“But…
but…” Obito opened his mouth.
The hoarse sound of his own voice startled even him.
At this point in time, Obito had not fallen into darkness yet.
He was still the same kindhearted, straightforward boy he had always been.
Kakashi’s words had completely thrown him into panic.
I become a bad guy in the future?
Before he could say anything else, White Zetsu took control of his body.
“Enough talking, Obito.” “Kill Kakashi and Rin!” Whoosh!
Several wooden spikes shot toward Kakashi at terrifying speed.
Kakashi cut them apart with a few rapid swings of his blade.
A sharp light flashed through his eye.
It worked.
He had shaken them.
Kakashi immediately shouted, “Obito!
Tell me the truth!” “Tell me what happened to you!
Tell me about your organization!” “I don’t have much time!” He knew he couldn’t give Obito or White Zetsu time to think carefully.
If they did, they would eventually notice the holes in his story.
Whoosh!
White Zetsu immediately covered Obito’s mouth, preventing him from speaking.
“You bastard!” Kakashi exploded with anger.
He had been so close to getting an answer.
And now White Zetsu was getting in the way.
Kakashi vanished.
Body Flicker Technique!
He appeared beside White Zetsu in an instant.
White Zetsu seemed to have anticipated the move.
Countless branches erupted from his body and lashed toward Kakashi.
“Lightning Release: Chidori Current!” Crackle!
The shrill cry of lightning filled the air.
Electricity erupted from Kakashi’s body and spread in every direction.
The current struck White Zetsu’s branches, traveled through them, and surged directly into Obito.
The terrifying voltage scorched the branches black.
“AAAAAH!” White Zetsu and Obito screamed at the same time.
White Zetsu’s grip loosened.
Kakashi immediately rushed forward, ripped Obito free, and cut White Zetsu down in the same motion.
Obito’s eyes rolled back from the shock.
Kakashi, however, had no time to worry about that.
He grabbed Obito by the shoulders and shook him hard.
“Obito!” “Tell me what happened to you!” “What was that creature?” “Stop shaking me!” Obito’s eyes rolled helplessly.
“You’re going to kill me yourself at this rate!” Kakashi immediately stopped.
But his eye remained fixed on Obito.
Obito no longer hesitated.
White Zetsu’s actions had made the decision for him.
At that moment, he chose to trust his best friend.
“It was Madara!” Obito blurted out.
“Madara saved me!” “That monster was Zetsu!” “But I don’t know exactly what they’re planning yet.” “You might have come back too early.
They haven’t told me much.” “Madara…?” Kakashi stared at him in horror.
His voice came out strained.
“You mean…
Uchiha Madara?” Obito nodded firmly.
“Yes.” “The strongest Uchiha of his era.” “Uchiha Madara.” “That’s impossible!” Kakashi could barely believe what he was hearing.
“Wasn’t Uchiha Madara killed in his battle against the First Hokage?!” If Madara was still alive…
The consequences for the entire shinobi world would be unimaginable.
“There’s no mistake.” Obito spoke with complete certainty.
“I saw him myself.” “He’s unbelievably old now, barely hanging on.” “But that terrifying power in his eyes…” “No one else could be Madara.” Kakashi dropped to the ground.
His mind went blank.
A cold chill spread through him.
Uchiha Madara.
The person behind everything…
was Uchiha Madara.
Many younger shinobi might only know the name from history.
Kakashi understood what it truly represented.
Madara had been one of the strongest shinobi of the Warring States Period.
The man who had pushed Hashirama Senju—the Shinobi God himself—to his limits.
A legend of the past.
A name that had become almost taboo.
“Kakashi, what are you doing?!” Obito’s anxious voice snapped him back to reality.
“We need to run!” “White Zetsu has tons of clones.” “If we stay here, we won’t be able to escape!” “We don’t need to.” Kakashi remained seated on the ground, completely unconcerned by Obito’s panic.
Obito stared at him.
Then grabbed Kakashi by the collar.
“You lied to me?!” “I didn’t.” Kakashi looked at him calmly.
“I really did come back from the future.” “But Obito…
this isn’t the real world.” “Nothing we do here can change reality.” Obito froze.
Then he scratched his head.
“Oh.” “I don’t really understand what that means, but…” He glanced around.
“I guess that means we don’t actually need to run.” Kakashi stared at the familiar, simple-minded Obito in front of him.
For a moment, he didn’t know what to say.
“So…” Obito’s voice suddenly became quiet.
“Rin really dies?” His eye shifted toward Rin.
She was walking toward them now, tears streaming down her face.
Kakashi said nothing.
Obito understood the answer from his silence.
“You really are a bastard, Kakashi.” He laughed as he said it.
But tears were already running down his face.
Kakashi opened his mouth.
He wanted to apologize.
But the words refused to come out.
He lowered his head.
His vision blurred.
So quietly that only he could hear, he kept repeating, “I’m sorry…” “I’m sorry…” “I’m sorry…” “Obito, don’t cry.” Rin walked over and gently wiped the tears from his face.
She had heard everything Kakashi and Obito had said.
“But…” Obito looked at her and couldn’t bring himself to look away.
“It sounds like I become a real bastard in the future, Rin.” His voice broke as he spoke.
Rin smiled.
The same warm smile he remembered.
“It’s okay.” “You only become that way because of what happens to me.” She pulled Obito into an embrace and gently stroked his hair.
“So no matter what you end up doing…” “I’ll forgive you.”