Under Uchiha Madara's tutelage, Obito had learned many of the Uchiha Clan's forbidden techniques—including the very jutsu Madara used to fake his death before Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju.
Even now, Obito had a spare three-tomoe Sharingan implanted in his left eye socket specifically to use Izanagi.
So the moment Ren mentioned Madara's "death," Obito immediately thought of that forbidden technique capable of rewriting reality.
Ren nodded.
"You're right. Before Rin's 'death,' I used a three-tomoe Sharingan to embed Izanagi within her body through a Transcription Seal: Izanagi."
"So that day… Rin didn't actually die."
"Shortly after you left, she woke up."
"However, for certain reasons, I kept this a secret. Even Kakashi doesn't know she's still alive."
Obito swallowed hard.
"Then… why tell me now?"
"I didn't originally plan to," Ren said, giving him a meaningful look. "In the future I saw, you might have committed acts worse than beasts."
"I intended to let Rin reappear at that moment… and deal you a decisive blow."
"But because I interfered, Yahiko didn't die in the scheme of Hanzo of the Salamander and Danzō Shimura."
"That change caused a chain reaction."
"As Yahiko escaped that fate, you were pulled into it instead."
"You… would have been the one to kill him."
"But your choice surprised me."
"That single hesitation—your refusal to kill Yahiko—set you on the brightest path within the darkness."
"That was your choice."
"And it made me realize… I had been too arrogant."
"I thought I could control everything. Guide everyone toward the 'correct' future."
"But the truth is—what seeds are planted, and what flowers bloom… depends on your own choices."
"So I changed my approach."
"I chose to step forward—and tell you the truth."
"As for what you do next… that depends entirely on you."
Obito fell silent.
He could feel the sincerity in Ren's words.
And he understood something else—
If he chose darkness again… Ren would kill him without hesitation.
And Obito had no doubt Ren was capable of it.
After a long pause, Obito spoke again:
"Can you tell me… why you stood by and watched me?"
Ren thought for a moment, then nodded.
"First—because of Uchiha Madara."
"Madara's strength was unfathomable. Even at the end of his life, after awakening the Rinnegan, he had already stepped into the realm of the Sage of Six Paths."
"I wasn't confident I could defeat him."
"And more importantly—Madara was out of time."
"Even if he realized his path was wrong, he had no time left to find another. Words alone wouldn't sway him."
"My ability to see the future depends on having enough 'clues.'"
"If not for you, I wouldn't have known Madara was still alive… or discovered Black Zetsu."
"If I had rashly saved you, Madara might have hidden himself again, waiting for another opportunity."
"That would've made things far worse."
"That's also one reason I kept Rin's survival a secret."
"Madara would never allow you to retain such an important bond with the world."
"For Rin to truly live… she had to 'die.'"
Obito nodded slowly.
Having been taught by Madara, he understood just how terrifying that man was.
Ren's reasoning… made sense.
But then—
"That's not the main reason I stood by," Ren added.
"…What?"
Obito frowned.
Was there something even more troublesome than Madara involved in his fate?
Ren continued:
"From a purely practical standpoint… the path Madara set for you was the most suitable one."
"Your talent is… unusual."
"With conventional training, your limit would've been elite jōnin at best."
"But your true potential goes far beyond that."
"You could even reach the level of the Sage of Six Paths."
"And only Madara could fully draw out that potential."
"Not everyone gets the chance to inherit his power and teachings."
"So I thought—if you could gain that power… and still keep your original heart…"
"That would benefit you, the village… and the entire world."
"The world belongs to both our generation and yours—but ultimately, it's yours."
"You are like the sun at eight or nine in the morning—full of vitality."
"My expectations for you go far beyond becoming Hokage."
"When my generation—and Minato's—fade away…"
"You should become the sun that continues to illuminate this world."
Ren's words were sincere—
But they left Obito stunned.
He had never imagined Ren held such expectations for him.
To become… the sun?
Obito's emotions surged.
Blood that had long gone cold began to stir again.
Yes—the world was dark.
But he could become a light.
He could illuminate its shadows.
He could become… the sun.
Obito closed his eyes and exhaled slowly.
When he opened them again, the gloom had vanished. His gaze was firm once more.
"Ren-sensei," he said, removing his spiral mask with a faint smile, "can you explain your plan in detail?"
"Of course."
Ren smiled warmly.
In reality, only a few dozen seconds had passed.
"Why did they suddenly stop moving?"
Yahiko looked at Ren and Obito, confused as they stood frozen in confrontation.
He didn't dare interrupt.
"Ugh—!"
Suddenly, Obito dropped to one knee, clutching his stomach as he retched violently. His chakra plummeted.
At nearly the same moment, Ren's eyes shifted—
into a chilling pair of Mangekyō Sharingan.
"So you've awakened the Mangekyō… Fine. You win today. We'll meet again."
Obito activated his Mangekyō ability—
Kamui.
Ripples spread through space from his right eye as his body began warping into the Kamui dimension.
"Trying to run? Fire Fist!"
Ren threw a punch.
A massive flaming fist surged forward with explosive force.
Obito's pupils shrank. He was forced to halt his transfer and instead used intangibility to let the attack pass through him.
"Blazing Web!"
Ren spread his arms.
Flames erupted outward, forming four towering walls of fire that sealed off hundreds of meters.
"Just fire walls—they won't stop me! Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique!"
Obito dove underground.
"Fire Release: Scorching Hell!"
Ren showed no emotion.
He clasped his hands, raised his leg, and slammed his foot into the ground.
Heat flooded the earth—
BOOM!
Massive pillars of fire erupted skyward, turning the surrounding land into molten lava.
Obito was forced back to the surface—
And not far away, another figure was exposed.
Black Zetsu.
"There's another one… You two, get out. Fire Release: Flame Spiral!"
Ren struck backward, sending Yahiko and Konan flying out, wrapped in spiraling flames that carried them beyond the fire barrier.
"You're in quite a sorry state," Black Zetsu said as he appeared beside Obito.
"This wasn't part of the plan."
"Who would've expected him to show up—with Mangekyō Sharingan?" Obito replied irritably.
Black Zetsu stared at Ren's eyes.
"A pattern I've never seen before…"
Though rare, many Mangekyō Sharingan had appeared throughout Uchiha history.
Some even shared abilities—
like Itachi and Sasuke's Amaterasu.
But Ren's eyes…
were completely unknown.
"Be careful," Obito warned. "Don't make eye contact. His ability is genjutsu-based—and extremely powerful."
"Got it."
Black Zetsu immediately looked away.
Not out of fear—
As the embodiment of Kaguya's will, Black Zetsu possessed immense spiritual power and near immunity to genjutsu—even the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
But he couldn't risk Obito discovering that.
Fortunately, Obito remained focused on Ren.
Still easy to manipulate.
"The heat is too intense—White Zetsu can't enter," Obito said. "Can you buy me time to transfer fully?"
His intangibility was temporary.
To completely enter Kamui required time—
and during that process, he couldn't phase through attacks.
"…"
Black Zetsu nearly cursed.
If Obito escaped… what about him?
The ground had been turned into magma—he couldn't flee.
"Running blindly won't work," Black Zetsu said, forcing himself to stay calm. "He's too fast."
"But with your ability… escaping this fire domain is still possible."
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789