"What's your name?"
"…Rin."
"That's a pretty nice name," Tobi said as he scratched his head awkwardly.
"Mhm."
Rin answered flatly.
Wasn't it supposed to make people feel closer if you complimented their name?
So why was this little girl completely unmoved?
He had even deliberately asked for her name despite already knowing it.
"You should give up already," Rin said firmly. "No matter what you say, I'm not going to believe you."
Of course she didn't believe him.
Konoha being dangerously understaffed… the Two-Tails going berserk inside the village… only she being able to stop the disaster…
The entire story sounded far too bizarre.
That didn't mean she was naïve enough to be fooled so easily.
She was still a qualified medical shinobi.
So no matter how much Tobi tried to get closer to her, the delicate-looking girl remained completely uncooperative, carrying herself with the determination of someone ready to die rather than yield.
After taking a direct hit to his confidence, Tobi immediately changed tactics.
"Look at you—you're so cute that if I accidentally hurt you, even I'd feel guilty."
"I'm not afraid of your threats."
Rin shook her head firmly once more before taking on an almost suicidal expression. "You can go ahead and kill me right now if you want."
Tobi stared at her blankly for a long while before slapping a hand against his forehead with a sigh.
"Honestly, what am I even doing? Spending all this breath talking to you, hoping to gain your understanding, when I could have just knocked you unconscious and carried you straight to Konoha."
Rin tilted her head slightly.
…That actually makes sense.
"Once you see the berserk Two-Tails for yourself, if you truly want to save Konoha, you'll naturally use the Three-Tails' power."
Rin: "..."
"Seriously, why am I—"
Rin: "..."
"Man, life's always this difficult. Being a good person is exhausting."
After only a few exchanges, the certainty in Rin's heart had already begun to waver slightly.
"You Konoha shinobi are all way too sharp. And you're all suspicious of everyone for no reason. You're like that. Shimizu's like that too."
"Huh?"
"Back then, I was obviously the one who saved Shimizu's life, yet he was still constantly looking for chances to sneak attack me."
"The one who dug him out of that mudslide was me, not that Hyūga girl!"
Rin's eyes widened in shock.
"But that brat still ran off to flirt with her and left me behind…"
As he spoke, Tobi let out exaggerated cries of misery. Of course, Rin didn't see a single tear or even any snot. He merely clutched at his chest dramatically.
"And then he stabbed me… right here."
"That's what heartbreak feels like."
"Y-you know Shimizu-senpai?"
"What do you think?!"
"..."
Rin was momentarily speechless. In the end, she could only voice the one thought she'd had since meeting him.
"But you look really strange… you seriously seem suspicious."
A masked "person" suddenly appearing beside her after she woke up and claiming he was there to help her—
Who would believe that?!
"I…"
Tobi looked down at himself: his pale white body, spiral mask, and brown hooded robe.
Then he shook his head and sighed deeply.
"You really have no sense of aesthetics."
Everything he said lined up perfectly with what Rin already knew, to the point where she subconsciously began believing he truly was someone connected to Shimizu's past.
"But the things you're saying are still hard to believe…"
"Do you have any proof?"
"The Three-Tails inside you isn't proof enough?"
Rin fell silent.
Everything she currently knew had come from this self-proclaimed White Zetsu named Tobi.
According to him, the Hidden Mist had sent the Three-Tails jinchūriki to attack Konoha's forces. After a brutal battle, the jinchūriki had died from exhaustion, while Konoha's side had been completely wiped out.
Afterward, Tobi had supposedly saved her life by sealing the now-ownerless Three-Tails inside her body.
By his explanation, she should have died back then.
Technically speaking… Tobi was her savior.
The problem was that Rin had absolutely no memory of anything that happened before she lost consciousness.
Seeing her hesitation, Tobi finally lost patience.
"Oh, come on already. Stop hesitating and make a decision."
"Are you going to Konoha or not? One sentence. If not, I'm not flying you there."
"I'm perfectly fine being alone anyway."
He turned as if preparing to leave.
"Wait…"
Rin still wanted confirmation.
"Would the Hidden Cloud really do something like that? Release the Two-Tails inside Konoha?"
"Isn't that exactly what Tailed Beasts are for? Otherwise, why do you think the Hidden Cloud left the Two-Tails jinchūriki inside Konoha? For decoration?"
"But… I'm afraid I won't actually be able to help much…"
"You're different from those useless people. You're a perfect jinchūriki. You can control the Tailed Beast's power while staying fully conscious. If you don't believe me, try it yourself."
There was no need to test it.
Ever since sensing the Three-Tails within her body earlier, Rin had already attempted to draw on its power.
And to her surprise, it had felt completely natural.
Smooth.
Effortless.
As though using that chakra was instinctive to her from the very beginning.
So this is what a perfect jinchūriki is…?
Tobi sighed helplessly. "And another thing—do you really think I'm helping Shimizu clean up Konoha's mess out of kindness?"
That was true.
Tobi wasn't even a Konoha shinobi, so why was he helping Konoha this much?
What exactly was his motive?
"I'm only getting involved because I took a liking to a certain little girl from Konoha."
"Who?" Rin asked curiously.
"…Anyway, it's definitely not you. Kids shouldn't ask so many questions."
Tobi lightly knocked on her head.
"Come on already. Stop wasting time."
"So what's your answer?"
"I'll go!" Rin declared, her large, round eyes locked onto him with absolute focus.
Tobi stared at her for a while before suddenly sighing again. "Actually… maybe forget it. I should probably just go by myself."
"Huh?!"
Wasn't he begging her to come just moments ago? Why had he suddenly changed his mind?
"You're way too suspicious of me," Tobi said while shaking his head. "I'm worried you'll keep arguing with me and end up dragging me down."
"If you die, fine. But Konoha can't be destroyed because of that. Otherwise my conscience…"
His voice suddenly turned mournful again.
"And my little Konoha girl…"
"How could I possibly do that?!"
"Oh really? Then imagine this. A complete stranger suddenly appears in Konoha claiming the Hidden Cloud plans to release the Two-Tails inside the village. Then I tell you to use your Tailed Beast transformation to save everyone…"
Tobi paused briefly.
"But everyone opposes you. Every single person thinks you're wrong. They all believe you've been deceived—including Uchiha Obito."
He looked directly at her.
"In that situation… who would you listen to?"
"I…"
Rin immediately fell silent.
"You see? That's the problem." Tobi spread his hands helplessly. "Which is why I'd rather just—"
"I'll listen to you."
This time, Rin's resolve was completely firm.
No matter what happened, she would use her own strength to help Konoha survive this crisis.
As long as Konoha truly faced such a disaster, then she had no reason left to hesitate.
Of course… all of this depended on whether everything Tobi said was true.
"Oh?"
"I'm doing this for Konoha… Everyone will understand eventually, right?"
As soon as she said it, Rin suddenly lost some confidence.
After all, she had absolutely no way to explain the origin of the Three-Tails inside her body, and Tobi himself looked suspicious no matter how anyone saw it.
She believed him.
But would Konoha?
The moment the village discovered the truth, there was a high chance she would immediately be detained by the ANBU.
But if she didn't participate in the battle, then how would they stop the Two-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb?
Who could possibly do it?
The Tailed Beast Bomb of the One-Tail had once vaporized half of Kikyō Mountain.
"But no matter what… Obito will definitely understand me."
"Fine then. I'll give you one piece of advice."
Tobi's tone suddenly became serious.
"Remember this carefully: only a Tailed Beast Bomb can stop another Tailed Beast Bomb."
"The moment the Two-Tails fires one, you must immediately transform into the Three-Tails. If you hesitate, Konoha is finished."
Tobi had already planted the terrifying image of Konoha being erased in a single blast deep into Rin's mind. So upon hearing the solution involving a Tailed Beast Bomb, she nodded repeatedly.
"And don't worry about your fight with the Two-Tails destroying Konoha. Since you can control the Three-Tails, all you need to do is draw its attention and lead it outside the village."
"Okay!"
Rin firmly memorized every word.
"So? Any more questions?"
"Tobi… how do you know about the Hidden Cloud's plan?"
Tobi straightened proudly.
"Because I'm an undercover agent."
"Huh?!"
"Ah… I guess there's no harm telling you this. Back then, Shimizu almost became an undercover agent like me too. The reason I infiltrated Konoha that night was to persuade him to join us…"
"How is that even possible…?"
Rin was utterly stunned.
So the mysterious shinobi who infiltrated Konoha that night had actually been Tobi all along?!
"Shimizu's way too suspicious," Tobi complained bitterly while looking up at the sky. "He thought I was some kind of bad person."
"Being an undercover agent really gets no respect… villains never get any love…"
"If you truly are doing this for Konoha… and for that girl you like… maybe Lord Hokage and the others will understand eventually."
"Heh…"
Tobi suddenly patted Rin's shoulder with a meaningful look.
"Sooner or later, you'll become the target of suspicion too. And when that happens, you might find yourself with nowhere left to go."
His voice softened slightly.
"If that tragedy really does happen…"
"Come to the Valley of the End."
"I'll be waiting for you."
...
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