Chapter 579: Obito: Killing the Body and Breaking the Heart!
After witnessing Rin's death, Obito had completely lost himself.
From that moment on, he firmly believed in Madara's Eye of the Moon Plan.
He would create a world where Rin still existed.
A world without despair.
Because of that belief, Obito gradually became increasingly reckless.
In his mind, none of his current actions truly mattered.
Once the new world was created, everything would begin again.
Rin would be alive.
His teacher would be alive.
Kushina would be alive.
Everyone he had lost could return.
So Obito convinced himself that his actions in this false world were meaningless.
Even the bonds he had once shared with those people could be ignored.
But that was only what Obito told himself.
During the Nine-Tails attack, the masked Obito had actually felt a strange sense of relief when Minato failed to recognize him.
Because his teacher had not discovered who he was, Obito had been able to act even more coldly.
He no longer needed to face Minato as a student.
He was simply the masked man.
Although he had failed to kill Minato personally, Obito still achieved his objective.
The Nine-Tails was released.
Obito knew perfectly well what the extraction of a Tailed Beast meant for its Jinchuriki.
He knew Kushina would die.
He simply chose not to care.
His teacher had not recognized him anyway.
Once the Eye of the Moon Plan succeeded, he could reunite with Rin in that perfect world.
Then he could make everything up to Minato, Kushina, and everyone else.
That was what Obito had always believed.
But now...
The Eye of the Moon Plan had not succeeded.
Minato and Kushina were standing directly in front of him.
And they knew exactly who he was.
Obito's mind descended into chaos.
He stood frozen, completely lost, as his teacher and Kushina approached.
Then Minato reached toward his mask.
"No..."
Obito staggered backward.
"No, don't!"
He frantically tried to stop them.
That mask was the final barrier separating him from Uchiha Obito.
It was the thing that allowed him to cast aside his old identity and act without restraint.
As long as the mask remained on his face, he could tell himself that he was someone else.
But in his panic, Obito could not stop them.
The mask was torn away.
His scarred face was exposed.
Ugly and distorted as half of it had become, anyone who had once known Obito could still recognize him.
Minato stared at his student.
Deep disappointment flashed through his eyes.
His emotions were extraordinarily complicated.
"I never imagined you hated me this much."
Minato's voice was low.
"Or that you hated Kushina enough to do something like that."
His gaze grew colder.
"You caused her death."
"And mine."
"Obito..."
Disappointment filled Minato's eyes.
He genuinely could not understand it.
What had he done to make his student hate him so deeply?
During the war, Minato had been occupied on another battlefield and had failed to reach Obito in time.
He had regretted that for years.
Later, when Rin was in danger, circumstances had once again prevented him from arriving soon enough.
That failure had haunted him as well.
Yet Minato had never imagined that the student he had mourned for all those years had actually survived.
And after surviving, Obito had turned around and sought revenge against him.
Against the teacher who had once cared for him.
The realization made Minato both furious and deeply saddened.
Perhaps Minato could admit that there were moments when he had failed Obito.
But Kushina?
What had Kushina ever done wrong?
She had always cared about Obito.
She had treated him warmly.
Yet Obito had repaid that kindness by causing her death.
Worse, his actions had left Naruto to grow up alone.
"Obito."
Kushina finally spoke.
Her gaze was cold.
She looked at Obito as though he were a complete stranger.
That expression made Obito's entire body tremble.
He was afraid.
Not of Kushina attacking him.
He was afraid of facing his own conscience.
"None of your suffering was caused by us."
Kushina's voice was as cold as winter wind.
"Kenichi already told us everything."
"Madara and Black Zetsu arranged your misfortunes."
Obito froze.
Kushina continued without mercy.
"The cave-in that nearly killed you."
"Rin's death."
"All of it was manipulated to force you into darkness."
Obito slowly turned his head.
Disbelief filled his face.
His gaze landed on Black Zetsu.
Black Zetsu immediately looked away.
That reaction alone told Obito everything.
Kushina's words were true.
"You were just a fool."
A trace of sarcasm entered her voice.
"A fool who was used by other people."
"And after they ruined your life, you turned around and worked for them."
Kushina had always been a fundamentally warm person.
Her temper could certainly be terrifying.
But toward the people she loved, toward her family and friends, she had always shown enormous kindness.
Yet now, facing Obito, Kushina showed no mercy.
Once, she had treated him extremely well.
He had been Minato's student.
He had struggled in many ways.
Kushina had also clearly noticed Obito's feelings for Rin and had happily tried to encourage the two of them.
Now she regretted every bit of kindness she had shown him.
If she had known that this boy would eventually become the person responsible for leaving Naruto orphaned...
Kushina swore she never would have allowed him to live long enough to do it.
But the past could no longer be changed.
She could not undo her death.
She could not reclaim Naruto's childhood.
So the only thing she could do now was tear apart the illusion Obito had built around himself.
She wanted him to understand everything.
She wanted him to regret his choices so deeply that he wished for death.
"This..."
Obito's voice trembled.
"This isn't true!"
His expression twisted.
"Black Zetsu!"
Obito roared.
"Tell me this isn't true!"
Black Zetsu remained silent.
Hagoromo sighed.
"It is true."
Obito stiffened.
"Madara placed a seal on your heart, did he not?"
Hagoromo looked at him calmly.
"At the time, Madara was already old and nearing death."
"He needed someone to continue carrying out the Eye of the Moon Plan after he was gone."
"And you were the proxy he selected."
Obito stood completely motionless.
His mind went blank.
If all of this was true...
Then what had everything been for?
He had worked for the man who orchestrated Rin's death.
He had caused Minato and Kushina to die.
He had thrown himself into darkness.
And the hope he had clung to all these years had merely been bait placed in front of him by the very people who destroyed his life.
"No..."
Obito's breathing became ragged.
"The Eye of the Moon Plan..."
He began muttering frantically.
"As long as I complete the Eye of the Moon Plan..."
"As long as I create a world where Rin exists..."
"Then everything can still be fixed."
That was his final support.
The last pillar holding his shattered mind together.
As long as the Infinite Tsukuyomi created a world with Rin in it, then everything could still be forgiven.
Minato could forgive him.
Kushina could forgive him.
Everything could begin again.
"Obito."
Kushina's voice suddenly became gentle.
Almost unbearably gentle.
"The Eye of the Moon Plan is fake too."
Obito froze.
"Kenichi already explained it."
Kushina looked directly into his eyes.
"The so-called Eye of the Moon Plan is nothing more than a massive genjutsu."
"A prison no one can escape from."
Her tone remained soft.
But every word pierced Obito like a needle.
"And eventually, everyone trapped inside will become White Zetsu."
"They'll lose themselves."
"They'll become nothing more than weapons."
Obito stared at her.
His eyes slowly lost focus.
Minato watched his student's expression collapse.
His own feelings were complicated.
But beneath the pain, there was also relief.
Minato was already dead.
That could not be changed.
Naruto's painful childhood could not be erased either.
But at the very least...
The person responsible for much of that suffering now understood exactly what he had done.
Obito's entire belief system had collapsed.
"This isn't true..."
A broken laugh escaped him.
"Hahaha..."
Obito's expression twisted into madness.
"This is fake!"
"All of you are fake!"
"This is all a genjutsu!"
He roared and prepared to attack.
If he destroyed everyone in front of him, perhaps this nightmare would end.
"Obito."
Minato stepped forward.
"Let your teacher give you one final lesson."
He vanished.
"The Flying Thunder God has a second stage!"
Minato appeared beside Obito with a Rasengan already formed in his hand.
Boom!
The Rasengan slammed Obito into the ground.
Blood erupted from Obito's mouth.
For a moment, he lay there motionless.
Then he suddenly forced himself back to his feet.
He charged directly toward Kakashi.
Chakra gathered in his hand.
The attack was aimed straight at Kakashi's heart.
Kakashi reacted instinctively.
Lightning exploded around his hand.
Chidori.
The moment Kakashi counterattacked...
Obito stopped defending himself.
Completely.
He rushed straight toward Kakashi's hand with an almost relieved expression.
Kakashi's eyes widened.
His Chidori pierced directly through Obito's chest.
Blood sprayed across the ground.
Kakashi froze.
He stared at Obito in horror.
Obito looked back at him.
A strange sense of relief appeared on his face.
"Cough..."
Blood ran from the corner of Obito's mouth.
"Kakashi..."
His voice weakened.
"I'm still not giving Rin to you."
Another mouthful of blood spilled from his lips.
Minato silently walked closer.
Kushina turned her head away.
She did not look.
Kakashi's body trembled.
This scene...
It was happening again.
Once before, his Chidori had pierced through Rin.
Now the same hand had pierced through Obito.
"Take my other Sharingan."
Obito's voice was faint.
His body trembled.
Then he slowly turned his head.
Minato stood nearby with his arms crossed.
Obito looked at his teacher.
Deep regret filled his eyes.
"Sensei..."
His voice was barely audible.
"I'm sorry."
A trace of pain flashed across Minato's face.
Obito had been an idiot.
An unforgivable idiot.
But he had also been manipulated.
Minato hated him.
And he had no intention of forgiving what Obito had done.
But even so...
He hated Madara even more.
If Madara had never interfered with Obito's life, perhaps his student could have had an entirely different future.
"I..."
Obito struggled to breathe.
"I... was wrong..."
His sentence never finished.
His head dropped.
His body went limp.
Obito was dead.
He had learned the entire truth.
Everything.
And in the end, he chose to die.
More specifically, he chose to die by Kakashi's hand.
In almost the same way Rin once had.
Minato stared at Obito for several seconds.
Then he released a long breath.
He walked over and carefully pulled Obito's body away from Kakashi's arm.
Then he gently laid his student on the ground.
Minato knelt beside him.
Obito's face was streaked with tears.
Minato silently reached out.
Then he closed Obito's eyes.
Kushina said nothing.
She hated Obito.
She hated him for taking away her chance to watch Naruto grow up.
She hated him for leaving her son alone.
But she would not stop Minato from closing the eyes of his dead student.
Obito was already dead.
What else could she do?
Desecrate his corpse?
Kushina was not that kind of person.
"It's over."
Minato took a deep breath.
He looked down at Obito.
The emotions in his eyes were just as complicated as the feelings twisting through his heart.
Minato could not understand how everything had reached this point.
It should never have ended like this.
Then another thought entered his mind.
Madara.
Madara was also a fool.
A fool manipulated by Black Zetsu.
And once Minato followed that chain backward, everything became painfully clear.
Black Zetsu was the true mastermind.
The source behind countless tragedies.
It had manipulated the Shinobi World for generations and thrown countless lives into chaos.
Without Black Zetsu's manipulation of Madara, none of this might ever have happened.
Minato slowly turned his head.
His eyes locked onto Black Zetsu.
His teeth clenched.
If Hagoromo had not been standing nearby, Minato might have attacked immediately.
Black Zetsu noticed the killing intent.
It did not care.
All its plans had already been shattered by Kenichi.
Forget resurrecting Kaguya.
At this rate, Black Zetsu itself might not even survive.
Still, as long as Isshiki could be eliminated, there remained some tiny possibility of changing the situation.
No matter how small.
"After Isshiki is dealt with, I will hand Black Zetsu over to Kenichi."
Hagoromo had naturally noticed Minato's gaze.
"Kenichi requires Black Zetsu for research."
In other words, Black Zetsu was useless to Hagoromo after that point.
But Kenichi wanted it as an experimental subject.
So Minato could not kill it yet.
"I understand."
Minato took another deep breath.
Then he forced himself to look away.
Perhaps being killed outright would actually be merciful compared with being delivered to Kenichi's laboratory.
"How exciting, Black Zetsu."
A furious voice suddenly sounded.
Madara walked forward.
He too had been revived through Edo Tensei.
He had followed the others from behind and heard the entire conversation.
For someone as proud as Madara, learning that he had been manipulated by Black Zetsu was almost impossible to accept.
"Heh."
Black Zetsu sneered.
That single sound nearly pushed Madara over the edge.
For a moment, he wanted nothing more than to rush forward and beat Black Zetsu until nothing remained.
But he stopped himself.
Not because he feared Black Zetsu.
Because of Kenichi.
Madara knew that he could not defeat Kenichi in his current state.
And since Kenichi had already claimed Black Zetsu as experimental material, then Black Zetsu needed to remain alive.
Preferably intact.
Otherwise, nobody knew how Kenichi might react.
Madara had another responsibility anyway.
He was going to personally train Sasuke.
Madara intended to turn the young Uchiha into the finest shinobi possible and cultivate him into a powerful ally.
There were only three years available.
But Madara was confident.
Naruto would also receive training.
And his instructors were even more extravagant.
The First Hokage.
The Second Hokage.
The Third Hokage.
The Fourth Hokage.
All four would participate in Naruto's training.
That would also save Kenichi a considerable amount of effort.
They had three years.
Three years to prepare.
After that, no matter what happened, the Shinobi World would have to begin its campaign against Isshiki Otsutsuki.
Hagoromo quietly observed everything.
A faint smile appeared in his eyes.
The Shinobi World had always been filled with chaos.
War after war.
Generation after generation.
Hagoromo had watched it all.
Yet there had been little he could do.
Getting people to abandon hatred was extraordinarily difficult.
Perhaps almost impossible.
Unless...
A threat appeared that no village or individual could defeat alone.
That was one reason Hagoromo had silently tolerated Black Zetsu's movements for so long.
He had watched.
He had waited.
He had watched Black Zetsu manipulate the Shinobi World and slowly push it toward the abyss.
Because Hagoromo believed that only after everyone had been forced to the edge of that abyss would they finally be willing to unite and climb back out together.
What he had never expected was Kenichi.
Someone from another world.
Someone who did not follow the expected path.
Kenichi had simply overturned the entire table.
Too difficult to solve?
Then stop playing by the old rules.
And somehow, through that reckless approach, Kenichi had exposed an even greater enemy.
Isshiki Otsutsuki.
An enemy powerful enough to force the entire Shinobi World to stand together.
The process had been rough.
But the outcome was exactly what Hagoromo needed.
Once Isshiki was defeated, Kenichi would eventually return to his own timeline.
By then, Naruto and Sasuke would have grown stronger.
The hidden villages would have already learned to cooperate against threats beyond their old rivalries.
The Shinobi World could enter a new era.
An era of rapid development.
An era preparing itself for the possibility that other members of the Otsutsuki Clan might eventually descend.
Hagoromo could already see the shape of that future.
He looked toward the distant horizon.
"Shinobi World..."
His voice was quiet.
"This is how we will face the Otsutsuki Clan."
"Mother."
....
https://discord.gg/KvMN2CFsMR
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03].