Takuya's Konoha Whirlwind strike was clean, fast, and impactful. The moment the tree toppled from the sheer force of his kick, Might Guy's eyes lit up like fireworks. This—this was it. The dream technique he'd always fantasized about.
It was simple, fierce, effective… and it looked cool as hell.
"I love it! Please, you have to teach me that one!" Guy practically roared, his energy bursting at the seams.
Takuya smiled. "Glad to hear it."
Of course Guy liked it. That move was literally his future signature technique. The guy would one day spin it into a whole family of taijutsu—Konoha Great Whirlwind, Konoha Rising Whirlwind, you name it. If he didn't like it, that would've been shocking.
With Takuya's promise secured, both Guy and Obito were visibly more upbeat. Even the stack of dreaded practice exams suddenly didn't look quite so evil.
"Alright! Watch me go full power—this time I'm getting at least four questions right!" Obito shouted, cracking his knuckles like he was headed into battle.
"I've got to get at least three right," Guy declared. "Otherwise I'll run 500 laps around Konoha tonight!" That self-imposed training routine was how he kept himself in line—his form of discipline.
He was already dreaming of learning the technique and then challenging Kakashi again to see how far he'd come.
But as fired up as they were, reality came crashing back fast.
A few problems into the exam, Obito was already sweating. He could hurl a fireball and hit five bullseyes in a row with shuriken under pressure, sure—but when it came to these stupid questions? Total brain freeze.
He slumped over his desk, spinning his pencil with a variety of fidgety tricks, side-eyeing the breeze fluttering nearby leaves like they were mocking his suffering.
Then he glanced over at Might Guy.
They'd been in the same class for years and both knew Kakashi. Still, they'd never actually been friends. Classmates? Yeah. Acquaintances? Sure. But real buddies? Not exactly.
In Obito's mind, Guy had always been "that other loser." He himself was just… unlucky. Not good at written stuff, but decent at ninjutsu. It was just that the rest of the Uchiha clan was full of prodigies. That made him look like the odd one out.
But Guy? That guy sucked at everything.
Yet now... here Guy was, hunched over his test, struggling but laser-focused, grinding out each question with stubborn determination. No whining, no distractions. Just effort.
Obito suddenly remembered that time Guy got laughed at and declared with unshakable confidence: "I believe if I keep working hard, I can become the strongest taijutsu user there is!"
He hadn't mocked him back then, but he hadn't believed him either. Now? Obito wasn't so sure anymore. Maybe he really could become someone incredible. At the very least, Guy was already leagues ahead of the people who made fun of him.
"Maybe it wouldn't be bad to be friends with him after all," Obito muttered. At the very least, they could team up against that damn Kakashi.
Watching this unlikely chemistry form between the two, Takuya stroked his chin, thoughtful.
He hadn't expected this kind of spark between them. Obito—who usually couldn't sit still for five minutes—was suddenly buckling down to study, influenced by Guy's silent grind. That opened up possibilities. Maybe he could use this dynamic in their training too.
When they finally handed in their tests, Takuya marked them.
Obito got three right. Guy got two.
"Still didn't break four... I gave it everything I had," Obito sighed, lying face-down on the desk like all hope was lost.
"Guess I'll just add 500 more laps to tonight's run," Guy said without flinching, already incorporating failure into his routine.
Takuya chuckled and offered encouragement. "You two are only five questions away from passing. You improved by one full question in just an hour—that's great progress."
Obito and Guy blinked, looked at each other, and slowly nodded. That did sound better when he put it like that. Maybe passing wasn't so far off after all.
Just as their spirits were lifted, Takuya smoothly pulled out another pair of fresh exam sheets.
Obito stared at the pages in silence. There were still three weekends left before the real test. He felt his soul leaving his body… but he still reached for the pencil. It was too late to quit now. They were in too deep.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the training field, Shisui had recovered his chakra and resumed his fire release practice. Fire dragons streaked across the sky, putting on a dazzling display that caught Obito's eye.
After a long stare, he finally asked, "Hey, sensei… if we learn your techniques, does that mean we're your students too?"
Takuya shrugged casually. "If that's what you want, then sure."
"Heheh, well in that case, how about teaching us right now?" Obito asked, putting on his best innocent face. His angle was obvious.
Takuya narrowed his eyes, unimpressed. Really? This soon? I barely even had to bait the hook.
"I'm serious!" Obito pressed. "I swear, I'm not trying to slack off. I just think we can do both at the same time!"
He elbowed Guy. "Back me up here."
Guy nodded earnestly. "Obito's right, sensei."
"And what if you both fail the test?" Takuya asked.
"Then whatever punishment you give us, I'll accept," Obito declared with his usual confidence.
"Same here," Guy added without hesitation.
Takuya made a show of looking conflicted, sighing and rubbing his chin. "Hmm…"
"Sensei, come on! I won't let you down, I promise!" Obito pleaded.
"I'll train hard too!" Guy added, fist clenched in front of his chest.
Takuya let out a dramatic sigh. "Alright, alright. I'll trust you. Finish this set, and I'll teach you Konoha Whirlwind and Fire Dragon Flame Bullet."
"YES! I knew you were the best!" Obito grinned wide. "Today is my lucky day—good grades, a cool teacher, and free ninjutsu training. Jackpot!"
"Thank you, Takuya-sensei," Guy said with deep gratitude. "I'll train as hard as I can."
『Would you like to establish a Master-Disciple relationship with Uchiha Obito?』
『Would you like to establish a Master-Disciple relationship with Might Guy?』
Takuya smiled brightly at the system notifications.
Yes. You both hit the jackpot.