---

  The morning sun hadn't even crested the rooftops when Obito was already at Rin's door, breathless and grinning.

  "Rin! I'm coming!"

  He'd woken up early on purpose—first day of second grade, first day of reporting. If he timed it right, he'd be the first person she saw. Last year, he'd been late to registration and nearly missed enrollment entirely. Rin had helped him. That gentle girl had changed everything.

  The door swung open, but it wasn't Rin.

  "Oh, Obito." Rin's father smiled down at him. "She's already gone."

  "Gone?" Obito's face fell. "But she always leaves at 7:30—"

  "She went to Kurenai's house."

  Obito blinked. Kurenai? Since when were Rin and Kurenai close? They barely talked at school.

  Then it hit him.

  Hanekawa.

  His stomach dropped. He thanked Rin's father and took off running.

  ---

  The door to Kurenai's house was open. Obito burst through and stopped dead.

  Rin sat on the left side of the couch, a thick textbook in her lap. Kurenai was on the right, leaning against Hanekawa and whispering something that made him smile.

  When did that happen?

  "Obito?" Rin turned, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

  "Why are you here?" he demanded. "I thought we were going to school together."

  "I ran into a problem with my studies," Rin explained, holding up the book. "So I came to ask Hanekawa for help."

  "You could've asked me!" Obito said, his voice sharper than he intended. "I studied the whole break. I memorized the textbooks!"

  Rin glanced at the cover of her book—Human Anatomy and Histology—then back at him with an embarrassed smile. "Medical ninjutsu is a bit advanced for that, don't you think?"

  "Medical ninjutsu?" Obito stared. "When did you start learning that?"

  "This break. Hanekawa helped me."

  Obito's jaw clenched. What's the point of medical ninjutsu anyway? It's not like it helps in a fight. He was an Uchiha. He didn't need—

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  A knock interrupted his spiraling thoughts.

  Kakashi walked in without waiting for an answer, his silver hair catching the light. Two months away, and he looked different somehow. More... solid. Like he'd been forged in a furnace.

  "I'm looking for Hanekawa," Kakashi said flatly, not bothering with pleasantries.

  "Hey, I was here first!" Obito snapped.

  Kakashi ignored him completely. "Duel. If I win, I graduate early."

  The room went silent.

  "Graduate?" Rin's eyes widened. "You want to graduate now? You're only five—"

  "There's no one else in the academy worth fighting except Hanekawa," Kakashi said with the casual certainty of someone stating a fact. "No point wasting time."

  Asshole, Obito thought, his face burning. "Let's go one-on-one right now, then!"

  "I'm fighting Hanekawa at full strength," Kakashi replied, finally glancing at him. The dismissal was absolute.

  Hanekawa stood smoothly. "Now?"

  "Yes."

  He walked outside without another word. Kakashi followed, leaving Obito fuming and Rin looking worried.

  ---

  The training ground was empty at this hour. Hanekawa drew a blade—not the standard-issue kunai, but a proper samurai sword that gleamed with an otherworldly sheen.

  Chakra metal, Kakashi noted. Ten million ryō worth, if the rumors were true.

  "You're making the first move," Hanekawa said.

  Kakashi moved.

  One second he was standing ten feet away. The next, he was directly in front of Hanekawa, short sword thrusting forward with lethal precision.

  So fast, Obito thought from where he watched with Rin and Kurenai. I can't even—

  Kakashi flew backward.

  He crashed into the ground hard enough to knock the wind from his lungs, his right hand screaming with pain. He couldn't feel his fingers.

  The entire exchange had taken less than a second.

  "You hurt?" Hanekawa was already there, hands glowing with soft green light.

  Medical ninjutsu. Actual medical ninjutsu, not the basic stuff Rin was learning.

  Kakashi felt the pain fade as his hand came back to life. He picked up his sword and stood, staring at Hanekawa for a long moment.

  "Let's go to school," Hanekawa said, offering a small smile. "Together."

  Kakashi hesitated, then nodded.

  His graduation dream had just died in a single exchange. But more than that—he needed to understand how Hanekawa had gotten so far ahead. Two months ago, they'd been close. Now there was a chasm between them.

  If he knew what I was thinking, Hanekawa mused as they walked toward the academy, he'd probably laugh. Kid, this is what happens when you cheat.

  The Ability System had been generous these past two months.

  Three medical jutsu learned—hemostasis, healing, anesthesia. That triggered the D-Rank Medical Ninja entry, boosting all medical effects by thirty percent. Then came the synthesis.

  [C-Rank Talent Entry: Innate Divine Power]

  [Trigger Condition: D-Rank Medical Ninja + E-Rank Swift Movement combined]

  [Effect: Yang Release talent increased 100%. Strength increased 50%.]

  [Note: Two synthesis paths available.]

  He'd chosen the second path, combining it with Swift as the Wind to create something even better.

  [B-Rank Talent Entry: Unsealed Healing]

  The name alone made him grin. If it worked anything like Hashirama's legendary technique...

  Well, he thought, watching Kakashi's frustrated expression from the corner of his eye, let's find out.

  The academy was going to be interesting this year.