Flowing Iron Block

"So, Makoto, have you mastered it?" Obito leaned closer, his face full of anticipation.

Uchiha Makoto looked at him, suddenly turning serious.

"Obito."

"Huh?"

"Do you believe I've already mastered this ability?"

Obito froze for a moment, then nodded vigorously. "I do! Of course I do! Makoto, I believe anything you say!"

[Ding! Obito Uchiha has accepted your lie, "I have already mastered localized Iron Block hardening," as truth. Trust level: 100%. Manifestation level: 80%. Ability manifested!]

It worked.

Uchiha Makoto felt something new inside his body.

He raised his hand and willed it to activate.

The muscles throughout his right arm instantly tensed, and a faint metallic sheen appeared on his skin.

Meanwhile, his left hand, legs, and torso all remained completely mobile.

"Wow!" Obito's eyes went wide. "It really works! Makoto, you really mastered it!"

"It's all right." Uchiha Makoto waved his right arm with feigned composure. "Only took a teensy billion bits of effort."

Inside, he was ecstatic.

An 80% manifestation level wasn't 100%, but it was enough.

And he had discovered a new system mechanic: telling the same lie to different people allowed the manifestation levels to stack.

What did that mean?

It meant that getting both Obito and Guy to believe the same lie might produce better results than getting one person to believe it completely.

"Come on, Obito. This is what we're practicing today." Uchiha Makoto deactivated the ability. "I'll demonstrate how it works first..."

As it turned out, Obito was far better at talking big than he was at training.

"Localized hardening! Localized... huh? Why did my whole body go stiff?"

"Relax, relax! Only harden your arm! I'm not telling you to hold your breath!"

"I... I'm trying!"

Two hours later, Obito lay sprawled on the ground, looking utterly broken.

Uchiha Makoto stood beside him with his hands on his hips and an "I knew this would happen" look on his face.

"Makoto..." Obito said weakly. "This is way harder than regular Iron Block..."

"No kidding. Of course an advanced technique is harder."

Uchiha Makoto crouched down. "But you're a genius, Obito. How can a genius call anything hard?"

At those words, Obito struggled to sit up. "Right! I'm a genius! I can't give up!"

Uchiha Makoto patted his shoulder. "That's the spirit. We'll keep going tomorrow."

What he actually thought was, You'd better not give up on me, kid.

I've already bragged to everyone that you're a genius too.

If you lose the match in a few days, how am I supposed to save face?

My credibility will take a massive hit!

That'd feel even worse than losing myself!

Early the next morning, Uchiha Makoto went to another training ground.

Guy was already doing handstand push-ups there, shouting as he went. "Ninety-seven! Ninety-eight! Youth is meant to burn bright!"

"Guy!" Uchiha Makoto called.

Guy flipped upright, flashing a mouthful of gleaming white teeth:

"Makoto! You're here! Are you teaching me a new move today?"

"Something even better." Uchiha Makoto walked to the center of the clearing. "Watch closely."

He raised his right hand and willed it to activate.

His entire arm instantly hardened, gleaming with a cold metallic sheen in the morning light.

"Guy, attack me!"

"Watch out, Makoto!"

Thud!

A dull impact rang out, but his right arm didn't budge.

Guy's eyes instantly lit up. "Is this... an advanced application of Iron Block?"

"That's right! I call it 'Flowing Iron Block.'"

Uchiha Makoto released the hardening and looked at Guy.

"You don't have to stiffen your whole body. You can harden whichever part you want, so you can defend yourself in a fight without sacrificing mobility."

Guy came closer and felt Uchiha Makoto's arm.

Although it had softened by then, he had seen what happened perfectly clearly.

"That's incredible!" Guy was so excited that he waved his arms and bounced around. "Makoto! You're a real genius!"

Uchiha Makoto looked at him and asked the crucial question. "Guy, do you believe I've already completely mastered this ability?"

"Of course I do!" Guy answered without hesitation. "I saw it with my own eyes!"

[Ding! Might Guy has accepted your lie-"I have already mastered localized Iron Block hardening"-as truth. Trust level: 100%. Manifestation level: 70%. Ability manifestation stacked!]

[Current total manifestation level: 100%]

Uchiha Makoto felt a hum resonate inside his body.

This was different.

Uchiha Makoto realized that Guy and Obito imagined different upper limits for Flowing Iron Block.

It felt completely different from the ability he had received from Obito yesterday.

If the Flowing Iron Block Obito believed in was steel with a hardness of 100, then the version Guy believed in was an alloy with a hardness of 150.

Harder, stronger, and longer-lasting.

He tried hardening his right arm again.

This time, the metallic sheen on his arm was noticeably richer, even taking on a faintly dark, dense quality.

It was almost Armament Haki.