[Obito rushed desperately after leaving the hideout. When he arrived at the front lines, he witnessed the exact moment Kakashi's Chidori pierced through Rin's heart.]
[In that instant, Obito's beliefs crumbled. Grief, hatred, and despair surged through him all at once.]
[His two-tomoe Sharingan instantly evolved into the Mangekyō Sharingan. A powerful surge of chakra erupted from within him, and the Hidden Mist Anbu immediately noticed the masked figure with a swirling pattern.]
[They hurled shuriken at Obito, but the weapons phased right through him.]
[In that moment, the power of Kamui had fully awakened.]
[The enemy's swords, kunai, and short blades became utterly useless before Obito. In exchange, they were mercilessly torn apart by his Wood Release.]
[The entire battlefield turned into a chaotic hell under Obito's slaughter.]
[He phased through Kakashi's body and arrived at Rin's side.]
[The girl who had always encouraged and stayed by his side was now gone forever.]
[They say the Sharingan reflects the heart. Unable to face Rin's death, Obito instinctively opened the door to another space—symbolizing his desire to escape into a different world.]
[His intangibility hinted at the illusion of reality itself.]
[Holding Rin's body in his arms, Obito's mind kept replaying Madara's words—about that world, the world of the Infinite Tsukuyomi.]
[As long as that world could be created, Rin could live again.]
".So this is how Madara deceived you?"
Obito let out an awkward smile and said, "Something like that."
"I see."
Just when Obito thought Kakashi was going to lecture him again, Kakashi simply patted his shoulder and said, "If it were me, I probably would've been deceived by Madara too."
Kakashi understood just how important Rin was to Obito.
Madara using Rin's death to push Obito into darkness was indeed a clever move.
It was just like how Kakashi had watched his father die back then—if someone like Madara had been there to manipulate him, he might have fallen for it too.
In this regard, Kakashi didn't blame Obito.
But everything Obito did afterward… yeah, that was a different story.
Fortunately, Konoha had the ultimate cheat code now—resurrection jutsu.
As long as Obito worked hard to earn money and waited for the light screen to connect to the timeline where the Fourth Hokage ruled, he could make up for his mistakes.
"Kakashi, do you really understand me?"
Obito looked at Kakashi, eyes filled with tears, clearly moved.
But seeing him like this, Kakashi couldn't help but think of Guy.
Without thinking, Kakashi replied, "No, I was lying."
"You're lying."
Obito ignored everything and hugged Kakashi tightly, wiping his snot and tears all over him while mumbling, "I'm so touched, Kakashi. I never thought that after everything I've done, you'd still understand me."
"You idiot, get off me! Damn it, your snot—don't wipe it on my clothes!"
"If I don't wipe it on you, should I wipe it on myself?"
"Use a tissue, damn it!"
Their little scuffle didn't bother anyone around them. On the contrary, it brought smiles to their faces.
Especially Jiraiya.
He believed that with the light screen and everyone working together, there would be a bright future for all.
[Obito didn't return to Konoha but instead chose to go back to Madara's hideout.]
[Seeing Obito's return, Madara was overjoyed. He knew that his plan to guide Obito had succeeded.]
[Madara used genjutsu to pull Obito into his mental space, explaining how to construct the world of Infinite Tsukuyomi. He also passed down part of the Six Paths techniques—Yin-Yang Release—to help Obito carry out his plans.]
[Before his death, Madara introduced his "will"—which was actually Black Zetsu, the will of Kaguya—to Obito.]
[On the surface, it was to assist Obito, but in reality, it was to keep an eye on him.]
"What? Black Zetsu is actually Kaguya's will?"
This sudden revelation shocked everyone watching the light screen.
Before this, no one had ever doubted Black Zetsu's identity.
After all, Obito himself had acknowledged it, and Obito had learned it from Madara.
With this chain of information, naturally, no one questioned Black Zetsu's origins.
But now, the light screen told them that Black Zetsu's will belonged to Kaguya, not Uchiha Madara.
This…
"So, even Madara was deceived by Black Zetsu?"
In his office, Senju Tobirama frowned as he pondered the connection between Black Zetsu, Madara, and Kaguya, as well as the Moon's Eye Plan.
Was this plan something Madara initiated himself, or was he guided into it by someone else?
If he could figure this out, Tobirama was confident he could convince Uchiha Madara.
Someone as proud as Madara hated being deceived the most.
However, at the same time, people with such pride were also the hardest to persuade.
If that's the case…
"Big brother, bring Madara to my office next month. With the light screen's existence, your persuasion, and Izuna's presence, I believe Madara will make the right choice."
"No problem."
Hearing this, Senju Hashirama sighed in relief.
He really didn't want to fight Madara anymore.
Not only was it exhausting, but even if he won, Madara wouldn't accept it.
As for losing?
That was impossible.
After all, Senju Hashirama had never considered the possibility of losing.
Third Hokage's Timeline
Orochimaru licked his lips and chuckled.
"When we thought Nagato was the final villain of the ninja world, Obito appeared."
"When we thought Obito was the final villain, we learned that Madara was behind him."
"And when we were sure Madara was the final villain, Black Zetsu and Kaguya showed up."
"One twist after another… It's such a headache, but also quite amusing. Hahaha."
Everyone present indeed found it troublesome, but Orochimaru was probably the only one who found it entertaining.
"Obito, what do you think about this?"
"Huh?"
Obito's mouth hung open as he stared at the Fifth Hokage, Jiraiya, completely dumbfounded.
Seeing Obito's clueless expression, Jiraiya knew there was no point in asking, so he turned to Orochimaru instead.
"How about this—after the light-screen video ends, Orochimaru, you use Edo Tensei to summon Madara, and we have a proper talk with him?"
"Are you sure? What if he refuses to listen? Besides, you know Edo Tensei has flaws. As long as someone knows the hand seals, they can reverse them and break free from control. Are you really sure Madara doesn't know that?"
That was precisely why Orochimaru had never dared to summon Madara with Edo Tensei.
The Third Hokage had once suggested having Orochimaru summon Madara but not awaken him.
But back then, everyone still believed that Black Zetsu was merely Madara's will incarnate.
A man who can manifest his will—can we really just avoid waking him up?
What if Madara, with his overwhelming willpower, forcefully wakes up?
Once he regains consciousness and loses control, combined with the Edo Tensei's immortality and unlimited chakra, no one in this timeline's Konoha can guarantee they can stop him.
Even if all of them joined forces, it would still be a tough battle.
Taking a step back, even if they could restrain Uchiha Madara, who would take responsibility for the damage caused?
Orochimaru definitely wouldn't.
And so, the issue of Edo Tensei Madara had been delayed until now.
"Might as well summon him now and let him watch the light screen with us. I refuse to believe that, with the light screen's existence, he still won't believe what we say."
"You'll take responsibility if something goes wrong?"
"I'm the Hokage. Of course, I'll take responsibility."
"Alright then, I'll get started."
As long as someone took responsibility, that was enough.
Orochimaru split off a clone, sending it to the lab to retrieve Uchiha Madara's body tissue. Then, it headed to the prison to pick up a death row inmate as the sacrifice.
*********
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