"I haven't seen you in years, and yet... you've hardly made any progress. I'm somewhat disappointed."
Uzumaki Raiden sighed, his gaze drifting over Kakashi and Obito Uchiha. He couldn't help but reflect on how different their lives had become compared to the original timeline. Whether this change was for the better or worse, even Raiden himself wasn't sure.
At this point in their lives, these two should have experienced the traumatic loss of Rin Nohara during the Third Great Ninja War, which would have led Obito to awaken his Mangekyō Sharingan. Even as teenagers, with the power of those eyes, they could have stood toe-to-toe with Kage-level opponents.
But now, Obito was still whole, Kakashi still had both his eyes, and Rin was safe and sound. Their potential, however, seemed stunted. From what Raiden could sense, neither possessed the overwhelming presence of a true warrior.
"Fourth Hokage-sama... it really is you!" Rin exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement. She didn't seem to care about Raiden's earlier comment. For her, strength was secondary—what mattered was that he had returned.
"You guys," Raiden said, ignoring Rin and turning to Kakashi and Obito. "Have you been slacking off all these years? Living too comfortably under Konoha's protection?"
"No way!" Obito retorted immediately, his pride flaring.
"We've been training constantly! We're nothing like the rookies we used to be!" Kakashi added, his eyes narrowing with determination. His body tensed, his pride unwilling to accept the idea that he wasn't strong enough in Raiden's eyes.
"Yeah! I'm not the same Obito I was back then!" Obito pounded his chest confidently.
Raiden smiled slightly. "Alright then, show me what you've got. Let's see how strong Minato's students have become."
"But I'll warn you now—if I'm not impressed, I'll have to punish you." His smirk widened, eyes glinting mischievously.
In truth, Raiden had already made up his mind to take them with him on his upcoming travels. The excuse? They were too weak and needed proper training.
Kakashi nodded without hesitation. He saw this as an opportunity—sparring with the legendary Fourth Hokage was something he couldn't pass up.
"Alright, Raiden-sama, we won't hold back," Kakashi said.
"Yeah, just wait and see!" Obito chimed in.
Raiden casually spread his arms. "I'm waiting."
At that moment, the three sprang into action.
Obito charged forward head-on without hesitation, his Sharingan spinning. He drew a kunai from his pouch and lunged straight at Raiden.
Kakashi, on the other hand, retreated into the shadows of the trees, disappearing from view. Rin followed suit, vanishing into the cover of the forest. Their coordination was fluid, showing years of teamwork.
"Rushing straight in like that... Obito, you're way too much like Naruto," Raiden thought with a sigh.
As Obito's kunai closed in, Raiden effortlessly reached out and caught his wrist mid-air. Despite Obito's Sharingan tracking Raiden's movements, he couldn't react in time.
"His speed... I couldn't keep up!" Obito thought in shock.
Before he could process what had happened, Raiden drove his foot into Obito's stomach, sending him flying backward. He tumbled twice before stopping, coughing but still conscious.
"So weak," Raiden muttered. He had held back, but it was clear that Obito was far from ready to face stronger opponents.
Before he could react further, the sharp whoosh of kunai cutting through the air filled his ears. Without turning, Raiden leaned to the side, narrowly dodging two kunai that had been aimed at his back.
When he looked back, Obito was no longer in front of him.
"Weak physique, kunai... Do they think this will work in future battles?" Raiden sighed internally.
"Without the Mangekyō Sharingan, they're barely at a standard jōnin level."
Suddenly, the ground beneath Raiden cracked open, and a pair of hands shot up, gripping his ankle tightly.
"Hmm..." Raiden looked down, amused but unhurried.
Three shuriken flew toward him in a precise formation, aiming for his chest.
Just as they reached him, Obito emerged from the shadows behind him, Sharingan flashing, hands forming seals.
"Fire Style: Flame Dragon Bullet!"
Dragon-shaped flames roared toward Raiden, engulfing him in a wave of heat.
"Got him!" Obito thought excitedly.
But as the flames reached Raiden, a surge of blue lightning crackled to life, swallowing the fire completely and dissipating it into thin air.
Obito's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?! My ninjutsu didn't even scratch him?!"
Before he could react, a metallic clang echoed as the shuriken fell uselessly to the ground. Looking closely, Obito saw that the three shuriken had been sliced cleanly in half.
Raiden sighed. "Is that all you've got?"
At that moment, the ground beneath Raiden completely gave way, and Kakashi burst out from below, kunai pressed to Raiden's throat.
"You lost, Raiden-sama," Kakashi said coolly.
(End of this chapter)