Chapter 62: Forever Friday
"Obito, have you encountered anything good recently? You seem to be in a good mood," Nohara Rin noticed Obito's cheerful demeanor and asked out of curiosity.
"Of course, it's because good times are coming," Obito replied with a smile.
Despite the increased number of questions after the battle rule change, Obito noticed that the additional training balanced it out. The daily question count remained relatively constant, thanks to his growing strength.
"Obito, you finally got your sense of time fixed? You want to hang out together tomorrow?" Nohara Rin assumed Obito's reference to "good days" meant the weekend and extended an invitation.
"Sense of time? Hang out tomorrow?" Obito looked momentarily puzzled and then realized it was already Friday.
"Yes, aren't the good days you mentioned, Obito, weekends?" Nohara Rin nodded and asked.
Obito fell into deep thought. He wondered why he felt as if yesterday had been a Sunday and yet here he was on another Friday.
In a daze, Obito recalled experiencing this situation several times before.
"Am I trapped in a world with only Fridays and weekends?" Obito exclaimed, struggling to accept this strange reality.
Nohara Rin couldn't comprehend Obito's distress, thinking he was reacting negatively to the upcoming weekend. After all, what was wrong with enjoying a break from school?
"Because I love school so much and love learning, the thought of not being able to go to school makes me very uncomfortable," Obito offered as an explanation for his reaction, hiding his fear of accumulating questions over the weekend.
"Obito, do you love studying that much?" Nohara Rin asked, mildly surprised and thinking it might relate to Obito's recent academic progress.
"Do you still want to hang out tomorrow?" Nohara Rin inquired.
"Let's go tonight!" Obito suggested, as he lacked the energy to socialize on weekends after the rule change.
In his seat, Gai was fully engrossed in his questions.
"Isn't Gai tired?" Obito wondered as he watched Might Gai diligently answering questions.
"I hope there will be interest-free installments on weekends," Obito thought back to a similar situation from yesterday, silently hoping for it.
After school, Obito followed his usual routine and headed to the training ground, arriving last.
Makoto gathered the three of them and assigned a task.
"Gai, kick that tree with all your strength," Makoto casually pointed to a healthy tree.
Might Gai nodded, approached the tree, channeled his chakra, and unleashed a lightning-fast tornado kick.
Bang!
The tree fell, directly shattered by Gai's kick.
"My strength can already take down a big tree," Might Gai marveled at his newfound abilities.
At that moment, he remembered being impressed when he had witnessed Makoto easily topple a large tree, but he didn't expect to achieve the same feat so soon.
Makoto then employed ninjutsu to create a large pit, filled it with water, and turned to Obito.
"Obito, use all your strength to produce a fireball and attack the puddle."
Obito started forming hand seals as directed and expelled a massive fireball, instantly evaporating all the water, and leaving scorched earth behind.
"This is the power of the Fire Release I've been practicing," Obito marveled at the result, considering that it had been a significant puddle, several meters wide.
Three months ago, his small fireball couldn't even evaporate water in a half-meter puddle.
Makoto then led them through a series of training exercises, including tree-climbing and water walking.
Obito suddenly realized he had grown significantly stronger. Those training sessions that had once been a source of embarrassment were now a breeze. He could walk on water without toppling over, easily climb even the tallest trees, and melt two human-head-sized ice cubes without a hitch.
Finally, Makoto administered mock tests to Obito and Might Gai.
"Sixty points, is this my test score?" Obito was taken aback when he saw his results, surpassing his previous best by a considerable margin.
The last exam had only yielded a score of 30, making this 60 an unprecedented achievement.
"Fifty-four points!" Might Gai exclaimed, nearly in tears, holding his test paper.
He shared Obito's disbelief that their scores had risen so dramatically.
Obito couldn't help but inquire, "Teacher Makoto, are you truly the Sage of Six Paths?"
All their hard work had paid off, and they had made remarkable progress.
Changes in nature, ninjutsu, taijutsu, chakra control, and theoretical knowledge had made Obito feel significantly stronger.
At this moment, Obito realized that doing questions every day and training throughout the weekend was a worthy sacrifice, as the rewards were immense.
With continued dedication, Obito might even become the Hokage of Konoha someday.
"You talk so nicely, do you want to be interest-free today?" Makoto asked, a warm smile on his face.
"Hehe. No, thank you~" Obito replied with a smile.
Although it felt like a routine to answer questions, Obito considered reducing the workload if possible.
"Don't forget your original intention," Makoto gently reminded, tapping Obito's forehead.
Makoto's sudden training summary aimed to motivate the disciples by showing them their progress.
Recognizing the importance of timely positive feedback, Makoto intended to conduct such training summaries regularly.
The disciples were inspired, and without delay, Makoto presented them with the calligraphy he typically wrote.
[You gave your disciple Uchiha Obito's handwritten calligraphy as a gift. Because the disciple was very grateful, you received the Ninjutsu Earth Release: Earth Spear (proficient level)]
Makoto instantly absorbed knowledge about Earth Release and Earth Spear, recognizing the myriad combat applications of this practical ninjutsu.
He nodded in approval, considering this reward valuable. Earth Release was versatile, functioning both offensively and defensively, much like Armament Haki.
Obito decided not to attach any special meaning to Makoto's earlier reminder "Don't forget your original intention?" after a moment of reflection.