Because of Rin Nohara's encouraging "Come on," Obito, smitten as ever, suddenly felt a rush of adrenaline and marched straight toward Shindai's tent.
Obito's booming voice rang out the moment he stepped into the tent: "Shindai! So I hear you're a traitor now?"
Kakashi and Rin Nohara had barely begun stepping into the tent when they both instantly pulled back. In perfect unison, they slapped their foreheads.
That idiot! He was supposed to calm Shindai down—not goad him into a fight!
Minato Namikaze, standing not far away, sighed helplessly. He started regretting asking Obito to come along—this was like pouring gasoline on fire!
Shindai glared at Obito with obvious displeasure. "What? Are you here to mock me?"
Obito lifted his chin, strode over, and slapped Shindai's shoulder so hard it nearly knocked him off balance and sent him crashing into a chair.
Totally oblivious to Shindai's murderous glare, Obito kept rambling on cheerfully, "So what if you were framed as a traitor? Big deal! Listen, it's really nothing to worry about. If you actually care about it, then I really will laugh at you~"
Rin quietly stepped back while Kakashi quickly zipped the tent flap shut.
As expected by Kakashi and Rin, a loud yelp from Obito rang out from within the tent shortly afterward.
"Ouch! What did you do that for, Shindai?! I came here to comfort you! Seriously! Believe me! Don't hit my face!"
"Comfort? Comfort this big ghost! Who are you comforting anyway? And is this how you comfort someone? You're just here looking for trouble!"
A few moments later, Obito's screaming finally died down.
Kakashi and Rin figured it was about time—after beating Obito up a bit, Shindai's mood should have improved slightly.
Kakashi unzipped the tent flap again and both he and Rin witnessed a scene so shocking and eye-scorching that they stood frozen in disbelief.
There was Shindai, cradling Obito—who was slung sideways across his arm—with his left hand resting on Obito's chest, gazing at him with unnerving affection.
And there was Obito, staring at Shindai in sheer terror.
The way Shindai was staring at him made Obito's skin crawl. "S-Shindai… you already beat me up… what else are you planning? Please don't get any funny ideas!"
Shindai's left hand gently rubbed against Obito's chest, softly murmuring in a delicate tone, "Obito… are we best friends?"
Obito felt something deeply unsettling about Shindai right now, a feeling that made his spine tingle. "A-Are we?"
Shindai gently patted Obito's chest and huffed with mock offense, "I asked you a question. Why are you giving it back to me?"
Obito was getting seriously creeped out, his voice trembling slightly, "Y-Yeah… I guess? Shindai… can you please just act normal?!"
Shindai pouted. "I'm perfectly normal! It was all your fault, Obito. My mood was already terrible, then you had to provoke me. I lost control and gave you a couple of punches. Are you okay? Does it still hurt? Should I go call Rin Nohara to soothe you?"
Outside the tent, Rin Nohara shuddered violently and immediately took an ultra-long step backward, retreating three meters away.
Why did it involve her again? She definitely didn't want to get caught up in this very strange atmosphere between Shindai and Obito.
Obito also shivered involuntarily, shaking his now-swollen face like a pig's head as he frantically said, "No, no, no need at all! I don't hurt, seriously I don't hurt. Actually, I feel pretty good!"
Shindai raised his eyebrows slightly toward Obito and said teasingly, "Hmm~ Obito, your preferences are so unique! Although I don't understand them, I respect them. Since we're friends now, will you do me a favor later?"
Right now, Obito was in sheer panic; he really wanted to escape, but there was no way out.
"W-What kind of favor?"
Shindai narrowed his eyes, dropped his usual baby voice, and seriously said to Obito, "Obito, once you become powerful in the future, help me take someone down! The three weaker ones will be mine, and the strongest one will be yours!"
Obito frowned; somehow he had a bad feeling about who Shin wanted him to hit.
He cautiously asked, "Who is it?"
Shindai gritted his teeth angrily. "It's an extremely shameless bastard who doesn't treat others like people and specializes in kicking down the bridge after crossing it! You don't need to know who it is yet since you aren't powerful enough right now. Wait until you become powerful, then I'll tell you!"
Outside the tent, Minato Namikaze had already roughly figured it out—it must be Rasa, Chiyo, and Ebizō.
But... combined their ages were nearly 150 years old? And they were considered young?
Then who was the big one?
Minato, who had already guessed incorrectly, continued pondering who this 'big' person could be according to Shindai's description.
Shindai's voice became high-pitched again as he smiled sweetly and asked, "Okay? Please?"
"Yes, yes, I agree! I'll agree to anything you say!"
Right now, all Obito wanted was to escape as soon as possible, so he just agreed first. As for later… things will sort themselves out then. Maybe Shindai himself would forget eventually?
Shindai gave Obito the cold shoulder.
The moment Obito agreed, Shindai's smile instantly disappeared. He simply let go, allowing Obito to fall straight onto the ground.
Obito landed on his butt with a thud and stared blankly at Shindai.
That wasn't how Shindai acted just moments ago!
How fast did he switch moods?!
Shindai glanced sideways at Obito, who was sitting on the ground staring at him. "What? Did you think I'd help you stand up?"
Obito shot upright with a 'whoosh.'
Looking at Shindai, who was carefully placing various small parts into his backpack, Obito curiously asked, "Shindai, what are you doing?"
Shindai rolled his eyes at Obito. "You really expect me to believe Minato-sama or the others haven't told you we're leaving soon? If I don't pack properly, are you gonna pay for all this stuff with your own money?"
Obito clutched his pockets. "But I don't have much pocket money either!"
Shindai scoffed contemptuously. "With your small change? Give me a break! I want real money. I'll just ask Jiraiya-sama for it directly."
Obito asked puzzledly, "Ask Jiraiya-sama for money? Why would he give you money?"
Shindai proudly puffed his chest. "Obito, you gotta understand—people need a solid skill to fall back on."
Though Obito didn't grasp Shindai's meaning, Kakashi, Rin Nohara, and Minato Namikaze instantly understood.
The three of them sweatdropped simultaneously. Had he already forgotten being bedridden for days after getting beaten up by Tsunade-sama last time?
Noticing Shindai seemed to be in a relatively good mood, Obito cautiously asked, "Shindai, are you feeling stable now?"
Shindai snapped impatiently, "Which eye of yours saw me being unstable? I'm an extremely emotionally stable person! Hurry up and leave. You wanna peek at my privacy or something?"
Obito twitched his mouth. Emotionally stable? Then why was his head swollen like a pig's face?
And besides, they were all guys. What was there that couldn't be seen?
Obito left the tent.
Kakashi, Rin Nohara, and Minato Namikaze simultaneously gave Obito a thumbs-up. "Only you could pull that off, Obito!"
For the first time ever, Obito received praise—and felt absolutely nothing.
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