Sealing Jutsu Sensei

In the early morning, the sky in the distance still dim, caught between darkness and light. 

From above, the Hidden Leaf Village remained shrouded in darkness, as if it was still asleep.

Only the occasional flicker of light on the surface of the Nakano River, which cuts through the entire village, seems to be trying to wake the village up.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

A young voice rang out clearly, echoing across the empty riverbank.

A blazing fireball burst forth on the river's surface, lighting up the surroundings as if it were daylight.

At the same time, the shadows of two figures, one large and one small, were stretched long beside it.

The fireball gradually dimmed, and the surroundings returned to darkness.

The boy who had just released the fireball, Obito, took a few deep breaths before turning his head and asking, 

"Natsuhiko-sensei... How was it this time? Did I succeed?"

"Sorry, I was dozing off just now, so I didn't see. How about you try again?"

"Sensei!?"

"Alright, I was just joking."

Natsuhiko, who was standing nearby, saw the speechless expression on Obito's face and decided not to tease him any further, stroking his chin as he spoke.

"It was mostly a success. After all, even I couldn't immediately tell whether it was the Fireball Projection Jutsu or the Great Fireball Jutsu."

"Although there's still a lot of room for improvement, it should be enough to deal with Kakashi."

Hearing Natsuhiko's words, Obito clenched his fists in excitement, a smile lighting up his face.

"Yes, I've finally caught up!"

"I've finally gathered the last piece of the puzzle you mentioned, Sensei!"

"Thank you, Natsuhiko-sensei!"

With that, Obito opened his arms gratefully and ran towards Natsuhiko.

But Natsuhiko swiftly sidestepped him...

"Sorry, I'm not like the Might Guy and his son. I don't have a habit of hugging men."

Natsuhiko politely declined.

Obito, unfazed by his missed hug, turned around and said excitedly:

"Then, Sensei, can I go challenge Kakashi to a duel now?"

Natsuhiko smiled and said, "Don't rush. Practice a few more times, then eat some rations and rest before heading out."

"Yes!"

As Obito responded, the sky in the distance was tinged with the pale light of dawn, the first rays of sunlight illuminating the two of them, causing them to squint their eyes.

The day had finally begun.

...

8:00 AM, Ninja Academy.

Graduation exams at the Ninja Academy are usually held on weekends, a few days earlier than the final exams for other grades.

So today, the only students at the academy are the senior students taking the exams.

In addition, a large number of parents had already gathered at the school gate.

Some were tirelessly giving their children last-minute advice, watching with worried expressions as they entered the school.

Others gathered in small groups, chatting to ease their nerves.

After all, while passing the Ninja Academy's graduation exam isn't particularly difficult, the results directly affect post-graduation team assignments.

Whether a Jonin or a Chunin leads the team makes a world of difference in terms of guidance and missions.

So it's no surprise that these parents are taking their children's graduation exams so seriously.

Of course, the major ninja clans who had already secured spots for their children were an exception...

As they chatted fervently, a small figure among the senior students walking toward the school gate caught their attention.

"Did that kid forget today is the weekend? The Ninja Academy doesn't have classes."

A parent, unaware of the situation, pointed at the figure and laughed.

Another parent quickly pulled his hand down and whispered:

"Don't say that. Don't you know that White Fang's son is also taking the graduation exam today?"

"What? I thought he only started at the Ninja Academy last year. How is he taking the graduation exam this year?"

"He's only five?"

"No one believes it, and neither do I..."

"Maybe we can only say, as expected of White Fang's son."

"Too bad about Hatake-san though..."

"Hmph, no matter how strong he is, someone who abandons his mission has no right to be a ninja."

As the parents whispered among themselves at the academy gate, Kakashi walked into the school with a blank expression.

To be honest, he had long since gotten used to the mix of pitying and mocking gazes from the villagers.

It was as if he wasn't a living person but rather the tombstone of the White Fang...

It felt incomplete if people didn't comment on him.

But this situation would soon be over.

Kakashi thought to himself.

Because today, he was finally going to graduate from the Ninja Academy.

Once he became a ninja, he could work to restore the honor his father had lost.

However...

Before that, there was one last thing he had to do at the Ninja Academy.

Kakashi pulled out a letter from his pocket and clenched it slightly before breaking away from the group heading to the exam hall and walked towards the back mountain of the academy.

A student noticed and asked curiously:

"Huh? Where is Hatake Kakashi going? The exam hall isn't that way."

"Who knows, maybe he's going to the bathroom."

...

Before long, Kakashi reached the depths of the forest behind the Ninja Academy.

Seeing no one under a crooked tree in the distance, he frowned slightly.

According to the challenge letter that had suddenly appeared in his drawer yesterday, Obito should be here by now.

Could it be...

That idiot was late again?

Kakashi sighed lightly and continued walking toward the crooked tree.

As he got closer, he quickly noticed a training dummy with white hair, resembling him in both size and clothing, hanging from a rope under the tree, swaying gently in the wind.

Seeing this, Kakashi's mouth twitched slightly under his mask.

Don't lose your temper!

This was clearly Obito's tactic.

The Ninja Code states that a ninja must never show emotions, no matter the situation.

Kakashi reminded himself in his heart, then took a deep breath to calm himself.

But just then, a strong wind blew, flipping the dummy around and revealing its severely damaged back.

—Even the yellow sponge was sticking out...

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

"Water Style: Wild Water Wave!"

"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!"

A moment later, when Kakashi emerged from the ground, the dummy that looked so much like him had vanished from this world forever...

Kakashi, freshly out of the ground, lightly dusted himself off and exhaled slowly.

Damn it, I let my emotions control my actions again...

Uchiha Obito, that guy always finds a way to push my buttons.

Obito is so annoying!

At least I won't have to see his stupid face every day after this.

I'll use this duel to sever this cursed connection between us...

Having made up his mind, Kakashi glanced around the area, feeling exasperated.

Speaking of which, when is that guy, Obito, going to show up? 

(End of the chapter)

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