7 - Infinity

Training with Satoru was going well, although he didn't notice any significant improvement in his chakra control. However, as a former shaman, he knew that initial progress was always slow. Even for a genius like him in that cursed world, there were no immediate results after the first training sessions. The key was to start, and then the results would gradually accumulate—he had been through this before.

The main thing was not to overdo it and to regulate the exercises by doing them in sets. As Kanna explained, the chakra circulation system was a "very fragile" organ relative to the rest of a shinobi's body. If the chakra channels, coils, or tenketsu were severely damaged, it could spell the end of a shinobi's career. Although serious injuries to one's CCS from such exercises were unlikely, any unnecessary risk should be avoided. After all, personal training wasn't a life-or-death battle where risky decisions were sometimes necessary—consistency and caution were rewarded here.

In contrast, mastering cursed energy almost never posed a danger to the user. If there was any risk, it was always inherent in the innate cursed technique. For example, Satoru Gojo's Limitless technique constantly burdened his brain when used, and only the mystical Six Eyes allowed him to minimize this load. It also required exceptional control over cursed energy, which the Six Eyes provided. On the other hand, Megumi Fushiguro's Ten Shadows Technique, the strongest shaman of the present day, carried the risk of having to subdue summoned shikigami in direct combat, except for the first two dogs, which the user received immediately. In this regard, chakra was indeed "stricter" than cursed energy, even though the latter was initially based on negative emotions.

Satoru watched with interest the ash-haired boy, who tried to appear very serious and grim, as if he were a highly responsible shinobi. Frankly, Gojo was not impressed, still seeing Kakashi Hatake as the unlucky child he was. Strength, perspectives... it was all a facade. Only fulfilled destiny was unchangeable. But at this moment, he was particularly interested in another individual with a much simpler and straightforward character. He was eager to see the famous hand signs from Naruto.

"Are you an Uchiha?" Gojo approached the dark-haired boy with a wide grin, hands in his pockets, tilting his head back to meet the taller Obito's eyes.

"Heh-heh," the boy's face twisted into a proud yet shy smile as he scratched under his nose in a comical gesture. "Exactly! I'm from the legendary Uchiha clan, the great Uchiha Obito!"

He struck a strange pose, shining brightly, with one hand forward and the other brushing his spiky hair back. With the orange protective goggles he wore, it looked rather ridiculous. Satoru's chest and back trembled, his cheeks puffed out momentarily, and then he burst into loud laughter. Startled by the sudden noise, Obito flinched, confused, and then angry, glaring at the laughing Gojo.

Kakashi had a skeptical look the entire time, watching the newcomer with the same quiet disdain he had for his Uchiha partner. Nohara Rin didn't know how to react but even she paused from her work with a hoe to watch the unfolding scene. It was a strange situation, something unprecedented for them.

"Hey!" The dark-haired boy turned red from anger and embarrassment, his eyes bulging. "What's so funny?!"

"Oh..." Satoru waved dismissively as if brushing off the other's indignation, a teasing smirk reappearing on his face. "I just remembered something. By the way, 'great' Uchiha Obito, can you even use your clan's signature technique?"

The brunette girl frowned, clearly disliking someone mocking her teammate, but she didn't have time to intervene. Kakashi, on the other hand, was more puzzled than upset, his confusion mixed with a hint of amusement—his lips under the mask barely lifted, and a mischievous sparkle appeared in his eyes. He enjoyed watching Obito's humiliation and was ready to watch further, although he didn't stop being wary of the newcomer in their group.

"You... you... little..." Obito's breath hitched, not knowing how to respond, and his face turned even redder. "Watch this, punk! Tiger, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger!"

The boy immediately started forming hand seals, shouting their names. Satoru watched with wide-eyed interest, his mouth slightly open, but Uchiha kept glaring at his former young conversation partner. Nohara Rin only managed to gasp in fear while the silver-haired Kakashi's eyes widened in shock, and he even yelled when Obito took a deep breath:

"To the sky!" Hatake's voice was filled with anger, clearly furious at such recklessness.

Only at that moment did something click in Obito's head, his face contorting in realization. Gojo didn't even realize he was in danger since he didn't move from his spot, being too used to his Infinity protecting him. Had his brain worked as fast as before, he would've already run in the opposite direction. He only realized something was wrong when fear appeared on Uchiha's face, and his cheeks puffed out. The prepared technique was hard to contain.

Satoru felt everything inside him drop, while the dark-haired boy began to raise his head. The former shaman managed to take only one step back when a giant, blazing fireball shot out of Obito's throat. The air instantly heated up, the projectile flying into the sky. Obito managed to aim upwards, but one of the fire tongues still "licked" Gojo. At least, that was the impression Nohara Rin got as she rushed to the seemingly surprised child.

"You...!" She wanted to ask something and touch him to check for the presence and severity of a supposed burn.

He was intact.

However, the girl suddenly realized that her entire body almost immediately froze with a slight delay. She tried to move at least one muscle near Satoru but couldn't do it quickly. She almost instantly became slower than any snail. Gojo himself looked rather confused. Obito, still reeling from his mistake, stupidly blinked, while Kakashi reacted fastest, positioning himself behind the stranger in an instant.

In his hand, he held the handle of the tanto he inherited from his father, but he only managed to draw it from the sheath and then slightly open his mouth. Kakashi Hatake also froze, unable to move properly. Initially, he wanted only to threaten, not kill or seriously injure, assuming their group was under attack and needing to assess the situation, but now he was genuinely scared.

"I can't do anything! Hatake felt the blood drain from his face. "Genjutsu? But the chakra flow in the body is absolutely normal..."

"Hey, who are you?!" Obito finally recovered but hesitated to approach, armed only with a kunai drawn from his thigh pouch. "Dispel your technique!"

"Ah..." Gojo made a sound of genuine confusion, but he eventually understood. "Sorry. I didn't mean to, ha-ha."

A sheepish smile spread across his face, and he scratched his head before taking five long steps back. The chakra in his body rapidly "burned up," being used to sustain the unexpectedly activated technique he still couldn't stop. Only then could the two Uchiha clan members move normally, no longer feeling the invisible wall that had immobilized them.

"It's a technique I have, not sure why it activated..." Seeing their negative reactions, he decided to mention an important fact with a teasing smirk: "Probably because you almost roasted me."

"Ah..." Obito turned to the girl, meeting her nervous gaze and feeling rising shame. "Sorry, I didn't mean to... It just happened."

Despite his usually calm and focused demeanor, silver-haired Kakashi looked very frightened. The incident had clearly struck a personal chord with him. He was in no hurry to speak or put away his tanto, and the same went for the Uchiha boy. Only their teammate was unarmed.

"That's okay!" Satoru waved dismissively. "I provoked you, after all. So, I don't hold a grudge against you, and you shouldn't hold one against me either. Good luck, I'm off!"

After his last words, he turned and indeed ran away, laughing loudly and oddly. Obito grimaced and crookedly smiled, trying to lighten the mood with a joke:

"What a psycho, right guys?"

However, not receiving the desired positive reaction, he only bit his lip and stared dejectedly at the ground.