Chapter 277 The Surprised Uchiha

“Then I challenge you,” Obito challenged Uchiha Inaho.

He was just wondering how to get the reward, and after hearing Uchiha Inaho’s words, his thoughts instantly cleared up.

“I accept your challenge.” Uchiha Inaho looked at Obito with an appreciative gaze; daring to challenge a stronger opponent was a big plus for him.

“Just fight all out later; don’t worry about anything else,” Uchiha Inaho continued.

Although Uchiha Tekka said Obito had the strength to pass the Chunin Exams, Uchiha Inaho didn’t believe a nine-year-old Obito could hurt him.

Firstly, he had passed the Chunin Exams last year, and secondly, he felt Uchiha Tekka had just graduated and didn’t know the difficulty of the Chunin Exams.

“Fight all out, alright.” Obito nodded in agreement, thinking Uchiha Inaho was a battle maniac like Might Guy.

“Tekka, you be our referee,” Uchiha Inaho said to Uchiha Tekka beside him.

The Uchiha didn’t have a dedicated referee; they usually found a friend or simply didn’t use one.

“No problem.” Uchiha Tekka nodded. After Uchiha Inaho and Obito’s battle ended, he also wanted Uchiha Inaho to give him some pointers.

Then, the few of them went together to the open space in the courtyard. There was also a small pavilion nearby, where Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Yashiro had gone to drink tea after finishing their discussion.

Since it was just the beginning, there were no battles in the courtyard yet. Obito and Uchiha Inaho were the first to fight.

“I’ll count down from five, then the battle begins. Five, four…” Uchiha Tekka said after Obito and Uchiha Inaho took their fighting stances.

Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Yashiro, who were drinking tea, noticed Obito and the others preparing to fight.

“This Uchiha Obito is a good prospect. He has good talent and dares to challenge others,” Uchiha Yashiro said, nodding as he watched the scene.

He thought highly of Obito, believing that among the Uchiha of similar age to Obito, besides Shisui, who was more of a genius, Obito was second.

“Hmm, Inaho is also good. Although he’s not old, he’s very steady when working for the Police Force,” Uchiha Fugaku said, putting down his teacup and nodding.

“Two, one, battle start!” Uchiha Tekka counted down while quickly retreating. By the time he yelled “start,” he was already next to the house, then he seriously looked at the open space, ready to enjoy the battle.

Uchiha Tekka felt that Uchiha Inaho would win in the end, but it wouldn’t be an easy victory; it would be a tough battle.

Uchiha Tekka’s voice attracted the Uchiha who were chatting inside the house.

“Someone’s fighting so soon? Let’s see who it is.”

“Anyone who dares to be the first to step out shouldn’t be weak.”

Some Uchiha curiously came out to watch the battle.

“Oh, it’s Inaho, no wonder. But who’s that person opposite him? I don’t think I’ve seen him before, and he looks quite young,” an Uchiha asked curiously when he saw Obito.

“I don’t know, no impression,” everyone around him shook their heads.

“He’s probably a junior who’s not good at socializing, so he shows up less often. This battle should be a sparring match.”

So, a few Uchiha went back inside to continue chatting, feeling that this kind of battle was uninteresting.

After Uchiha Tekka finished the countdown, Obito immediately changed his breathing rhythm, entering the Flame Breathing state, while cautiously observing Uchiha Inaho.

“He’s not moving at all, what kind of tactic is this?” Obito wondered, looking at the motionless Uchiha Inaho.

In all the battles at school, or against enemies encountered during missions, he had never seen an opponent stand still; it was as if his entire body was full of openings.

Obito was a bit confused about what Uchiha Inaho was trying to do.

“Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!”

Obito quickly formed hand signs, gathered Chakra in his throat, then performed Nature Transformation and exhaled a large amount of flames.

The flames accumulated together, finally forming a giant orange-red fireball nearly four meters in diameter, looking incredibly imposing.

Because he didn’t know Uchiha Inaho’s information, and his tactics were so strange, Obito chose the versatile opening Ninjutsu, Great Fireball.

“He’s actually mastered the Great Fireball Technique at such a young age.” Uchiha Inaho’s face showed a surprised expression as he watched the giant fireball hurtling towards him.

His own Great Fireball Technique, when fully unleashed, was only about this level, and Obito was only nine years old this year, while he was already thirteen.

“It seems he must be a Ninjutsu genius,” Uchiha Inaho thought.

He decided to focus his guidance on Taijutsu. There really wasn’t much to guide regarding Fire Release; to be able to use such a Great Fireball at this age was impressive.

“Does anyone know anything about him, to have such proficiency with the Great Fireball Technique at this age?” It wasn’t just Uchiha Inaho who thought Obito’s Great Fireball was impressive.

Some even suspected Obito was already twelve or thirteen, just shorter in height.

“His name is Uchiha Obito, and he’s the same age as me, nine years old this year,” Uchiha Tekka came out to correct them.

“Uchiha Obito? I’ve heard that name. Didn’t the rumors say he was the Uchiha dead last?” An Uchiha Ninja, three grades older than Obito, had some information pop into his mind when he heard the name.

The year he was about to graduate, he heard that there was a low-grade student named Uchiha Obito whose grades were very poor and was called the dead last among the Uchiha. Although they were of the same clan, he had no intention of sticking up for Obito. In his mind, if you weren’t strong enough, you deserved the title of dead last.

“Dead last? You call a nine-year-old who can use this Great Fireball Technique a dead last?”

Uchiha Tekka’s mood was very complicated listening to their words. Who would have thought that Obito would suddenly burst forth in his graduating year, going from last place to a strong contender for first in his grade?

He also understood that these Uchiha didn’t know about Obito, as after graduation, who still paid attention to school matters? Besides, it seemed Obito didn’t have any other Uchiha friends except Shisui; he only played with people from other clans.

“Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!”

Uchiha Inaho also quickly formed hand signs, gathered a large amount of Chakra, and exhaled a Great Fireball of similar size to Obito’s.

Boom!!

The two giant Great Fireballs collided, causing a violent explosion. The blazing flames scorched the ground near the impact, and the loud explosion also drew out all the Uchiha from inside the house.

“This Uchiha Obito is not just good; he must have a very strong talent in Fire Release,” Uchiha Fugaku said with a surprised expression.

He had originally intended to watch Shisui’s performance, but Obito had given him an unexpected pleasant surprise instead.

“Indeed, this talent is rare even among us Uchiha,” Uchiha Yashiro agreed, stating that he couldn’t use such a Great Fireball when he was nine.

Uchiha Fugaku decided to give Obito a B-rank Fire Release Ninjutsu as a reward after the exchange meeting.

After using his Great Fireball to nullify Obito’s Great Fireball, Uchiha Inaho took the initiative to charge at Obito. Based on his judgment, Taijutsu should be Obito’s weakness.

Obito was only nine years old; if he practiced Ninjutsu so excellently, he must have spent a lot of time on it, leaving no time for Taijutsu training.

“His speed is a bit slow. Is this another tactic?” Obito thought Uchiha Inaho might be feigning weakness.

Because Uchiha Inaho’s previous demeanor, like a senior guiding a junior, made Obito feel that Uchiha Inaho would be very strong, yet Uchiha Inaho’s current speed was only about the same as his own when maintaining normal breathing.

“Flame Breathing, Total Concentration Breathing!” Obito focused his breathing, further enhancing his physical abilities.

If he couldn’t figure it out, he wouldn’t bother. He would just go all out and adapt as needed.

Whoosh!

Obito concentrated Chakra in his feet, burst forward with extreme speed towards Uchiha Inaho, then quickly delivered a whirlwind kick.

Obito had also learned some of the Whirlwind series Taijutsu, and combined with his frequent battles with Might Guy, he was quite proficient.

“Such speed!” Uchiha Inaho only felt Obito’s figure flash, and he immediately appeared beside him.

Bang!

Uchiha Inaho, who had no time to react, was directly kicked four meters away and slammed heavily to the ground.

Uchiha Inaho, lying on the ground, was utterly bewildered, his mind filled with questions like, “Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do?”

“He has such high proficiency in Ninjutsu and is so strong in Taijutsu too. Did he start training right after he was born?” Uchiha Inaho felt extremely depressed.

Not only was Uchiha Inaho bewildered, but Obito was also bewildered.

“My Taijutsu and Breathing Technique haven’t made any significant progress recently, so why did he go down so easily?” Obito scratched his head, looking at Uchiha Inaho four meters away.

The surrounding Uchiha were even more surprised. Although they didn’t recognize Obito, they were familiar with Uchiha Inaho!

Uchiha Inaho had been participating in exchange meetings ever since he became a Genin, never missing a year, and always challenging older Uchiha at the meetings. He was considered a famous young expert among the younger generation of Uchiha.

“When did such a genius appear in the clan? He looks ten at most, and Inaho was actually defeated so easily.”

“His name seems to be Uchiha Obito.”

“Uchiha Obito, isn’t that…”

Initially, it was the commotion from the Ninjutsu collision and explosion. As more people discussed, the noise grew louder, and eventually, all the Uchiha inside the house came out. They successfully remembered the name Uchiha Obito and marked him as a genius.

“His strength is actually stronger than Inaho-nii’s. Has he improved again?” Uchiha Tekka was somewhat unable to accept the result of their Taijutsu clash.

After all, Uchiha Inaho was the Ninja he strived to be and looked up to.

“Maybe Inaho-nii was careless. After all, it was his first time fighting Obito,” Uchiha Tekka consoled himself, then continued to watch the battle. At this point, Uchiha Inaho had gotten back up.

Uchiha Inaho and Uchiha Tekka had similar thoughts. He admitted that Obito’s Taijutsu was indeed strong, but being defeated so easily was largely due to his underestimation of the opponent.

“I can no longer treat him as a junior; I must treat him as a Ninja of the same level.” Uchiha Inaho took a deep breath and showed a cautious expression.

Uchiha Inaho regarded Obito as an opponent of the same rank, while Obito, after two rounds of confrontation, concluded that Uchiha Inaho’s strength was significantly weaker than his own.

None of those earlier moves were tactics; he was just plain weak.

Having figured this out, Obito directly charged forward, relying on the boost provided by Total Concentration Breathing, and engaged Uchiha Inaho in close-quarters combat.

This time, Uchiha Inaho was incredibly serious and careful, but these efforts couldn’t compensate for the gap in strength between him and Obito.

With a bang, he was once again knocked down by Obito.

“Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!” Realizing that he truly couldn’t compete in Taijutsu, Uchiha Inaho switched to Ninjutsu.

“Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Claw Crimson!”

The fireballs infused with Shuriken had greater power than regular Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique. Uchiha Inaho’s Phoenix Sage Fire Technique was nullified, and he was also cut by the high-temperature Shuriken.

“He actually mastered this technique too!” Uchiha Inaho realized he had still underestimated Obito. It wasn’t just that his Taijutsu was stronger; both his Ninjutsu and Taijutsu were stronger.

Obito seized the opportunity, knocked Uchiha Inaho down, pinned him, and directly pressed a Kunai against Uchiha Inaho’s neck.

“This should count as my win, right?” Obito asked casually.

He felt that obtaining this advanced Fire Release Ninjutsu was quite easy. Uchiha Inaho didn’t even have a Sharingan. He had been wondering what he would do if Uchiha Inaho used his Sharingan.

“Uchiha Obito wins.” Uchiha Tekka finally announced the battle result. At this moment, his expression was difficult to describe; there was surprise, sadness, and confusion.

Uchiha Inaho, lying on the ground, also felt extremely complicated. At first, he came to guide a junior, but he ended up being thoroughly taught a lesson by the junior.

“Are you okay? Do you want me to take you to the hospital?” Obito asked, extending his hand to Uchiha Inaho with a concerned expression.

He had a good impression of Uchiha Inaho, who had so easily helped him obtain an advanced Fire Release Ninjutsu.

Uchiha Inaho took Obito’s hand, stood up, and replied, “No need for such trouble. It’s just a scratch. I’ll be fine after some rest.”

After speaking, Uchiha Inaho walked towards the house; he needed some quiet time.

“Inaho-nii.” Uchiha Tekka patted Uchiha Inaho’s shoulder. He understood that feeling perfectly; he too had been defeated by Obito in front of a group of disbelieving classmates.

Obito’s battle exceeded most people’s expectations. Except for Shisui, no one thought he could defeat Uchiha Inaho.

“I didn’t expect him to be so excellent in Taijutsu in addition to Ninjutsu,” Uchiha Yashiro sighed.

He had originally wanted Obito to become the next Uchiha Inaho, but Obito now already possessed strength that surpassed Uchiha Inaho.

“We can allocate more resources to Uchiha Obito and simultaneously cultivate his sense of family loyalty,” Uchiha Fugaku said after some thought.

Uchiha Fugaku now thought highly of Obito because he himself didn’t have Obito’s current strength when he was nine.

Uchiha Yashiro nodded. A genius like Obito naturally needed to be vigorously nurtured; in ten years, he would be a reliable combat force.

Because he defeated Uchiha Inaho, some Uchiha approached Obito with curiosity to chat, but they mostly asked him about training-related questions.

Obito answered everything he could, and in the process, he met many young Ninja from the Uchiha Clan.

Today was strange. The morning and noon were fine, but after 5 PM, my head started to ache a bit, which made writing very slow, and I also lacked passion.

If there are any errors or bad parts, you can leave a comment within the chapter. I’ll revise it when I see it. My mind still feels hazy right now.

There’s more to come. I’ll try my best to write another chapter.