The night was quiet, with only the faint glow of the stars and moon illuminating the village.
A melancholic voice sang out, carrying a bittersweet tune that echoed through the stillness.
"If you're willing to peel back, layer by layer, my homework~"
"You'll find, you'll be shocked~ This page's blank, that page's blank, all of it blank~"
An exasperated voice broke the rhythm.
"Obito, your grandma just fell asleep, and now you're waking her up again."
Obito sheepishly called out toward the house.
"Sorry, Grandma! I'll keep it down. Rest well!"
He sighed heavily, staring at the mountain of unfinished homework before him.
"Ugh, this is way too much. There's no way anyone could finish all this in one night!"
Grumbling to himself, he muttered,
"Guess I'll have to watch my back at school tomorrow. I bet there's a whole line of people ready to kill me over this…"
After some more futile scribbling, he slammed his hands on the table and stood up.
"That's it! I'm done!"
He decisively packed up his homework and dived into his soft bed.
"Doesn't matter how much I finish. As long as I hand something in, it's all about showing Kisuke-sensei some respect."
Yes, this was the philosophy of Obito—the king of shortcuts.
Lying in bed, he saw two options appear before his eyes:
[Option 1: He's asleep. Time to train. Reward: 0.01 units of chakra.]
[Option 2: Go to sleep. Staying up late stunts growth, even sparrows dream of soaring like cranes. Reward: 0.01 units of chakra.]
Half-asleep, Obito chose the second option.
As he drifted off, a nagging feeling tugged at his mind—like he was forgetting something.
...
The next morning.
Grandma's voice called from outside.
"Obito, time to get up! Rin is waiting for you!"
At the mention of her name, Obito shot out of bed like a bolt of lightning.
"Wait, wait, I'm coming!"
For once, Obito was up early, and the morning felt leisurely. After breakfast with Rin and his grandma, the three set off toward school, with Obito proudly holding Rin's hand.
Growing up together in Konoha, their bond had always been close. As Obito glanced at Rin's bright smile, a soft warmth filled his heart.
If only I could stay with her like this forever…
But deep down, Obito knew such peace couldn't last. Somewhere in this world, a crisis was brewing—one that would engulf the entire shinobi world.
No one could escape its shadow.
And he… would be the first in its path.
So, even with the system by his side, there was no room for complacency.
...
At Academy.
Obito felt a chill as soon as he entered the classroom. Several pairs of hostile eyes were glaring at him. If looks could kill, he would've been sliced to pieces by now.
Shrinking back, he cautiously made his way to his desk.
"Huh? What's this?"
Inside his desk was a small package. Curious, he opened it to find a few cartons of milk and a note.
The note read, Thank you, with no signature.
Obito stared at it for a moment before smirking.
"You think you can trick me, Obito the Great, with such a simple ploy?"
He tossed the package—milk and all—into the trash without hesitation.
Satisfied, he returned to his seat, completely oblivious to Kakashi in the corner, whose face had turned several shades darker.
Moments later, Kisuke-sensei strode into the classroom with his books.
"Alright, everyone, let's start class."
A chubby kid raised his hand.
"Sensei, Nagano hasn't come yet."
Kisuke nodded as he wrote on the board.
"Nagano caught a cold. He's already informed me and will be absent today."
Obito froze in realization.
So that's what I forgot yesterday… I completely forgot about Nagano!
Shaking his head, he focused on Kisuke's lesson.
Over the next few weeks, an astonishing phenomenon took over the class:
Obito was seriously studying!
He sat upright during lessons, answered questions faster than anyone, and his progress was jaw-dropping.
The class was bewildered. How was this once-hopeless slacker improving so fast?
Obito, of course, thought it was only natural.
To him, everything Kisuke taught was laughably easy.
History? Konoha's few decades are nothing compared to Earth's thousands of years.
Science? Please, it's child's play.
Math? Even their hardest questions are a joke compared to quadratic equations.
As for ideological training, Obito simply borrowed passages from his past life's textbooks—they were far more profound.
The only thing requiring real effort was learning ninjutsu basics. But even then, he thought,
With hands like mine, what can't I do?
The shift in Obito's attitude ignited a competitive fire in the class.
"How is he improving so fast? He's about to surpass me!"
"This is terrifying! We can't let him overtake us!"
Determined to keep their lead, the top students began studying harder than ever. Kisuke-sensei's class turned into an academic battlefield, which was exactly what Obito wanted.
A month flew by.
On the day of the annual exam, the sky was gloomy, rain drizzling down as if mirroring the students' anxious hearts.
Inside the classroom, four chunin instructors patrolled the aisles, ensuring no one cheated.
The students sat in misery, some nervously scratching their heads. No amount of desperation could help them with these questions.
Obito, on the other hand, breezed through his test.
"This is way too easy," he muttered, finishing in no time.
He considered turning his paper in early but then had a mischievous idea.
Grinning, he began dramatically flipping through his test booklet.
Flip.
Flip.
The sound made the other students panic.
I've only answered two questions, and they're already flipping pages?!
Kisuke noticed and smacked Obito on the head.
"Quit messing around and double-check your answers. Did you even fill in the answer sheet?"
Obito froze.
"Answer sheet? What answer sheet?"
Sighing, Kisuke handed him one.
"You didn't even grab it. If you fail again, you'll be standing in class for a week."
The class erupted into laughter as Obito sheepishly scratched his head.
"I'm aiming for the top three this time, sensei!"
His bold claim only made the laughter grow louder.
Nagano chuckled so hard he almost fell out of his chair.
"You? Top three? If you make it, I'll take your last name!"
Obito smirked.
"I don't want your to take my name. How about your future kid takes instead?"
Nagano's face turned red with fury.
"YOU'RE DEAD!"
Chaos broke out as Nagano grabbed a chair and lunged at Obito.
"Sensei, help! He's gonna kill me!"
The room dissolved into laughter, the tension of the exam forgotten.
----------------
Read 10 chapters ahead for free on my patreon, read pinned message!
+70 chapters on patreon.com/Jixo
These translations are only possible because of your support. Every membership keeps the stories flowing and helps me bring fanfics to life for everyone to enjoy. Thank you for making this possible!