Shin-chan blinked, then suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, right. That grandpa taught me a bunch of stuff just now. Want to hear it?"
Obito froze for a second, then turned back to look at him. "What stuff?"
"When you breathe fire, that grandpa said you have to concentrate chakra in your throat, but not by holding it there—you have to make it flow."
As he spoke, Shin-chan gestured with his hands.
"It's kind of like when you want to fart, but you hold it in."
Obito's mouth twitched. "What kind of example is that?"
"But it really is kind of like that." Shin-chan looked completely serious. "Try forming the seals first, then put force into your throat—not by clenching it up, but by letting it push outward, kind of like a fart."
Obito looked at him and hesitated. The example was terrible, sure, but what if it actually worked?
He turned around, formed the hand seals, and took a deep breath.
Pfft.
A tiny burst of sparks popped out of his mouth, flickered in the air, and went out.
"Doesn't that mean you can already spit it out?" Shin-chan tilted his head and asked.
Obito scratched his head, still a little dazed. "Sometimes I can spit out sparks, but it only works now and then. Most of the time it's just black smoke."
"Then try again. Just use that same feeling from before."
Obito nodded and formed the seals again.
Pfft.
Another little spray of sparks.
His eyes lit up, and he quickly tried again.
Pfft. Sparks.
Pfft. Sparks.
Pfft. Sparks.
Five times in a row, and every time there were sparks.
Obito stood there staring at his own hands, looking like he'd seen a ghost. "Why is it going so smoothly today?"
Shin-chan leaned over and said with a serious face, "See? It really is the fart feeling, right?"
Obito instinctively started to nod, then immediately shook his head hard halfway through. "It is NOT that kind of feeling!!!"
"But that grandpa said it was like farting too."
"Who even is this grandpa you keep talking about?" Obito ran through everyone he could think of and still couldn't come up with any old man in the clan weird enough to say something like that.
Shin-chan thought about it. "I think Toru called him the Great Elder."
Obito's whole body stiffened. His eyes widened all on their own.
The Uchiha Great Elder?
Teaching Fire Style to an outsider?
And personally saying it felt like farting?
Obito felt like his brain was short-circuiting.
That was the Uchiha Great Elder.
As a member of the Uchiha clan, even he had never been personally instructed by the Great Elder.
And now this random kid from who-knows-where had not only been taught Fire Style by him, but taught it with...
"...the fart feeling?" Obito's voice was trembling. "The Great Elder said that? With his own mouth?"
Shin-chan nodded. "Yeah. He said thinking of it that way was right."
Obito opened his mouth. He was suddenly starting to wonder if he was dreaming.
But before he could figure it out, Shin-chan had already kept going.
"And also, you don't need to inhale that much." Shin-chan puffed out his cheeks, copying the way Obito had done it earlier. "Like this—that's too much. Breathe in a little less. Nice and light."
Obito looked at the ridiculous face he was making and wanted to laugh, but he still did as told.
He took a deep breath, this time only about seventy percent full.
Pfft.
This time there were a few more sparks than before.
Obito's eyes lit up.
Seven or eight times in a row, and every single time there were sparks. It still wasn't a fireball, but it was way better than before, when everything depended entirely on luck.
The more he practiced, the more excited he got. "One more time. This one's definitely going to work."
"Wait." Shin-chan suddenly spoke.
Obito stopped and looked at him.
Shin-chan tilted his head. "Your voice got hoarse."
Obito froze for a second and touched his throat.
It did feel a little dry.
"It's fine. One more try."
"No."
Obito stopped midway through forming a seal. "Why not?"
Shin-chan thought for a moment. "That grandpa said if you practice too much, your throat won't be able to take it. I only practiced a few times, and he already told me to stop."
"But I feel okay..."
"You sound hoarse already." Shin-chan looked completely serious. "If you keep going, you won't be able to talk tomorrow."
Obito opened his mouth to argue, but right on cue, his throat stung a little. After hesitating for a moment, he lowered his hands after all.
Seeing that he had stopped, Shin-chan nodded with satisfaction, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small box.
"Here."
Obito looked down. "What's this?"
"Chocolate sticks." Shin-chan said. "Toru's mom gave them to me."
Obito stared blankly at the little box of chocolate sticks. Red wrappers, gold wrappers, flashy wrappers, all stuffed into one small box.
"For me?"
"Yeah." Shin-chan started shoving them into his hands. "Eat some. When my throat feels weird, I always want chocolate sticks."
Looking at the chocolate sticks in his hands, then up at Shin-chan's serious face, Obito suddenly felt something strange welling up inside him.
"But..." he said quietly, "if your throat is dry from practicing Fire Style, wouldn't chocolate sticks make it even drier?"
Shin-chan blinked. That seemed to make sense. In the end, he just waved a hand. "Whatever. They're yours now. Eat them whenever you want."
Obito looked at him and suddenly laughed. "You really are..."
"What?"
"Nothing." Obito lowered his head and stared at the chocolate sticks for a moment.
Then he pulled one out and took a bite.
Sweet.
Really sweet.
His throat definitely did feel even drier, but he didn't say anything.
Seeing him eat one, Shin-chan grabbed one for himself too.
The two kids sat side by side on the steps of the training ground, eating chocolate sticks together.
The setting sun stretched their shadows long across the ground.
After eating half of his, Obito snuck a glance at Shin-chan.
Shin-chan was swinging his legs, cheeks puffed out, looking completely satisfied.
"Shin-chan."
"Mhm?" Shin-chan answered through a mouthful of chocolate.
"Why did you help me just now?"
Shin-chan blinked, swallowed the chocolate in his mouth, and answered,
"Because you couldn't do it."
Obito's mouth twitched. "That's it?"
"What else?" Shin-chan tilted his head.
Obito froze. He wanted to say something, but didn't know what. In the end, he just lowered his head and took another bite of the chocolate stick.
"Thanks."
Shin-chan got to his feet and dusted off his butt. "Alright, I should head home."
Obito stood up too, still clutching the chocolate sticks in his hand.
"Do your best again tomorrow, okay?" Shin-chan waved at him. "Someday you'll definitely spit out a huge fireball."
Then he turned and kept walking out, but after only two steps, his body suddenly stiffened, and his expression changed instantly.
"Oh no!"
Obito jumped. "What happened?"
"I'm late getting home." Shin-chan looked horrified. "Misae's going to nag me again!"
With that, he took off running.
After a few steps, he looked back and waved at Obito.
"See you tomorrow!"
Obito stood there, watching that little red figure run farther and farther away. Then he looked down at the chocolate sticks in his hand, then back up at the shrinking figure in the distance.
At some point, a smile had curved onto his face.
"See you tomorrow."
~~~
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