In Training Ground 16, before the start of the practical combat exam, Moonsuke stood in front of the students, doing roll call.
Since the entire school was taking the exam simultaneously, and the combat portion required ample space, the schoolyard wasn't large enough to accommodate all the students. Thus, they moved to the training grounds.
Once all the students were confirmed to be present, Moonsuke and Kimura Sugin started the lottery process.
The rules for the combat exam were simple. First, each student would come forward, draw a number, and their opponent would be determined based on the draw. Number 1 would fight Number 2, Number 3 would fight Number 4, and so on.
"I got number 1! Rin, what number did you get?" Obito Uchiha excitedly asked Rin Nohara after drawing his number.
"I'm number 10. That means you're in the very first match!" Rin replied with a smile.
"It doesn't matter which match I'm in; I'm going to win, no doubt about it!" Obito declared confidently. He was eager to show everyone the improvements he had made.
Training with Moonsuke over the past month had been transformative for Obito. Every day he felt himself growing stronger, leaving his former self far behind.
After talking to Rin, Obito approached Might Guy to ask about his number.
"I'm number 40," Might Guy said.
"So, we probably won't face each other until the very end," Obito noted.
"Don't lose before I get my chance to fight you, Obito!" Guy flashed his trademark thumbs-up with an encouraging smile.
"That's my line! I'm an Uchiha!" Obito snapped back, unsure if Guy was being playful or seriously underestimating him.
"Where are you two getting all this confidence?" One of their classmates scoffed, clearly not buying into the bravado of the class's two weakest students.
"Let the first match begin! Uchiha Obito versus Uchiha Tetsuka!" Moonsuke's voice rang out, signaling the start of the combat exams.
Obito didn't bother arguing with his detractors. Instead, he strode to the marked combat area, where Uchiha Tetsuka was already waiting. The two Uchihas exchanged a brief glance—neither seemed particularly interested in the other.
They were both from the same clan, the same class, and the same age, but they had never interacted much.
Tetsuka found Obito to be a bit of an oddball—always late, often struggling, and, in his opinion, unworthy of the Uchiha name.
Meanwhile, Obito thought Tetsuka was cold and unapproachable. There was no deep animosity, just mutual disinterest.
"Two Uchihas? This ought to be interesting," someone in the crowd remarked, eager to see the battle unfold.
"What's interesting about it? This is an obvious win for Uchiha Tetsuka. Obito doesn't stand a chance," another student scoffed.
"Tetsuka's been the top student in the class every year since Kakashi graduated early. He's the real deal."
"Obito? He's just average. There's no way he's beating Tetsuka."
Many others shared this sentiment—Obito's reputation as an underperformer in both theory and combat was well-known, and few believed he could pull off an upset against someone like Tetsuka.
"Be careful, Obito," Rin called out, concern evident in her voice. She knew that Obito's luck hadn't favored him with this matchup.
Obito's skill level was certainly better than before, but Tetsuka was a seasoned opponent, constantly at the top of their class. All she could hope for was that Obito didn't get hurt.
While she wanted to believe in his chances, the reality of the situation made her nervous.
"Everyone's counting him out, huh? That'll make his victory even sweeter!" Might Guy said, full of optimism and belief in Obito.
The growing excitement even caught the attention of students from other classes, who wandered over to watch. Still, most didn't think much of the fight, dismissing it as a one-sided match in favor of Tetsuka.
Standing across from each other, Obito and Tetsuka made the traditional hand signs to signal the beginning of their battle.
"Begin!" Moonsuke shouted.
Without wasting any time, Tetsuka quickly pulled out three shurikens and hurled them at Obito, targeting his head, body, and legs. He then immediately charged toward Obito.
Obito reacted just as fast, retrieving three shurikens of his own and throwing them to intercept Tetsuka's.
The clang of metal echoed through the training ground as the shurikens collided and fell to the ground.
"Even the weakest Uchiha can handle shuriken throwing with some degree of skill," Kimura Sugin observed.
Intercepting shurikens mid-flight wasn't an easy task; it required precision and timing.
By this point, Tetsuka had closed the distance, throwing a right hook toward Obito's face. Obito didn't back down, responding with a punch of his own, and the two engaged in a fierce hand-to-hand battle.
They exchanged blows, creating clouds of dust as their punches and kicks flew in rapid succession.
"Whoa, Obito's actually keeping up!" someone from the crowd exclaimed in surprise.
No one expected Obito, the class underdog, to hold his ground against Tetsuka, let alone match him blow for blow.
"Obito's gotten so much stronger," Rin whispered, her eyes wide in disbelief.
She had expected him to be overconfident as usual, but it seemed this time, his confidence was backed by real improvement.
"Obito's still at a disadvantage," Kimura Sugin commented, shaking his head. As a Chūnin, he could see what the students couldn't—the subtle gaps in Obito's technique and the fact that Tetsuka was slowly gaining the upper hand.
"His taijutsu is still a bit lacking," Moonsuke agreed.
It had only been a month of training, after all. Obito had primarily focused on improving his fire-style ninjutsu, but time hadn't allowed him to perfect his taijutsu as well.
Gradually, Tetsuka began to push Obito back, his strikes landing more frequently and forcing Obito to retreat.
"I knew it. No way Obito could beat Tetsuka," one of the spectators said with a sigh of relief. At least this way, their initial assessment of Obito wouldn't be proven wrong.
But Obito wasn't done yet.
Taking advantage of a brief opening, he leaped back, putting some distance between himself and Tetsuka, and quickly began forming hand seals.
He hadn't trained all this time just to throw a few punches. It was time to show the fruits of his labor.
This chapter ends on a cliffhanger as Obito prepares to unveil his newly honed fire-style jutsu.