Yun Kong stood there, completely stunned, his mind echoing in disbelief: Wait, this can't be right. This scene is all wrong! It's supposed to be me, the one showing kindness, the one offering things! Shouldn't Obito be the one saying, "Big Brother, you're my big brother from now on. Whoever you want me to take down, I'll take them down"?
Yet, somehow, things had taken this unexpected turn. Yun Kong's brain felt like it was struggling to keep up.
Seeing Yun Kong's dazed expression, Obito cheerfully clapped him on the back twice. "What's wrong, Yun Kong? Are you just that touched?"
Yun Kong snapped back to reality. Touched, my foot! He grabbed Obito's collar and shook him vigorously. "Are you really Obito from yesterday? Did someone replace you?"
Yun Kong only stopped shaking him when Obito's eyes started rolling back. "Kid, who put these ideas in your head? Those don't sound like the words of a normal person."
After a few moments, Obito managed to catch his breath and answered, "I read it in a book. It said that a powerful ninja always acts like that."
"What book?"
"The Legend of the Sage of Six Paths." Obito replied, matter-of-factly.
"Alright, bring it to me tomorrow. And don't take everything in those books so seriously. You're lucky I'm a patient guy, or I'd have cut you down ages ago." Yun Kong tidied up his clothes, turned, and continued walking toward school.
Damn, who wrote that ridiculous book? I need to have a word with them. To change Obito overnight into this... it's too powerful. A tool like this is better in my hands.
Yun Kong was lost in thought again.
"Yun Kong, your bag." Seeing that Yun Kong seemed a bit irritable, Obito momentarily gave up on recruiting Yun Kong as his underling and hurried to catch up, intending to hand back Yun Kong's bag.
"Aren't your lunchboxes inside?" Yun Kong said, "Then you hold on to it; don't let anyone snatch it."
"Uh, alright."
Clearly, the allure of lunchboxes was powerful. Hearing this, Obito quickly slung the bag over his shoulder.
Now, this is the Obito I know! Yun Kong thought with satisfaction. Innocent, simple, kind, and above all, a little foolish. That's the Obito I like.
He grinned at the thought.
Whether it was luck or because of Yun Kong's presence, he and Obito actually managed not to be late. Just barely, though—they entered the classroom right as the bell rang.
They took seats in the last row, close to the corner. Soon, the class's assigned chunin instructor entered the room.
The teacher was dressed simply, wearing a light green vest and a headband tied across his forehead, his black hair cut to a medium length. He had a somewhat unconventional look, even a bit... punk. He was probably in his early thirties.
"Hello, everyone. I'm your chunin instructor. My name is Yamada No." He paused briefly, letting the name sink in. "For the next six years, I'll be guiding you until you all become skilled ninja."
As Yamada No introduced himself, Yun Kong sat back, observing him quietly.
Seems like this Yamada... or was it Yamada No? Anyway, he seems like a pretty gentle teacher. But I've never heard of him. Could he just be another disposable character?
Yamada No gave a brief rundown of his background before introducing the schedule at the academy: theoretical classes in the mornings, practical activities in the afternoons. He also went over a few basic rules—don't be late, no skipping classes, and respect your teachers.
There wasn't any mention of homework, though; ninja academy typically didn't assign it.
Thank goodness for that, Yun Kong thought, wholeheartedly embracing the absence of homework.
"Next, we'll start introductions from the right side of the room, one by one from front to back," Yamada No said, turning the floor over to the students.
Trying to stay awake through Yamada No's speech had already exhausted Yun Kong. As the first student, a bespectacled boy in the front row, stood up to introduce himself, Yun Kong's eyelids began an intense battle to stay open.
He forced himself to focus long enough to hear Yamada No's instructions, then turned to Obito. "When it's my turn, wake me up, alright?" With that, Yun Kong's head dropped to his desk, and he was out like a light.
Naturally, Yamada No noticed Yun Kong's dramatic slump, but he chose to ignore it. Yun Kong was just a civilian kid without any particular talent as a ninja, hardly worth paying attention to. There were other students with far more promise in the room, like Kakashi Hatake, the genius son of the Leaf's White Fang. Rumor had it he could already perform several jutsu skillfully. Besides Obito, there were also two other Uchiha boys and three kids from the Ino-Shika-Cho families.
A few others weren't from any notable clans but had ninja parents, giving them a clear advantage over Yun Kong, who came from an ordinary family. In Yamada No's eyes, the best Yun Kong could hope for was to one day become a chunin—or more likely, end up as battlefield fodder.
Yun Kong's nap was surprisingly refreshing. Maybe it was because there were so many students, or maybe it was just because his seat was so perfect for napping. By the time Obito nudged him awake, only two people were left to introduce themselves—himself and Obito.
Obito went first. Standing up, he straightened his shirt with a determined look and said, "Hello, everyone! My name is Obito Uchiha, and I'm going to be Hokage one day."
Didn't someone else say they wanted to be Hokage just a moment ago? Is Hokage that popular now? Yun Kong thought, rubbing his barely-open eyes.
Obito continued, "My favorite food is red bean dumplings, Yun Kong's purple rice cakes, and pretty much anything sweet. I specialize in Fire Style and am close to mastering our Uchiha clan's signature Great Fireball Technique. Oh, and I'm pretty good with shuriken too. That's all, thanks!"
When Obito sat down, the classroom broke into applause. Obito grinned and nodded at the clapping students, though who knew how many of them were applauding for his Uchiha name rather than him personally.
Seems like Obito's pretty popular right now! Yun Kong mused, Probably because they believe he'll be a powerful ninja someday.
As Obito finished, Yun Kong slowly stood up and took a deep breath. "Hi, everyone. My name is Yun Kong. The 'Yun' is from 'sky,' and the 'Kong' means…" Just as he started, the bell rang, signaling the end of class.
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