Kakashi frowned, staring intently at Obito. He found it deeply difficult to believe that the man standing before him was the same person who had once believed in hope and dreamed of becoming the Hokage.
"Naruto once said that the most painful thing in the world is having no true comrades in your heart."
"I relayed the exact words you spoke in the past back to him, completely unchanged."
"The old you would have definitely resonated with Naruto and said those exact same words."
"And even now, I still believe—"
Before Kakashi could finish, Obito cut him off.
"Kakashi! Stop lying to yourself. Comrades?"
"Do 'comrades' assassinate a young girl from their own village? Do 'comrades' deploy a hundred shinobi just to slaughter an eleven-year-old girl?"
"Look closely!"
Obito placed his hands over his own chest, right where his heart should have been—there was nothing but an empty, hollow cavity, as though it had been pierced clean through by a Lightning Blade.
"There is already nothing left in my heart!"
"Now, I can't even feel the pain anymore!"
"You don't need to feel guilty, Kakashi."
"This hole was torn open by this hellish world!"
"The old me had nothing but agony filling his heart. But then I saw Kanon. The void inside her was countless times larger than mine."
"But what meaning is there in any of that?"
"That's why she and I abandoned everything. We chose to work together to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi!"
"Haven't you been suffering all this time, too?"
"In front of Rin's grave... in front of my grave!"
"Kakashi... enough..."
"You don't have to go on suffering. Rin is right here!"
The moment the words left Obito's mouth, Rin materialized right next to Kakashi. However, she was merely an illusion conjured by genjutsu.
"And the me you idealize is here, too!"
The childhood version of Obito appeared alongside Kakashi as well.
Standing across from Kakashi, the current Obito extended his hand toward him.
"You can pursue whatever you desire. In this world of genjutsu, you can have everything you ever wanted. The void in your heart can be filled instantly."
But in the next fraction of a second, Kakashi unleashed a Lightning Blade, instantly dispelling the illusions into nothingness.
"Rin is already gone... But you, aren't you still alive?!"
"Do you really think... do you really think doing this can actually fill the void in your heart?!"
"Don't you dare erase the memories Rin left behind when she was alive!"
"Those are memories left behind because Rin protected the village with her very life."
"No matter how much you try to stuff it with your own delusions, the void in your heart can never be filled!" Kakashi roared at Obito, his voice trembling and breaking with choked sobs.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, the Ten-Tails brought forth a colossal flower. As the petals gradually unfurled, a brand-new transformation began to take place.
Killer B turned his gaze toward Naruto as the voice of the Eight-Tails echoed within his mind: "Naruto is busy healing, and the Nine-Tails is currently kneading chakra. It's our turn to step up, B!"
"Hell yeah! We're taking the helm to protect the team, baby!"
"Listen up, B! Once it completes its final transformation, we are completely finished."
"And right now!" Gyuki said, his tone turning exceptionally grave.
Following the direction of the voice, B looked over to see an ultra-massive Tailed Beast Bomb rapidly taking shape. The Ten-Tails was showing absolutely no mercy.
Madara and Kanon looked at the Ten-Tails, and Kanon remarked nonchalantly, "Did it get agitated because it sensed the tailed beasts inside that brat, which share the same origin as itself, old man?"
"Most likely. Naruto possesses the chakra of the other tailed beasts. To think what I've been waiting for is right in front of me, yet it has to be torn down once first," Madara replied casually, crossing his arms.
The Allied Shinobi Forces watched as the Tailed Beast Bomb grew progressively larger, expanding past a scale any of them could comprehend. A collective wave of shock washed over them. They felt as microscopic as ants; in the face of this Tailed Beast Bomb, their efforts seemed entirely futile.
"Is it aiming for Naruto?" Shikamaru muttered, observing the trajectory of the Tailed Beast Bomb.
Naruto gritted his teeth, desperately wracking his brain for a countermeasure.
The rest of the Allied shinobi began to lose heart. Without Naruto's Nine-Tails chakra to shield them, there was simply no way to withstand such a horrific Tailed Beast Bomb.
Kanon stood beside Madara, her crimson trench coat billowing in the wind. She adjusted her corset slightly before casually sitting down right next to Madara, crossing her legs.
Madara remained standing on the spot with his arms crossed.
"Young people really hate enduring hardships; you even have to sit down to watch."
"You've got a lot of old bones, so standing is better for you. It's good exercise."
"A sharp tongue as always." Madara smirked. Kanon truly continued to exceed his expectations.
At that moment, Naruto wasn't the only one who noticed Kanon sitting down; Sakura, her fellow member of Team 7, saw it too. As the terrifying Tailed Beast Bomb loomed overhead, she screamed at the surrounding shinobi at the top of her lungs.
"How can we afford to waver at a time like this?! Naruto has pushed himself to the absolute limit and done everything he possibly could!"
"Hearing what Naruto just said made me realize something completely."
Sakura's voice echoed through the ranks, and the surrounding shinobi began to steady their trembling hearts.
"Naruto views every single one of us as his comrade, from the bottom of his heart!"
The moment those words were spoken, a blazing fighting spirit ignited across the entire Allied Shinobi Forces.
"We..."
"That's right!"
"We are comrades!"
Seeing everyone regain their resolve, Sakura let out a sigh of relief. She turned back to the crowd and declared:
"I am going to fully heal Naruto's injuries. We need to do exactly what we are meant to do!"
"We're going to die either way! Instead of waiting around for death, it's better to go down fighting, each in our own way!"
Sakura's voice was incredibly loud, carrying all the way to Kanon's ears.
A slow round of applause echoed from atop the Ten-Tails. Everyone looked over toward the source, and a few shinobi couldn't help but flush slightly, because Kanon looked breathtakingly beautiful sitting there with her legs crossed.
However, Kanon simply clapped her hands, her lips curving into a slight smirk as she addressed Sakura:
"You've really grown up, Sakura. In that case, I'll grant your wish. Let's all die in battle together, consider it my reward to celebrate your growth."
Hearing Sakura's rallying cry, a plan seemed to spark in Shikamaru's mind. He immediately began consulting Ino to coordinate a strategy, broadcasting the plan to everyone on the battlefield.
The first person he questioned was Kurotsuchi. Although Akatsuchi had perished, Kurotsuchi had inherited his will and possessed mastery over many of his Earth Release jutsu.
"I see. It might just be worth a shot," Kurotsuchi agreed, nodding.
Shikmaru quickly continued laying out the operational details of the battle.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Kanon was idly chatting with Madara to pass the time.
"Old man, back in your era, how much did a pound of vegetables cost?"
"By the way, old man, do you know how to cook?"
"Old man, do you think Susanoo can be manifested as armor to wear directly on your body? Or, if someone with the Mangekyo Sharingan loses an arm, can they use Susanoo to form a brand-new hand?"
"It suddenly occurred to me, old man, have you ever seen Zetsu take a dump? Especially Black Zetsu."
"Old man, did people in your era eat wild weeds?"
"Oh, right, old man, you've definitely never tasted food from this era, especially my cooking. If you beg me, I might show some respect for the elderly and make a meal for you. It tastes pretty good."
"Old man, why is that guy Obito taking so long? In a one-on-one, shouldn't he have taken Kakashi out ages ago?"
Kanon's questions fired off one after another in rapid succession. Facing this barrage, lines of irritation formed on Madara's forehead. Though it was a disjointed conversation, he still bothered to answer a few of them.
The two of them looked exactly like a granddaughter pestering her grandfather about stories from his youth while the grandfather patiently narrated them. The sight left the Allied Shinobi Forces completely speechless, especially since they were currently staring down absolute despair.
…
The Kamui Dimension.
Obito and Kakashi remained locked in their confrontation.
"What's wrong with a world of genjutsu?!"
"Reality is far too cruel."
"It will only cause this void to grow larger and larger."
"Sometimes things don't go your way, and sometimes you don't make it in time to lend a helping hand."
"Just like how I used to be! Just like how I failed to make it in time back then!"
"Am I wrong, Kakashi?!"
"If you stay in this world, how exactly do you plan to fill this void?!"
Kakashi stared unblinkingly at Obito, his resolve hardening into solid stone.
"Even though I'm a piece of trash among shinobi, I still managed to learn a few things."
Memories of Hiruzen, Minato, and Team 7 rushed through Kakashi's mind. The beautiful moments they had forged together materialized around him like a vivid tapestry.
There was the time he and Naruto ate Ichiraku Ramen together.
The memory of training Sasuke to master the Chidori.
The past where Kanon cooked at home and invited the entire Team 7, including himself, over for a meal.
And the precious memories forged with Sakura and everyone else.
Kakashi looked at Obito with absolute certainty and stated, "The void in one's heart is meant to be filled by other people."
"Someone who throws away the memories of his comrades and abandons the world just because things didn't go his way will never find comrades. And if you do that, the void in your heart can never be filled!"
"No one is going to help someone who runs away and does nothing."
"As long as you don't give up, you can always be saved!"
Obito let out a cold laugh, his gaze locking onto Kakashi.
"No matter what you plan to do, it's all over."