"My legs are injured; my speed is heavily compromised."
Kakashi analyzed his situation, pulling out a standard-issue medical kit. Using specialized bandages and styptic powder, he quickly managed to stop the bleeding.
"This was... Rin's gift to me for becoming a Jonin."
As he prepared to pack the kit away, Kakashi remembered. Rin had given this to him on the eve of the Kannabi Bridge mission. He gripped the medical bag tightly, his expression solemn, before stowing it away. Leaning against a tree trunk, he forced himself to stand and began to limp forward.
"Are you really going to leave him? Your comrade, Kakashi," Tobi spoke up once they had put some distance between them.
"Kakashi can handle himself. He'll be fine. Right now, Rin is what matters," Obito shook his head.
'Faster, even faster! This speed isn't enough! Obito, explode with potential!'
Every time Obito felt his stamina flagging, the image of Rin's gentle smile flashed in his mind, and he refused to let his pace slacken. Under this high-intensity exertion, the [Hashirama Cells] began to fuse rapidly with Obito's body. Even his "normal" half began to show signs of turning pale.
Slowly, a faint face began to protrude from Obito's flesh—if one looked closely, it bore a striking resemblance to the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
Obito was oblivious to the changes in his body, his entire being focused on the path ahead. With Tobi's enhancement, he began to hear sounds—suppressed, agonizing, and haunting.
'Are those the souls of the dead screaming under the Three-Tails?'
Obito glanced back instinctively. The Three-Tails was still rampaging; occasionally, he could spot a blue silhouette seemingly walking on air to keep the beast at bay. He retracted his gaze. 'Those cries... I must have misheard.'
Obito's eyes remained resolute as he pressed on. After the drifting wails came a heavy thumping sound. The earth was... pulsing.
Obito's heart sank. Such rhythmic vibrations—could those be the footsteps of the disciplined Mist Anbu? His dread mounted, teeth gritted so hard his face contorted.
This was the fastest Obito had ever run in his life. Finally, the dense, suffocating bushes began to thin out. Light flickered ahead.
'An exit!' Obito's heart leaped. 'Rin, I'm coming!'
***
"Ameyuri Ringo, where are you going?"
Even without their legendary swords, Fuguki Suikozan, Kushimaru Kuriarare, and Juzo Biwa were formidable. They were currently harassing Might Duy, whose pressure was mounting. Simply dancing around the Three-Tails had nearly exhausted Duy's chakra.
'Must I really open the Gate of Death?' Duy glanced back at his son, Guy. If it came to that, he would open it without hesitation.
"I'm going to help Jinpachi and the others pursue Kiyoshi Uchiha," Ameyuri lied smoothly, quickly distancing herself from the group. She didn't want to waste her breath here; she was far more curious about what Kiyoshi was up to. Having spent so much time with him in the Land of Grass, she knew the surrounding terrain better than most.
Before long, she reached Kiyoshi's location.
"Hmph, he even set up a sensory barrier." Ameyuri stepped into the perimeter, knowing Kiyoshi would detect her instantly. As she drew closer, she suddenly froze.
"Ahahaha! This guy... he's actually doing *this* in a place like this?" Ameyuri struggled to suppress her laughter. Being from the Mist, she knew the terror of the Three-Tails.
Even if the beast was busy with the leaf taijutsu user, a single [Tailed Beast Bomb] could level this entire area at any moment. 'Where does he get the nerve? Is he that certain they won't be attacked?'
"Oh? Someone else is coming." Ameyuri noticed the "friendly exchange" between Kiyoshi and Rin was concluding just as a black-robed figure approached. Curious, she stayed hidden in the bushes to watch the drama unfold.
***
"Mmh..."
A cold wind blew, and Rin felt a chill. She pulled her ninja tactical vest back on and moved to stand up. Kiyoshi reached out, gently ruffling her hair. After "ordering takeout," one must pack up the boxes and tidy the space—basic common sense.
Suddenly, Kiyoshi sensed a specific chakra fluctuation. A smirk played across his lips.
"Aren't you... aren't you afraid of dying, Kiyoshi?" Rin's voice was laced with a touch of sorrow. Her speech was slightly muffled, her mouth still busy processing the "meal" she'd just finished. To her, Kiyoshi was about to risk his life to hold off the enemy, yet he was smiling?
"For you, death is a small price to pay," Kiyoshi said with practiced sincerity.
"..." Rin lowered her head, silent.
One hundred meters away, a ninja was sprinting. Obito's face was a mask of irrepressible joy. The reunion he had dreamed of and pined for was finally here.
In those brief seconds, he hallucinated a beautiful future: returning to the village with Rin, maybe becoming the Fifth Hokage, forming a "Sharingan Duo" with Kakashi, and spending his days mocking that "talentless" Kiyoshi.
But as he finally burst through the irritatingly thick brush into the open light, the setting sun forced his remaining eye to squint. As his vision adjusted...
"!!"
The dormant Two-Tomoe Sharingan suddenly constricted, spinning with manic intensity. The scene before him felt as though it had physically torn his heart in half.
'What... what am I looking at? This has to be an illusion, right?'
Obito found it hard to breathe; even a simple inhale felt like a luxury. The orange glow of the sunset offered him no warmth. Rin's gentle smile, her light footsteps, her promise to always watch over him... all of it transformed into bone-chilling agony.
He reached out to grab something—anything—even an afterimage, but all hope shattered against the cruel reality.
"Rin..."
"What are you doing...?"
Obito wanted to scream, to demand an answer, but he lacked the strength to even vibrate his vocal cords.
"Obito... Obito..." Tobi called his name. He could feel Obito's state was wrong. Madara had said Obito needed to experience the ultimate darkness, but this... this was a bit different from the script.
Obito ignored him. His entire soul was drowning in the scene.
'Why? Why is this happening? Kakashi is back there... working so hard to save you... and you're here with that bastard Kiyoshi...'
The pain was too much. 'My love is lost, and my world is in ruins!'
Betrayal! This was betrayal! A sense of suffocation coiled around Obito's heart.
'I... I will never accept this. Never! Where... exactly is this place?'
In his daze, the tomoe in his eyes spun faster and faster. The two dots seemed to connect into a black ring, and from the void, a third tomoe squeezed out.
Three-Tomoe Sharingan!
A fresh surge of visual power began to flood Obito's body. But the evolution didn't stop. They continued to whirl, as if filled with something even more terrifying.
"Huh?"
Rin felt a gaze upon her. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked back.
*Whoosh...*
The sky seemed to darken. The orange sunset was replaced by a pale, mournful moonlight. The bushes swayed in a sudden breeze.
"Kakashi might still be fighting. Let's hurry, Rin."
In Kiyoshi's eyes, his own Three-Tomoe Sharingan were also spinning rapidly. Visual prowess flooded his pupils, enhancing his chakra, reflexes, and cognitive speed. This surge was far greater than any before. Kiyoshi could clearly feel the "water" in his cup rising.
'Obito, oh Obito... if you want to blame someone, blame your future self for killing your teacher and parents. For now, savor this agony.'
Kiyoshi looked toward the bushes with a half-smile.
"Mmh?" Rin felt Kiyoshi's hand stroking her hair again, his touch tender. Thinking he was about to go on a suicide mission for her sake, a sudden wave of attachment hit her. She worked even harder, determined to "clean up" properly.
"Obito, you're... getting stronger," Tobi noted. He sensed the awakening Madara had spoken of, but the Mangekyo pattern hadn't fully manifested yet. He took control, pulling the body back deeper into the brush. He couldn't let external factors interrupt this evolution.
"Stronger?" Obito's voice was a raspy, hollow croak.
Through the gaps in the leaves, his enhanced vision saw everything with agonizing clarity. Rin stood up, seemingly saying something to Kiyoshi. After a few words, Kiyoshi suddenly pulled her into an embrace.
Beneath them, a small puddle reflected the hug—and the distant, voyeuristic silhouette of Obito, the scarlet glow in his eyes flickering like a dying star. In that moment, his visual power shattered a limit. The questions he couldn't answer suddenly became clear.
'This place is... Hell!'
Therefore, everything is a lie. This world is a mistake.
The three tomoe in his eyes finally connected, forming a black, three-pointed pinwheel. Obito looked up as a light rain began to fall. It felt as if the moon itself was weeping.
"I am... in Hell," Obito whispered again.
The longer you live, the more you realize that reality is made of pain, frustration, and emptiness. In this world, wherever there is light, there are also shadows. As long as the concept of winners exists, there must also be losers. This was the reality Madara had described.
'So... this Rin is not the real Rin. These events are not real.'
'Lies. All of it. Lies.'
The real Rin was pure, innocent, and kind. She would always be watching... me.
Obito's dazed eyes gradually became sharp and fixed. As long as ninjas exist, as long as the system exists, as long as villages exist, this will keep happening.
'I will sever the causal bonds of this world!'
"I will create a world with Rin."
Not this fake Rin, not this fake world. A world of only winners. A world of only peace. A world of only love!
***
[Emotional Parasite (Blue)] Trait: You gain increased visual prowess and chakra growth when a nearby Uchiha experiences extreme emotional trauma caused by your actions.
[Truth Weaver (Purple)] Trait: Your lies carry the weight of reality to those emotionally compromised.
Kiyoshi's current plan is working perfectly. By breaking Obito's heart before his eyes, he has pushed the boy toward the "Eye of the Moon" plan faster than Madara could have hoped, all while siphoning the resulting power for himself.