Naruto: Drinking Makes You Stronger

"The class clown dares to challenge Leo, someone even more talented than Kakashi?"

"Where does he get the courage?"

"Is he out of his mind? What an idiot!"

At the bottom of the class rankings, Obito Uchiha stood up and declared that he was going to challenge Leo.

In contrast, the rest of the class, who had been silent moments ago, kept their heads down, terrified that they might be chosen to face Leo.

Obito's boldness felt like a slap to their pride. They lacked the courage to mock Leo directly and instead directed all their frustration toward Obito.

"Obito Uchiha?" Tanaka-sensei glanced at the class roster, his expression unreadable as he observed the bold yet struggling student.

"How do you ease your troubles? With a drink, of course!" Leo, unconcerned by Obito's challenge, muttered something incomprehensible while sipping the wine that Rin and Kurenai had brought him.

The class had long grown used to Leo's cryptic, drunken musings. To them, it was normal for him to spout nonsense while intoxicated.

"You jerk! Don't look down on me!" Obito, annoyed by Leo's dismissive attitude, shouted angrily.

What made it worse was that Leo, clearly tipsy and unsteady on his feet, was leaning on Rin for support. Seeing this, Obito's jealousy flared, his eyes burning with frustration.

"Obito Uchiha," Tanaka-sensei repeated, confirming the name on his roster. Beside Obito's name, three letters stood out: F-A-I-L.

"For this test, Obito Uchiha has failed," Tanaka-sensei announced, pen in hand, his tone even.

"Failed?! Why?!" Obito's eyes widened in disbelief as he shouted in protest.

"What exactly did you learn in theory class?" Tanaka asked, his voice calm but pointed.

This test, unique to their class, had been created specifically because of Leo. As a prodigy far beyond the level of a regular student, Leo's presence required special considerations. This wasn't just a test of strength—it was a test of character.

No student could rival Leo's power. However, Obito's decision to challenge Leo stemmed from personal emotions rather than strategy—a reckless move for any ninja. A proper ninja's priority is to complete their mission, and allowing emotions to cloud judgment can lead to disastrous failure. Given these factors, Obito's actions made failure inevitable.

"Now, as for the next—"

"I get it! That means someone's challenging me, huh? Haha!" Before Tanaka could finish, Leo interrupted, only half-listening to Rin and Kurenai's translation.

"It's been a while since I've had a good fight. My hands are itching for some action. Hey, what's your name, kid?" Leo squinted at Obito, his hand already moving toward his sword.

Tanaka's eyes widened in panic. What the heck?! I didn't even finish explaining yet! Why is he about to draw his sword?!

Breaking into a cold sweat, Tanaka frantically gestured to Rin and Kurenai, silently pleading for them to calm Leo down before he actually hurt someone.

"But this jerk... he looks down on me so much!" Obito clenched his fists, his voice trembling with frustration.

Since childhood, he had always been the clan's "failure." While the Uchiha clan was Konoha's most prestigious family—a haven for geniuses—Obito had consistently lagged behind. Even at the ninja academy, he was still at the bottom of the class rankings—the infamous "crane tail."

As Konoha's most prominent and influential clan, the Uchiha family was known for producing exceptional talents. Whenever a member of the Uchiha clan joined the ninja academy, they always stood out as shining stars. But Obito Uchiha turned out to be an exception—a disappointment often referred to as the "shame of the Uchiha clan."

At this point in his life, Obito's heart was weighed down by deep feelings of inferiority. And the more he felt inadequate, the more he craved recognition from others. However, Leo paid no attention to him at all.

Despite knowing the significant gap between himself and Leo, Obito's impulsive nature blinded him to reality.

"I'll make sure you remember my name!" Obito growled, glaring at Leo with determination. When he saw Rin whispering something close to Leo's ear, his anger flared even more.

Consumed by jealousy and frustration, Obito yelled at Leo in defiance.

Tanaka-sensei closed his eyes, exasperated. It was obvious that Obito was digging his own grave. Still, as much as Tanaka found Obito's actions reckless, he had a duty to ensure the boy's safety.

Despite being the weakest in the class, Obito was still a member of the Uchiha clan, Konoha's elite. Allowing harm to come to him at the academy was out of the question.

But Tanaka knew that keeping Obito safe from Leo's unpredictable nature would be challenging. Thankfully, he had prepared for this. To prevent any incidents, Tanaka had reported the test to the Third Hokage beforehand. Around the training grounds, several elite ninja were secretly stationed, ready to step in if necessary.

"Well, what's your name again? Yu... Shaobo... something?" Leo, slightly tipsy, lazily glanced at Obito after Rin introduced him.

"My name is Uchiha Obito, you jerk!!" Obito shouted furiously, his voice trembling with anger.

At his outburst, the surrounding students stopped laughing at him and quickly stepped away as if he carried a contagious curse. They stared at Obito with pity and disbelief, silently thinking, He's done for.

"Obito, you idiot! Stop provoking Leo! Leo, this is just a test—don't go overboard. Be merciful!" Tanaka-sensei, now drenched in sweat, scolded Obito harshly before turning to Leo with a plea.

"Oh? Go harder, huh? Got it!" Leo blinked at Tanaka's words, his drunken mind misinterpreting the plea for mercy as an invitation to go all out. His eyes lit up, excitement brewing.

"Well, I guess I'll just chop him down!"

Though Leo rarely engaged deeply with Tanaka-sensei, he had grown fond of him for one simple reason: unlike others, Tanaka didn't nag him or criticize his drinking habits. As a result, Leo respected him in his own odd way.

Since Tanaka had "requested" that he go harder, Leo saw it as his duty to fulfill the request.

"Hey, you punk! How dare you upset our teacher? I, as the teacher's best student, will teach you a lesson!" Leo declared with exaggerated self-righteousness, swaying slightly from the alcohol.

"What?! When did I say to go harder?!" Tanaka-sensei's face turned pale as he realized the misunderstanding.

"Did the teacher really say to go harder?" one student whispered.

"I don't think so... I think he said to go easy on Obito, but I couldn't hear it clearly."

"This is too much. Even if Obito's at the bottom of the class, asking Leo to be rough is like sentencing him to death!" The students exchanged nervous glances, stepping farther away to avoid getting caught in the chaos.

.....

Hey everyone, I discovered another book that I really like in MTL, and I want to translate it for my second novel. Your support would mean a lot, and I'll be setting up a P4treon account for advanced chapters to earn a bit of pocket money.