Chapter 7.2
After Obito Escaped
Aftermath on the Surface
The moment Lucifer vanished from the cavern, the immense force holding Obito Uchiha pinned to the wall was released. Despite the pain from Jiraiya's Rasengan, the masked man used the sudden, bizarre interruption to phase to safety via Kamui, escaping the battlefield and Minato's clutches.
He rematerialized miles away, near a small river, leaning heavily against a weathered tree. The massive, agonizing wound on his back searing with pain. He had escaped, but his Gunbai was gone, his hideout was compromised, and his immediate plans were in ruin. He stared blankly at the bright morning sun, his thoughts a chaotic storm of fury, pain, and, most pressingly, an absolute terror regarding the entity that had appeared.
He had expected the Will of Fire to be difficult, but to be humiliated so completely... it was infuriating. Yet, he hadn't lost to them.
He had lost to it.
Obito's Thoughts:
This... this wasn't possible. That thing was a mistake. A flaw in Madara's entire design. My Kamui... it meant nothing. My Sharingan... it was insulted. That monster, that "Devil"... he was toying with them. With Minato. With Fugaku. With me. He came and left as he pleased, treating the war of the shinobi world, like a childish game.
And why did he appear? Why did he intervene just as I was about to be captured? Was it some sick mockery? Did he want me to live just to suffer more? To continue Madara's hopeless vision as a cosmic joke?
I have faced the death of Rin, the betrayal of the world, the power of Madara, and the rage of the Nine-Tails. But for the first time... I don't know what comes next. That thing, Lucifer, he is a variable I cannot account for. He is a predator who sees the entire world as his prey.
Next to Obito, standing impossibly close with no sound or chakra signature, Lucifer materialized. He was still impeccably dressed in his black suit, sipping his wine, seemingly teleported straight from the cavern.
Obito's lone, red Sharingan snapped wide open, his body instantly tensing, ready to phase again despite his injury.
Lucifer takes a slow, contented sip of wine "The sun. Isn't it just a gorgeous sight? A rather marvelous bit of engineering, I must say. Though, one tends to get tired of the sheer ubiquity of it."
Voice distorted and dangerously low"You. What do you want?" Obito
Lucifer chuckles, swirling the wine "Straight to the point. I like that. A man of action, not words. Pity you didn't apply that philosophy to your rather melodramatic long-term strategy, but I suppose everyone needs a hobby."
"I said, what do you want? Why did you interfere? Was it simply to mock them? To mock me?" Obito
Lucifer raises an eyebrow, a picture of offended innocence" Mockery? Dear boy, I am beyond such crass displays. No, no. I was there for an entirely simpler reason. I saved you, of course."
Obito stares in disbelief "You saved me? I was about to be captured by the Hokage. That was a failure on my part, not an invitation for your... farce."
"Ah, but an unfortunate incident is still an incident. And you were seconds away from being dragged back to the village by the Fourth and his perpetually scowling wife. That would have been rather inconvenient for the grand narrative, wouldn't it? A premature climax, if you will." Lucifer
Obito eyes narrowed, a vein throbbing in his neck "I owe you nothing."
Lucifer grins, a flash of red in his eyes "Oh, but you do. My intervention was a gift, a moment of spontaneous will overriding fate. Minato was destined to capture you, you see. That's how the Goddess of Destiny wrote the script. I simply decided to inject a little chaos into the drama. Now, where was I? Ah, yes. You owe me."
Obito: "For what? For not letting me face the consequences of my own actions?"
"No, no, no. For two things, actually." (He steps closer, placing the base of his wine glass on Obito's shoulder, a movement that forces Obito to stand still from sheer intimidation.) "First, for physically removing you from a rather sticky situation, which counts as a life debt. You are now, officially, in my ledger."
Obito scoffs, trying to push the glass away, but it's like pushing granite"And the second?"
Lucifer leans in, his voice dropping to a seductive whisper "The second is a bit more intimate. You see, Minato Namikaze is a clever man. He used his little Hiraishin seal to track you in that cave, didn't he? A permanent tether to the village's will."
Lucifer lowers his glass and lightly touches the spot on Obito's back where Jiraiya's Rasengan had struck, which also held the faint outline of Minato's sealing mark.
"Such an irritating mark. So... binding." Lucifer
A small flicker of the golden light, a burst of energy too tiny for any sensor to detect, emanates from Lucifer's finger. The pain on Obito's back instantly vanishes, and the seal—Minato's final, crucial advantage—is gone.
Obito stares, shocked...What did you do?"
Lucifer pulls his hand back, completely unconcerned "Oh, just a little tidying up. You can't have the protagonist of my little side-drama being perpetually tethered to the supporting cast, now can you? That simply ruins the tension."
He straightens his suit, smiling a perfect, polite, yet utterly terrifying smile.
" There. Two massive favors, all for the price of... well, the price is not yet due. But rest assured, Obito Uchiha, you are now beholden to the Lightbringer. Double the favor, double the debt. When I call, you will answer."
Lucifer raises his glass in a final, chilling toast, drains the crimson wine, and then, with a soft, dry laugh, vanishes as instantly as he appeared, leaving Obito alone, healed, unsealed, and deeply, truly terrified.