In the original timeline, Obito was constantly comparing himself to Kakashi, a true genius, and even harbored dreams of becoming Hokage.
That alone proved he still possessed a baseline level of self-confidence.
“Alright,” Makoto said, waving a hand.
“Sit down.
Class is starting.” Obito dutifully sat down, and Makoto returned to his own seat.
As soon as Makoto sat down, he felt something strange in his body.
It wasn’t pain, nor was it an itch.
It was…
a remarkably surreal sensation.
It felt as though a warm current was circulating through his body before settling directly in his mind.
*Is this the ‘Genius’ talent?* Makoto mused internally.
*Why does it feel like I just put on a mental filter?* He tried recalling the Chakra refinement method the teacher had explained yesterday.
Those obscure theories suddenly became crystal clear.
Physical energy, spiritual energy, mixing ratios, flow pathways…
What had previously looked like gibberish now felt as simple as an elementary school textbook.
*Interesting,* Makoto thought, raising an eyebrow.
Though it hadn’t granted him raw Chakra directly, it had vastly upgraded his comprehension.
Definitely a net win.
At the front of the classroom, the teacher began the lecture.
It was still about Chakra refinement, but this time Makoto grasped every word.
Not only did he understand it, but he could also extrapolate further on his own.
*So that’s how it works…* he pondered while listening.
*Physical energy stems from the cells, spiritual energy originates from the mind, and the ideal ratio varies from person to person…* No wonder he couldn’t refine any yesterday—he had misunderstood several key points.
Now that he had corrected them, he might actually refine Chakra tonight.
As he was thinking, a rustling sound came from beside him.
Makoto turned his head.
Obito was stealthily peeking over, his eyes practically screaming, *When do we start training?* Makoto mouthed, “After school.” Obito nodded vigorously, spun back around, sat bolt upright, and listened more attentively than anyone else in the room.
Watching Obito’s back, a thought suddenly crossed Makoto’s mind.
*The experiment…
seems to have succeeded.* Convincing someone “I am a genius” wasn’t nearly as effective as suggesting “We are both geniuses.” The former was too deliberate and easily aroused suspicion, whereas the latter felt far more natural and digestible.
Obito’s reaction was proof enough.
Not only did he believe it, but he believed it wholeheartedly.
*Looks like I can use this tactic more often in the future,* Makoto calculated.
*Though I’ll need to keep it in check.
Overdoing it will blow my cover.* For several days straight, Makoto and Obito practically lived at the training grounds, practicing from dismissal until nightfall—ranging from Taijutsu drills to Chakra refinement.
Obito was an absolute beast about it, sweating like rain and collapsing on the ground like a dead dog after every session, only to bounce back full of energy the next day.
But Makoto soon noticed a problem: Obito’s level of trust in him had hit a wall.
It wasn’t that Obito disbelieved him; rather, spending every single day together had pushed his trust to a plateau.
Obito simply assumed Makoto was *just that strong*—specifically, strong enough to beat Aoki’s trio single-handedly.
Furthermore, due to Obito’s character weight, the materialization cap was capped at 80%.
Over the last two days, Makoto Uchiha had only managed to shear off a bit of extra Chakra reserves.
After thinking it over for a long time, Makoto finally realized what was wrong.
Distance creates mystique.
Being around each other every day desensitized Obito to any dramatic leaps in growth.
He needed to find someone else to fleece.
But who?
A few faces flashed through Makoto’s mind.
Asuma?
Kurenai Yuhi?
Rin?
None of them would work.
That left only…
“Guy.” Might Guy.
A simple-minded, hot-blooded kid whose entire brain was filled with nothing but Youth.
That kind of person was the easiest to fool.
Plus, Guy had a prominent role in the original story, so his weight ought to be fairly high.
No time like the present.
The next day after school, Makoto didn’t head to the training ground with Obito.
Instead, he lay in wait along a road at the edge of the village.
After waiting about ten minutes, sure enough, he spotted Guy clad in his classic green suit, sprinting out with his schoolbag, legs pumping like pistons.
“Guy!” Makoto called out.
Guy skidded to a halt, turned around, and his eyes lit up upon seeing Makoto.
“Makoto!
Did you come to run too?!” “Yeah, I was just thinking about getting some exercise.” Guy wiped off a fistful of sweat.
“I’m about to run ten laps around Konoha!
Want to join me?” “Ten laps?” Makoto’s lips twitched.
One lap around Konoha was five kilometers at minimum, which meant ten laps was fifty kilometers.
A six-year-old child running fifty kilometers?
Was this guy even human?
“That’s right!” Guy clenched his fist, blazing flames igniting in his eyes.
“This is Youth!” “Alright, alright, Youth it is,” Makoto waved his hand dismissively.
“Whatever.
I’ll run with you.” “Really?!” Guy’s eyes burned even brighter.
“Really.” “Awesome!” Guy grabbed Makoto’s hand tightly.
“Let us water the flower of friendship with our sweat!” Makoto: “…” He was starting to regret this.
But now that he was here, he had to bite the bullet and run.
The two took off side by side.
At first, it wasn’t too bad.
Makoto had the Taijutsu boost provided by the system, so running three to five kilometers was well within his limits.
But Guy ran as if he had been injected with adrenaline, speeding up with every step.
Five kilometers.
Ten kilometers.
Fifteen kilometers.
Makoto was panting like a bellows, his legs feeling heavy as lead.
Beside him, Guy kept shouting, “Makoto!
Keep going!
This is Youth!” “Y-Youth my ass…” Makoto gasped out of breath.
“I…
I can’t go on…” “How can you say you can’t?!” Guy said with absolute seriousness.
“A real man never says he can’t!” Makoto rolled his eyes.
He finally understood how Guy had managed to almost kick open the final chapter of the original story.
This stamina was completely inhuman.
“Stop…
hold on a second…” Makoto leaned against a wall.
“I…
I have something to tell you…” “What is it?” Guy stopped, not even red in the face, nor breathing heavily.
Makoto panted for a long while before recovering his breath.
“I…
I’ve been researching a new Taijutsu technique,” he gasped out.
“I…
I want you to give me some input.” “A new Taijutsu technique?!” Guy’s eyes instantly snapped wide.
“What kind of new technique?!” “I call it…
Tekkai—Iron Body.”