Chapter 58: Don't Hurt Each Other
"Finally…"
"It's finally done!" Obito couldn't help but cheer as he finished the last problem.
After more than ten days of relentless effort, he had finally completed the entire set of installment problems. Starting today, he was free—no more daily problem sets weighing him down.
"What's done? Uchiha Obito, what are you yelling about? Stand up and answer the question!" Ikeya Yu barked, clearly startled and annoyed.
But to his surprise, Obito actually gave the correct answer. Ikeya Yu could only nod and let him sit back down to continue listening.
"Rin, let's go out tonight!" Obito grinned mischievously as he leaned over.
"Tonight? Tomorrow's Saturday. Why not go out then?" Rin asked.
"Huh? It's the weekend again?" Obito blinked, confused.
He had just finished the problems—how could it already be time for another weekend batch?
"Obito, have you been studying so hard that you've forgotten what day it is? Today's Friday," Rin said, a little amused.
She had been watching Obito's recent efforts. He really had changed.
"Finally, the weekend…" Obito muttered. "Class drags on forever, but the weekend flies by in an instant."
"Right? Even long breaks don't feel as long as five days of school," someone chimed in.
Obito: …
Human joys and sorrows are never the same, he thought. They're just noisy.
He felt like his weekdays were constantly being stolen. Every time he became aware of the passage of time, it was already Friday—school nearly over, and the start of another weekend looming like a black hole.
"Rin, let's still go tonight. I have training tomorrow, and I probably won't have the energy in the evening," Obito said wearily.
With the final exams drawing near, weekend training had become even harsher. During earlier sessions, he'd used the terrain of the forest to his advantage, but now they were placed in open areas—just a flat battlefield. He had to rely purely on speed and movement techniques now.
So tonight was his best bet.
"Oh, I see. Then let's go tonight. After school and dinner, I'll come find you, and then we'll go meet Kakashi together," Rin nodded.
Obito opened his mouth, ready to protest, but in the end said nothing.
Maybe she just thinks Kakashi doesn't have anyone else to hang out with, he reasoned.
After school, Obito headed to the training ground as usual. He was still the last to arrive.
As always, he started with physical training—push-ups, pull-ups, squats.
After a set time, it was time for combat.
"Today, I'm changing the combat rules," Mugetsu said, calling Obito and Might Guy together.
"For every hit landed on your opponent, they'll be given two problems, and you'll have one problem deducted. The fight will last seven minutes."
"Two problems per hit? And seven minutes?" Obito's head swam. This is a sea of problems waiting to happen…
Previously, one hit only meant one problem. And the fight lasted five minutes.
This was double the punishment, plus more time.
The only saving grace was that he could reduce his own problems by landing hits.
But in previous battles, he'd always been at a disadvantage.
He was suddenly very glad he'd invited Rin out tonight. After a fight like this, he'd definitely be out of commission for the weekend.
"Sharingan… Sharingan…" Obito muttered under his breath, desperate to awaken the Uchiha bloodline limit.
"Mugetsu-sensei, what about the fifty problems I start with before the fight?" Might Guy asked eagerly.
"Reduced to forty," Mugetsu replied.
He couldn't remove it completely—Guy's taijutsu was far superior to Obito's. But a ten-problem reduction was still generous.
"Also, you can now offset some of your problems through exercise," Mugetsu added. "You can offset up to sixty percent. Three hundred push-ups will cancel one problem. Other exercises count too."
Since the two-problem penalty could cause numbers to rise quickly, Mugetsu introduced this offset system to keep things manageable. After all, the goal of the problems was to help them learn—not to drown them.
He still had to review and explain each one they were given.
"Offset sixty percent…" Obito's eyes lit up—until he realized three hundred push-ups only canceled one problem.
"Three hundred? Per problem? Hahaha!" Might Guy burst out laughing. "I'll max out the sixty percent for sure!"
Looking at Guy's joyous expression and thinking about the tsunami of problems coming his way, Obito clenched his fists and said:
"Mugetsu-sensei, this isn't fair. The exercise offset should be based on individual capacity, right? To encourage better training, not punish weaker students."
He wasn't going to shoulder all the problems by himself.
Mugetsu thought for a moment. "You have a point. Then, Guy—your offset will be one problem per thousand push-ups."
Might Guy froze, his smile stiffening.
"Guy, I know you're all about intense training. No need to thank me," Obito said with a bright smile and a thumbs-up.
Guy cracked his neck. "Hmm… Obito, I'm guessing you want a full-power battle too, right?"
He began stretching his legs, clearly ready to go all in.
Seven minutes later, the match ended.
"Obito: one hundred problems. Guy: twenty problems," Mugetsu announced.
"Obito, I know you love studying. You don't have to thank me," Might Guy grinned, flashing his gleaming white teeth and returning the thumbs-up.
Obito suddenly wanted to punch his seven-minutes-ago self in the face. What were you thinking?!
There were too many problems—he couldn't possibly finish them in a day. He'd have to offset as many as he could through training and take the rest in installments.
Since Rin had said they'd find Kakashi, Obito decided to invite Might Guy too. It wasn't a date anymore, after all. And Guy got along well with Kakashi anyway.
To Obito's surprise, Might Guy refused.
He said he already had plans for a night run with Shisui.
They ended up running into them later that evening.
As Obito, Rin, and Kakashi were walking around, they saw Shisui and Might Guy jogging together.
"Shisui, trust me—next time try this type of bodysuit! It's perfect for training!" Might Guy declared proudly, striking a pose in his usual green outfit.
Shisui glanced at the suit, imagined himself wearing it… then quickly shook his head.
Too weird. Way too weird.
"Who's that with Guy?" Kakashi asked, looking at the unfamiliar figure jogging beside him.
"Our Uchiha genius. Someone even more talented than you," Obito said smugly.
"Heh… Then what are you? The Uchiha dead last?" Kakashi replied coolly.
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