Obito entered Shindai's tent, continuing to ask about that "air-filled doll" Shindai had mentioned earlier.
Shindai had wanted to get some reading done in peace, but with Obito barging in like this, there was no way he could focus now.
Dragged himself off the bed, Shindai gave Obito an annoyed glare and asked, "Where's my food?"
Obito placed the lunchbox on the table. "Here. I got you a big bowl today—noodles!"
Shindai sat down at the table and started eating with chopsticks.
Obito sat across from him and asked again, persistence shining through. "C'mon, Shindai, tell me what that air-filled doll thing is!"
After swallowing his food, Shindai asked, "You really want to know?"
Obito grumbled, "Obviously. Why else would I keep asking?"
"You must've misunderstood. What I said was 'puppet,' not 'air-filled doll.' These materials are for building one—they were given to me by Jiraiya."
Shindai decided to answer Obito this time because if he didn't, Obito would surely keep prying until he got an answer, which annoyed Shindai quite a bit.
Obito's eyes lit up immediately, his cheeks reddening slightly as he rubbed his hands together nervously. "Wow, the materials here look plentiful. Hey… think you could use some scraps to make one for me too? Please?"
He stood straight up from his chair and bowed deeply, nearly ninety degrees—a clear sign of sincerity.
Shindai sighed. "Obito, it's not that I don't want to help you—it's that I don't want to mess up your future."
"Mess up my future?" Obito echoed, confused.
Shindai began—not *huangpian*—but explaining carefully. "Obito, the puppet you're thinking of having me make… you want one modeled after Rin, right?"
Obito turned red and waved his hands frantically. "No, no, no! That's not what I meant!"
Shindai nudged him with his elbow. "It's just you and me here, so why play coy? Everyone knows how you feel about her."
Obito blushed so hard his face turned red as a tomato.
He scratched his cheek awkwardly. "R-really that obvious?"
Shindai nodded firmly. "Super obvious. Seriously, even a fool could tell."
Now thoroughly embarrassed, Obito shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "If even fools can tell… then does that mean Rin knows too?"
"Uh…"
That caught Shindai off guard.
Did Rin Nohara know about Obito's feelings for her?
Certainly not.
And was Rin a fool? Definitely not.
Right now, Obito was just a reckless idiot, while Rin was much smarter than him.
"Don't worry," Shindai finally said. "She has no idea."
"Obito, confused, asked, 'Huh? But didn't you say anyone could tell, Shindai?'"
"Shindai coughed slightly, 'That's not important. What I want to tell you is, this way, you'll never win Rin's heart!'"
"Obito asked, puzzled, 'What does winning Rin's heart have to do with giving me a Puppet? How is that harmful to me?'"
"Shindai grew serious and said, 'Let me explain the pros and cons to you. You're different from Jiraiya-sama. He's been frequenting hostess bars for years and is known as a playboy. So even if people find out, it doesn't matter — he doesn't care. He's thick-skinned."
"But you, Obito, are different. Right now, you're just an innocent little boy. If people find out you have a Puppet, how do you think they'll see you? In their eyes, you'll become a creepy little brat, and Rin will think of you as utterly disgusting."
"You originally had a 10% chance of winning Rin over, but once it gets out, your chances drop to negative 100%.'"
"Obito was stunned, 'So this thing can go into negatives too?'"
"Shindai replied naturally, 'Of course, because Rin would look at you like something filthy she wants to avoid. Tell me, isn't that negative?'"
"After thinking for a moment, Obito nodded, 'Hmm, that kinda makes sense.'"
Shindai retorted discontentedly, 'Hmm, what do you mean by "kinda makes sense"? It should make complete sense! Say, isn't giving you a Puppet harming you?'
"Obito nodded again thoughtfully, 'Seems like it indeed.'"
"Shindai patted Obito on the shoulder, saying meaningfully, 'See, I'm just doing this for your own good. By the way, if you really want to pursue Rin, I can give you some advice. Want it?'"
"At the mention of help from Shindai in pursuing Rin, Obito immediately became excited, 'Yes! Of course, I want it!'"
"Shindai sized Obito up and down before saying, 'If you want to pursue Rin, you've got no chance right now. First, there's Kakashi — such an outstanding guy in the team. If I were Rin, I'd definitely pick Kakashi instead of you. And don't forget, there's also me — someone even better than Kakashi. So yeah, your chances are basically zero.'"
"Obito deliberately ignored the part where Shindai claimed to be superior and grumbled, 'What's so great about Kakashi anyway? I feel like I'm way better than him!'"
"Shindai snickered, 'You? So confident and fearless. Looks like I need to seriously slap some sense into you.'"
"Obito immediately covered his cheeks, shouting, 'Why are you going to hit my face?!'"
"Shindai gave him Kakashi's signature dead-fish stare: 'I meant metaphorically, not literally!'"
Shindai began listing Kakashi's virtues. "Kakashi is smart, mature, and calm. He acts decisively, never dragging his feet. Among ninjas, he's an absolute genius — sharp-minded, powerful, and with that cool, aloof look? Teenage girls these days just eat this kind of stuff up."
Then Shindai moved on to Obito's flaws. "As for you? Well, let's not even talk about your intelligence. You're childish and impulsive, always dragging things out like you can't make a move without drama. You're weak but still running your mouth about being an Uchiha! Like that's supposed to mean something. No brains, no power — a girl would have to be blind to ever fall for you."
Obito turned pale with anger. "I'm not that pathetic, am I?! Don't I have any good points at all?"
Shindai rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Good points..."
Obito stared hopefully at Shindai, desperately wanting to hear some compliment.
But half an hour passed. Shindai seemed stuck, maintaining his chin-rubbing posture as if deep in thought.
Obito twitched his lips. "Is it really that hard just to think of one good thing about me?"
After a long silence, Shindai narrowed his eyes and finally replied, "Well... there could be one... For instance... you're a decent guy."
Obito gave up. He finally got what people meant by getting verbally clapped down.
No hand had touched him, yet his face stung like it had been slapped raw.
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