Madara was right, everything here is false.
In this world, wherever there is light, there are also shadows.
As long as the concept of winners exists, there must also be losers.
Then, a true world should be one where there is only peace, only love, only winners!
Only in such a world would he still be a member of the three-man squad.
Only in that world would Rin still smile at him gently, telling him that she would always be watching him.
Only such a world could be considered real.
As for the world before him now…
"I absolutely refuse to accept it!"
The rage of being forgotten, and the grief of Rin's apparent death, caused the three tomoe in Obito's eyes to pause for a single instant then spin even faster, linking together completely.
Those were… what kind of eyes?!
The Mangekyō Sharingan!
A sickle-shaped pinwheel pattern gradually emerged within his pupils. A cold, ominous ocular power burst forth like a tangible shockwave, violently expanding outward with Obito at its center!
Kakashi, being the closest, bore the brunt of it. He felt a sharp stab of pain and a resonant tremor from his own Sharingan, his brain feeling as though it had been struck by a heavy hammer, forcing out a muffled groan.
His two-tomoe Sharingan rapidly evolved into three tomoe, and then transformed into the Mangekyō Sharingan pattern as well.
In the end, Kakashi collapsed on the spot, losing consciousness due to severe chakra depletion.
Madara, who had been observing all of this from afar, lifted the corner of his mouth in satisfaction.
"At last… it has bloomed. What kind of dōjutsu will it be, Obito?"
On the battlefield.
Obito was completely unaware of the changes within himself.
He only felt that the world had become different.
All colors were more vivid.
All sounds were clearer than ever.
Yet none of it mattered.
With his single eye, Obito glared at Kiyohara in pure fury.
It was him.
It was him who had pierced Rin with a blade.
"You… must… die!"
BOOM!
The ground beneath Obito's feet exploded as he vanished into a blur, wrapped in raging chakra and bone-chilling killing intent, charging straight at Kiyohara!
At that very moment, Kiyohara had just completed the most critical step.
"So fast… is this the boost after awakening the Mangekyō?"
Kiyohara's Sharingan captured Obito's movement trajectory, his body instinctively retreating at full speed.
Obito was currently in a triple-stacked state: Hashirama cells + Mangekyō Sharingan + possession by Tobi the Spiral White Zetsu—his buffs were fully maxed out.
Holding Rin, Kiyohara dodged Obito's punch and reappeared atop the treetops.
Seeing this, Obito swung his right hand. Dozens of sharp wooden spikes slowly squeezed out from his palm, then shot forward explosively, raining down on Kiyohara like a storm!
Kiyohara maintained the Hemostasis Technique with his left hand pressed against Rin's wound, while his right hand spread open. Black iron sand instantly condensed before him into a thick, heavy shield.
Thud thud thud thud!
The iron sand shield shook violently under the barrage, countless dents appearing on its surface. Several of the sharpest spikes even pierced through but were blocked by Kiyohara's Steel Release.
'The fusion level is really high… he's already using Wood Release.'
Kiyohara looked at Obito.
Without question, Obito after receiving Hashirama cells had become one of the rare few capable of using Wood Release.
To be honest, Kiyohara didn't know why Madara was so confident.
Konoha had conducted numerous human experiments trying to replicate Hashirama Senju's Wood Release, all of which ended in instant death, forcing them to urgently halt the project.
Later, Orochimaru secretly continued the experiments with Danzo. Combining previous data, they experimented on fifty infants—only one survived.
That person was Root's "Subject A," also known as Tenzo, which will late be named Yamato.
Yet Yamato's Wood Release was nowhere near comparable to Obito's.
Madara had directly grafted half of Hashirama's cells onto Obito right from the start, without even considering what would happen if the fusion failed.
Kiyohara then pulled shuriken from his shinobi pouch, threaded the shuriken then fired them out with sharp whistles.
But they strangely passed straight through Obito's body, as if striking nothing more than an illusion.
"Still… Kamui?"
Kiyohara frowned slightly.
From Obito's perspective, he had killed Rin—yet he was still using Kamui?
Was he trying to escape this cruel world?
Or was Obito's very survival destined to be Kamui?
Kiyohara remembered Madara once remarking that Obito surviving was like a rock passing straight through him.
Those were the exact words.
As for how much of that was truth and how much was just something Madara said to placate Obito, Kiyohara couldn't tell.
In the next moment, Kiyohara yanked his hand back. The threads tied to the shuriken snapped taut, flashing coldly under the moonlight.
They crisscrossed into a net, blocking Obito's path.
When using Kamui to become intangible, one also cannot interact with the outside world.
"The duration is five minutes—no, Obito hasn't adapted to the ability yet."
While carrying Rin and continuously evading, Kiyohara carefully observed Obito's frenzied movements.
Every Uchiha required an adaptation period to fully master their dōjutsu.
Only as proficiency increased would the ability grow truly terrifying.
"Obito, don't lose your reason, be careful."
Spiral White Zetsu tried to persuade him.
But Obito, his emotions completely overwhelming him, couldn't hear anything at all.
He simply followed instinct, unleashing Wood Release without restraint.
Several towering trees, each thick enough that multiple adults couldn't wrap their arms around them, extended from Obito's body, spiraling upward like a massive drill as they attacked Kiyohara.
Any Mist shinobi caught along the way, unable to dodge in time, were crushed to death by this single strike.
This technique would later come to be known as— Wood Release: Revolt of Hell!
"This world is fake!"
Obito roared, forming seals with both hands and expelling a gigantic fireball.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
Kiyohara's Sharingan traced the fireball's trajectory as his palm condensed a spindle-shaped iron sand projectile.
Pshhk!
A streak of black light flashed, piercing straight through the fireball and continuing onward to penetrate Obito's body.
A splash of blood bloomed from Obito's right arm.
"That's enough, Obito. You're not adapted to your powers yet."
Tobi the Spiral White Zetsu spoke urgently.
Obito was one of Madara's most important pieces—he couldn't be allowed to fall here.
More importantly, White Zetsu had sensed people rapidly approaching.
Konoha reinforcements!
With such massive disturbances, it was impossible for other areas not to notice.
And Madara's objective had already been achieved—there was no need for Obito to remain.
'As expected, he's still clumsy with his abilities right after awakening.'
Kiyohara assessed Obito calmly.
He raised his hand again, electromagnetic rounds surging within his palm.
Obito felt a dangerous aura emanating from it.
After their previous exchange, he had already grown wary.
While slowly healing his body, he advanced toward Kiyohara once more.
Wood Release flared again.
He continuously unleashed large-scale Wood Release techniques, driving massive tree trunks like giant serpents toward Kiyohara.
Forming seals, Kiyohara slashed out waves of wind blades.
They cleanly severed the trunks in two, sending them crashing to the ground.
Seizing this opening, Obito had already closed the distance to Kiyohara.
To land a physical blow, he recklessly deactivated Kamui and punched straight at him.
Seeing the incoming fist, Kiyohara's heart stirred.
Jet-black coloration spread over his palm as he calmly caught Obito's furious punch.
Bang!
A dull, explosive sound erupted.
If an ordinary shinobi had taken that blow, their arm would have been shattered instantly.
But Kiyohara's Steel Release blocked it with ease.
Every time he used Steel Release, he layered it with Earth Release: Earth Spear as camouflage.
This rendered his palm utterly indestructible.
When Obito's strike failed, he tried to pull his hand back—only for Kiyohara to seize it firmly.
Kiyohara then exerted force, crushing downward.
Obito's right hand was violently deformed—and then torn off entirely.
"Uwaaah!"
Although it was Spiral White Zetsu's right hand, Obito still clearly felt the pain.
After his hand was torn off, Obito hastily retreated several steps.
At the same time, numerous figures wearing Konoha forehead protectors appeared atop the tree trunks and among the grass and foliage.
"Have the reinforcements arrived?"
Obito's right hand was visibly regenerating before the naked eye.
Spiral White Zetsu's body was special to begin with—essentially just a layer of flesh and skin, lacking conventional internal organs or bones.
"That really hurts, Obito," Tobi the Spiral White Zetsu complained.
Obito ignored Tobi completely. He was only staring at Kiyohara.
Staring at the figure Kiyohara was holding in his arms.
Then, under Obito's shocked gaze, that figure who had been lying there with her eyes closed—shifted slightly, slowly stood up on her own, and then… spread her arms.
A small yet unmistakably clear protective stance.
Standing between Kiyohara and Obito.
"Please don't hurt… Kiyohara…"
She looked at Obito, her voice broken and weak, yet carrying her own shinobi way—her own resolve.
The Mangekyō Sharingan in Obito's eye, whose sickle-shaped pinwheel pattern had been spinning madly, suddenly froze like a jammed gear.
The blood-red glow faded away.
He stared blankly at Rin.
Staring at the fact that she was still alive.
Staring at the fact that she was… protecting the person who had "stabbed" her.
Staring at the unfamiliarity in her eyes toward him—and even a hint of wariness.
And then… the worry and trust she showed toward the person behind her.
Why?
Why was Rin still alive?
Why… was she protecting Kiyohara?
Wasn't he… doing all this to save Rin in the first place…?
Obito's mind completely crashed.
The dark flames that had just ignited within him, flames meant to destroy everything were doused by this sudden scene as if with a basin of icy water, hissing and sputtering, unable to burn fiercely any longer.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, wanting to call her name, wanting to ask her what was really going on.
But all that came out of his throat were hoarse, meaningless gasps.
He looked at Rin's pale face, at the glaring blood on her chest, at the way she stood protectively in front of Kiyohara…
Then he looked at himself—this half-human, half-monster appearance and at how he had just been attacking madly, trying to kill someone…
A cold fact, like a poisonous barb, stabbed deep into his heart.
In Rin's eyes, wasn't he now… the "monster who hurts his comrades"?
Just like at the very beginning, when she kicked him away.
Just like just now, when she attacked him while in a berserk state.
Never recognized.
Never changed.
Uchiha Obito… had already died long ago.
What remained alive was merely a pitiful monster that should never have existed.
Kiyohara quietly watched Obito.
Among everyone present, he was probably the only one who recognized Obito thanks to his foreknowledge of the plot.
So… should he reveal Obito's identity?
The thought was immediately cut off by Kiyohara himself.
Madara was still watching doing that would be like an old man swallowing arsenic, courting death.
What Madara wanted was to sever Obito's bonds and plunge him into darkness.
Once the truth was spoken, it would mean Obito had a chance to form bonds again.
Moreover… whether others would believe it, and how to convince them, was another problem entirely.
Even Kakashi and Minato couldn't recognize Obito, no matter how much they fought him, they sensed nothing familiar.
Only when Obito revealed his true face did they finally recognize him.
That meant unless Kiyohara removed Obito's mask and dragged him out of the body wrapped in Spiral White Zetsu, no one else could identify him.
Because he lacked evidence.
"You don't need to trouble yourself with thankless things like that."
Uchiha Kiyohara's spiritual form appeared.
Just by looking at Kiyohara's expression, he knew exactly what he was thinking.
Although Obito was of the same clan, he like Kiyohara was a transmigrator, just from a different timeline.
So he felt no particular sense of kinship toward Obito.
"You've revealed the Sharingan's abilities, which will definitely draw Madara's attention. If Obito really does come back, you'll have to be careful, you might become the backup option."
Uchiha Kiyohara spoke.
There was a note of sadness in his tone as he voiced the worst possible outcome.
Hearing this, Kiyohara fell silent.
His future self was right.
"Hah… haha…"
Obito suddenly let out a low, hollow laugh.
He took one final, deep look at Rin, as if trying to carve her appearance into the deepest part of his soul.
Then he looked at no one else.
The space around him rippled like a vortex, gradually pulling Obito's body into it.
Kiyohara raised his hand and hurled shuriken.
But it was already too late.
The vortex closed.
Obito's figure completely vanished into the twisted space, leaving behind only devastation and bloodshed.
"Kiyohara, are you all right?"
Kurenai and the others arrived, speaking to Kiyohara with concern.
"I'm mostly fine. You should check on Kakashi," Kiyohara said, pointing at the unconscious Kakashi.
"What exactly happened here?"
Might Guy looked around in shock. Numerous massive tree trunks still remained, their surfaces smeared with the torn remains of Kirigakure ANBU and shinobis.
"We ran into a strange man who could control trees," Kiyohara replied.
That was all the information he could provide for now.
Rin gently nodded at the side, corroborating Kiyohara's statement.
After giving Kakashi some water and carrying him back, Kakashi finally slowly woke up from his extreme exhaustion.
"I…?"
Kakashi seemed like he wanted to ask something, but when he saw Rin and Kiyohara standing beside him, he swallowed his words.
"That strange guy… he kind of resemble Obito," Kakashi said with a sigh.
Although the man didn't resemble him in most ways, that reckless, headlong attitude reminded Kakashi of his old friend.
"Kakashi, he couldn't possibly be Obito. Obito already died beneath that boulder," Rin interrupted him.
The dead cannot return to life.
That was Rin's simple, straightforward belief.
The others nodded as well.
They thought the same.
Even if it really were Obito, attacking comrades like that would already classify him as a traitor.
Not to mention—a gloomy, tall figure with a strange voice, long hair, and a spiral-patterned face—how could that possibly be the bright, cheerful boy who once shouted about becoming Hokage?
The difference was so vast that there was no point of similarity at all.
"You're right, Rin," Kakashi nodded.
Comparing that strange man to Obito just now had been an insult to Obito's soul.
Kiyohara listened quietly from behind, thinking about how a person experiences three deaths in life.
The first is when the heart stops beating.
The second is when one dies socially, cut off from all social ties.
The third is when one is completely forgotten.
Obito had directly skipped to the second.
If one had to describe it forcefully, it was like having already been issued a "death certificate."
"By the way, Kiyohara, what's going on with your eyes?"
During a lull, Kakashi's condition gradually improved.
The group made their way back toward the camp.
This time, many Konoha shinobis had arrived, maintaining a vigilant perimeter.
"We'll talk about it after we get back," Kiyohara shook his head.
Exposing the Sharingan was a mixed blessing, after all.
...
After returning to the camp.
Rin was immediately sent into isolation, where sealing specialists examined the seal techniques placed on her.
Only after learning what had happened did Minato finally arrive.
"Sorry, Kakashi. I was late again this time," Minato said apologetically.
If not for Kiyohara, Kakashi and Rin might very well have died there.
And the fact that Rin had been implanted with the Three-Tails by Kirigakure was a major incident.
Minato believed that the Konoha higher-ups, now informed, were probably in utter chaos, scrambling for countermeasures.
"It's fine," Kakashi shook his head.
The process had been dangerous, but as long as Rin was safe, that was enough.
Minato comforted Kakashi a few more times before turning his gaze to Kiyohara.
He had already learned about Kiyohara's Sharingan from Kakashi and Rin.
For now, the matter was still relatively contained, with few people aware of it.
But soon enough, both Konoha's leadership and the Uchiha clan would likely summon Kiyohara.
"Kiyohara…"
Minato seemed like he wanted to say something.
Kiyohara spoke first:
"Without the Hokage, there would be no me today."
He stated his political stance outright.
Hearing this, Minato's expression softened.
It wasn't unheard of for Uchiha to stand firmly with the village—Uchiha Kagami, for example, had once served as the Second Hokage's bodyguard.
If he had spoken up earlier back then, he might even have been considered as a candidate for the Third Hokage.
"Let's find somewhere private to talk in detail," Minato said.
Kiyohara gave a slight nod.
...
Far away, at the Mountain's Graveyard.
Madara slowly withdrew his gaze, lightly tapping the armrest with his fingers.
"One eye awakened a space–time type dōjutsu… very good. The process was a bit unexpected, but the result is acceptable."
His gaze seemed to pierce through layers of rock, falling upon the young man who was treating Rin.
"Kiyohara… hidden Uchiha bloodline, outstanding medical ninjutsu, mastery of multiple chakra natures, and even Magnet Release…"
White Zetsu writhed beside him.
"Lord Madara, should I go make contact with him? Or investigate his background?"
Madara fell silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head.
"No need. The pieces have already been placed, and the curtain on the stage has only just been lifted."
If Obito's Mangekyō ability had been truly mediocre, he might have considered activating a backup plan.
But Obito's dōjutsu had exceeded expectations, it was a rare space–time ability.
Using this power to walk the shinobi world in place of him, was simply perfect.
(End of Chapter)