Chapter 52
Upon hearing this, Haneda smiled, placing a hand on Kakashi's shoulder, and said:
"Why not? Maybe we can still fight side by side like we did five years ago."
After speaking, he extended his right fist, and a smile also spread across Kakashi's face.
The moment their fists bumped, both understood each other's thoughts—*True friends stay connected, even if separated by great distances.*
"We'll talk later, Kakashi."
Haneda waved and walked past Kakashi, heading toward the Third Hokage.
"You have a good relationship with your classmates, Haneda," the Third Hokage said with a smile, choosing to overlook Haneda's tardiness.
"Not bad. I get along well with my classmates," Haneda responded politely.
Hearing this, the Third Hokage smiled again.
He remembered how his own son had mentioned Haneda numerous times. At this moment, the smile on his face grew even more sincere.
"Congratulations on graduating, Haneda," the Third Hokage said, handing Haneda his graduation certificate.
Looking into Haneda's eyes, he asked with a smile:
"As one of Konoha's most outstanding young talents, what are your plans after graduation?"
Upon hearing this, Haneda's smile faded. He paused in thought, then carefully chose his words before speaking:
"I plan to become an excellent ninja."
"Like Uncle Sakumo, wielding the sharpest blade while treating my comrades with kindness."
"Sakumo, huh?" The Third Hokage nodded thoughtfully.
Given Haneda's behavior over the years and what he knew about the Uchiha clan, the Third Hokage saw no reason to doubt him.
He patted Haneda's shoulder, smiling as he said:
"Not bad. In the world of ninjas, those who break the rules are called trash, but those who don't care for their comrades are worse than trash."
"That's something you said a long time ago. I hope you always remember it."
Hearing Obito's famous quote after five years, Haneda felt a tinge of awkwardness.
Back then, he'd said it mainly to gain Kakashi's favor.
But now, thinking back on it, he found it both amusing and oddly profound.
Fate truly works in mysterious ways.
"I will, Lord Hokage," Haneda replied, standing tall with a smile.
After Haneda left, the Third Hokage continued calling the names of the students one by one.
When the name *Uchiha Obito* was called, the room fell silent, and no one responded for a long time.
"Uchiha Obito? Is he not here?" the Third Hokage asked again.
At that moment, two people stood up simultaneously—Haneda and Rin.
Haneda glanced at Rin, who had stood up, then silently sat back down.
Obito's fate with Rin was his own, and Haneda wasn't going to interfere.
"Lord Hokage, may I collect Obito's diploma on his behalf?" Rin asked, clenching her fists and gathering her courage.
If no one took Obito's diploma, he would have to delay his graduation.
Even if it meant embarrassing herself in front of the entire class, Rin was willing to step up and help Obito.
"Yes, Obito has met the graduation requirements. There's no need to worry," the Third Hokage said kindly. "I believe your name is Rin, correct? You're a brave girl."
Rin nodded, quickly running up to the podium to collect Obito's diploma.
"Thank you." Rin bowed repeatedly, clearly embarrassed.
"It's no trouble. Obito is a fine boy. I've often heard others mention how helpful he is."
"He probably had some urgent matter to attend to and couldn't make it," the Third Hokage said gently.
Rin's face flushed, and she hurried away with Obito's diploma.
After the remaining students had received their diplomas, the graduation ceremony came to an end.
The Third Hokage addressed the students once more, this time with a more serious tone:
"From the moment you receive your diploma and don the forehead protector representing the ninja of Konoha, you are no longer academy students but true ninjas."
"You will be assigned to teams of three, under the guidance of a jounin instructor, and carry out missions for the village."
"From this moment on, you will contribute your own strength, not just for yourselves or your families, but for the entire village."
"This also means that starting today, you will bear the responsibilities of adults."
The Third Hokage paused for a few seconds, allowing the students' excitement about graduating to turn into thoughtful consideration of their future.
Then, he continued:
"Now, I will announce the team assignments."
"Team 1..."
"Team 3: Might Guy, Anko Mitarashi, Genma Shiranui. Jounin instructor: Orochimaru."
...
"Team 7: Kakashi Hatake, Obito Uchiha, Rin Nohara. Jounin instructor: Minato Namikaze."
...
"Team 9: Haneda Uchiha, Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai Yuhi. Jounin instructor: Sakumo Hatake."
...
As the teams were announced, Haneda was stunned.
Although he could understand why the Third Hokage assigned Guy to Orochimaru, the difference in their personalities was just too vast!
It was hard for him to imagine how Orochimaru would interact with a youth full of passion and energy like Guy. Would Orochimaru eventually get so annoyed that he'd turn Guy into an experiment?!
Hmm...
After all, Orochimaru had earned the nickname "Cold Lord" for his icy demeanor.
As for his own assignment, being placed with Uncle Sakumo, alongside Asuma, the son of the Third Hokage, and Kurenai, Asuma's love interest, felt rather ordinary by comparison.
Overall, Haneda noticed that the team formations seemed heavily influenced by political considerations.
Assigning Guy to Orochimaru was likely a move to align Dai (Guy's father) with the Hokage's faction.
Meanwhile, pairing Asuma with Sakumo and himself was a clear attempt by the Third Hokage to strengthen ties with Sakumo and the Uchiha clan, hoping Asuma would form a bond with them.
Even though Kakashi's team was the same as in the original story, it also demonstrated the Third Hokage's desire to maintain Sakumo's loyalty.
As Haneda pondered these things, Kakashi, who stood next to him, spoke in a low voice:
"It seems, Haneda, that we'll be apart for a while."
"But we're still friends."
Haneda smiled, recalling Obito, and said to Kakashi:
"Besides, you've got great teammates."
"Obito is a really interesting guy. Sure, he's a bit loud, but being around him is truly fun."
"And Rin... she's kind, attentive, and very brave."
"Good luck, Kakashi. You've made new friends."
Hearing Haneda's words, Kakashi paused for a moment but quickly smiled in return.
"Maybe so. My father also suggested I make more friends."
After speaking, Kakashi glanced at the crowd.
With the team announcements complete, the students began to leave the room one by one.
"So, where are we headed next?" Kakashi asked, out of habit.
"Let's go check on a poor soul. Come on, Kakashi!"
As Haneda was about to drag Kakashi away, Guy appeared, challenging him to another duel.
"Let's have a youthful showdown, Kakashi!" Guy said excitedly, clenching his fists.
Upon hearing that familiar voice, Kakashi's face immediately dropped.
He shot a glance at Haneda, who had already turned his back, hands in his pockets, pretending not to notice. Kakashi could only sigh in exasperation.
***
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Chapter 53
"Guy, your lifelong rival Haneda is right here. Go challenge him! If you defeat him, it's like you've defeated me."
Kakashi, still trying to shake off Guy, said with a dark expression.
"No, no, no, Kakashi! Youth must be approached step by step!"
"Besides, I already promised Haneda that I would only challenge him after I truly defeat you!"
Upon hearing those words, which signaled the beginning of his nightmare, Kakashi glanced at Haneda, who was standing beside him.
At that moment, Haneda was pretending to read a ninjutsu scroll.
Noticing Kakashi's gaze lingering on him for too long, Haneda felt a bit awkward. After all, this was something he had instigated...
He had no choice but to help Kakashi out of the situation, saying, "Alright, Guy. Kakashi and I are about to surprise a poor kid, so how about next time?"
Guy looked at Haneda's serious expression, then glanced at Kakashi, who clearly wasn't thrilled. He reluctantly nodded. "Alright then, Kakashi. I'll come find you this afternoon."
Hearing this, the smile that had just appeared on Kakashi's face froze instantly.
"Ahem... let's go, Kakashi. Let's find somewhere to hide first," Haneda said, glancing around the meeting room, mentally noting any places they could hide.
Suddenly, Haneda remembered the special bond between Guy and Obito. He smiled and asked, "Would you like to join us, Guy?"
...
On the other side.
After helping an old lady, Obito was gasping for breath as he sprinted toward the meeting room where the graduation ceremony was being held.
Just as the white banner with the large letters began to fall, he finally made it. Rin was standing by the door, waiting for him.
Seeing his figure, Obito, overwhelmed with surprise, stumbled and fell to the ground.
"Incredible. You were late for both the entrance ceremony and the graduation ceremony," Rin said, leaning down with a hint of frustration in her voice.
At this point, Rin was practically speechless. "Well, it's over now. The graduation ceremony is finished."
Hearing Rin's remarks, Obito awkwardly muttered, "But I met an old lady on the way..."
Rin, already familiar with this excuse, crossed her arms and said with exasperation, "You sure run into a lot of old ladies! No wonder Haneda never walks to school with you."
Obito, embarrassed by Rin's words, muttered under his breath, "Yeah, I've been ambushed lately... it's like they're ganging up on me."
"And Haneda...!"
Mentioning Haneda, Obito's frustration flared. "I've slept in the same room with him so many times, and he never wakes me up!"
"You always blame others, even though you know it's your own fault." Rin sighed helplessly. She took Obito's dirty hand without hesitation and led him into the meeting room.
When they reached the podium, she finally stopped.
Obito scanned the empty room, but there was no sign of Haneda.
His eyes dimmed, and his mood dropped.
"That idiot Haneda ditched me again to hang out with that jerk Kakashi!"
Obito thought bitterly, tears welling up in his eyes.
Compared to a genius like Kakashi, someone like him was insignificant.
It made sense that Haneda valued Kakashi more. But for some reason, it hurt Obito deeply.
Even though he and Haneda had been friends since childhood, Haneda seemed to prefer Kakashi now.
Just as Obito was lost in thought, Rin pulled out a graduation certificate, smiling warmly.
"Here's your graduation certificate, Uchiha Obito."
"It certifies that you have successfully graduated from the Konoha Ninja Academy."
"No matter the weather, you've consistently trained and worked hard."
After reciting the words from the certificate, Rin flipped it over, showing the front to Obito.
"Here, congratulations on graduating!" she said, smiling as she handed the certificate to him.
Seeing this, Obito couldn't hold back his tears. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve and took the certificate.
"Thank you, Rin."
"Even though I didn't receive it from the Hokage himself, and Haneda and the others aren't here…"
"Who said we aren't here?"
Haneda's voice came from above Obito's head.
He jumped down, followed by Kakashi and Guy, who had been hiding as well.
"Congratulations on your graduation, Obito," Haneda said, handing Obito a small yellow flower he had picked from the garden near the meeting room as a small gesture.
"Well, well, even a loser like you has become a ninja. But still, congrats on graduating." Kakashi said with his usual deadpan expression.
"Alright! My dear Oboshi, congratulations on taking your first step into the world of youth!" Guy exclaimed with a thumbs-up and a big grin.
"Idiot Haneda, dumb Kakashi, and you, stupid watermelon head who can't even remember my name..."
"I can't believe you all were hiding!" Obito shouted, half angry, half laughing, with tears of emotion running down his face.
Despite all of this, he still felt annoyed with Haneda. He was sure Haneda had planned the whole thing!
Taking advantage of the moment when Haneda was handing him the flower, Obito punched him in the chest.
But to his surprise, Haneda didn't dodge this time, instead taking the hit directly.
"Why didn't you dodge, idiot Haneda?!" Obito asked, with a mix of reproach and regret in his voice.
"Consider it a chance to let you vent," Haneda said with a smile. Obito's punch wasn't that hard, just a little painful.
Haneda placed a hand on Obito's shoulder and smiled.
"We weren't late, were we, Obito?"
As Haneda said this, Kakashi and Guy also moved in closer on either side.
Looking at Haneda, then at Rin, Obito silently shook his head.
"Just having you here makes me happy."
"Even though I didn't get the certificate from the Hokage, and our teachers aren't here..."
"But having you all is more than enough!" Obito said, choking up.
"Haha, since when did you get so sentimental?" Haneda teased, glancing at the clock on the wall. It was almost noon, and he smiled, adding, "Let's go, Obito. It's almost lunchtime. Why don't we find somewhere to eat?"
"Where?" Obito asked instinctively.
"How about somewhere meaningful, like Yakiniku Q?"
Upon hearing "Yakiniku Q," Kakashi, Guy, and Rin had no objections. It was indeed a meaningful place for them.
For Kakashi, it was where his life had changed forever. When everyone criticized his father, Haneda and Obito had been the first to call his father a hero, and that was at Yakiniku Q.
For Guy, it was a place that carried memories of his youth. The night they had eaten there was one of the happiest moments of his life.
"Nah, not that boring place again! We've been there so many times, right, Rin?" Obito loudly protested.
But with three votes in favor and one abstention, his objection was overruled by Haneda.
So, the lunch destination was set: Yakiniku Q.
***
To read an advance 65+ chapters
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Or go to that website and search NahinS77
Thanks for reading. Stay safe.
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