"Where is this…?"
Because he hadn't properly "marked" the coordinates of the Valley of the End beforehand, the Kamui from Obito's right eye, cast in such haste, had only managed to warp him a short distance in roughly the correct direction.
"The Valley of the End… should be this way…" He coughed violently several times. "Cough… cough…"
Only after wiping away the streak of blood at the corner of his mouth did he finally remember the five kunai still lodged deep in his body.
One by one, Obito pulled them out.
Yet the pain didn't even make him frown.
He had already gone numb.
The world had lost all color.
"Rin…"
"I avenged you."
"But there are still things I don't understand. I need to learn the truth."
"And if all of this… was planned from the beginning…"
Then I'll make this entire world pay for you.
The boy wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes again, gently lifted Rin into his arms, and continued toward the Valley of the End.
…
The Valley of the End.
Decades ago, Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama had fought a battle there that shook the world itself.
Using the overwhelming power of his Sharingan, Madara controlled the Nine-Tails—the strongest of all tailed beasts—while Hashirama answered him with Wood Release enhanced by Sage Mode.
Their battle raged day and night, so fierce that it permanently altered the landscape.
In the end, Madara lost.
Hashirama killed his former friend and continued protecting the peace of Konoha, while the massive canyon that had served as their battlefield came to be known by the world as the Valley of the End.
Because that legendary clash had engraved itself so deeply into history, Konoha later erected two enormous statues on opposite sides of the valley to commemorate the battle between the two men.
"That fight back then was probably the fiercest battle in ninja history, huh?" Tobi stared at the gigantic statues in the distance as he spoke.
"But seriously, Blackie, I just can't figure it out." He scratched his head in confusion. "How the hell did Shimizu Shigetsu manage to weaken a Madara like that?"
In Tobi's eyes, Shimizu was, at best, someone who had only just stepped into Kage-level strength. How could someone like that possibly shake Madara?
"Or…" Tobi tilted his head. "Did you simply never expect Madara to fully regain his youthful power?"
Black Zetsu ignored the question entirely and instead spoke calmly on his own.
"Madara is indeed powerful. But he's also far too arrogant."
"Well, doesn't he have the right to be arrogant?"
"That arrogance is his weakness."
Tobi blinked in surprise. "Wait, don't tell me you want to join the game too?"
Then his tone immediately turned serious.
"As the referee, stepping onto the field yourself is cheating."
"I only have one chance to act," Black Zetsu replied flatly. "What do you think?"
"Oh, right." Tobi nodded in realization. "You only get to touch him once."
Instantly, a vivid image formed in his head: the invincible Madara, who would one day dominate the world, suddenly getting one-shot from behind by Black Zetsu.
So there was no way Black Zetsu could ever expose himself prematurely.
But if that were true… where exactly did Black Zetsu's confidence come from?
"Come on, tell me, Blackie~"
As he spoke, Tobi suddenly noticed the enormous waterfall towering above the valley, its torrent crashing into the massive river below.
There was water everywhere.
Water.
"But even with Water Release, he shouldn't be able to do much against Madara, right?"
"Hmm…" Tobi muttered thoughtfully. "Then again, if Shimizu avoids fighting head-on, maybe Madara can't really do much to him either."
"Considering how insanely fast he moves in water…"
"Anyway," Black Zetsu interrupted, clearly unwilling to continue discussing Madara, "handle Obito cleanly. Don't leave behind any future problems."
"Relax." Tobi waved him off. "The only real flaw in the plan was that girl."
If Rin had somehow gotten the chance to tell Obito everything in detail, there was a real possibility he might have noticed something suspicious.
"But the moment she used the power of the Three-Tails, she was already doomed to die."
"And now that she's dead…" Tobi spread his hands dramatically. "No witnesses."
Black Zetsu's voice carried a strange tone that could have been either praise or ridicule.
"You really are bold. Tampering with the seal on her heart like that… weren't you worried the kid might discover it and turn against you?"
"Would you casually dissect or damage your lover's corpse?" Tobi shot back immediately.
"..."
"Oh, right. My bad." Tobi smacked his forehead theatrically. "You don't understand human love."
"...And you do?"
"That's how it's written in the books."
"..."
"And besides, not only would Obito never do something like that, he'd stop anyone else from doing it too. So in the end, who's going to uncover the truth?" Tobi sighed dramatically. "Tsk tsk… such pure and sacred love."
"I'm so touched I could cry. What about you, Blackie?"
"...In any case," Black Zetsu said coldly, deciding not to comment further on Tobi's methods, "don't ruin this chess piece too."
"How could I possibly bear to ruin him? Don't you think so?"
But no answer came.
"Blackie?"
Tobi looked around in confusion, yet Black Zetsu's figure was nowhere to be seen.
"Huh? Where'd Blackie go?"
Somehow, every conversation always ended the same way—turning into him talking to himself.
Then suddenly, he perked up.
"Oh~ looks like the main character finally arrived…"
From far away, Tobi enthusiastically waved his hand.
"Hey, Obito! Over here!"
"I've been waiting for you two forever."
Whoosh!
A bloodstained kunai suddenly shot past Tobi's cheek.
The hostility behind that attack could not have been clearer.
Tobi casually wiped at his face, his thumb coming away with a thin streak of blood.
"Why so angry?"
"You knew we would come." Obito's voice was completely devoid of emotion. "You lied to Rin."
"Oh?" Tobi glanced at the girl in Obito's arms, letting a perfectly timed hint of surprise appear in his voice. "Something happened to the little girl?"
"…She's dead."
"I see…"
Tobi fell silent for a moment before continuing quietly.
"That's unfortunate. I'm sorry to hear that."
Obito activated his Sharingan, the three tomoe slowly spinning as he stared at Tobi with an icy gaze.
"Why did Rin lose control so quickly after transforming into a tailed beast? Weren't you the one who said she was a perfect jinchūriki?"
"How would I know? I'm not a perfect jinchūriki myself." Tobi spread his hands helplessly. "Besides, that was Rin's first time using the Three-Tails' full power. If something went wrong, how could I possibly know?"
Obito fell silent, as though accepting the explanation.
"The attacks from Konoha's ninja weren't enough to kill a tailed beast," he said slowly. "But Rin still died."
"You know why, don't you?"
Obito had already noticed the inconsistency.
Rin hadn't died from external injuries.
There wasn't a single fatal wound on her body.
And more importantly… she had died far too quickly.
The life inside her had been extinguished in an instant.
After thinking it over again and again, Obito could only conclude that something catastrophic had happened within Rin's body itself—and that the cause had to be connected to the Three-Tails.
Which meant…
If Tobi had tampered with something—
Then go to hell.
"You're asking the wrong person." Tobi shrugged innocently. "I wasn't even there. How would I know what happened?"
"You said you sealed the Three-Tails inside Rin to save her."
"Mhm That's right Absolutely right~"
"Then it's possible you did something else as well."
"Hahahaha…" Tobi stepped forward as though trying to pat Obito on the shoulder, only for Obito to avoid him. "Why would I bother doing something unnecessary like that?"
"You're lying."
"Oh, come on. Rin and I got along so well. Why would I hurt her?"
Up until now, Obito had desperately suppressed his grief and rage because he still needed to stay rational long enough to uncover the truth behind Rin's death.
But now…
He already had his answer.
The Mangekyō activated instantly.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Don't go accusing me without proof!" Tobi protested when he saw Obito snapping straight into darkness without warning.
This guy really doesn't follow normal logic at all.
How am I supposed to have a conversation like this?
"Alright, alright…" Tobi suddenly raised both hands. "I can revive Rin."
"What did you say?!"
For a split second, Obito thought he had misheard him.
"I said," Tobi repeated carefully, "I can save her."
The spinning Mangekyō slowly came to a halt.
If someone had said such a thing in the past, Obito would never have believed in resurrection.
But now?
If there was even the slightest possibility of bringing Rin back, he was willing to believe anything.
And willing to do anything.
"You're telling the truth?!"
"Why would I lie to you?"
"Then… what do we do? What can I do?!"
"Leave that part to me." Tobi waved casually. "But first, we need to extract the Three-Tails from her body. If we delay any longer, the Three-Tails itself will really die."
"And if something happens to the Three-Tails here, do you honestly think the Hidden Mist will let either of you go?"
Then he continued explaining calmly.
"Normally, forcibly extracting a tailed beast from a jinchūriki kills the host instantly…"
"But now?" Tobi tilted his head. "Rin is already dead, so that problem doesn't really exist anymore."
"I doubt you'd want the rest of Rin's life to be spent running from Hidden Mist ANBU assassins, right?"
...
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