Age Spots
Chi Yu gazed at the cave where Uchiha Obito had been crushed during the Kannabi Bridge mission. With practiced ease, he performed a Summoning Technique.
A swarm of non-chakra snakes appeared—ordinary serpents, perfect for stealth. Chi Yu directed them toward the cracks in the collapsed cave, guiding them into the narrow gaps.
He formed a sequence of hand seals.
"Visual Sharing."
His pupils narrowed into vertical slits, transforming into snake eyes. His vision now followed that of the serpents.
As the snakes slithered deeper through the crevices, they eventually discovered a hidden tunnel. Chi Yu directed them forward, inch by inch, keeping his chakra signature suppressed.
Half an hour passed.
At last, the snakes reached the tunnel's end—a vast subterranean chamber.
Through the eyes of the lead snake, Chi Yu saw a legendary figure: the aged Uchiha Madara, long thought dead. Nearby lay Obito, his right side mangled and barely recognizable.
Madara was in the midst of treatment. Chi Yu's lips curled into a cold smile.
From his position, he watched as Madara grafted the White Zetsu's Hashirama-enhanced cells onto Obito's ruined body, slowly reconstructing what had been crushed during the mission.
The operation was meticulous, almost ritualistic.
Three hours later, Madara finished binding the half-repaired Obito and sank into his seat, his eyes closing in silent exhaustion.
Chi Yu deactivated Visual Sharing and opened his system interface.
> [Witnessed Uchiha Madara treating Uchiha Obito. Reward: 500 Witness Points.]
[Witnessed Hashirama cell integration. Reward: 500 Witness Points.]
It wasn't much—but even a mosquito's leg is still meat. More moments like this would add up.
---
The following day.
Chi Yu joined Minato Namikaze, Kakashi Hatake, and Rin Nohara to continue their mission—the destruction of Kannabi Bridge.
With both Chi Yu and Minato present, the objective went smoothly. By destroying the supply bridge vital to Iwagakure's logistics, Konoha's forces severely disrupted the Stone Shinobi's momentum, halting their advance.
Capitalizing on this, Konoha's troops pushed the enemy back beyond the border.
Chi Yu and Minato returned to Konoha to submit their report.
But the aftermath left a void: with Obito presumed dead, Team Minato was reduced to just Kakashi and Rin.
Minato proposed that Kakashi temporarily join his personal team.
Chi Yu, however, refused outright.
He knew Minato's intent: to mold Kakashi into a true successor of the Will of Fire—a shinobi who thinks only of the village, even at the cost of his own will.
But Chi Yu had intervened. Kakashi could no longer place blind faith in Konoha's ideals.
And besides, trouble was coming.
Rin Nohara had been selected—by none other than Uchiha Madara—as the key to pushing Obito into darkness. Her death was necessary for Madara's long-term plan. If it wasn't her, then it would have to be Kakashi. Either way, someone had to die in front of Obito.
Chi Yu understood: he could not interfere in what was destined.
Who killed Rin didn't matter.
What mattered was that Obito had to witness her death.
And so, Chi Yu stood aside.
With his proposal rejected, Minato had no reason to keep Kakashi close. Hiruzen Sarutobi instead assigned two Chūnin to support Minato's missions.
With the Iwa threat temporarily subdued, both Chi Yu and Kakashi were granted a rare three-day leave. After that, they would be deployed to Amegakure, where the Stone and Sand Shinobi forces had begun to clash with Konoha once more.
Kakashi followed Chi Yu home that evening.
Uzumaki Kushina was no longer a Jinchūriki—her duties now took her to higher-risk missions. The house was empty.
Chi Yu cooked, and the two shared a quiet meal.
Later, while Kakashi slept, Chi Yu laid on his futon, activating Visual Sharing once more to monitor Madara and Obito.
---
Three nights later.
Obito stirred. Groggy and disoriented, he opened his eyes slowly.
> "Am I... dead...?"
Then he noticed the old man beside him—withered, white-haired, and with a haunting gaze.
> "Where is this...?"
Madara answered with gravity.
> "The space between life and death, Uchiha."
Obito blinked, disbelieving.
> "Your eyes... Are you an Uchiha, too?"
Madara's lips barely moved.
> "Take a guess."
Obito hesitated. This man… was he the one who had saved him?
But something felt off. The surroundings were bleak, silent, cold. Too dark to be the world of the living.
> "This place... You said it's between life and death? It's too dark... And you—who are you? Are you... the Shinigami?"
"You're not here to take me to the underworld, right?"
His eyes landed on the scythe Madara leaned upon.
> "That's a scythe...!" Obito yelped. "You are the Shinigami! The Uchiha-specific one! Please—I've helped the elderly my whole life! Sure, I've broken rules... but doesn't that count for something?!"
He tried to sit up, immediately clutching his bandaged side in pain.
Madara's tone was dry.
> "If you feel pain, you're alive. Barely. The rocks nearly killed you—but by some miracle, you survived."
Obito's breath hitched.
> "Where did you find me?"
> "In a tunnel I had dug earlier," Madara said. "You were buried under rubble, barely hanging on. I stabilized your body with Hashirama's cells."
Obito's eyes widened. "You saved me?"
> "Too early for thanks," Madara said coldly. "You'll repay this debt—after all, isn't helping the elderly your motto?"
Obito froze. "Yeah... I guess I did say that."
> "Then serve me," Madara said simply.
Obito shook his head. "No. I have to return to Konoha. My comrades are fighting. I awakened my Sharingan—I can protect them better now."
> "Protect my comrades..."
Madara muttered the words under his breath, a dark shadow crossing his face.
He had once believed the same thing.
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