"Does she have such a curse seal within her?"
Uchiha Obito stood frozen.
His breath caught as the memory illusion ended. A surge of disbelief overtook him—not because of what he saw, but because of how real it felt.
Tears welled up in his eyes, even though he didn't realize it.
Despite everything… he still didn't trust Uchiha Kai.
Even after being "awakened" by him—whoever he truly was—Obito's instinct screamed caution. He had assumed from the beginning that this illusion Kai had cast was a fabrication. Nothing more than a manipulation. Obito hadn't lowered his guard for a second, ready to dispel it with his Mangekyō at any time.
But now…
That seal—branded over Rin's heart.
He knew that technique.
Back when Madara trained him, Obito had been taught several advanced jutsu meant to control others. Not because Madara trusted him—but because he didn't.
One such jutsu was a variant of a chakra suppression seal—a twisted cousin of the cursed seal used by Orochimaru years later. Obito wasn't interested in control techniques back then. But maybe because he had been controlled, he had memorized the scripts, the hand seals, and the kill switch.
And what he just saw on Rin's corpse matched exactly.
"This can't be…" he whispered.
Even Madara hadn't told him Rin had been used this way.
Rin… the girl who had her life stolen to serve as a human bomb, carrying the Three-Tails, to destroy Konoha.
Was there more to that story?
Could Kai have uncovered something even he didn't know?
And Rin's body—why was it still intact?
He clenched his fists tightly as Kai's voice echoed in the void of the illusion.
"What? You think I could read your memories with a Mangekyō like yours?" Uchiha Kai said calmly. "Even with the same eyes, I can't force you to see what isn't already there. This seal was real. And you know it."
Obito's breathing turned ragged. He saw her again—Rin, smiling as she once did, running across the training field toward Kakashi and Minato.
Then, his gaze shifted.
He saw her again—pale, lifeless, cut open on an operating table.
He spun toward Kai, rage breaking through grief.
"What are you doing with her body?! Hasn't the Three-Tails already been extracted?! Why haven't you buried her?"
Kai's eyes narrowed.
"And since when did you become a Konoha official authorized to question me?" he said icily. "You're a missing-nin. I'm head of the Konoha Security Department. You have no standing—not in the village, not in the clan. You're still a Genin."
Obito opened his mouth… but the words caught in his throat.
He couldn't say "I'm no longer a Konoha ninja."
Not after seeing himself in that memory—hopeful, foolish, and dreaming of Hokage.
How had he become this?
He'd done unforgivable things.
"You still have a chance." Kai's voice turned serious.
"...Chance? What chance?"
"Redemption."
Obito's eyes widened. That word... it made something stir inside him. A yearning. Maybe even hope.
"Rin was used. Someone manipulated the Mist, sealed the Three-Tails inside her, and ensured Kakashi would be the one to kill her. It wasn't an accident—it was a trigger. For you. To awaken the Mangekyō. And to fall under his control."
Obito's eyes narrowed.
"You think it was… Madara?"
Kai said nothing, but that silence was answer enough.
"The Mist cooperated too easily," Kai added. "Whoever was behind this has ties to Kirigakure. You want truth? Start there."
Obito exhaled shakily.
He would. He'd been investigating the Mist already—tracking old files, whispers in the underworld, hidden lab sites. And now he knew the trail was no coincidence.
Kai stepped closer.
"I want you to work for Konoha again. For real this time. Not as a soldier. As an insider. An infiltrator."
Obito flinched.
"You're serious?"
"Yes."
"After everything I've done? The Nine-Tails… I—"
Kai raised a hand. "I don't care. If I say you're reinstated, then you are. I'll back it. So will the Hokage. But your job is to investigate. Bring back intel. And make sure no one ever uses a girl like Rin again."
Obito stared.
Something in him cracked.
Was it weakness? Hope?
Maybe just exhaustion.
But finally, he nodded.
"Alright… but I still don't trust you."
"You don't have to. Just follow the orders."
The Illusion Ends
Obito blinked.
He was back in the real world. Kai's blade still hovered near his chest.
He didn't strike.
Obito used Kamui and vanished in a swirl.
At the Uchiha Compound
Uchiha Kai pushed open the door to his home.
Ryoko rushed over, her eyes filled with worry.
"Kai! Are you okay? After last night... the Nine-Tails…"
"I'm fine," Kai replied, gently brushing her shoulder.
His father, Keisuke, appeared, followed by a groggy Iori.
The night had been chaos. The Nine-Tails' attack had leveled half the village. But thanks to swift evacuation, many civilians—including his family—had survived.
"You did well, son," Keisuke said quietly.
"Your safety comes first," Kai responded. "I'm going to rest now."
Ryoko nodded. "Hot water's ready. You've earned it."
Somewhere in the Land of Fire...
Obito lay alone in a cold cavern.
He remembered Kei's words.
"Kenji…"
What a stupid nickname.
Maybe Kai still thought of him as that hopeless kid who couldn't pass a written test.
But Obito had power now.
He wasn't some fool blindly following orders anymore.
"I'll expose the truth," Obito whispered to himself. "I'll take apart their plans piece by piece… and then, maybe I'll die."
His eyes drifted to the shadowy figure of Black Zetsu nearby.
Obito masked his emotions.
He would become a double agent.
For Rin.
For the version of himself who still dreamed.
Meanwhile…
Namikaze Minato appeared at his front door, dizzy from Flying Thunder God.
He winced. He'd overused it again.
But… Kai had been right. That kid always had a sharp mind for strategy, and his illusions were terrifyingly effective.
"If the Third had been in charge, Kai might've become an enemy…" Minato mused.
Inside, Kushina was sleeping soundly, little Naruto tucked in her arms.
Minato smiled.
"This… this is why we fight."
He laid down beside them, arms wrapping protectively around his family.
"I'll protect you," he whispered. "All of you."