Thud.
Now that Namikaze Minato had defeated the enemy, the tension that had been straining Kakashi finally snapped.
Exhaustion washed over him like a crashing tide—body and soul. He collapsed on the spot.
"Kakashi!"
Nohara Rin rushed over and checked his condition. Finding that it was only chakra exhaustion, she finally sighed in relief.
"Genma, carry Kakashi."
Minato gave the order.
Rin and Kurenai weren't suited for it, and Kiyohara—who had done most of the heavy lifting—was clearly running on fumes.
So the duty naturally fell to Shiranui Genma.
"Yes, Lord Minato."
Genma nodded and hoisted Kakashi onto his back.
"Are we moving out now?"
Kiyohara asked after ensuring Kakashi was secure.
"It's already late. We'll rest for the night and destroy the bridge at dawn."
Minato replied.
"I see..."
Kiyohara hesitated but kept his thoughts to himself.
No one had mentioned retrieving Obito's body.
Not Kakashi, not Rin, not even Minato.
Even in Kakashi Gaiden, the scenario played out the same way. Minato had wiped out the enemies, and they clearly weren't pressed for time.
If he had hurried over to dig through the rubble and recover Obito's "corpse," maybe a lot of things wouldn't have happened afterward.
Even if they ran into Uchiha Madara, Minato could have escaped using Flying Thunder God. It wasn't like Kamui, which required a long setup.
Sure, Madara was strong—but he was old, clinging to life with the help of the Gedo Statue. Even if he temporarily restored his strength with a forbidden jutsu, he wouldn't chase Minato too far.
Still, Kiyohara said nothing.
There was no benefit to bringing it up.
If a fight broke out, Minato could flee. Kiyohara... probably couldn't.
Before leaving, Kiyohara didn't forget to loot.
He cleaned out every Iwagakure corpse he could find. There wasn't time to sort the haul—he'd do that later.
Meanwhile, deep underground, Uchiha Madara slowly opened his eyes.
His three-tomoe Sharingan shimmered in the darkness, focused on a patch of wall that began to ripple like water.
Out stepped White Zetsu, carrying the broken body of Obito.
His torso was freshly sealed with a layer of white tissue—just enough to stop the bleeding.
"I've brought him, Lord Madara."
One Zetsu dragged Obito, while a smaller one followed behind, similar in size.
"Begin the surgery."
Madara's voice was old and frail, his long white hair draped behind his back like a curtain of age.
"Yes, Lord Madara."
Zetsu cut the smaller one in half. The lower half was the perfect fit to replace Obito's missing body.
They began the fusion—ribs, organs, all of it being replaced and integrated.
The White Zetsu body was infused with copious Hashirama Cells, and the fusion was progressing smoothly.
Obito's compatibility was unusually high.
"This kid..."
Madara narrowed his eyes.
Obito's survival was impressive. It was like he had phased through the rubble rather than being crushed.
"Lord Madara, why are you so fixated on the Uchiha?"
Zetsu asked curiously.
Ever since the war began, Madara had ordered them to monitor a wide swath of Uchiha clansmen.
All to find a suitable candidate.
But now Zetsu had seen that even a non-Uchiha—like Kakashi—could use a transplanted Sharingan.
Why not just give it to someone like Kiyohara?
Someone clearly talented?
Madara gave him a look.
"You don't understand Uchiha power."
Above the three tomoe lay the Mangekyō Sharingan—a level only accessible to those who awakened it themselves.
These unworthy descendants… none had the potential anymore.
Only those who awakened Mangekyō could truly wield Uchiha might.
"Kiyohara's talented, yes… but he's not one of us."
Madara shook his head.
Even if an outsider got a Mangekyō, it wouldn't be the same.
And he needed the real thing for his future plans.
Kiyohara was a commoner. Too many weak points.
"So if someone isn't born an Uchiha, they're useless?"
Zetsu seemed to understand. He'd follow that standard from now on.
"No. Kiyohara still has value. Just like Kakashi."
Madara's tone was cryptic.
To awaken Mangekyō, you needed extreme emotional trauma.
Zetsu's spies had confirmed that Obito had feelings for Rin.
Even that little incident where Kiyohara held Rin's hand had made Obito furious.
So if Obito were to permanently lose Rin...
Then the emotional blow would be devastating.
Death would be the ultimate trigger.
"They will draw out the darkness in his heart. Let him taste true despair."
Madara murmured.
"I see..."
The dimwitted Zetsu nodded, half-understanding.
So Kiyohara just had to steal Rin, make Obito feel the sting of losing a loved one…
As expected of Lord Madara. A plan only a true genius could concoct.
The night deepened.
On a grassy plain, under a massive boulder, Kakashi lay unconscious.
His lashes twitched, and he slowly opened his eyes.
'Where am I… did I die?'
That was his first thought.
"You're awake, Kakashi."
The operation was a success. You're a girl now.
Kiyohara almost said that out loud.
Instead, he just looked down at him.
Kakashi's face was filled with grief.
Memories of Obito flooded back, and tears welled in his eyes.
Real men don't cry—until the wound cuts deep enough.
Kiyohara shook his head slowly.
This… this was the kind of "bond" that only men from Konoha understood.
"It's all my fault..."
Kakashi whispered, filled with self-loathing.
"No. You did all you could."
Kiyohara clapped him gently on the shoulder.
'What could he say?'Obito had been played from the start.
Madara had the entire Land of Grass under surveillance, always hunting for a suitable pawn.
In the end, Obito was always meant to end up like this.