Obito's heart sank. He knew this was coming.
But he didn't want to give the Rinnegan back.
In his current state, there was no way he could fight Madara head-on. And if he tried to absorb the Ten-Tails now, Madara would absolutely stop him.
So what was he supposed to do?
Madara's voice turned icy. "What? You don't want to return it?"
Obito clenched his teeth. "I'm not giving it back. I'm going to become the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki. I'm the one who should be the savior! You old relic from the previous era—stop sticking your nose in!"
"Oh? An old relic from the previous era?" Madara started laughing. "Hah… hahahahaha!"
His laughter exploded into a roar. "So you've finally grown bold enough to talk to me like that. Your wings have hardened, huh? But even if you refuse—what does it matter? I'll kill you and take the Rinnegan right back!"
Obito didn't flinch. "Before I die, I'll destroy the Rinnegan with everything I've got!"
You—
Madara's anger flared. He hadn't expected Obito to be this stubborn.
The Rinnegan was powerful, sure—but only when it was used. At the end of the day it was still just an eyeball. Destroying it wasn't hard. With Obito's Kamui, he could twist-space the Rinnegan into ruin if he really wanted.
That left Madara cautious—held hostage by his own greed. For a moment, he didn't know how to play it.
That was when Black Zetsu stepped forward. Using Kabuto like a mouthpiece, it chuckled.
"Obito, you're doing great. Perfect timing—I'll introduce you to someone. You'll thank me for this. Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei (Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation)!"
It slapped its hands together, and a coffin rose out of the ground.
Obito's face drained as a memory struck him—Kabuto's old threat.
"Dammit, Kabuto! You actually dared to do it! I'll kill you!"
And then, under Obito's despairing stare, the coffin lid slowly creaked open.
A girl stepped out, her face marked with colored patterns.
Rin.
"Rin…" Obito's tears spilled over.
"Obito… what's going on?"
Rin still looked dazed. Then her eyes landed on Minato. "Minato-sensei—where is this? Didn't I die? What's happening?!"
Minato opened his mouth, but no words came. He couldn't bring himself to say something that cruel.
Rin, gentle as ever, hurried toward Obito. "Obito, you're hurt. Let me take a look!"
She lifted her hands, about to use medical ninjutsu.
Obito stared at her—at the contours of her face, every familiar line—feeling like he could look forever and never grow tired. If only time could stop right here.
But in the next instant—
Rin's hand suddenly reached for Obito's Rinnegan.
Rin froze, horrified. "O-Obito? What—what is this? I—I can't control myself! What's happening to me…?"
Her eyes brimmed with frantic tears.
Obito didn't blame her. How could he? How could he ever blame Rin?
He knew exactly what this was—Black Zetsu had done it on purpose. Let Rin get close, then steal the eye in the moment Obito couldn't refuse her.
And Obito didn't want to refuse her, even if the price was devastating.
How could he ever refuse Rin?
Tenten watched, dumbstruck, then sighed in helpless disgust. "This damn love-brained idiot… I don't even know what to say anymore."
Shino shook his head too. "Maybe Rin is his entire world. Maybe he wants nothing but that love. Her death broke him so completely he was willing to kill his teacher and sensei-mother, willing to start a shinobi world war—just to create a world where Rin exists. Someone like that is sick in the head. And there's no cure."
The Senju brothers nodded in agreement. "Sick in the head. No cure."
Minato opened his mouth—then closed it again, still unable to say anything.
He was a man who'd been willing to die with his wife. Maybe he could understand Obito, because a beloved mattered that much to a man.
But he couldn't understand Obito either—because he would sacrifice himself for the one he loved…
…while Obito would destroy the world for her.
Maybe "sick in the head" really was the only verdict.
Rin, still not in control, stepped back and handed the Rinnegan over to Madara.
After Madara fitted the eye into place, he looked at Obito's miserable state and—almost kindly—delivered the cruel truth.
"Obito. Do you think I chose you to inherit my plan by accident? I picked you because you were too naïve, too full of love. When someone like that loses what they love, the hatred runs deeper. And the more naïve you are, the easier you are to deceive."
His tone sharpened like a blade.
"That's why I arranged for Rin to die right in front of you. And you really did fulfill your role beautifully. Now you can die."
Obito's eyes went wide, disbelief splintering across his face.
He'd heard the truth from Kakashi before… but in his heart, he never truly wanted to believe it. Even when suspicion gnawed at him, he still didn't dare accept it.
Because if that was the truth, then his love meant nothing.
Now that Madara had said it with his own mouth, Obito's mind turned to chaos—panic, shame, humiliation so intense he felt like he could die from it alone.
At least Black Zetsu—somehow—showed a sliver of "mercy."
"Obito, you've been helpful. Consider this your payment—before you die, you can say a few words to the one you love. Make the most of it."
Then it looked at Madara, the meaning clear: it was time to do the real work.
Madara lifted his head.
A perfect full moon hung in the sky—cold, round, and blue.
It was the ideal moment to cast Mugen Tsukuyomi (Infinite Tsukuyomi).
"Don't you dare! Madara!"
Hashirama surged forward with Tobirama and Minato, moving to stop him.
Tenten and Shino started to rush in too, but Minato stopped them—he knew those two kids would only be throwing their lives away.
The three Hokage were already dead. They didn't have to fear dying again.
But Madara was no longer the Madara they'd fought before.
"Rinbo: Hengoku (Limbo: Border Jail)!"
Madara used the Rinnegan's power, splitting off invisible shadows around him. The moment the Senju brothers and Minato charged, those unseen clones slammed them down, pounding them into the earth.
Madara followed up by firing black chakra rods—pinning all three Hokage to the ground so they couldn't move.
Then his Uchiha laughter erupted, wild and triumphant.
"Hahahahaha! No one in this world can stop me! Not even the Sage of Six Paths! That's what I say!"
And with the black rods in place, he launched himself toward the full moon.
Tenten stared, frantic. "Shino—what do we do?!"
Shino answered immediately. "We can't go in. If we do, we die. An enemy like that can only be handled by Natsuki. We need to get him a message—now—tell him what's happening."
"O-Okay! I'll write it!"
Tenten hurriedly got to work.
Rin returned to Obito's side again, eyes full of worry. "Obito… are you okay?"
Obito felt dazed, like he'd fallen back into the past—like Rin was still the same gentle Rin from back then.
But now… he didn't even have the right to face her.
Still, there was one more thing he had to do.
In the next instant, he pulled Kakashi out of his space.
(End of Chapter)
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