"So it really was you who saved me, Grandpa… thank you."
In the dim underground chamber, after a round of conversation with Uchiha Madara, Obito finally understood his situation.
Obito had thought he was as good as dead. Never did he expect that he was still alive—
and that realization sent waves of emotion through his heart.
Being alive was enough. As long as he lived, he could reunite with Rin and Kakashi again.
To him, being together with those two was what mattered most.
Though the old man in front of him spoke in a strange, unsettling way, Obito's heart was still filled with gratitude.
"It's too early to be thanking me."
Madara gently shook his head at Obito's words, looking at him calmly.
"Don't rush it. You'll repay me in the future."
"Huh? In the future?"
Obito froze for a moment, then asked somewhat nervously,
"Don't tell me… Grandpa wants me to stay here as a servant and take care of you?"
"That would also work."
Madara nodded calmly, curious to see Obito's reaction.
"That won't do! I can't stay here forever!"
Obito looked discouraged, but he still spoke firmly.
"Konoha is still at war, and my comrades are still waiting for me.
I finally awakened the Sharingan—this time, I can protect my teammates even better!"
"Protect your teammates… better?"
Madara shook his head lightly and let out a soft sigh.
"With your current body, I'm afraid you can no longer be a shinobi.
And what makes you think your comrades need your protection?"
"What?!"
Faced with Madara's questioning, Obito's face clearly showed defiance.
"How can that be? I'll definitely recover!
I finally awakened the Sharingan—I believe I can work together with Kakashi even better than before!"
"Face reality. In this world, things rarely go as one wishes."
Madara remained calm, even faintly disdainful of Obito's words.
"The longer I live, the more I feel that reality is filled with nothing but suffering, pain, loneliness, and betrayal."
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
Obito was growing irritated by Madara's endless rambling. To him, the old man sounded half-crazy, and he couldn't understand his point at all.
"What I want to say is very simple."
Madara didn't mind Obito's mood at all. His voice remained deep and steady.
"In this world, everything follows the same rule—where there is light, there is darkness; where there is a victor, there is a defeated.
Likewise, where there is love, there will be hatred; where there is trust, there will be betrayal.
Because of your severe injuries, others survived—but will your sacrifice truly be rewarded?
The people you saved… will they truly remember you in their hearts?"
"You…"
Madara's question left Obito silent for a moment, unsure how to respond.
But Obito soon snorted, staring at Madara as he shouted,
"I don't care what you're trying to say—no matter what, I'm leaving this place!
I'm grateful that you saved me. Once the war is over, I'll come back!"
"That's something to talk about much later."
Madara interrupted him and slowly turned to walk away.
"If you want to leave, then go. But I hope you remember this—
You and I are both people who were betrayed… and people who were forgotten."
——
"I really didn't expect the Uzumaki clan to have been so glorious."
As the sun set, Kakashi and Haori left Kushina's house together.
Kakashi sounded thoughtful along the way. Perhaps because of his young age, he hadn't known much about the Uzumaki clan before.
He had only seen brief mentions in textbooks, and heard fragments from his father and later from his teacher.
But today, accompanying Haori, he had gained a much deeper understanding of the Uzumaki clan's history.
"Yes. The Uzumaki clan truly was magnificent once—its ending is just… regrettable."
Haori nodded. Though his words sounded regretful, his heart was overflowing with excitement!
During this visit to Uzumaki Kushina's home, they hadn't spent much time discussing sealing techniques at all.
After Kushina gave her permission, Haori had instead devoted himself to carefully reading the historical records of the Uzumaki clan.
He read thoroughly and attentively—so much so that even Kakashi became interested and read alongside him.
Kushina herself found it a little strange that an Uchiha would be so fascinated by Uzumaki history.
After all, historically speaking, the Uchiha and Uzumaki hadn't exactly gotten along—they had clashed more than a few times.
But as she had said, someone being willing to remember Uzumaki history wasn't a bad thing—
even if that person came from a former enemy clan.
Thus, the entire afternoon passed quietly.
And within that seemingly casual reading, Haori finally found the information he was looking for!
"Although it's from over a hundred years ago, and the records are vague, the content itself is extremely interesting…"
In the records, the Senju clan, together with other allied clans, had found the Uzumaki and launched a joint operation.
The target wasn't clearly written, nor were the exact casualties specified.
But one sentence stood out sharply to Haori:
"The Akizuki Valley Operation was ultimately successful, dealing a heavy blow to the arrogance of the Uchiha clan."
Judging by the timeline, this closely matched the record from the Uchiha clan's internal archives—
and there was another intriguing detail.
"Before this, neither the Senju nor the Uzumaki had achieved any particularly notable victories against the Uchiha. Yet this time, it's written like this…"
It was impossible not to make certain connections!
"Yes… it really is a shame. No wonder Kushina-sensei said that."
While Haori was thinking, Kakashi sighed, then asked curiously,
"Haori, do you like reading history?"
"I suppose I do."
Haori shrugged. As a transmigrator, history had once been a compulsory subject for him.
"Understanding history lets us see how the world developed and changed, and helps us understand why things are the way they are now.
Take the Uzumaki clan, for example—through history, we know how brilliant they once were, and how desolate they are now.
That allows us to learn many lessons from the past and improve ourselves.
And it also lets us remember people and things that have already vanished into the river of time, doesn't it?"
These were words that anyone who had studied history in Haori's previous life had heard countless times.
But to Kakashi, they were unexpectedly thought-provoking—especially the final sentence, which plunged him into silence.
Perhaps he was thinking of his father.
Or perhaps… of Obito.
Haori's gaze flickered as well. In the history he had studied before, the fate of "remnants of the previous regime" was never a pleasant one.
And since he had already decided to become a rebel within his clan—
why not go all the way?
Uchiha Setsuna, along with the hawkish faction he led, clearly wouldn't support Haori.
If anything, they would prefer to control him.
And the influence those people wielded was simply too great to ignore.
Why had certain figures across the ocean in Haori's previous life been eliminated after proclaiming "I Have a Dream"?
The reason was simple.
If they could persuade people to wear suits and protest peacefully—
then what would happen if they persuaded those same people to pick up guns?
"It seems… understanding history really is important."
Kakashi suddenly took a deep breath and spoke earnestly.
"Haori, I think I understand now."
"Yes," Haori nodded gently, his eyes filled with determination.
"I think I understand too."
Though what he was about to do was extremely radical—
it was also the best choice for a rebel like him.
At that moment, new information appeared from his system.
[New Side Quest Acquired]
The groundwork is finally done. Time to take action—and start recruiting.
~~--------------------------------
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