Chapter 202: The Kind and Awkward Youth, Obito
Kobayashi Isamu's residence sat right on the eastern edge of the village, making it a quick and easy trek back. Escorting Uchiha Obito all the way to the Uchiha compound in the dead center of Konoha, on the other hand, would have been a massive hassle. Stelle opted for the path of least resistance, dragging the muddy boy back to her current courtyard. She hauled a heavy iron pot over the hearth, boiling a large batch of water so Obito could finally scrub the thick, foul-smelling sludge off his skin.
Finding a change of clothes presented a slight hiccup. Stelle stood in the narrow hallway, staring deadpan at the heavy padlock securing Kobayashi Isamu's master bedroom. Her knuckles twitched. She had to actively suppress the overwhelming urge to just shatter the wooden door into splinters with a single punch. Instead, she sighed, circled around to the back of the house, and shimmied in through a half-open side window. After rummaging through the wardrobe, she tossed a set of clean garments to the waiting boy.
They hung a bit loose on his frame, but at least they didn't smell like a swamp.
As for her own attire, her current 'mother', Kikushi, only owned two sets of clothes for the entire season. One was currently dripping wet on the laundry line from a morning wash, and the other was currently on Kikushi's back. Stelle didn't bother hunting for a change. She simply grabbed a damp rag and scrubbed the worst of the grime from her own fabric.
Speaking of which, she mused, wringing out the muddy towel. My medical ninjutsu is top-tier. I can perfectly suture severed arteries, so sewing a few patches onto clothes shouldn't be an issue... probably. I should probably distress these replacement clothes a bit more to sell the tragic orphan vibe.
Reaching into her woven basket of foraged wild vegetables, she fished out a cluster of common anti-inflammatory herbs. She ground the leaves between her palms until they formed a pungent green paste, then knelt and applied it carefully to Obito's swollen ankle. With her chores finally complete, she slumped onto the cool stone platform in the garden, letting out a long breath.
Her rest lasted exactly three seconds.
Inside the house, Kikushi—who had been quietly playing with a ragged cloth doll—suddenly snapped. Her eyes went wide with phantom terror. She threw herself onto the tatami mats, rolling wildly and scrambling across the floorboards on all fours. "Run! Run quickly! They're coming!" she shrieked, her voice cracking with hysteria.
Stelle didn't miss a beat. She stepped inside, gently but firmly hauling the thrashing woman off the floor. Guiding Kikushi to a worn reclining chair, Stelle patted her back in a slow, rhythmic motion, humming a soft, nameless lullaby. The melodic hum carried a subtle trace of mental suggestion. Within moments, the frantic tension bled out of Kikushi's shoulders. The woman blinked, her panic melting into a wide, vacant, but happy smile.
From the corner of her eye, Stelle caught Obito watching the entire exchange. The boy's dark eyes were darting around the dilapidated house like a cautious radar, taking in the poverty, the locked doors, and the mentally unstable mother. Stelle fought the urge to bury her face in her hands and sigh.
Well, her 'Poor Little Thing' persona was certainly cemented now. The mood points she was farming from his pity were fantastic, but the sheer awkwardness hanging in the air was thick enough to cut with a kunai.
Whatever, she decided, mentally shrugging. From today onward, I am no longer the Fourth Hokage. I am not a ruthless Root operative, nor am I a hidden Kazekage assassin. I am just a pitiful, impoverished little girl.
The herbal paste and a steaming cup of hot water worked wonders. Color gradually returned to Obito's cheeks. Limping slightly, he carried the tiny, mud-caked bird he had rescued over to the washbasin, carefully rinsing its wings before setting it down on the sunlit courtyard wall.
It didn't take long for the fledgling's frantic chirps to summon its mother. With a flurry of feathers, the two birds reunited and took to the sky. Obito's face lit up. He pumped a fist in the air, cheering and waving at the retreating specks.
Catching Stelle's deadpan stare, he froze, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish, dry laugh. "Do you think I'm an idiot? I almost broke my neck and drowned in mud just to save a stupid bird."
Stelle just shook her head. She scanned the yard, snapping a sturdy, Y-shaped branch off a nearby deadwood shrub. A few quick flashes of a carving knife stripped the bark, and she held the makeshift crutch out to him.
"Use this to get home. It doesn't matter if you walk a bit slow."
Obito mumbled a vague acknowledgment, but his hands stayed firmly at his sides. He stared at his sandals, his ears burning red. "Um... could I trouble you to... walk me home?" he whispered, his voice barely audible. "The compound is pretty far, and I'm... I'm afraid I won't make it back on my own."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Sorry to be such a bother." His face flushed a deeper shade of crimson.
Stelle tilted her head, genuinely perplexed. Kids in the shinobi world were notoriously precocious, and boys his age guarded their pride like a dragon hoarded gold. Obito, in particular, was the type who loved to act tough and show off. Why on earth would he make such a humiliating request? Logically, he should have snatched the crutch, struck a cool pose with his injured foot hovering off the ground, and acted like the pain was nothing but a scratch.
Still, she wasn't about to break character. She offered him a shy, bashful smile. "It's no trouble at all. As long as you aren't embarrassed, I don't mind."
Crouching down, she let the Uchiha boy climb onto her back, hooked her arms under his knees, and began the long trek toward the center of Konoha.
The Uchiha compound occupied prime real estate in the heart of the village, meaning their route cut directly through Konoha's bustling commercial district. When they first set out through the quiet backstreets, Obito managed to maintain a stiff, forced calm. But as the dirt roads gave way to paved streets and the crowds thickened, his fragile composure shattered.
He stiffened like a board. As passing villagers cast curious glances their way, Obito slowly slid downward, burying his face so deeply into Stelle's shoulder that he seemed to be trying to merge with her collarbone. He threw his hands over the back of his head, effectively turning himself into an ostrich.
Stelle paused at a crosswalk, feeling the boy trembling against her back. If he's this mortified, she thought, utterly baffled, why did he insist I carry him in the first place?
Thanks to the Uchiha clan's recent, highly successful initiatives to integrate with the rest of Konoha, the compound was no longer a forbidden fortress. Intermarriage with other civilian and shinobi families had softened their borders. Entering only required a quick registration with the gate guards.
As they approached the towering gates, the on-duty Uchiha shinobi stepped forward, raising a hand. "State your name and business."
Obito, still desperately hiding his face in Stelle's shoulder, finally found his voice. "Uncle Issei," he mumbled into the fabric. "It's me, Obito. I busted my ankle. My friend is just helping me get home."
Uchiha Issei blinked. He looked at the boy's bandaged foot, then shifted his gaze to the incredibly scrawny, mud-stained little girl who was currently hauling a boy taller than herself. The guard's lips twitched, and a low chuckle escaped him.
"Ah, Obito. Do you need a hand? Your little friend there looks like she's about to collapse."
Stelle immediately snapped her spine straight. Though she had made sure to work up a convincing layer of sweat, she put on a brave, serious face. "I... I'm not tired at all..."
Obito continued to play dead against her neck. "No need, Uncle Issei. Just opening the gate and letting us disappear is the greatest help you could possibly offer."
Issei smirked, his eyes crinkling with amusement. "Right, right. Go on through, kid. Ganbatte."
For a minor sprain, the boy had forced a frail-looking girl to carry him through half the village. Issei shot Obito a knowing, exaggerated wink that screamed 'I see exactly what you're doing, you sly dog,' before waving them inside.
Stelle carried him past the gates. It had been years since she had last set foot inside the Uchiha compound, and returning under these circumstances felt incredibly surreal.
As they walked down the pristine streets, she noted that nothing had really changed. The traditional wooden architecture, the carefully pruned roadside greenery—it was all exactly as she remembered. She even spotted the massive oak tree near the training grounds where she had secretly left a deep palm print embedded in the bark years ago.
A few winding streets later, they arrived at a modest, traditional home.
"A-Mu, wait right here by the door for just a second," Obito said, using her current alias. "I'll be right back!"
The moment her feet stopped moving, Obito practically vaulted off her back. Snatching the wooden crutch from her hand, he hopped frantically into the house. A chaotic display of slamming cabinet doors, sliding drawers, and heavy objects crashing to the floorboards echoed from inside.
A minute later, he reappeared, leaning heavily on the branch and panting. Seeing her still standing obediently on the porch, his shoulders slumped in a massive sigh of relief.
"Here! For you!"
He thrust a neatly folded paper bag toward her. Inside sat a pristine set of casual clothes. "They're brand new," he stammered, his eyes darting everywhere but her face. "I haven't even worn them yet. You... you don't mind, right?"
Stelle blinked, genuinely taken aback. The realization hit her like a physical blow. Young Uchiha Obito was just... ridiculously kind. This boy, who valued his tough-guy image above all else, had willingly subjected himself to the staring, mocking eyes of the entire village. He had endured all that humiliation just to manufacture a flawless excuse to bring her to his front door—all so he could replace the clothes she had ruined while helping him.
Misinterpreting her stunned silence, Obito grew frantic. "You saved me! You walked all that way carrying me, and you got your only clothes completely covered in mud because of my stupidity. I have to repay you. Please, you have to take them!"
Slowly, Stelle reached out and accepted the bag. "Thank you, Obito."
[Ding! Mood value from Uchiha Obito +50,000!]
Hearing her thanks, Obito's face lit up like a lantern. He smiled so widely his dark eyes curved into happy little crescents, waving enthusiastically as she turned to leave.
All the way back to the eastern edge of the village, the System kept chiming in her head, smugly claiming credit for the massive point harvest. If the digital interface had a physical body, Stelle swore it would be floating next to her, sticking its head out and begging for headpats.
She rubbed her temples, a long sigh escaping her lips. Her head throbbed. This whole situation was a bizarre cocktail of agonizing awkwardness and highly profitable pleasure. She really needed to fully adapt to this 'A-Mu' identity if she was going to survive this.
She had assumed that would be the end of it, fully expecting not to cross paths with the Uchiha boy again until the Ninja Academy officially opened.
She was wrong. The very next morning, Obito showed up bright and early at Kobayashi Isamu's dilapidated doorstep, leaning on his crutch and loudly declaring that he wanted to hang out.
When she grabbed her basket to forage for wild vegetables in the woods, Obito hobbled right behind her. When she went hunting for a sturdy bamboo pole to use as a makeshift fishing rod, Obito insisted on helping her cut it down. He even guided her to a secret, shaded bend in the river where the fish were practically jumping out of the water.
By the time the sun hit its peak, the two had inevitably grown close.
Since such a perfect opportunity for daily interaction had dropped right into her lap, Stelle wasn't about to let it slip away. She needed to farm more points, but she was entirely broke and couldn't afford gifts., offering a prestigious Uchiha pointers on his chakra cultivation while playing a 'Poor Little Thing' was completely out of the question. She had to build rapport through other means.
So, she decided to cook. She poured her absolute heart and soul into preparing a rustic, heartfelt lunch for him: a rich broth made from the morning's fresh catch, a savory stir-fry using the wild vegetables they had dug up, and a delicate steamed egg custard made from a wild bird's egg. It was a meal overflowing with pure, unadulterated sincerity.
Ten minutes later, she watched in utter silence as Obito violently threw up into the bushes.
Stelle stared at the half-empty bowl in her hands, her eye twitching.
...What the hell is going on??
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