Chapter 13 - The Blade Draws Blood
The students watched in silent horror as Obito Uchiha, in a blind fury, lunged at Youyu with a kunai.
Youyu, lazily gripping the hilt of his sheathed sword, blinked at the incoming attack.
Hideichi Tanaka felt his heart stop.
It wasn't just that Obito had attacked Youyu—it was how he did it.
Head-on. Blindly.
Like an idiot.
If Kakashi Hatake, who had inherited the legendary swordsmanship of Konoha's White Fang, had been beaten into the ground by Youyu, what chance did Obito have?
None.
Not a single person in the crowd thought Obito would survive unscathed.
Even the elite Jōnin, hidden around the training grounds, tensed, ready to intervene the moment Youyu's blade left its sheath.
"Youyu—"
Tanaka's voice barely left his lips before—
SHING!
The unmistakable sound of a blade slicing through the air rang across the field.
Obito froze mid-stride.
The kunai slipped from his grasp.
His breath caught in his throat as his eyes darted down.
His clothes had been shredded.
Every piece of fabric, from his sleeves to his pant legs, had been neatly cut away, leaving only the most critical area covered.
The class stared.
Obito looked down at himself, blinking in absolute shock.
And then—
"AAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
Obito let out an ear-piercing scream, covering himself before bolting across the field like his life depended on it.
The sound of his terrified wailing echoed through the training grounds.
Tanaka covered his face with his hands.
Kakashi, who had rushed in expecting to stop Youyu from outright killing Obito, stopped mid-step, dumbfounded.
The entire class, frozen for what felt like an eternity, finally burst into unrestrained laughter.
"That idiot—"
"—got completely stripped!"
"I-I can't breathe!"
Even Kurenai Yuhi and Rin Nohara, who had initially been worried, found themselves struggling not to laugh.
Meanwhile, Youyu took another long sip of sake.
"Huh. Thought I cut deeper," he muttered under his breath, before turning back to his drink.
But in that moment—
Ding!
The master has humiliated an 'important person' while drunk!
Kendo Comprehension +100!
Reward: 'Listening to the Breathing of All Things' (Steel-Slashing Realm)!
Youyu squinted at the sudden system notification.
"+100? Who did I just cut?"
His slightly drunk mind struggled to recall.
"Oh, right. That guy... what was his name? Oba-something?"
Obito's fate, in Youyu's mind, was reduced to the status of a random encounter.
His concern for the situation?
Absolutely none.
Instead, Youyu reached for another drink. "Brain feels slow today. Gotta drink more to fix it."
Nearby, a young Shisui Uchiha—one of the Jōnin assigned to watch the test—stared in shock.
For all his training, all his experience, he hadn't even seen the blade move.
Not once.
And he had the Sharingan.
"...This guy," Shisui murmured to himself, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
If Youyu wasn't drinking all the time, if he had actually trained properly—just how strong would he be?
Before Shisui could think further, Kakashi stepped forward, resting his hand on the hilt of his short sword, a fire burning in his eyes.
"Youyu," he said, his voice steady, "I want a rematch."
Youyu blinked at him, his drunken grin widening.
"Oh? The little dwarf wants to get cut again?"
Kakashi twitched at the insult but held his ground.
He had trained harder than ever since their last fight. He refused to believe that the gap between them was still the same.
For years, he had been called a genius, but the first time they fought, Youyu had utterly humiliated him.
Now, he was older. Stronger.
And this time, he wouldn't lose.
Tanaka, watching them both, felt dread creep up his spine.
"Wait... WAIT, WAIT, WAIT!" he shouted, waving his hands.
Youyu tilted his head. "What?"
Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "Let's fight."
The tension skyrocketed.
And this time, everyone in the class knew—someone was about to get seriously hurt.