Naruto: Strength Through Teaching

Chapter 39: The Contest Between Speed And Perception

Obito was feeling somewhat irritated.

If Kakashi didn't participate, then winning first place would be meaningless to him.

What Obito wanted was to defeat Kakashi in front of Rin, regain his honor before her, and secure the first position. Without Kakashi, winning first place wouldn't bring much joy to Obito.

His obsession with winning the Youth Ninjutsu Competition was entirely provoked by Kakashi.

Back then, in front of Rin, Kakashi forcefully secured first place, overshadowing Obito's scores and turning his championship declaration into a joke.

Obito had kept this incident in mind, but until now, he couldn't win.

Now that he possessed the ability to win against everyone, he discovered that his opponent had already withdrawn, leaving Obito quite displeased.

"No, I must make Kakashi participate in the competition!" Obito thought more and more that a competition without Kakashi was simply unacceptable.

"Maybe I can ask Kakashi after school if he has any thoughts about participating," suggested Rin.

"I can go with you. It's been a while since we've seen Kakashi," added Obito.

Although the three of them had a good relationship, their opportunities to meet had decreased since Kakashi graduated. As students, Rin and Obito had to go to school every day, while Kakashi, as a ninja, had missions to attend to.

"Alright," nodded Obito, thinking that Rin's idea was a good one.

Before the end of the school day, Obito took a day off with Mutsuki and decided not to visit Mutsuki's place today. Instead, they would first address the matter with Kakashi.

After school, Rin and Obito went directly to Kakashi's house.

Kakashi's home was not in the main city area but in the suburbs adjacent to it. Although not as bustling, it lacked the congestion of the main city.

Rin and Obito had visited Kakashi's home before and had even been invited in for a meal.

As they saw the large flat-roofed house coming into view, the two knew they had arrived.

The two were in luck; today, Kakashi didn't have a mission. When they arrived at Kakashi's house, he was practicing in the yard.

Kakashi held a silver-white Chakra short blade, effortlessly severing the head and limbs of a straw dummy in just two or three strokes. Upon seeing his friends, Kakashi let out a gentle breath and re-sheathed the Chakra short blade on his back, asking, "Why have you come?"

"It's been a while since we played together. We all missed you, so we came to find you," Rin said with a smile, being polite.

Obito, however, wasn't as tactful as Rin. He asked straightforwardly, "Kakashi, the Youth Ninjutsu Competition is about to start. Do you want to sign up?"

"The Youth Ninjutsu Competition?" Kakashi thought for a moment, recalling it as a casual competition he used to participate in when he was still in school. "Not interested," Kakashi replied nonchalantly. In his view, such competitions were meant for kids, and the first prize was just a slightly fancier Kunai.

Even back in ninja school, he only participated out of boredom, let alone now. Obito's face drooped; Kakashi's refusal was too resolute.

"Why? You participated before, didn't you?" Obito persisted, unwilling to give up. He genuinely wanted Kakashi to join the competition.

"Back then, I was still an Academy student. Now, I'm already a Chunin," Kakashi pointed to the ninja headband on his forehead.

Obito felt Kakashi was implying something. He was a student back then, and he still is a student now.