Obito struggled to open his eyes, and the moment he saw Naruto, his eyes widened with anger, and the memories of what just happened crashed into him like a tidal wave. But then he saw Konan again out of the corner of his eye, and he was confused.
'Wasn't Konan dead?' Obito was certain the other party had been fatally wounded by him back then, so there was no way she could've survived.
This absurd sense of unreality made Obito's mind reel.
'Is it possible that I am already dead?'
"Don't look at me like that. You're not dead yet, but you will be soon. You only have one last breath left so I will let you die with peace of mind." Naruto stood over him and explained with a smirk.
Hearing this, Obito was stunned for a moment, then suddenly punched Naruto. Unfortunately, his punch was weak and Naruto easily dodged it by slightly tilting his head.
"You bastard! What did you do to Rin?!" Obito glared at Naruto.
"Nothing much~" Naruto still grinned. He squatted down, a mocking smile appeared on his face, and said word by word, "Do you like her?"
Obito didn't answer, and just kept glaring at Naruto.
"What's it to you?"
"Everything. Since you asked what I did to her…" Naruto's grin widened, "I didn't do much. But damn, Nohara Rin was fine."
"You bastard!!!" Obito roared, veins bulging in his neck, "I'm going to f***ing kill you!!!"
"Don't be stupid. You're barely hanging on by a thread." Naruto stood up, "Stop spouting nonsense and face reality, Uchiha Obito."
"What are you planning to do to Rin?! Listen, Uzumaki Naruto, if you dare lay a finger on Rin, I swear even in death I won't let you go!"
Obito roared, his fingers digging into the grass as he glared up at Naruto.
"You can deceive me all you want, but if you hurt Rin, Kakashi won't let you off either!"
Konan stood to the side, staring at Obito coldly. She couldn't help but feel disgusted, 'Uchiha Obito, you are truly despicable. Even now, you're still acting like this.'
'How could someone like him hold power over Nagato and Yahiko's lives? Was it just because we lacked strength, allowing ourselves to be dragged toward such extremes?'
Naruto didn't dwell on it much, nor did he bother analyzing Obito's words.
After all, Konan had once been under Obito's control, almost entirely at his mercy, and neither Nagato nor she had ever uncovered the true depths of the masked Uchiha Obito.
But Naruto is different, and he knew all of Obito's cards.
It was like a card game where everyone's hand was exposed, except for his, which remained face down.
He simply looked down at Obito with a cold gleam in his eyes. He stared at him in silence for a while, then he spoke in an eerily calm voice.
"Are you worried about Nohara Rin? Have you ever thought about it, what qualifications do you have to worry about her? I told you before, she has nothing to do with you now. She's a Konoha's Shinobi."
"When she wakes up, I'll tell her everything was just a dream. That her former companion, Uchiha Obito, was crushed to death under that boulder, and that Kakashi has become the Hokage."
"The village is still the same village, but everything has long since changed. The family Nohara Rin once knew may be gone, but that's alright."
"She had already accepted the fact of your death before she died. Even if she us resurrected, she won't remember you. After a while, she will let go of her regrets and start a new life."
"N-no... that's impossible! Rin wouldn't... she wouldn't forget me!" Obito's heart suddenly trembled, "Don't try to lie to me! It's... it's impossible!"
"Didn't you just want Nohara Rin to live? That's all that mattered, right?" Naruto suddenly asked, "Then why do you care so much whether she remembers you? Or is it..."
"You just want to possess her? It doesn't matter if she's happy, as long as she belongs to you?"
"N-no... that's not it!" Obito muttered to himself, his eyes losing focus.
How could he not have selfish desires? But the human heart was not something to be scrutinized.
When faced with one's own conscience, only few people could emerge victorious.
Seeing this, Naruto's eyes flashed with disdain. He pressed his lips together before speaking again.
"I won't do anything to Nohara Rin. You're right. Out of respect for Kakashi, I won't make things difficult for her. I'm not like you. I have moral bottom line."
"Nohara Rin chose to die for the sake of the village. She is a true hero, not some stinky rat hiding in the gutter all day long."
"She will live a happy life. After all, she's such a cheerful person. As long as she is given a little time, I believe she will be able to face everything with optimism."
"I can even predict that Nohara Rin will apply to become a Shinobi again, and Kakashi Kakashi will definitely help her adapt to the current Shinobi life. Since they are companions, it's only natural they'd support each other, right?"
Konan, who was standing aside, had her eyelids twitching slightly, and Obito also sensed something off in Naruto's words.
He looked up and stared at Naruto, as if bracing for what he would say next.
However, Naruto paused deliberately, the corners of his lips curling up as he stared at Obito. He was thoroughly enjoying the look of shock on Obito's face, as the worry that flashed across his face could not be concealed at all.
He grinned, and then continued.
"Nohara Rin's death has always been a knot in Kakashi's heart. He spent a long time drowning in guilt because of it. For Kakashi, her revival is nothing short of a miracle."
"As his student, I know Kakashi very well. Not only will he be overjoyed, he will even take great care of Nohara Rin, fearing that she might vanish again like a dream the moment he wakes up."
"Even if he doesn't have those kinds of feelings, for Nohara Rin, who had already accepted your death and now faces an entirely unfamiliar world, having someone as kind and attentive as Kakashi by her side... what do you think she'll feel?"
"No… stop talking!" Obito's strength suddenly disappeared, his eyes suddenly became dull, and he slumped on the ground with lifeless eyes.
"Shut up, don't say anymore." His voice was weak.
But how could Naruto possibly grant his wish? The more pain Obito felt, the happier he became.
Naruto could hardly suppress the smile on his face. His lips trembled slightly, if he were about to burst into laughter.
"Kakashi is so gentle, and still as outstanding as he was twenty years ago." Naruto could hardly hold back his laughter, his voice trembling as he tried his best to suppress his laugh.
"A man who became a Jonin at the age of twelve, powerful, handsome… and he even became the Hokage. How touching, he inherited your dream, Obito! You can die without regrets!"
"Hahaha, Nohara Rin will definitely think that way. She woke up twenty years later, and everything has changed beyond recognition. Her former companion has become the Hokage and is treating her with unwavering care."
"What a strong and gentle Male Lead this is, Uchiha Obito! That's Kakashi we're talking about." Naruto couldn't hold back the smile on his face any longer.
"Can you honestly say Nohara Rin wouldn't fall for Kakashi? And even if we take ten thousand steps back... does Nohara Rin ever like you? Did you ever confirm your relationship? Have you held hands? Have you kissed?"
Naruto's laughter grew wilder and became more and more unrestrained, as if he had been holding back for far too long. Each question was like a bullet piercing through Obito.
"She won't remember you at all, Uchiha Obito! It'll be like you never existed! Everything you've done, the meaning of your existence for these past twenty years, all of it!"
Naruto was shouting now, his neck straining, flushing red from the force of his roar as he roared loudly…
"All of it was f***ing meaningless!!!"
"Let me make this clear, Nohara Rin has never been with you! Not before! Not now! Not ever! It was all just your delusion!"
"Nohara Rin will be with Kakashi. They'll get married, have children. And you? You'll just die like a rat in the shadows, rotting in the past where you belong… twenty years ago!"