Chapter 281. Chunin Exams End
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At this moment—
Uchiha Obito was panicking internally.
He stared at his student on stage, then looked at the opponent… a girl from Kumogakure.
Especially after realizing that his student's opponent was actually Yugito's student, sweat began to bead on his forehead.
He even started to wonder…
Back then, when Minato-sensei was watching him from below the stage, did he feel the same way?
"Obito-sama… didn't you buy a bunch of masks? Just wear one!" Asuma sighed beside him, patting him on the shoulder. "Seriously… this is karma!"
"…"
Obito raised his hands to form a hand sign, expressionless.
"Okay~ my bad!" Asuma immediately surrendered, grinning. "It shouldn't be a big deal. You made it through the same thing, didn't you? After a while… people will probably forget."
"Back then, Minato-sensei and the others went up and stopped him," Kakashi rolled his eyes from the side. "Otherwise, people could probably still find it online today." As he spoke, he opened his phone. "There's already someone live-streaming this on [Ninstagram]."
With that—
Everyone went silent.
Then—
They all stared up at the stage, cold sweat dripping.
"Obito, y-you are really something! Teaching kids that kind of forbidden jutsu!"
"I didn't! That's not true! Don't talk nonsense!"
At that moment—
The two on stage faced off.
Leading his team, Uchiha Jun stood proud and confident as he stared down his opponent.
He had already… learned Obito-sensei's forbidden jutsu!
With his thumb, he made a swipe under his nose, looking squarely at the enemy. "I will inherit Obito-sensei's will and defeat all enemies!"
The moment he said that—
The entire audience was stunned, staring at this Uchiha ninja below.
It was as if… they were seeing the shadow of someone else through him.
Then—
Everyone slowly turned their heads in unison toward a figure not far away… and froze—staring at the Konoha Jonin who had suddenly and inexplicably put on a mask.
History—
Perhaps it always repeats itself.
As the referee gave the signal, the two began the fight.
Unfortunately—
Uchiha Jun wasn't Obito. Back when Obito took the Chunin Exams, he had already awakened a one-tomoe Sharingan. But Jun… hadn't even awakened his Sharingan yet.
And don't be fooled by how dumb Obito seemed when he was younger. Even though he was dead last in the Academy, his strength was still decent.
He just always ran into ridiculous problems due to his carelessness—like forgetting his kunai or choking on chewing gum during a Fire Style Release.
So, at present, Uchiha Jun was still a little behind where Obito had been back then.
Of course—
His opponent wasn't quite at Yugito's level either.
The fight was evenly matched.
The Kumo girl glared at Jun in disgust. "Damn it! Pervert!"
"This is Obito-sensei's forbidden jutsu!"
"Well, your teacher's no decent person either!"
"How dare you insult my teacher! I will definitely inherit his will and show you that even someone at the bottom can succeed!"
With a furious shout, Uchiha Jun charged forward.
However—
"…"
No no no!
That's not my will!
My will is to become the Hokage!
And that Kumo girl… that jutsu isn't something I taught either!
Obito was speechless watching the back-and-forth. With a sigh, he felt a wave of complex emotions at this all-too-familiar scene.
He quickly pulled his mask tighter.
"Madara-sama, seriously, could you not make your forbidden jutsu a bit more… normal?" Obito muttered under his breath. "Thankfully… I really did treat it like a forbidden jutsu later on. Otherwise, right now… my photos would definitely be all over the internet."
Now was the age of the internet!
Thinking back to those days…
Uchiha Yuto!
His eternal enemy!
He had two dreams. The first one was to become Hokage, and the second one was to bankrupt the Yuto Group!
Suddenly—
Just as Obito was lost in his own thoughts and secret vows—
"Obito-sama! We've got a problem!"
Asuma's panicked voice rang out. Obito snapped his head up and saw that familiar bow stance. His face panicked, and his body twisted—
And in the blink of an eye, Asuma, Kakashi, and Obito had already appeared on stage, separating the two fighters.
"You lost!" the masked Obito said to Uchiha Jun. "You've already lost, Jun! Step down!"
"How did I lose?" Uchiha Jun glared at his teacher in frustration. "I was clearly about to win!"
So annoying!
Didn't he see that the Kumo girl had already collapsed on the ground in fright?
Kumogakure… is nothing special!
But—
Obito just stayed silent. He didn't want to explain further. After a moment's hesitation, he added, "Don't use that jutsu again."
With that—
Uchiha Jun froze, confused, and looked at his teacher. "Why?"
Isn't this your forbidden jutsu, sensei?
"Sensei…" Obito let go of him, adjusted his mask, and started walking off the stage. His voice held a trace of bitterness. "Because as a sensei, I don't want you to wear a mask all your life!"
Damn that Yuto Group!
…
Very soon—
The Chunin Exams also came to an end.
Although there was a small accident in the middle, the outcome was… still good.
After the Fourth Hokage said, "Welcome everyone, the Chunin Exams have successfully concluded. I hope everyone enjoys the food and has fun!" the crowd gradually began to disperse.
Seeing that Honoka had successfully advanced, Suzune looked especially happy. She kept pinching Honoka's cheeks and cheerfully said, "Honoka is amazing! You're a Chunin now!"
Just like a mother seeing her daughter get into a top university, she was absolutely overjoyed.
Yuto gave a helpless smile, shook his head, and watched Suzune tugging at Honoka.
Unfortunately—
Kana didn't come!
She had originally planned to watch the matches too, but there was a lot going on in the Land of Rain, so she agreed to visit during Kumogakure's Ninja Grand Prix instead. She'd see Honoka then. Yuto believed that Kana would definitely be proud to see her clan member become such an outstanding ninja.
"Amazing!" Nono came over with the now-grown Yakushi Kabuto, gave Honoka's cheek a pinch, and said with a happy grin, "You actually became a Chunin so quickly." As she spoke, she pulled out a brand new ninja tool pouch. "This is a gift from Aunt Nono~"
"Thank you, Aunt Nono." Honoka happily accepted the new pouch.
For women who had a very ordinary relationship with Uncle Yuto, she was quite familiar with all of them~
And big brother Yakushi Kabuto also gave her a gentle smile and congratulated her. It seemed like he had prepared a gift too.
Now—
Yakushi Kabuto had already become an outstanding medical ninja. He was promoted to Chunin two years ago, and being two years older than Itachi, he was now working in the medical department. In a little while, he'd be promoted to Jonin.
It's said that due to his handsome appearance, warm smile, and exquisite medical skills… he had quite a number of fans on [Ninstagram].
Most likely, he had just gotten off work and come straight over.
Though—
Sometimes, even while smiling, there was a faint sense of danger in his gaze.
"I've already booked a place."
Yuto didn't mind. As Honoka's foster father and the uncle of the eldest nephew, of course he had to celebrate.
"Let's go, let's go!"
He even dragged Fugaku along.
Always with that stiff face—what was he pretending for?
He must be thrilled inside seeing his eldest son promoted to Chunin!
At this moment—
The other ninja villages were also getting ready to enjoy themselves.
Tonight… the last day of the Chunin Joint Exams. So, it's time to have some real fun.
Over on Kirigakure's side—
"I've already booked a spot at Yuto BBQ," Suikazan Fuguki looked at the younger generation of the village with satisfaction. Tucking a genuine leather briefcase produced by the Yuto Group under his arm, his large belly jiggled as he said, "You all did great these past few days. Eat whatever you want! Eat as much as you want!"
He looked every bit like a big boss.
With that—
"Yeah!!" The new generation of Kiri ninja cheered joyfully, looking at the wealthy and generous Minister Suikazan, already imagining what they'd eat tonight.
Suikazan Fuguki, satisfied with how everything was arranged, tapped another team leader on the shoulder with his briefcase. "Take care of them. Let them eat whatever they want. Just report the expenses when we get back."
"You're not coming, Fuguki-sama?"
"No! I've got some other things to do!" Suikazan Fuguki shook his head, and just as he turned to leave, he suddenly stopped, staring at two people in the distance… one with spiky black hair, and the other… red-haired with a crew cut and a thick beard. He went quiet for a moment.
Then shook his head, turned, and walked toward his accommodation, muttering to himself, "I'd better… head over there later."
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