graduation exam.
However, on the day of the graduation ceremony, Obito was late because he was helping an old lady cross the street.
He didn't even attend the class placement ceremony and the forehead protector handout after graduation. Fortunately, Rin was waiting outside the graduation ceremony. In the end, the teacher personally held a graduation ceremony for Obito.
When Obito asked about the class placement after graduation, Rin lowered her head, making Obito think that he and Rin weren't on the same team, and his mood plummeted.
As a result, Rin placed her hands on her hips and joked, "Unfortunately, we are on the same team."
This made Obito instantly happy, and when he asked who the other teammate was, Rin gave a mysterious smile.
At this time, Shintaro had also graduated and was sitting on the rooftop of a building with the Konoha forehead protector.
The two people next to him were very familiar, one was Yuhi Kurenai and the other was Sarutobi Asuma.
Opposite the three of them was the Jonin in charge of Team 8, a man wearing a Jonin vest, his black hair tied up like a pineapple, and sporting a beard.
There were two scars on the right side of the man's face, making him look a bit fierce, but his eyes reflected a shrewd and intelligent temperament.
After carefully observing the three students in front of him, the man said, "Now let me introduce myself. I am your teacher, Nara Shikaku."