After Naruto grasped the cause and effect of the situation, he gave Obito a heartfelt lecture, which left the latter visibly ashamed.
Minato looked at his wayward student and asked gently,
"Obito, what are your plans now? Why not remain in Konoha with Itachi? The Uchiha clan's land is still yours."
Obito shook his head slowly.
"Minato-sensei… I'm not like Itachi. I am a sinner. Please… lock me in prison. That's where I belong."
Chiga, who had been standing off to the side with his arms crossed, suddenly spoke up.
"What? You want Kakashi to deliver your meals?"
At the mention of Kakashi, Obito's face stiffened, his voice sharp.
"No! I don't want to see him!"
His reaction was almost reflexive. Of all the people in the world, Kakashi was the one he least wanted to face. He didn't want Kakashi to witness his current state, nor to know everything he had done. Would Kakashi laugh at him? Think he was still the same failure from their youth? He couldn't bear that look of pity or contempt.
Chiga smirked.
"Then you might as well return to Akatsuki."
Obito froze, stunned. Was Chiga testing him?
Chiga continued casually,
"Aren't you collecting the Tailed Beasts? Go back and keep collecting them. The bigger the chaos, the better. Make the other villages grit their teeth, yet be powerless to stop you."
Minato frowned, not following Chiga's train of thought.
"Chiga, what exactly are you planning?"
A thin, villainous smile curved Chiga's lips as he looked straight at Obito.
"You want a world without war? Fine… I can help you with that dream — in my own way."
"Nani!?" Obito's expression twisted in disbelief. If Chiga weren't so overwhelmingly strong, he might have asked outright, Are you insane?
Ignoring their reactions, Chiga spoke to himself,
"You should have a few of the Tailed Beasts already. Get the rest quickly. Don't keep me waiting."
Then, without warning, Chiga stepped toward Naruto. Under Naruto's confused gaze, Chiga pressed his palm lightly against the boy's stomach. With a subtle pull, a small orb of red chakra emerged — part of the Nine-Tails' power.
Inside Naruto, Kurama's roar echoed like thunder.
"Damn Uchiha brat!"
Chiga tossed the chakra orb to Obito, who caught it almost mechanically.
"Here. This fragment of the Nine-Tails' chakra should be enough. The rest is your problem."
Obito hesitated, voice uncertain.
"Chiga… I truly know I was wrong."
Chiga waved the words off.
"I know. Take it back. It will also keep Black Zetsu guessing. Follow my instructions — consider it your atonement."
"But… what if Madara is revived?"
"Then let him be revived. I'd like to tell him to his face that his idea back then was right."
"What idea?"
Chiga's smile deepened.
"If he's revived, ask him yourself."
Without warning, Chiga's gaze shifted to Obito's chest. A black sigil appeared in the air. Obito's eyes widened.
"This… this is the curse mark Madara left!?"
Chiga nodded.
"I've erased it. Now go — without worry."
Obito slowly rose. He glanced at Minato, starting,
"Sensei, I…"
Minato shook his head softly.
"No need to apologize. You were deceived. Just do as Chiga says. I trust him."
Chiga chuckled dryly.
"Touching. If you'd been like this back then, things might have turned out differently."
Minato's expression faltered. He knew Chiga was referring to his failure to heed warnings in the past — a mistake that had cost him and Kushina their lives. Back then, he'd been a young man swept up by the Will of Fire. Only hard lessons had changed him.
Obito's voice deepened.
"I understand. I still don't fully grasp your intentions, Chiga, but I'll follow them."
With that, the space around Obito's right eye warped. His body began to fade. Before vanishing, he turned to Naruto, smiling faintly.
"I'm sorry, Naruto. You're just like I was… I hope you keep walking your path. I believe you'll become Hokage."
Naruto grinned and raised a thumbs-up.
"Obito-san, you do your best too!"
Obito's breath caught. In Naruto, he saw his younger self. Unnoticed, tears streamed down his face. He forced a smile and mirrored the thumbs-up.
"Hm!"
His figure disappeared completely.
Minato leaned toward Chiga, speaking in a hushed tone.
"Chiga… will you tell me your true plan now?"
Chiga narrowed his eyes.
"Didn't you just say you believed me? Afraid I'll start a Ninja World War?"
"You're not Madara. Why would you do that without reason? I'm just curious."
"You guessed right," Chiga replied smoothly. "I will start a Ninja World War."
Minato blinked. "You're joking."
"I'm not. Those villages have been a nuisance for far too long. The ninja world only needs one village."
Everyone present fell silent. Naruto tilted his head, genuinely concerned about the wrong thing.
"Chiga… can I still be Hokage if that happens?"
Kushina pulled him into her arms, glaring. This was about the fate of the world, and he was worrying about a title!
Minato's brow furrowed.
"So you want Akatsuki to start the war, and then you'll… destroy the other villages?"
"Not destroy. That depends on how they respond."
"They'll never accept it. Would you kill them all?"
Chiga's Rinnegan flared, black ripples spinning in his eyes. The sheer pressure was suffocating.
"In front of these eyes… they will have no choice."
---
Milestone,
100 Power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter