After Kakashi’s conversation with Sakumo came to an end, many people throughout the shinobi world were left deeply moved.
After all, what father and son had just experienced was something countless others desperately wished for.
There were too many people who had lost family, friends, or comrades without ever getting the chance to say goodbye.
Too many final words had gone unspoken.
Then new text appeared on the screen.
[Might Guy, state the name of the deceased person you wish to speak with.]
[You have one minute to decide.
The opportunity will be forfeited when the time expires.]
The moment he saw it, Guy pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen and handed them to Kakashi.
Kakashi stared at him.
“What’s this for?”
Guy grinned proudly.
“Write down everything you want to tell Obito!
I’ll pass it all on for you.”
He flashed his teeth.
“Pretty smart, right?”
Kakashi was genuinely touched.
But after speaking with his father, he understood better than ever just how precious a single conversation with a deceased loved one could be.
How could he take that opportunity away from Guy?
Kakashi lowered the pen and paper.
“Guy.”
His tone became serious.
“I heard from Ebisu and Genma how dangerous things were when Duy came to save you.”
“He must have had plenty he wanted to tell you but never got the chance.”
“And after all these years, I’m sure you have plenty you want to tell him too.”
Kakashi looked directly at him.
“Don’t waste this opportunity on me.”
Guy immediately grew anxious.
“But what about Obito?
You still haven’t explained anything to him!”
Kakashi smiled faintly.
“Don’t worry.”
“I’ll end up in that world eventually too.
There’s no need to rush.”
He glanced at the screen.
“Your minute is almost over.
Talk to Duy.”
But Guy was as stubborn as ever.
Instead, he sent a name directly into the chat.
Hoshigaki Obito.
Even if Kakashi hadn’t written anything down, Guy figured he could simply tell Obito what Kakashi had been like after losing both him and Rin.
How Kakashi had carried that guilt for years.
How, for a long time, he’d seemed almost indifferent to whether he lived or died.
Surely Obito would understand once he heard that.
[Selected Deceased Person: Hoshigaki Obito]
[Please Confirm]
[Might Guy: I…
con—]
“Guy!”
Kakashi suddenly realized what was wrong.
“Obito isn’t a Hoshigaki!
He’s an Uchiha!”
Then he immediately added,
“And stop wasting your reward on me!
If I ever get another chance, I’ll apologize to Obito myself.”
Guy hurriedly corrected the name.
[Might Guy: Wait!
I choose Uchiha Obito!]
[Selected Deceased Person: Uchiha Obito]
[Please Confirm]
[Might Guy: Confirmed!]
A moment later—
[Person Not Found!]
[Note: A failed search still consumes the conversation opportunity.]
Guy froze.
“…What?”
He had definitely gotten the name right this time.
So why couldn’t the system find him?
Kakashi stared at the message too.
He checked the name carefully, one letter at a time.
There was no mistake.
Uchiha Obito.
That was unquestionably his name.
Yet the screen said no such deceased person existed.
And to make matters worse—
Guy’s reward was gone.
Guy slowly turned toward Kakashi.
“Kakashi…”
His expression became strangely vacant.
“Did I just use my once-in-a-lifetime chance to talk to absolutely nobody?”
Kakashi narrowed his eye and began thinking.
Person not found…
Did that mean Obito wasn’t among the dead?
If so…
Where was he?
Unless—
Obito hadn’t died at all?
The thought surfaced for only a moment before Kakashi dismissed it.
Impossible.
He had seen what happened with his own eyes.
Half of Obito’s body had been crushed beneath the rocks.
There was no way anyone could have survived injuries like that.
Even if Lady Tsunade herself had been there, Kakashi couldn’t imagine how she could have saved him.
“Maybe the screen made a mistake.”
Kakashi sighed.
“I owe you one, Guy.”
Guy immediately waved him off.
“Don’t worry about it, my eternal rival!”
…
Land of Rain.
Beneath an orange spiral mask, a thin layer of cold sweat had formed across Obito’s forehead.
He hadn’t expected Might Guy, of all people, to choose him.
What the hell was that guy thinking?
As for the screen’s response—
that part made perfect sense.
Of course it couldn’t find Uchiha Obito among the dead.
He was still very much alive.
Obito gave a quiet, disdainful laugh.
“Speaking with the dead?”
“How pointless.”
He stared coldly at the distant screen.
“Doesn’t Kakashi understand?”
“The dead aren’t real anymore.”
“Rin isn’t either.”
Just then, an arm suddenly hooked around his shoulders.
“Tobi!”
Deidara had appeared beside him.
“Come on.
We’ve got a mission.”
Obito instantly changed demeanor.
His gloomy presence vanished without a trace.
“Deidara-senpai!”
His voice became cheerful and exaggerated.
“Aren’t you going to keep watching the screen?
It’s really interesting!”
Deidara clicked his tongue.
“I can’t stand anything involving the Uchiha.”
He frowned.
“If the next thing that comes up is some conversation between Uchiha Obito and Might Guy, I’m going to be sick, hm.”
“But Deidara-senpai…”
Obito looked longingly toward the screen.
“I really want to see who’s next on the tragic shinobi ranking!”
Deidara’s expression darkened.
“What?”
“You saying watching that thing is more interesting than going on a mission with me, hm?”
His hand twitched dangerously.
He looked about one bad answer away from producing an explosive.
Obito immediately straightened.
“Ah!”
“Deidara-senpai, I suddenly don’t care about the video anymore!”
He threw both hands into the air.
“I knew it!
Going on missions with Deidara-senpai is the best!”
Deidara’s expression finally relaxed.
“Hmph.”
“At least you know what’s good for you.”
Not long afterward, Deidara took to the sky on one of his giant clay birds, with Tobi accompanying him.
Their destination—
another bounty mission for the Akatsuki.