Chapter 275 – The Aftermath (Part II)
"A… curse mark? Inside her heart?"
When the illusion ended, Obito Uchiha stood frozen, hollow-eyed.
His lips trembled. His voice was little more than a whisper —
and in his eyes, numbness and fear blended into something deeper: despair.
Tears streamed freely down his face.
He didn't trust Kei Uchiha — not fully.
Some small part of him was grateful that Kei had shaken him from his delusion,
but suspicion still clung to his heart like shadow.
From the moment Kei had shown him those "memories,"
he'd assumed they were fake — illusions, manufactured visions meant to manipulate him.
He didn't know how much of it had been altered,
and at first, he didn't care.
He only needed to be ready — ready to break free of the illusion with his Mangekyō if Kei tried anything.
Yet, something inside him wanted to keep watching.
Maybe out of morbid curiosity.
Maybe… because a part of him still wanted to believe.
But then — in that laboratory — he saw Ayaka Hyūga removing a curse seal from Rin's heart.
At that instant, his mind went blank.
He recognized the jutsu immediately.
He'd studied similar seals before — not out of interest,
but because Black Zetsu had forced him to learn certain manipulation techniques.
Zetsu hadn't trusted him to persuade others through reason,
so he'd taught him control seals — among them, this very design.
Obito had never used it.
But he remembered every line, every sigil —
because he carried a similar seal inside his own heart.
And now, seeing that same curse mark engraved upon Rin's…
It all made sense.
Rin hadn't died by accident.
She hadn't chosen to run toward Kakashi's blade.
She'd been programmed to —
forced by the cursed seal and the tailed beast sealed within her to run toward Konoha,
ensuring her own death before the Three-Tails could be unleashed inside the village.
That realization hit him like lightning.
Neither Madara nor Zetsu had ever told him this.
They'd only shown him her death — not the truth behind it.
And now, through Kei's illusion,
that truth had surfaced decades earlier than it ever should have.
"There's no way… he could've known all this beforehand," Obito whispered.
He clenched his fists.
Kei couldn't have stolen these images from his mind —
their Mangekyō were equals, and illusion-based mind reading was impossible between them.
That left only one explanation.
What Kei had shown him… was real.
---
"Otherwise, tell me," Kei's calm voice echoed around him,
"do you really think another Mangekyō user like you wouldn't notice if I'd peeked into your memories?"
In an instant, Obito found himself back inside the illusion —
back in that tranquil, glowing world.
Ahead of him, a vision of the past played again:
Rin, smiling gently, hand-in-hand with his younger self,
running toward Kakashi and Minato.
But then that image shattered,
replaced by the cold, lifeless form of Rin on the lab table —
her chest marked by the sigil that had doomed her.
Obito's breathing turned ragged. His hands shook.
Then, rage erupted.
"What the hell are you doing with her body?!" he shouted.
"You've already removed the Three-Tails' chakra — why won't you let her rest!?"
Kei tilted his head slightly, a faint smirk forming.
"Are you trying to tell me what to do now?"
His tone dripped with mockery.
"Even if you were, who are you to lecture me?
You're not a Konoha shinobi anymore — just a missing-nin without a name or record.
I'm the head of the Police Force,
and you're a former genin who abandoned his comrades.
Is this how you address your superior?"
"I…"
The words caught in Obito's throat.
He wanted to retort — to scream that he wasn't a Konoha shinobi —
but he couldn't bring himself to say it.
He looked toward the image of his younger self, smiling beside his teammates.
Then at his reflection now — a broken man wrapped in shadows.
The contrast was unbearable.
How could someone like me ever face her again?
How could I face Rin… in the Pure Land?
Shame burned through him,
hotter than any fire.
He had become a monster —
the antithesis of everything he once wanted to be.
---
"Looking at the boy who once dreamed of becoming Hokage…" Kei's voice was soft but cutting.
"It stirs something in you, doesn't it?"
He smiled faintly. Then his tone hardened.
"But you still have a chance."
"A… chance?"
Obito looked up slowly, eyes filled with confusion and faint, desperate hope.
"You mean… you still want to know what I'm planning, right? I'll tell you—"
"Later," Kei interrupted smoothly.
"For now, let's call this what it is — redemption. Yours."
Obito fell silent.
The word echoed in his mind — redemption.
He had committed unforgivable sins.
He had brought ruin to Konoha.
But deep down, he was still the same naive boy who couldn't stand seeing others cry.
If there was even the smallest chance at atonement —
he couldn't ignore it.
Kei could see it in his eyes.
"You've been used, Obito," Kei said quietly.
"Rin's death was orchestrated. Kakashi killing her — that wasn't chance.
Someone wanted to break you.
To awaken your Mangekyō."
Obito froze.
"The trauma… the manipulation — it was all deliberate." Kei continued, voice low and steady.
"If your friend kills your beloved before your eyes, how could anyone — especially an Uchiha — endure that?"
"Mangekyō Sharingan…" Obito whispered bitterly.
"Exactly." Kei nodded. "They forced you to awaken it.
Why? I don't know yet. But you see where I'm going with this."
"You mean… I can use this?"
"You can turn it against them." Kei's voice sharpened.
"You have power — and now you have the truth.
Use it to destroy everything they've built.
Expose their plans. Crush their networks.
That's how you avenge her. That's how you redeem yourself."
His words flowed smoothly, like a devil whispering in the dark.
And Obito — trembling, broken, lost — couldn't look away.
He wanted revenge.
He wanted to make them pay for what they did to Rin.
Madara had created the monster —
but Kei had just given it direction.
---
"The Mist Village cooperated far too easily," Kei added suddenly.
"They even sealed the Three-Tails into her body.
Whoever's behind you has strong ties there.
If you doubt me, start there."
Obito's expression hardened.
"The Hidden Mist…?
I was already planning to.
They were the ones who hunted her down."
"Then investigate," Kei said simply. "Thoroughly."
He paused.
"And I have an offer. A formal one."
"An… offer?"
"From this day onward," Kei said, his gaze sharp,
"as a shinobi of Konohagakure, you are a member of the Police Force.
Your mission — uncover the identity and motives of those pulling your strings.
Feed us intel when you can."
Obito blinked, stunned.
"A… Konoha shinobi? Me? After everything I've done?"
He laughed bitterly.
"I killed ANBU. I killed the Third's wife.
I unleashed the Nine-Tails…
I might have killed Kushina.
How could I still call myself a Konoha ninja?"
Kei smirked.
"Because I say you are.
And in this village, authority decides truth."
For a long moment, Obito said nothing.
Then, quietly:
"I could tell you who they are — tell you everything."
"No." Kei raised a hand. "The more you say, the more risk you carry.
You're not exactly subtle, 'Mr. Number Two Genius.'"
Obito's face twitched.
"Number… Two?"
"Mm. I've seen your academy grades," Kei said with mock seriousness.
"Let's just say your 'wisdom' score wasn't exactly impressive."
Before Obito could snap back, the illusion shattered.
Reality rushed in.
Kei's blade was still pressed against Obito's chest, but he hadn't moved.
Obito seized the moment —
phased into his Kamui space,
and vanished.
---
Inside the illusion, their exchange had been one of consciousness and chakra.
Time itself bent under Mangekyō-level genjutsu,
stretching or compressing at will.
Neither of them possessed Tsukuyomi,
but both were skilled enough to simulate that effect.
It wasn't a prison — either could break it with willpower.
But Kei had exploited Obito's weakness perfectly,
and his illusion had done its job.
Even Kakashi fell for this genjutsu once, Kei thought as he walked home.
It worked better than I'd hoped.
A faint smirk crossed his lips.
"Guess I should thank future Naruto for the inspiration," he mused inwardly.
"Turns out this guy's heart isn't as frozen as I thought."
He chuckled softly.
"Though honestly, Naruto's talk-no-jutsu puts all genjutsu to shame. He doesn't even need Sharingan — just a few emotional speeches and boom — instant redemption."
He shook his head, amused.
"That's not genjutsu. That's divine intervention."
Still, Kei was satisfied.
"He doesn't trust me yet," he murmured, "but that's fine.
Let's see how long before he comes to me on his own."
He smiled faintly.
"Next time, I'll give him a proper file.
If he follows it… maybe he won't need future Naruto to save him."
---
Present Time:
When Kei finally returned home, Ryoko Uchiha rushed to him.
"Kei! You're back! Are you alright? Last night—"
"I'm fine," he said with a tired smile.
Moments later, Keisuke Uchiha and Iori emerged as well.
They had all survived by following Police evacuation orders.
Even amidst chaos, Jun Uchiha had organized the non-combatants,
ensuring civilians reached the shelters safely —
a rare moment of genuine leadership within the clan.
"You're safe. That's what matters," Kei said quietly.
"I'll get some rest. It's been… a long night."
"Go," Ryoko said, relief in her voice. "The bath's ready."
He nodded and stepped away.
---
Far from Konoha, deep within a hidden cavern in the Land of Fire,
Obito Uchiha lay on a stone bed, eyes closed,
his mind racing.
"Damn that guy…" he muttered. "He actually called me 'Number Two Genius'…"
At first, he hadn't understood.
Then it hit him.
'Genius'… number two… wait. Does that mean—?!
He groaned.
"Is he implying my intelligence score is two?! That smug bastard!"
He scowled.
"He wasn't even that good in school! I remember him getting kicked by Guy!"
Still…
He exhaled slowly.
"But… maybe he's not wrong."
He couldn't deny Kei's words lingered in his mind.
He'd accepted the assignment — even without written orders —
and he knew exactly what he had to do.
He would investigate the Mist.
He would play along with Madara's plan —
until the moment came to tear it all down from within.
If this is redemption… I'll take it.
He placed a hand over his chest,
feeling the faint, cursed pulse under his ribs.
"This seal might kill me someday," he whispered.
"And maybe that's fine."
He opened his eyes — sharp, resolute.
"Until then… I'll live long enough to destroy everything they built."
Obito's gaze shifted subtly toward Black Zetsu, who was quietly tending to the wounds across his arm.
"When I've uncovered the truth… when I've destroyed Kirigakure… when I've torn their entire plan to pieces…
Then, I'll die."
His voice trembled — not with fear, but with conviction.
"I'll die as a Konoha shinobi —
one who redeemed himself through atonement."
He closed his eyes for a moment, his whisper almost inaudible.
"Rin… wait for me."
---
"I'm home…"
Minato Namikaze appeared in his house in a flicker of light — but the moment he rematerialized, he nearly stumbled.
A wave of dizziness hit him.
That shouldn't have been possible.
For someone like him — the Yellow Flash — even exhaustion had never dulled his control over the Flying Thunder God technique.
He smiled bitterly.
Guess Kei was right.
Every word from Kei Uchiha seemed impossible to ignore —
logical, practical, and somehow always right.
Minato let out a quiet sigh.
If Hiruzen or the others were still in charge, someone like Kei would never be trusted.
They'd see him as a threat, not an ally.
And truth be told — if Kei ever had become an enemy,
Minato knew Konoha wouldn't stand a chance.
He had imagined it before, once —
Uchiha Kei as a foe, moving in the dark, calm and merciless.
It wasn't a pleasant thought.
Yet when he looked at Kei as a friend, that coldness disappeared entirely.
What he saw instead was discipline. Focus. Wisdom.
Maybe that's just how perspective works, he thought with a weary smile.
People judge based on where they stand.
---
Step by step, Minato made his way down the quiet hallway until he reached the bedroom.
There, Kushina slept deeply, her crimson hair spilling like fire across the pillow.
In her arms, baby Naruto slept peacefully, his tiny face soft and serene.
Minato stopped in the doorway, warmth blooming across his tired features.
This… this is what home feels like.
It was a simple moment — a mother and child asleep —
but to him, it was everything.
He couldn't imagine a world without Kushina.
If she had died… he wouldn't have known how to go on.
And if he had died instead —
he couldn't bear to think what she might have done in her grief.
Either way, it would have destroyed Naruto.
Their son was more than a child.
He was the living proof of their love —
a miracle, a gift from the heavens.
And Minato would protect that gift with everything he had.
He brushed a hand gently across Kushina's cheek, feeling the faint warmth of her skin.
A quiet smile touched his lips.
He took off his flak jacket, his cloak,
and carefully lay down beside her.
Sliding one arm around her back,
he pulled her close —
so that Naruto lay safely between them, surrounded by warmth.
The baby stirred slightly, squirming at the heat,
then turned toward Minato's side and curled up once more,
breathing softly in perfect sleep.
Minato chuckled quietly and pressed his forehead against his son's.
"I'll protect you," he whispered.
"Both of you."
His voice was soft, almost lost beneath the rhythm of their breathing.
"I'll protect our home… our village… and our family."
"I'll protect the ones I love most."
He closed his eyes, the faint smile still on his lips.
Outside, dawn was just beginning to rise —
a fragile, golden light breaking over a scarred but surviving village.
And in that moment, peace — however brief — finally returned to Konoha.
---