Raindrops fell from the sky, soaking Nohara Rin's clothes as her lips trembled faintly.
As Rin hesitated, in the distance, Uchiha Obito was racing toward her with all his might.
The sound of another explosion echoed from afar.
A vague unease stirred in Obito's heart.
"Guh!"
Obito clutched his empty left eye socket, feeling a sharp sting.
Before him, a chaotic, glitch-like darkness filled his vision.
As the darkness gradually dissipated, Nohara Rin's face came into view.
Rin was being held by Shimizu Uchiha.
"What is this?"
Obito stared at the illusion before him, wanting to scream that now was not the time for such strange visions.
He pushed the thought aside for the moment.
At the very least, in this illusion, Nohara Rin was safe.
Rin was cradled in Shimizu's arms, as if he were protecting her.
But Rin's expression… it seemed… sorrowful?
"Just a little more… just a little more!"
Obito took a deep breath, filling his lungs with oxygen.
His mind cleared in that moment.
He pushed through the underbrush, ready to let Rin know that he, Uchiha Obito, was still alive.
Time for a heroic rescue!
Step…
Obito lifted his gaze.
But there was no enemy as he had imagined.
Nor was Nohara Rin in mortal danger.
Instead, Hatake Kakashi lay on the ground.
Rin's hand glowed with faint green chakra as she healed Kakashi, her other hand steadying Shimizu's pant leg.
Her head bobbed repeatedly in front of Shimizu.
What was happening?
Obito could only see the back of Rin's head, unable to discern what she was doing.
That vague unease stirred in his heart again.
Obito quickly ducked back into the underbrush, trying to make sense of what was happening.
But all he could see was Rin crouching beside Kakashi, with Shimizu standing tall above them, and then…
This scene struck Obito's heart like a sledgehammer, nearly suffocating him.
His mind went blank, as if the entire world was crumbling before his eyes.
What was Rin doing?
Why was she doing that with Shimizu?
Kakashi was right there beneath them—why would Rin do such a thing?
Pain. Overwhelming pain.
The agony of losing his love forever, of a world in ruins.
Obito's heart shattered into a million pieces, each one screaming in torment.
Rin's smile, her voice, every gentle moment with her replayed in his mind, only to be torn apart.
"Rin… Rin…"
Obito called her name in a trembling voice, as if it could pull her back from Shimizu's grasp.
But his throat felt blocked, capable only of guttural noises.
Even Zetsu, attached to him, couldn't make out what Obito was trying to say.
He collapsed to his knees, hands digging into the earth, tears dripping onto the soil.
It was as if the entire world mocked his powerlessness and foolishness.
What…
What was happening here?
I refuse to accept this…
This kind of thing…
I refuse to accept it—this is hell!
Obito let out a silent scream.
It was as if he had realized something, his Sharingan's tomoe spinning rapidly.
A truer world unfolded before his eyes.
Cold rain, thorny underbrush.
And Rin's actions, Shimizu's towering presence.
Yes, yes—this was hell.
In hell, everything was fake.
The Kakashi who failed to protect Rin was fake.
This Rin and Shimizu were fake.
In Obito's heart, the real Rin would never do such a thing… therefore, this Rin was fake too.
The only real Rin was the one who was alive. This Rin was already dead.
All of this was caused by ninja, the system, the villages, and the corrupt elites.
These fake things had created this tragic outcome.
Blood stained Obito's entire world.
He looked up at the sky, now darkened.
Boom!
Obito slammed his fist into the ground.
He recalled the words of Madara and White Zetsu.
In this world, where there is light, there must also be shadow.
They are bound by an inseparable cause-and-effect relationship—that is reality.
To abandon all the hateful things in the real world and escape to a dreamland filled with only good things—that is true peace.
"What was that noise?"
Rin, startled, hurriedly wiped her mouth and turned around.
Behind her, there was only the dark forest and underbrush.
"Just a dog out there. Continue," Shimizu said, a mocking smile curling on his lips, sharp as a viper's tongue, piercing Obito's heart.
"A dog?"
Rin felt an inexplicable unease but couldn't pinpoint its source.
She turned back.
If she didn't comply, Shimizu wouldn't let her heal Kakashi.
To treat Kakashi's injuries in time, to prevent any lasting damage, she had no choice.
When chakra was depleted, it could recover naturally over time.
But Rin didn't dare risk Kakashi's health—each time chakra was nearly exhausted, it put immense strain on the meridian system.
Suppressing the desolation in her heart, Rin continued.
"…"
Hidden in the underbrush, Obito felt his world completely upended, his last remnants of faith and hope collapsing entirely.
White Zetsu was wrong. Madara's plan wasn't about escape. Reality was hell, and the dream was the true reality.
A third tomoe emerged in his Sharingan, then fused together.
It became… a pinwheel shape.
Obito felt a surge of power.
He could sense his ability to tear through space, to travel to another dimension.
This dojutsu was called Kamui!
But even with this newfound power, the space-time Kamui couldn't hide the tears streaming down Obito's face.
Kamui couldn't conceal his tears; all he could see was Rin.
Obito clutched his chest.
He felt the pain in his heart.
As if a gaping hole had opened in his soul.
A deep, empty void, with a cold breeze from hell blowing through it.
"Rin… I will create a world with you."
A world for the victor, a world of peace, a world of love!
Rustle!
The underbrush shook.
Rin, startled, turned around, catching only a fleeting shadow speeding through the night.
Was it a dog?
Rin wondered.
Then Shimizu forcibly pulled her back.
"Lord Madara, the plan has succeeded," White Zetsu emerged from the wall.
"I should prepare for what comes next," Uchiha Madara said with a faint smile.
The process had been complicated, but as long as the outcome was the same, it didn't matter.
"Where is Obito now, and what are his abilities?"
"He's on his way back. He hasn't used his dojutsu yet, so we don't know its nature," White Zetsu replied.
Madara waved him off.
He waited quietly for Obito's return.
He knew Obito had given one of his Sharingan to Hatake Kakashi.
That was fine.
If the single eye's dojutsu was powerful enough, it could stay with Kakashi for now.
If it wasn't, he'd arrange for someone to assassinate Kakashi and reclaim the Sharingan.
Pain.
That was Kakashi's only thought.
He opened his eyes, clutching his left eye.
Something felt different about it—his chakra reserves had surged slightly.
Even the special chakra residing in the Sharingan had increased.
What was going on?
Kakashi, puzzled, surveyed his surroundings.
He was in a massive crater, surrounded by scorched earth and bodies.
"Kakashi, you're awake!" Nohara Rin ran over from a nearby river.
Was Rin… rinsing her mouth?
Kakashi was confused.
"What happened here?"
Rin briefly explained the situation to Kakashi.
"Shimizu's strength…" Kakashi gave a bitter smile.
It seemed no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't catch up.
Shimizu had taken down so many Kirigakure ninja single-handedly.
And before that, he had fought the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
To come here and provide support, he must have defeated them.
But at least he had protected Rin—that was what mattered.
Kakashi felt a genuine sense of relief.
This way, he had kept his promise to Obito.
If he went to the other world one day, he could face Obito without shame.
"Since you're awake, let's head back. We need to report everything," Shimizu said, jumping down from a tree trunk.
He had been resting there for a while.
Kakashi nodded, and the three began their return journey.
After some time, they reached the outpost.
The outpost's personnel were just about to investigate the disturbance when they saw the involved parties return.
Once everything was clarified, the ninja were filled with lingering fear.
If Kirigakure had succeeded in smuggling the tailed beast into the village, the Nine-Tails would likely have gone berserk as well.
The village would have become the battleground.
With that kind of power, it wouldn't take long for the village to be reduced to ruins.
Namikaze Minato arrived shortly after.
Upon hearing the report, he praised Shimizu and Kakashi's strength.
But he also reprimanded them, stressing that they must report such incidents in advance next time.
Acting alone was incredibly dangerous.
A moment later, Minato turned to Nohara Rin.
The matter wasn't over yet. Kirigakure's tailed beast, the Three-Tails, had been sealed inside Rin.
This was a delicate situation.
It depended on Kirigakure's stance.
If Kirigakure deemed the Three-Tails unworthy of control, they might release it back into the wild.
But that possibility was slim—tailed beasts were vital to every ninja village.
It was likely that Kirigakure would soon send ninja to negotiate its return.
If mishandled, it could escalate the war between Kirigakure and Konohagakure.
Other villages might take advantage of the chaos.
"Rin, Kakashi, Shimizu, return to the village for now," Minato said after some thought.
This matter was best left to the Hokage to decide.
The three had no objections.
A few days later, Shimizu, who hadn't been gone long, returned to Konohagakure.
In the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen silently reviewed the report. Standing nearby were Konoha's high-ranking officials: Mito Menma, Koharu Utatane, and even Shimura Danzo.
"Hiruzen, this is a golden opportunity. The Three-Tails has fallen into our hands, greatly boosting our strength. This is the perfect chance to counterattack Kirigakure," Danzo said, his tone unusually tinged with excitement.
If successful, Konoha could annex Kirigakure, becoming an unmatched power. With that foundation, ruling the ninja world wouldn't be a dream.
At that time, the Hokage wouldn't just be Konoha's Hokage but the Hokage of the entire world!
"Enough, Danzo. For now, the Three-Tails will remain in the village, sealed with a sealing jutsu and monitored by the Anbu," Hiruzen declared.
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