October 10th, early morning.
Bright sunlight streamed through the curtains into the room.
Naraku slowly opened his eyes and sat up in bed, glancing at the calendar hanging by the headboard.
The next date after a series of prominent red circles—which was today—was October 10th.
Naraku sat there for a while, feeling the continued emptiness of his home, realizing he still hadn't gotten used to life without Kakashi.
-- Perhaps it's still too soon.
-- He'll get used to it eventually.
He sighed silently, got out of bed barefoot, walked a few steps to the window, pulled back the curtains, and stared blankly at a distant mountain forest outside Konoha.
-- If he had known Kakashi's birthday was their last meeting, he should have said a few more words to him.
-- That night, he didn't even say "goodnight" it seemed.
-- He just felt... a bit regretful.
Harboring an indescribable sense of regret, Naraku quietly made himself a steaming hot breakfast, ate it alone at the table, not uttering a single word the entire time.
Ever since Kakashi left a note and disappeared on a top-secret mission, this small courtyard had been home to only him.
If no guests came knocking, he could go an entire day without speaking.
Fortunately, this still fit Uchiha Naraku's current persona.
As clear water flowed through his palms, rinsing the remaining white foam from the dishes, and stirred a few ripples in the drain, he suddenly realized—
The autumn water was already so cold.
So cold that the chill burrowed from his fingers deep into his bones, causing a dull ache in his chest.
After finishing all the chores, Naraku left for the Hospital as usual to give Sakumo his body care and check his recovery.
Feeling Sakumo's increasingly active brain signals through Medical Ninjutsu, Naraku confirmed once again that he was about to wake up, likely within the next few days.
In every way, this was exciting news.
But Naraku just sat blankly by the bed, head bowed, silent for a very long time, so long that he almost became a lifeless statue.
Until a sudden, unannounced cold gust of wind blew across his face, he choked, coughed a few times, and finally awoke from his chaotic and complex thoughts.
He then silently mocked a certain unrealistic thought that had flashed through his mind.
-- Really... his brain must be addled... After barely steadying his breathing, Naraku looked at Sakumo, who was oblivious to everything around him, and showed an apologetic expression.
"Although... it's a bit early... I'll still say it now..."
Perhaps it was due to not speaking for too long, the boy's voice was slightly hoarse and tired, but it was filled with genuine guilt.
He bent down, rested his head next to Sakumo's arm, and whispered, "Welcome back, Master."
After a while longer, his carefully edited, few spoken confidences continued to echo in the ward.
"I'm sorry... I just thought it would be better if Master woke up a little later..."
"That way, maybe I could still... see the birthday present Kakashi gave me this year..."
"I'm truly hopeless... aren't I... both bad and stupid..."
"Just a tiny bit... I want to live... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
The boy's gradually weakening whispers reverberated and vanished in the air, transforming into an invisible breeze, dissipating into nothingness under the sunlight.
"From now on... Kakashi is in your care..."
...Leaving the Hospital, Naraku walked alone on the Konoha streets, lingeringly treading every place he and Kakashi had once visited together.
The market where enthusiastic vendors always gave extra fruits and vegetables, the pancake stall run by a civilian Uchiha couple, the weapon shop whose owner was a kind aunt, Granny Ame's dessert shop filled with sweet aromas... With each place he passed, he felt a real and clear sense of continuous loss.
Until the sun set in the west, and the lingering light was like blood.
Naraku returned to the small courtyard belonging to him and Kakashi, sitting on the covered bridge, watching the sun gradually sink below the horizon.
Night replaced the twilight, enveloping the entire world in darkness.
-- It's almost time.
He raised his hand to form a few hand signs, using a Secret Technique to contact the White Zetsu that had been lurking in Konoha Village, asking it to convey a message to Tobi:
Uchiha Naraku could fulfill his promise...
Outside Konoha Village, in a primeval forest.
When Zero White Zetsu mysteriously emerged from underground and whispered this message to Tobi, Obito had not yet begun his actions.
Upon seeing Tobi's sneaky behavior, clearly doing something behind his back, Obito was displeased: "What unspeakable things are you two talking about?"
"Oh, you're so annoying..."
Tobi covered the lower half of his mask with one hand, and with the other, he playfully flicked his sleeve.
"You said it's unspeakable, so how could I tell you?"
"But it really is something very interesting~"
"If Tobi absolutely insists on hearing, it's not like I can't tell you..."
"Tch," Obito turned away irritably, "Forget it if you won't say, so wishy-washy."
After watching Obito leave the dense forest, Tobi remained still for a long time, leaving Zero White Zetsu utterly confused.
"Um, Tobi, didn't Uchiha Naraku say he would give his body to you?... Why aren't you going to find him?"
Tobi wagged his index finger twice: "Still a little bit...".
Black Zetsu materialized from the shadows, his tiny eyes gleaming with great confusion, then he frowned, sensing that things were not simple.
-- Oh no, Tobi is going to cause trouble again!
-- He's a real handful, how much more chaos will he cause before he's satisfied?
Black Zetsu was truly worried about things dragging on, and just as he was about to offer a word of caution, he saw Tobi place his index finger in front of his mask, making a "hush" gesture.
"Shh, no need to worry~"
As he spoke in a soft whisper, his entire being exuded a more unsettling kind of terror.
"Uchiha Naraku won't see tomorrow's sunrise."
"I just want to see...".
"What kind of painful wails that guy can still let out before he dies."