Cold. Hard. Suffocating.
Those were the first sensations Uchiha Obito felt as consciousness returned.
He suddenly opened his eyes, but instead of Rin's worried face or the familiar ceiling of Konoha Hospital, he was greeted by a completely unfamiliar and oppressive darkness.
"Hah... Hah..."
His ragged breathing echoed through the space.
He found himself lying inside a vast, empty, enclosed underground cavern.
Rough, icy stone walls surrounded him, stretching upward into an endless darkness where the ceiling could not be seen.
The air was thick with the smell of damp earth and an indescribable residue of ancient, overwhelming chakra that instinctively filled him with dread.
A few strange mushrooms emitting a faint blue glow grew from the rock walls, providing the only source of light and making the place resemble a haunted underworld.
"Where... Where is this?"
Obito struggled to sit up, but a sharp pain in his right shoulder forced a muffled groan from his lips.
His memories came rushing back.
The brutal battle... Kakashi's Lightning Blade... the wound on his shoulder... and...
That suspicious sneak attack at the end!
"Rin! Kakashi!"
He anxiously looked around, but apart from the cold stone and eerie blue light, there was no one else.
His heart instantly sank.
"So, you're awake, Uchiha brat."
An old, hoarse voice suddenly echoed throughout the cavern.
Obito immediately turned toward the sound.
In the dim blue glow cast by the largest cluster of luminous fungi, a figure sat silently upon a massive, twisted throne that looked as though it had been formed from tangled tree roots fused together with flesh.
The old man was hunched over, dressed in a simple dark robe, with messy white hair hanging loosely around him.
Most horrifying of all, his body seemed to be connected to countless twisted white tubes and cables beneath the throne, as if he had sat there for endless ages and become one with the underground cavern itself.
Though his aged face was covered in wrinkles, the moment those slowly opening eyes met Obito's...
His heart trembled.
"W-Who are you?! Where is this?! Where are Rin and Kakashi?! What did you do to them?!"
Suppressing both his fear and the pain in his shoulder, Obito shouted his questions.
He recognized the voice.
It was that same strange old man who had filled his head with all that incomprehensible nonsense before!
Uchiha Madara showed no reaction to Obito's rapid-fire questions. He merely watched him indifferently, as though he were observing a restless insect.
"Pain... loss... fear... anger... Those emotions feel so real, don't they?"
Madara's voice was like a cold wind blowing through a crack.
"You were wounded for your companions. You worry for them. You fear the unknown.
But all of those are merely fragile shackles imprisoning the soul. They are proof that this world itself is false."
'Here he goes again!'
Obito felt a surge of irritation.
"Stop talking nonsense!"
He cut Madara off. Although his voice was weak from his injuries and the oppressive surroundings, his gaze was far firmer than before.
"What do you mean this world is fake?! I think you're the strange one!
Is Rin's Medical Ninjutsu fake?
Is Kakashi's Lightning Blade fake?
Is Minato-sensei's warm smile fake?
We carry out missions together, laugh together, get punished together. I can see it all. I can touch it all!
That's my world! Sure, that idiot Kakashi is annoying and always calls me a loser.
But that's my happiness! What gives you the right to call it fake?!"
He took a deep breath and glared at Madara.
"And you! Where did you take Rin and Kakashi?! Let them go!"
Madara remained as expressionless as ever, as though he had long expected such childish declarations and accusations.
There was not even a trace of ridicule in his eyes.
Only absolute, hopeless indifference.
"The illusion of happiness is always remarkably resilient... and equally easy to shatter."
Madara's voice grew lower, carrying an icy sense of inevitability.
"When you witness its true nature with your own eyes, you will understand."
With that, he said nothing more. Even his eyes slowly closed again, as if he had returned to an eternal slumber.
The white tubes connected to his body gently writhed, merging him even more completely with the vast, gloomy cavern as he ignored Obito entirely.
"Hey! Stop pretending to be dead! Answer me, you old freak!"
Obito shouted angrily and struggled to rush over, but his shoulder wound and an invisible pressure made it impossible for him to move.
No matter how long he yelled, Madara remained as motionless as stone.
Breathing heavily, Obito was both anxious and furious.
He tried to gather his chakra.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
After completing the hand seals, he took a deep breath and breathed out.
But instead of the blazing fireball he expected, only a few tiny sparks drifted from his mouth before quickly fading into the cold air.
The stone within this cavern seemed capable of absorbing or blocking chakra. His ninjutsu was almost completely useless here.
When he looked back toward where Uchiha Madara had been sitting, the old man had already disappeared.
"How could this happen..."
A wave of helplessness washed over Obito.
Just then, the ground beside him began to wriggle slightly as something white, resembling an aloe leaf, emerged from the earth.
It rapidly transformed into a slender humanoid creature with a completely white body and a ridiculous spiral mask covering its face.
"Yahoo~! You're finally awake! Did you sleep well? Did you dream about delicious food?"
The white creature greeted him in an exaggerated, animated tone, waving its arms around in a comical yet unsettling manner.
Startled, Obito stared at it warily.
"W-Who are you?! You white freak! Are you with the people who attacked us?!"
"A monster? That really hurts my feelings!"
The white creature clutched its chest dramatically.
"I'm Tobi! Tobi! I'm Lord Madara's... hmm... assistant? Or maybe roommate? Anyway, I'm here to check on you!"
"Tobi?"
Obito frowned, having absolutely no memory of anyone by that name.
"I don't care who you are. Let me out! I have to find my teammates!"
"Leave? It's very dangerous outside!"
Tobi leaned a little closer and tilted his head.
"Besides... your teammates... Rin and Kakashi, right? Are they really that important to you?"
"Of course they are!"
Obito answered without the slightest hesitation.
"They're my teammates! We're going to become great ninjas together!"
"Teammates, huh..."
Tobi tapped his chin with a finger, his tone becoming slightly playful.
"That's a truly touching bond.~ No wonder you kept calling their names while you were unconscious."
Obito's face immediately turned red.
"I... I was talking in my sleep?"
"Yep! Yep!"
Tobi nodded vigorously and began acting it out with exaggerated gestures.
"'Rin! Watch out!' 'Kakashi! You idiot!'
'Don't touch them!'... You shouted those over and over again!"
Obito felt a little embarrassed, but even more worried about his teammates.
Tobi suddenly leaned in until the single eyehole in his spiral mask was pointed directly at Obito.
"But you know~ I'm really curious. They're both your teammates, so why did you say 'Kakashi' so many more times than 'Rin'?"
He deliberately dragged out his words.
"Could it be... deep down, you actually care more about that guy named Kakashi? No way... don't tell me..."
"What kind of nonsense are you talking about?!"
Obito exploded like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, his face turning bright red.
"Who would care about that arrogant, expressionless jerk?! I was... I was cursing him!
That's right! I was cursing him! I called out for Rin because I was worried! Worried! Do you even understand?!
Besides, Rin's a girl. Of course she needs more protection! That thick-skinned Kakashi is strong enough already. What's wrong with yelling at him a few times?!"
He rambled on desperately, trying to cover up the tiny bit of awkwardness buried deep inside him, something he hadn't even realized himself.
Why had he called Kakashi's name so many times?
Probably because they'd fought each other so often that his resentment ran deep.
That had to be it!
"Tsk, tsk, tsk."
Tobi wagged a finger.
"The more you explain, the more you're trying to hide it, and hiding it only proves it's true~ Young Uchiha, you've got a very complicated heart!"
"Complicated my foot!"
Obito was so angry he wanted to blast Tobi with a Great Fireball Jutsu, but he still couldn't use it.
Over the days that followed...
Tobi haunted him like a ghost, constantly popping out of the ground to pester him with his irritatingly cheerful chatter.
Sometimes it was meaningless teasing. Other times it was seemingly innocent but surprisingly sharp questions that repeatedly tested Obito's mental defenses, constantly bringing up topics like "teammates," "reality," and "illusion."
Obito gradually went from anger and caution to exhaustion and numbness, yet his concern for his teammates and his determination to escape never weakened.
He repeatedly spoke about Konoha's beauty and shared stories about Team Minato, as though he were trying to convince not only Tobi, but also himself, to resist the despair brought on by this eerie underground prison.
Eventually, after exhaustion and his injuries caused Obito to fall asleep once more, he unconsciously murmured in his dream, "I have to go back... everyone..."
Tobi emerged from the ground beside him again.
This time, however, he wasn't as noisy as usual. He quietly watched Obito for a while, and even the ridiculous spiral mask seemed to lose its playful air.
"Sigh..."
Tobi suddenly let out a long sigh, his tone becoming unusually solemn and emotional.
"This is... simply incredible! Such unwavering faith in your teammates! Such a heart that believes in the light! You're as dazzling as a firefly in the darkest night! You've deeply moved my... um... heart!"
The commotion woke Obito up, and he looked at Tobi warily.
"What are you trying to do now?"
Tobi suddenly clapped his hands, as if he had made an earth-shattering decision.
"I've decided! I, Tobi, am going to help you! I'll help you escape this sunless place and return to your teammates!"
"What?!"
Obito could hardly believe his ears. Ignoring the pain in his shoulder, he abruptly sat up.
"You mean it?! You can let me go?!"
"Of course!"
Tobi placed his hands on his hips proudly.
"Lord Madara might not be happy about it, but! For the sake of such sincere feelings, I'm willing to take the risk! Look!"
As he spoke, Tobi pointed toward what had once been a seamless stone wall.
The rocks and soil suddenly began to writhe unnaturally, as if they had come alive. They slowly parted to reveal a narrow passage, just wide enough for one person, leading upward.
Beyond it was nothing but pitch-black darkness.
"Just keep following this passage upward, and you'll leave this place and reach the surface!"
Tobi pointed toward the tunnel.
Obito stared at the passage as his heart pounded wildly.
Although he suspected it might be a trap, his worry for Rin and Kakashi outweighed everything else.
As long as he could escape this horrible place...
As long as he could see them again...
Even if it was a trap, he would accept it.
"Th... Thank you!"
Obito struggled to his feet and staggered toward the entrance of the passage.
"Hey! Be careful!"
Tobi waved from behind him.
"Once you're out there, make sure you treasure your teammates~ Especially that guy named Kakashi!"
At that moment, Obito wasn't listening anymore. Without looking back, he rushed into the dark tunnel and ran upward with every ounce of strength he had.
Only one thought remained in his mind.
Rin, Kakashi... Wait for me! I'm coming back!
As Obito disappeared into the depths of the passage, the comical expression vanished from Tobi's face, replaced by the same emotionless calm.
He slowly sank back into the ground.
The gloomy cavern was left with only Uchiha Madara sitting upon his throne.
At some point, his eyes had opened once again. He coldly watched the tunnel entrance, and the corners of his mouth seemed to curl into the faintest, bone-chilling smile.
"Obito, you won't escape."
"You are the one destined to carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan."
Madara's lips moved slightly as he murmured to himself.
The climax of the play was about to begin.
And the unsuspecting Obito was eagerly rushing toward the stage of despair that Uchiha Madara had carefully prepared for him.