Obito's Charge (2)

Under Obito Uchiha's expectant gaze, the young woman raised an eyebrow, then chuckled softly.

"Heh."

"So you came here to fish for information."

"What, did your girlfriend get stolen?"

Obito's expression changed at once. "You! How can you say that...? I don't have a girlfriend!"

But the young woman saw right through the boy's clumsy attempt to cover things up.

Her red lips parted as she said softly, "Get lost~"

Obito: "..."

"Bang!" The door slammed shut again.

Obito was frustrated.

He couldn't understand why he kept failing.

He'd visited the ex-girlfriends of Nebula Kotetsu twice in a row, yet hadn't managed to get a single useful bit of information.

"Could it be that my sample size is too small?"

"Right!"

"That must be it! If I just ask a few more people, I'll definitely find some dirt on Nebula Kotetsu for playing with women's feelings!"

He rallied and headed to the next house.

"Knock, knock!" "Hello..." "Bang!"

One house after another.

Obito's confidence dwindled with every visit.

For some reason, he hadn't succeeded even once.

"Bang!" "Get lost!" That was the cold response.

"Sorry, no comment." That one was at least polite.

"Hahaha, you're an amusing little boy. Do you believe that if you don't disappear from in front of me in three minutes, you'll disappear from the village?" That one had a smile that concealed a threat.

"Even though Nebula and I broke up, the memories we shared were beautiful. He'll always have a place in my heart."

"I love him."

"Please leave. I won't tell you the dirt you're looking for." That one had spoken from the heart.

"Where'd this brat come from?"

"Even if Nebula and I broke up, I won't let a nasty little brat like you get his way. Get lost, or I'll make you!" That one looked down on him.

Obito's mood sank lower and lower.

He walked down Konoha's streets like a wilted eggplant, utterly dispirited.

The people on the street chatted and laughed, but all he could hear was noise.

"Why?"

"Why isn't this working?" Obito muttered to himself.

He didn't understand.

There had been people dating at the Ninja Academy.

He'd seen plenty of young couples break up, too.

Only a few parted on good terms. Most of them badmouthed each other, competed with each other, and complained about one another.

He'd thought it would be easy to dig up dirt on Nebula Kotetsu, who'd had so many girlfriends.

Why?

Why did every one of his ex-girlfriends keep their mouths shut, refusing to say a word about his dirt?

This didn't make sense!

He couldn't figure it out!

He didn't understand!

"Not one of them gave me anything useful."

"Are all those women out of their minds? Or did Nebula Kotetsu put some kind of spell on them?"

Obito fumed.

Without any dirt, how was he supposed to expose him to Rin Nohara... Wait!

Obito suddenly froze in the middle of the street.

As if a bolt of lightning had flashed through his mind, he looked up sharply!

"Why does it have to be dirt?"

"As long as I can prove to Rin that Nebula Kotetsu is a total womanizer, a liar who flirts around and toys with people's feelings, won't that do?"

"Maybe I can try a different approach."

He took out his notebook, found the next address, and took off running.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

"Hello, is Ms. Haruko home?"

The door opened.

A curvy woman with a face as delicate as a porcelain doll, wearing pajamas and holding a rolling pin, answered the door.

"Who are you?!"

"What do you want?"

Her tone was anything but welcoming, but Obito didn't mind.

He was only after information.

"It's like this, Ms. Haruko."

"You and Nebula Kotetsu used to be lovers, right?"

"Did you love him very much?"

"Could you tell me some stories about the time you spent together?"

"For example, how did you meet? Did you have any unforgettable, happy moments?"

"What's the most touching thing he ever did for you?"

"Details. The more details, the better!"

After rattling off his questions, Obito looked at her expectantly.

At the same time, he silently congratulated himself.

Obito, you really are the best!

He'd said all that without badmouthing that damned Nebula Kotetsu even once. This time, he was sure to succeed!

But faced with his barrage of questions, the porcelain-doll-like woman frowned slightly.

Then she examined Obito closely.

His sloppy clothes, which looked as if they hadn't been washed in days; his terrible hairstyle; and his goggles hiding his eyes.

Her expression shifted, and her gaze went from "confused" to "suspicious" to "enlightened."

Finally, she raised the rolling pin in her hand and swung it hard at Obito, who was completely unprepared.

"Clang!!!"

The blow landed squarely on his head, leaving Obito feeling as if his soul had been knocked loose.

Before he hit the ground, he heard the woman cursing furiously.

"Damn it!"

"Can't get your wet dream to work out, so you came to my place to collect material, huh?"

"You disgusting creep!"

"Go home and ask your mom!"

"Bang!" The door slammed shut.

Obito felt the searing pain in his forehead as two silent streams of tears ran down his face.

This wasn't the answer he'd been hoping for...

Early the next morning.

Rin Nohara arrived at school early and sat at her desk, lost in thought.

Every so often, she glanced at Nebula Kotetsu's empty seat. When she saw he wasn't there, she went back to daydreaming.

"What should I talk about with Nebula today?"

"Should we keep discussing suturing? Or disinfecting wounds?"

"Bandaging injuries?"

"Should I ask how his bruises are feeling first?"

As she let her thoughts wander, a familiar figure rushed into the classroom in a fluster.

"Rin!"

At the sound of her name, Obito hurried over to her, brimming with excitement.

"Obito!" Rin exclaimed in surprise. "What happened to you?!"

Obito looked even worse than Nebula Kotetsu had the day before.

He had a black eye and two bright red handprints on his face. Judging by the faint layers along the edges of the marks, he'd been slapped more than once.

On top of that, a lump had swollen on his forehead. Even the ointment he'd applied couldn't hide it.

"Don't tell me you went to spar with someone yesterday, too?"

Obito had known Rin would ask. He scratched his head awkwardly and said, "Don't ask, Rin."

"It's a long story."

"My injuries aren't important. What I have to tell you is."

Rin looked puzzled. "What is it?"

Obito took a notebook from his bag and slapped it down on the desk in front of Rin. Then he leaned close to her and said earnestly,

"Rin."

"Nebula Kotetsu is a scumbag!"

"He's a completely rotten, hopelessly bad person!"

Rin frowned. A moment later, she puffed out her cheeks angrily. "Obito!"

"I've told you so many times not to do this."

"Nebula is our classmate. Even if you don't like him, you shouldn't slander him like this."

Obito panicked. "Rin!"

"This isn't about slandering him or not."

"I can't just watch you get deceived by that guy."

"You have no idea what he's really thinking!"

"If you believe me, stay far away from him."

When Rin still didn't believe him, he opened the notebook on the desk and held it out to her.

"If you don't believe me, look!"

"I spent all night yesterday visiting more than twenty of Nebula Kotetsu's ex-girlfriends. This is what they told me."