Chapter 38: Obito's Passionate Life
Obito looked up at the sky.
Black smoke billowed from the volcano, spreading across the sky and mixing with the dark gray land. The entire world seemed drained of color—only black and gray remained.
"So hot… so spicy!" Obito gasped, breathing in and out to soothe his burning tongue.
Rumble!!!
Suddenly, with a thunderous roar, a terrifying torrent of molten flame shot from the volcano like a geyser, piercing the sky.
Scorching black smoke, roaring flames, dark red magma—
The bleak world of black and gray was suddenly pierced by a violent stroke of red.
The next moment, lava rained down from above, engulfing Obito.
His dazed eyes snapped into focus.
"Spicy! Spicy! Spicy!" he cried. His senses returned, the heat faded—but the fire on his tongue lingered.
Still, he didn't stop eating.
It was spicy, yes… but so delicious that he couldn't control himself.
"High temperature… burning…" Obito muttered, recalling the illusion he'd just experienced: flames erupting from the earth, high-temperature lava melting his very body.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Suddenly, Obito—tongue out, panting—spewed a crimson flame from his mouth.
"Spicy!" he shouted, spitting fire and fanning his tongue with his hands like some kind of fire-breathing performer.
"…Uh oh." Obito froze, confused.
"Stop the chakra output," Mugetsu said calmly.
Only then did Obito realize he'd been unconsciously channeling chakra. He quickly cut it off, and the flame vanished.
"While you're still in the state, hurry and train," Mugetsu said, handing him a palm-sized ice cube.
"Remember that feeling just now—high temperature and burning," he reminded.
Judging from Obito's dazed reaction earlier, Mugetsu had already guessed something.
"I didn't expect a dish with an illusion technique could have this kind of effect…"
Mugetsu was quietly impressed.
"Looks like I'll have to make some spicier dishes for Obito in the future…"
That stir-fry had already triggered such a reaction—what if Obito ate Mapo Tofu every day?
"Sensei, look!" Obito called out, eyes wide with excitement.
The ice cube in his hand was shrinking rapidly.
Mugetsu nodded approvingly. In less than a minute, the cube had noticeably melted.
"Very good. Keep it up—and don't forget the feeling," he reminded, keeping his tone even but encouraging.
"Mhm! Mhm!" Obito nodded quickly, eyes locked on the ice cube as he steadily released chakra.
He was genuinely thrilled by his progress.
After all, training was often tedious and unrewarding—but if each session gave results like this, maybe… maybe he'd become a training fanatic too.
"Obito, you don't hate spicy food, do you?" Mugetsu suddenly asked with a warm smile.
"Spicy? If it tastes like that dish from earlier, I can handle a bit," Obito replied, licking his lips instinctively, still savoring the flavor.
It was easily the best stir-fry he'd ever eaten. The chili had scorched his mouth, sure—but the flavor…
"Don't worry. I guarantee it'll be delicious," Mugetsu said, patting his shoulder.
"You said it yourself."
Obito, focused on melting the ice cube, suddenly had a very bad feeling.
Wait… no… it couldn't be…
Even with an ice cube in hand, a cold sweat crept down his spine.
"Mugetsu-sensei… actually, I really like fried rice too," he said, trying to defuse the looming crisis.
"Oh? Chili fried rice, right? I'll make it for you," Mugetsu replied gently.
"Can chili fried rice… be made without chili?" Obito asked hopefully, eyes full of silent pleading.
He'd had one traumatic encounter with ultra-spicy food in the past—
Ever since then, he understood the true meaning of "spicy at both ends."
If he had to eat Mugetsu's version of "a little spicy" every day, he might never escape the bathroom again.
"Chili fried rice… without chili or rice?" Mugetsu said thoughtfully.
"I didn't know you had such a strong taste. It's not impossible."
Obito's vision dimmed. His legs gave out. He nearly collapsed on the spot.
He turned desperately to Shisui for help.
Shisui, who was still savoring the aftertaste of his meal, met his gaze—then quickly looked up at the sky, pretending not to notice.
It wasn't that Shisui lacked a sense of brotherhood…
It was just that this was way above his pay grade.
Besides, Obito's Fire Release training really had improved after eating that meal. Maybe eating spicy food really was the key to unlocking fire-style potential.
Plus, Obito did say it was delicious—and he had been wolfing it down while crying.
More importantly…
If Shisui spoke up, Mugetsu would just feed him the same thing.
Shisui could handle spice. But eating it every day?
No thanks.
Obito turned to Guy.
Guy gave him a wide smile and a thumbs-up.
"Fiery youth should eat more spicy food!"
Obito: …
His hands were cold. His heart was colder.
Where was the brotherhood?
Where was the camaraderie of comrades-in-arms?
At the critical moment—not one of them could be trusted!
Obito let out a burst of chakra, instantly vaporizing the ice in his hand.
He straightened his goggles with a sharp tug and said seriously:
"Sensei, I think making three separate dishes every time is too much work.
It'd be more efficient to just make one large dish and split it into three portions."
He smiled innocently, pretending to care for Mugetsu's workload.
If he was going down…
They were all going down with him.
"Hmm… that makes sense," Mugetsu replied thoughtfully.
Of course, he saw through Obito's plan—but he didn't mind. In fact, he welcomed the entertainment.
Shisui's expression faltered. He hadn't expected this usually goofy teammate to pull off such a sinister counterattack.
"Fiery youth means everyone should eat spicy food together!" Guy laughed enthusiastically.
So that's what he really thinks…
Obito and Shisui both sighed in unison.
Mugetsu gave it some thought and figured—why not?
The taste was guaranteed.
Obito and Shisui both needed to develop Fire Release.
Guy was perfectly fine with it.
And so, from that day on…
Obito, Shisui, and Might Guy embarked on a fiery path of youth.
---
"So spicy… so delicious!"
Obito cried, tears streaming, yet shoveling Mapo Tofu into his mouth.
"So spicy! Delicious!"
Guy was also crying—but from being moved, not from the spice.
Shisui, exhaling constantly, quietly edged away from the two maniacs.
The three of them walked to the bathroom together—
They went in standing tall,
And came out bent over, bracing themselves against the wall.
At the Ninja Academy, Rin often saw Obito walking awkwardly, his butt sticking out.
She finally asked, concerned,
"Obito, are you feeling unwell?"
Obito gave her a melancholic look.
"No… it's just a small side effect from my intense training."
Then, his expression lit up.
"Rin! You wouldn't believe how much my Fire Release has improved!
This time—I'll definitely beat Kakashi in the Youth Ninjutsu Competition!"
One of the reasons he endured this fiery torment was for this moment—
To wash away his past humiliation.
To defeat Kakashi in front of Rin and take first place.
"…But Kakashi probably won't sign up, right?" Rin said gently.
"He's already a Chunin. These competitions are usually only for Academy students like us."
Obito froze.
He… had never actually thought about that.
"…Huh?"
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