Obito looked at this kid about the same age as the body he had in this life. Seeing the obvious venting of anger on him, he suddenly couldn't bring himself to get angry.
Because, in his previous life, he had vented in exactly the same way, toward Teacher Minato.
He dispersed the Susanoo and walked up to this little shinobi.
"What's your name?"
The boy was clearly startled. Just a moment ago, facing the giant whose body was countless times larger than his, the hot blood in his heart made him forget fear and dare to face it directly.
But now, with the real person standing before him with a calm face, he instead grew afraid.
His hands and feet trembled uncontrollably. He began to regret. Why had he picked a fight with this fellow villager shinobi who could become such a massive giant?
"M-my… my name is Shimizu Dojin."
He didn't dare defy Obito's command and stammered out his name.
Obito, however, patted him on the shoulder, "A shinobi is a tool. One must suppress emotions and perfectly carry out the missions assigned by superiors. You should have learned that back in the academy, right?"
Shimizu Dojin nodded. That indeed was what his squad leader had told him clearly on the very first day as a shinobi.
He understood Obito's meaning. As a tool, since the mission had already been assigned, he shouldn't question it, just carry it out. Dying for it was also a shinobi's destiny.
This sounded like it wasn't wrong, but then why did he feel so unwilling inside?
Unconsciously, he asked, "Does a shinobi have to be a tool? Do we really have to be expendable materials for you big shots?"
Obito smiled, "Looking at the existence of shinobi, that really is the case."
Then he leaned closer to Shimizu Dojin's ear, "So, the mistake is not mine, nor yours, but the entire shinobi system. If you want to question it, then find a way to make that system disappear, restore your identity as a person. Only then, no longer a tool, would you have the right to complain to me."
"Otherwise, since we are all shinobi, why should one tool make things hard for another tool?"
Shimizu Dojin's eyes widened. He had never imagined Obito would say something like this. It was an angle he had never considered.
For a moment, he actually felt the words made sense. So much so that his anger at Obito suddenly no longer had a clear target.
Still, he couldn't shake the feeling something was off. Just like that, so simply and effortlessly, Obito had detached himself from the whole matter?
So sly. Why, though they seemed about the same age, was Obito countless times smarter than him?
Obito looked at Shimizu Dojin's aggrieved face and patted his shoulder again. Honestly, children this young shouldn't be sent to the battlefield to endure cruel war.
He said softly, "Until your vision broadens, until you find words to refute me, just follow orders. You're one of the lucky ones. After all, you're still alive, and you still have a future, don't you?"
After that, Obito no longer bothered with Shimizu Dojin. He turned to the crowd, "My stance is already clear enough. Now I ask you all, does anyone still oppose?"
For a moment, everyone glanced at one another. Actually, even if they opposed, they were powerless. But… A Konoha shinobi who looked over forty, who must have experienced the Second War, spoke, "Jonin Obito, we can follow your order. But still, this situation doesn't match regulations. We lack an uppermost command. You understand, don't you?"
Obito nodded. Of course he understood this shinobi's meaning. Whether the war stopped or not, even if his strength was overwhelming, in terms of organization, he was only a jonin, not Hokage, and had no authority to issue such an order.
Naturally, at his level of power, order or not, everyone tacitly understood. But on the surface, formality still had to be kept.
This was also why Obito so urgently wanted Teacher Minato to become the Fourth Hokage.
He smiled, "Don't worry. I don't have the qualification. But Teacher Minato does. And Minato-sensei came to the front lines on the Third Hokage's orders."
This was also the reason Obito dared to stand out so boldly. Though he didn't know exactly what mission Sarutobi Hiruzen had given Minato-sensei, the end result was bound to be peace and the cessation of war.
After all, that was how it had gone in his previous life. And the consequence was that frontline dissatisfaction led to Hiruzen's stepping down, and Minato-sensei rose to power.
At this moment, as if to confirm Obito's words, from some corner Namikaze Minato appeared and flickered instantly to Obito's side.
He said calmly, "What Obito said is right. Hokage-sama's intention is indeed this. The opportunity is rare, let's stop the war here."
Seeing Minato also say so, everyone immediately had no objections. After all, obedience to higher command had long been etched into their bones, and Minato was the commander-in-chief of this war.
At once, all relaxed. Though hatred hadn't vanished, not everyone liked fighting. For them, ending the war was the best possible outcome.
Once Minato stood forward, he began directing the troops in cleanup and aftermath operations. When everything was nearly settled, he brought Obito into the command tent.
Minato looked at Obito and asked, "The situation in that other world, is it over? What was the final outcome? And, where's Rin?"
Obito smiled, "Because of some reasons, Rin is now treating a wounded comrade. She'll be back in a while. As for the other world, it has indeed ended."
After a pause, Obito looked at Minato-sensei and said seriously, "I and the me from the other world fought the final battle. In the end, everyone entered Infinite Tsukuyomi, and they all dreamed beautiful dreams."
Minato sucked in a sharp breath. Though he had long foreseen this as one possible result, hearing it from Obito's mouth still shocked him.
But recalling the massive deep-violet Susanoo he had seen earlier, Minato thought, with that kind of power, facing the whole world alone was not impossible.
He only asked, "Obito, do you think that was right, or wrong?"
Obito thought for a moment, then said honestly, "Looking at the outcome, Infinite Tsukuyomi does have some problems. The consequence of humanity dreaming forever is that humanity may lose its future."
"But…"
Thinking of the countless people standing behind him, remembering their firm hands raised in support, their dissatisfaction with reality, their hatred toward the Five Great Villages, and their despair before they dreamed, Obito smiled, "I still feel I did something correct. Minato-sensei, in that other world, I even argued back and forth with Naruto. Some of what he said was wrong, but some was reasonable."
"And that was, if the vast majority of humanity feels the world should become a certain way, then changing it that way cannot be considered wrong. This doesn't shift with your or my thoughts as individuals, it is the most fair and objective truth."
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