It had been half a month since Zaraki Kita last saw Obito.
She had rested for less than three days up on the Moon before returning to Orochimaru's base. Only Orochimaru had the equipment to decode Kaguya's scrolls—the Moon lacked such capabilities. Her injuries were minor, only superficial cuts and bruises.
During the scroll's decoding, with nothing pressing to do, Zaraki Kita took the opportunity to train Karin. Karin, with her Water-nature chakra, was someone Orochimaru simply couldn't teach well. Even if he knew Water Release techniques, he wasn't particularly skilled with them.
When Obito arrived, Karin was in the midst of being mercilessly beaten by Zaraki Kita.
Unexpectedly, Zaraki Kita was unusually strict while teaching Karin. It was far worse than when Kimimaro had once sparred with her. At least Kimimaro only drained her strength—he hadn't left her battered and bruised like this. Naturally, Obito spoke up in her defense.
"Isn't that too harsh? Karin isn't like those guys. This isn't the same as when you use them as sparring partners."
As a sparring partner herself, every battle Zaraki Kita had faced with Akatsuki had been a life-or-death struggle.
She lifted her leg and BOOM—a side kick slammed into Karin's face. The thirteen-year-old girl was sent flying several meters. Zaraki Kita shook her head in regret. Once again, Karin hadn't remembered to block with her arms—or to keep her eyes open when hit.
"Ho-how was it?"
As she spoke, Zaraki Kita beckoned Karin forward again. The girl wiped the blood from her lips, trembling as she pushed herself up from the floor, removed her glasses to wipe away tears, and charged forward, fists ready.
"When Nagato contacted me, I was up there. Didn't get his signal, so we missed that capture. They didn't suspect you, though Kakuzu noticed you were using the Dual Ghost Sword Style. What Nagato thinks, he didn't say. Still, be careful—once you clash with them, you'll leak information, and they'll be watching you for a while."
"Th-they… didn't suspect you?"
"They did. Thought I told you. I fooled them by staking my life on it," Obito said casually.
Then, raising his voice: "Hey, hey, easy there, big sister! She's not Kakuzu or the others! What if you kicked her to death?!"
The kick landed squarely in Karin's abdomen—she coughed up blood. But the effect was positive. Her body still hadn't blocked, but at least her eyes were open.
Zaraki Kita withdrew her foot and waved at Karin. The little girl didn't cry out, though tears streamed down. Still, she scrambled forward in small steps. The expected scolding didn't come. Instead, a gentle hand rested on her head.
"W-when… when you're hit… keep your e-eyes open. S-see your opponent. Only t-then… can you counterattack? Understand?"
Karin nodded through her tears. She felt wronged—why hadn't anyone told her sooner? Why wait until she learned it by being hit?
"Th-thank you. T-tell Kakuzu… if he m-meets a strong opponent… break the mask first. Otherwise… he'll be killed instantly. Deidara's seals… t-too obvious. If they c-can't be canceled… d-don't use them."
"Got it. I'll tell them next time I get a chance."
The decoded scrolls of Kaguya filled Zaraki Kita with a deep sense of panic.
She had thought Kaguya's enemies were only three—Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki, Kinshiki, and Urashiki. But the scroll contained exhaustive details on the entire Ōtsutsuki clan.
Even those three, so powerful that Kaguya herself feared them, were merely minor operatives from the main family. Kaguya's own presence within the clan was almost insignificant—more disposable than a pawn.
Surrounded by such formidable enemies, could she truly defend this hell—a place meant for Akatsuki to dominate?
Zaraki Kita grew restless.
Orochimaru's conclusion was clear. Her disappearances became more frequent, and her need for medicine steadily increased. A body that could have lasted three more years entered a breakdown phase a year early. Even the Hashirama cells, meant as her final trump card, were implanted prematurely.
Tragically, Hashirama cells were powerless against this poison. They could only prolong her life slightly. When the cells were eventually decomposed by layers of incurable toxins, Zaraki Kita's death would come.
Orochimaru refused to admit this.
"The final trump card has been used. I have no methods left," he said, stating the obvious.
Behind the glass, Zaraki Kita lay bound to the operating table. Orochimaru had seen this too many times to be shocked. Obito had too. Apart from a trace of despondency, no strong emotion showed.
"Is that so…" Obito murmured, glancing at her. He pressed his lips together and whispered, "Thank you."
It was the first time Obito had thanked Orochimaru.
Orochimaru shrugged, leaning against the wall. "There's something else. I studied this with Toneri, without telling Kita. Exiling the Tailed Beasts is the only permanent solution. Using the Geto Statue and a sealing array, we could even completely seal the spatial rift. But it requires an extremely powerful shinobi to activate it. Akatsuki cannot be bypassed in this plan."
Exiling the Tailed Beasts would force Akatsuki to relinquish them—and Nagato to give up the Geto Statue. Obito didn't mind. After abandoning the dream of Infinite Tsukuyomi, he didn't know how he had survived all these years—running between Ōtsutsuki crises, world peace, and repairing the damage. Like Zaraki Kita, he had ended up protecting this hellish world—not by choice, but because seeing her struggle made him want to help.
To help. Anything at all.
Through ruins, into one Ōtsutsuki space after another. Before he realized it, he had become a guardian of this hellish world.
"Kita's body can't take this much longer," Orochimaru said with a long sigh. "The more she pushes, the faster she'll die."
He didn't want her to die. Losing Zaraki Kita meant losing something rare, someone fun—or one of the very few people he could call a friend.
Orochimaru recognized only three friends: Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Zaraki Kita. The first two shared carefree times with him. Even as enemies now, they remained friends in his heart. Losing them would sadden him.
Zaraki Kita was different. Their bond began through exploitation and coercion, a mutual tolerance that kept things peaceful. At most, they had been good acquaintances. Without the Curse Mark of Heaven back then, things wouldn't have escalated. Orochimaru didn't blame himself; he only wanted to repay her for the debt she owed him from the Land of Water. Yet, step by step, the debt only grew.
Over one hundred thousand White Zetsu—perfect bodies, experimental subjects, endless research on Kaguya's lineage. Too much to ever repay. Only curing her could erase it all. But that was impossible.
Traveling between worlds, clearing remnants of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, squeezing multiple days into one—this was Zaraki Kita's entire life.
To protect Akatsuki. And, incidentally, this hellish world.
Obito sometimes didn't understand why Akatsuki was worth protecting. One after another, they were garbage. Even he was no saint. Why not let it all be destroyed? Why play hero? But Zaraki Kita had said—
Back in the village, drinking together, staying up on New Year's Eve—it felt like family. Despite being missing-nin, despite their flaws, they were family to her.
Family.
"That woman's wish," Obito said quietly, "is to never drag them into this."
"I know," Orochimaru replied. "That's why I'm telling you."
He straightened and walked into the lab. Zaraki Kita had stopped struggling, sunk into deep sleep. Orochimaru undid her restraints, saw her sweat-soaked clothes, and gently touched the humiliating mark on her neck.
Kita… your obsession isn't ours. It's yours.
He sighed, bent down, and lifted her frail body—light beyond reason—and carried her out of the lab.
━━━━ ❖ ━━━
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