"It's because you didn't save Rin."
Hearing this, Kakashi's heart grew heavy. It really was because of Rin.
Kakashi shook his head and said, "It wasn't like that. Rin, she..."
"Shut up, Kakashi!" Obito roared, his anger uncontrollable. "Do you think I don't know? That Rin chose to die by your hand?"
Kakashi's eyes widened in disbelief. "If you knew that, then why..."
Obito closed his eyes, spreading his hands wide. "What's the point of complaining now? I don't care about this hopeless world anymore."
"Pfft... Hahaha." Kawasaki couldn't help but burst out laughing.
The sound reminded Obito of being mocked in the same way many years ago. He glared at Kawasaki. "What's so funny, Kawasaki?"
Kawasaki spread his hands as well. "You say this world has filled you with despair. So you framed my Uchiha clan, unleashed the Nine-Tails, and killed your own teacher and his wife? All because Rin died?"
"It seems you truly loved Rin. If you really cared about her that much, why don't you think about how kind she was when she was alive? Do you think she would want you to view the world with such negativity?"
Obito had never told Konan or Nagato about the Eye of the Moon Plan, believing he had kept it well hidden. He had no intention of revealing it now.
Obito just sneered. "There's no meaning in living in a place filled with so much pain. It's better to set everyone free. Rin is already gone. Wouldn't it be better for our teacher and his wife to join her sooner?"
Kawasaki looked at Obito with even greater contempt, but he said nothing more.
Just then, a young woman's voice called out from behind them: "That's not right!"
The voice struck Obito like a bolt of lightning, and he froze completely. He turned his head in shock, looking toward the carriage where the voice had come from. Surprise, guilt, sorrow, and anger tangled within him, ultimately leaving only frantic confusion.
Obito had been through so much over the years that his emotions had become numb. But in that single instant, a flood of feelings overwhelmed him, leaving him at a complete loss.
The girl stepping down from the carriage had short hair and large, dark eyes that shone with an intelligent light. She wore a black top with a light pink skirt, and on each cheek were the familiar purple markings. Her appearance was largely unchanged, though her face now bore the distinct cracks of a reanimation.
"Rin..." Obito felt his heart clench. He recognized the figure before him as Rin Nohara, brought back by the Edo Tensei. "How... How are you here? Who summoned you back?"
The once cheerful and lively Rin now regarded the man before her with only cold indifference. "I've been waiting in this carriage for this moment to arrive. How did the boy who once dreamed of becoming Hokage turn into... this? Where is the boy who wanted to protect everyone and stop wars?"
Her every word was like a heavy hammer striking deep within his heart. Obito was thrown into complete disarray. Facing Rin, he didn't know what to say. He lost his footing and fell from the tree branch, tumbling to the ground, as powerless as he was in his youth.
"No... this isn't real! Rin, you don't understand... I..."
Rin Nohara cut him off sharply. "Enough! Do you think I don't know what's happened? After I died, I didn't pass on to the pure land. I've been watching over you in silence for thirteen long years. You know full well that I was forced to become the jinchuriki of the Three-Tails and chose to end my own life. So why did you still accept Madara's proposal? Why did you choose revenge, even to the point of killing your own kin?"
A sharp pain shot through Obito's chest. He staggered to his feet and walked toward Rin, his eyes blurry with tears. "Rin... why were you willing to leave us like that?"
"I did it to protect the peace of the village!"
"But does the entire village combined even compare to the place you held in my heart?" he cried out. "You were my hope, my light. When I lost you, this world became a land of endless darkness. After I became Madara's agent and began to observe this world, I became even more certain of that fact. Even with this eye, I can't see anything. What was it about this world that made it take you away so easily?"
He had reached her now, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I can no longer see a future!" he emphasized. "It was this world that took you from me forever... I'm going to create a new world, one where you exist."
Smack.
The girl pushed his arms away and slapped him across the face, ending the conversation. The scene fell silent. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath for a few seconds. In that moment, a mix of anger, shock, and profound disappointment was visible in Rin Nohara's eyes.
She took a deep breath and said slowly, "By what standard are you measuring the weight of a person's life!"
Kawasaki, who had been enjoying the drama like a bystander waiting for a punchline, suddenly turned serious. In his childhood, he had often wondered whether Rin liked Kakashi or himself.
We won't delve into what kind of feelings Rin Nohara had for Kakashi. She grew up with Obito and was like a big sister to him, always offering words of encouragement and doing thoughtful things for him. From beginning to end, her actions were never selfish; she was simply caring for and motivating a friend. She would run errands with him, help him with his paperwork, listen to him talk about his dreams, and always cheer him on. When Obito was injured, she would pretend to be angry, but it was only because she didn't want him to push himself too hard.
Rin's feelings for Obito were genuine, but they weren't romantic love. After all, Rin was an exceptionally kind and loving person by nature. As a medical-nin, saving people was her duty, especially when the person in question was a childhood friend. In truth, Rin wasn't just kind to Obito; she was kind to everyone. But because Obito never stood out when he was young, he clung to this small warmth as his only source of support. In the end, he was driven to extremes, wanting to create his ideal world through the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Ultimately, Obito was only fighting for himself. He never once considered Rin's feelings. If she knew what he had done, Rin would never have approved.
As for whether Rin truly forgave Obito after his death, Kawasaki believed there were two possibilities. The first was that Rin understood him, and he had come to regret his actions by the time he died. The second was that it was all just a posthumous illusion, and Rin had never actually been waiting for Obito at all.
But now that Rin Nohara had been revived and claimed she had been waiting for thirteen years, the first hypothesis seemed to be correct. However, what Obito was doing right now was completely wrong, and he showed no signs of repentance. Furthermore, it stood to reason that Rin, too, would only see the matter from Obito's point of view.
From what he understood of the situation, it seemed that Madara Uchiha had manipulated Obito, intending to use him as a pawn to carry out his own will.