"Umino-sensei, can we get more real-combat training? We're not training to run away!"Many students complained.
Compared to plain physical drills, they preferred one-on-one fights. At least those brought the cheering from others.
"Hey, Kakashi — it's my favorite part!"Maitake flashed his overly bright teeth and gave a thumbs-up.
"Want to have a blazing showdown of youth with me?" he called.
"…"
Kakashi, wrapped in his scarf, glanced at the green bodysuit Maitake wore and watched the other boy striking ridiculous poses. All he wanted to do was wash his eyes.
He didn't understand why his father, Hatake Sakumo, had once warned him that Maitake would someday be a formidable rival — it just seemed absurd now.
"If you don't pick up the pace you'll fall behind," Kakashi said, and took off running.
"Kakashi, here I come!"Maitake immediately matched Kakashi's stride.
"Kakashi really is as cool as ever."A bunch of girls gaped at Kakashi as he ran; watching him made the effort feel lighter.
Nohara Rin stole glances at Kakashi too, trying hard to keep up with his pace.
"Can you keep up?" Kakashi asked lightly.
"Yes," Rin nodded.
Obito was at the back. He saw Rin and Kakashi chatting like they owned the place. Gritting his teeth, Obito sprinted forward a few steps and intentionally positioned himself between Rin and Kakashi, blocking Rin's view.
"Kakashi, aren't you running too slow?"Obito put on a casual expression.
"Idiot."Kakashi just found Obito ridiculous — after only a few laps, Obito had already disrupted his own rhythm to match everyone else's tempo. He'd tire out later for sure.
Kakashi shrugged and kept running.
"That's… Uchiha Kiyoshi," Kakashi's gaze sharpened.
In the brief pause while everyone else was distracted, Kakashi looked back and realized Kiyoshi had already moved up into the lead pack.
Maybe it was his imagination, but Kiyoshi seemed to run more and more effortlessly with every lap.
For the remaining laps, Kakashi watched Kiyoshi closely.
By the end, Kiyoshi hadn't broken into a heavy sweat.
While everyone else panted and took breaks, Kiyoshi casually pulled out a small booklet to read.
His performance caught the eye of instructor Umino Rukei.
And when Umino remembered Kiyoshi's origin — the Land of Lightning — it made sense.
The Kumo shinobi were famous for their exceptional physical training; Kiyoshi's endurance being superior to most wasn't surprising.
The Senju and Uzumaki might be renowned for life force, but for raw physical body technique, Kumo had a reputation.
"You not tired?" Kakashi came over to ask. He was curious—Kiyoshi looked so thin but had such endurance.
"Not really," Kiyoshi replied, taking a sip from the water bottle he'd brought. With chakra present, a shinobi outperforms an ordinary person by a large margin — and long-distance running was no exception.
Kakashi observed him. This boy had the kind of talent who, by age twelve, could develop an S-rank technique like Raikiri — a prodigy line.
The Sharingan Obito had given Kakashi had actually hindered Kakashi's development for a while. After losing the transplanted Sharingan, Kakashi soon developed a new lightning-style technique that didn't rely on the eye or handseals — the "Purple Lightning," a substitute for Raikiri, as recorded in the official novel Kakashi Hiden: Lightning and Snow.
"Kakashi, aren't you usually the standout?" someone called.
Kakashi had the best overall grades in the year; of course he didn't lack in physical performance either.
"Kiyoshi, so you're one of us burning with youthful spirit!"
Maitake jogged over, his bowl haircut bobbing in the breeze.
"No — I'm just training," Kiyoshi said, pointing at his thin frame. He paused, then added, "If I'm going to be a shinobi, this alone won't be enough."
"That's true," Maitake agreed, nodding. The snug training suit revealed the bulk he'd sculpted under it — Kiyoshi definitely needed the conditioning.
"Kiyoshi's so hardworking," Rin said, wiping sweat as she approached. The thin sheen made her pale skin look slightly dewy.
"My posture should be handsome enough, right?"Obito, who'd earlier disrupted Kakashi's rhythm to catch Rin's eye, was exhausted the last few laps. Everyone else had finished; he alone dragged his tired limbs to complete the final circle.
He searched for Rin.
Seeing Rin notice his effort was worth the exhaustion.
"Rin…"Obito spotted Rin's back and started toward her to greet her, only to find several people already ahead of her.
Maitake he ignored by reflex. The main rivals were Kakashi and that annoying Land-of-Lightning kid.
"Nohara Rin, could you keep teaching me ninjutsu today? I've got the basics of tree-climbing down and want to learn an E-rank jutsu fast," Kakashi asked.
Kakashi's father had called him home early the day before for something important, so Kakashi had left earlier than usual.
So Rin had taught this transfer student tree-climbing yesterday? Kakashi thought curiously.
"Of course. That way Kiyoshi can adapt to the lessons sooner." Rin agreed.
In front of Kakashi, she naturally showed her gentle, kind side.
Their conversation reached Obito's ears.
"Again that guy?" Obito stopped in his tracks and clenched his fists.
He never had a lot of alone time with Rin — mostly it had been Kakashi, Rin, and him together. Yesterday, it had been Obito who'd forced himself into the group's circle. If he hadn't, Kakashi and Rin might have been alone.
His grandmother had told him that his parents died young on the battlefield. At that time, the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire had been at war.
This new transfer student was from the Land of Lightning — and he kept hanging around Rin.
Obito could tolerate many things, but not this.
He respected Kakashi's strength, saw him as both rival and friend — but why did a newcomer attract Rin's attention so readily?
"What's wrong, Obito?" Asuma Sarutobi, sucking on a lollipop, noticed his gloomy expression.
"Nothing," Obito waved him off.
Asuma didn't press; their relationship was casual enough that a passing question was all he offered.
"Oh — Rin, huh." Asuma followed Obito's line of sight and immediately grasped why Obito was so worked up.
Obito always tried so hard for Rin—everyone in class could see it.
"Tsk." Asuma snorted at Obito's brown-nosing. How could a grown man be so pathetic?
He turned away with a smile and called out, "Rin, tired? I've got candy…"