The classroom fell silent for a moment.
Then-
"Pfft!"
Aoki was the first to laugh.
His two lackeys followed.
Then the whole class burst out laughing.
"A genius? Obito's a genius?"
"Cheng, have you lost your mind?"
"If Obito's a genius, then I'm the Hokage!"
Roars of laughter rose from every corner.
Obito's face turned tomato-red, and he lowered his head even further.
Cheng didn't laugh.
He waited for the laughter to die down a little before continuing, "Don't believe me?"
"Like hell I do!" Aoki laughed so hard that tears came to his eyes. "If Obito's a genius, I'll eat this desk right here!"
"Sure." Cheng nodded. "Then let's make a bet."
"On what?"
"One month." Cheng held up his index finger. "In one month, Obito will be able to beat you."
The laughter stopped dead.
Everyone froze.
So did Obito.
He raised his head and stared blankly at Cheng.
"W-what did you say?" Aoki thought he'd misheard.
"I said, in one month, Obito will be able to beat you," Cheng repeated. "You willing to bet?"
Aoki stared at Cheng for a few seconds.
Then he laughed, making a great show of it.
"You bet! Why wouldn't I?" He slapped the desk. "If Obito can beat me, I won't just eat the desk. I'll call you Grandpa, too!"
"No need for that," Cheng said. "If you lose, stay out of Obito's way from now on."
"Fine!" Aoki agreed without hesitation. "And what if you lose?"
"If I lose?" Cheng thought for a moment. "I'll call you Grandpa."
"Deal!"
Aoki held out his hand, and he and Cheng sealed the bet with a high five.
Afterward, Aoki shot Obito a smug look and returned to his seat with his lackeys.
Murmurs filled the classroom again.
"Cheng must be crazy..."
"How could Obito ever beat Aoki?"
"Exactly. Aoki's dad is a jonin..."
Cheng ignored the chatter.
He turned to Obito.
Obito was still sitting there in a daze, his eyes wide.
"Ch-Cheng..." he stammered. "Y-you just..."
Cheng bent down until he was eye level with the seated Obito. "Obito, do you trust me?"
Obito opened his mouth.
He remembered how Cheng had beaten Aoki with one hand yesterday.
He remembered Cheng's confidence when he'd said, "One hand is all I need to beat those three."
He remembered Cheng standing up for him, stepping in front of him.
"I..." Obito took a deep breath. "I do!"
"Then that settles it." Cheng straightened up. "Starting today, meet me at the training ground after school. I'll teach you."
"Teach me what?"
"How to get stronger," Cheng said. "How to put Aoki flat on his back in a month."
Obito's eyes lit up.
But a second later, he hesitated again.
"But... can I really do it?" he asked quietly. "Everyone says I'm the dead last..."
"That's because they're blind," Cheng said. "I say you can do it, so you can."
Obito stared at Cheng for a long time.
Then he gave a firm nod.
"Okay!"
His voice wasn't loud, but it was resolute.
Cheng smiled.
He reached out and patted Obito's shoulder.
"Then it's settled."
With that, he turned to leave.
"Cheng!" Obito suddenly called after him.
"Yeah?"
"Well..." Obito scratched his head. "Why do you believe in me so much?"
Cheng stopped and turned around to look at Obito.
The classroom was quiet, everyone straining to listen.
Cheng took a deep breath, then looked earnestly at Obito and said:
"Because I think we're both geniuses."
The words hung in the air.
Obito froze.
Aoki froze.
The whole class froze.
Cheng silently repeated the words in his mind.
[Ding! Target "Obito Uchiha"-assessed trust in the lie "We're both geniuses": 100%] [Manifesting the lie "We're both geniuses" at 80%. Manifestation beginning... degree of manifestation is affected by both character weight and trust level...] [Manifestation complete. Host has gained the talent "Genius"] [Notice: today's usage limit for the "Lie-Into-Reality" ability has been reached (1/1)]
It worked.
Cheng breathed a silent sigh of relief.
80%! It didn't reach 100% because Obito isn't the protagonist, but that's enough.
Obito really does believe he's a genius, deep down.
"Cheng..." Obito's voice pulled Cheng back to reality.
"Yeah?"
"What you just said..." Obito's eyes sparkled. "We're both geniuses?"
"Right." Cheng nodded. "I think we're both geniuses."
"So do I!" Obito suddenly stood up, his voice loud enough for the whole class to hear. "I think we're geniuses!"
The classroom went utterly silent.
Then-
"Pfft! Hahahaha!"
Aoki was the first to burst out laughing. "Obito, have you actually gone stupid?"
"The dead last calling himself a genius?"
"And 'we'? Cheng, maybe, but you? You think you qualify?"
Mockery surged toward him like a tide. Obito's face reddened again, but this time, he didn't lower his head.
He straightened his back and looked at Cheng, who looked back at him.
Their eyes met for three seconds. Then Cheng smiled, and Obito smiled too.
Their smiles were a little silly, but utterly sincere.
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