Each One's Dream

Each One's Dream

In a single sentence, the masked man's attitude was already perfectly clear: he intended to kill all three people here!

"Run!"

Kagami shouted instinctively. Only he knew how truly unbeatable the person before them was. The three of them—forget three, even three hundred—would never be able to defeat him.

They could only run! Although their hopes of escape were still slim, this was no time to worry about that. As long as there was even the slightest hope, they had to fight for it.

After shouting, Kagami turned and fled without hesitation.

The aura of death Obito brought with him was far too strong—so strong that even Kagami, a transmigrator, lost his composure. At that moment, all Kagami could think about was escaping. He had no room for anything else.

"Run! You're a genius, so remember to stay alive."

A figure brushed past Kagami and charged toward the masked man.

Kagami froze, then turned around and shouted furiously.

"Genji! What are you doing? Didn't you hear me? Run!"

The person who had brushed past Kagami and charged at the masked man was none other than Suzuki Genji.

At that moment, Suzuki Genji was already standing in front of the masked man. Facing Kagami's questioning, she spoke without turning her head.

"That's why I told you to hurry and leave."

Kagami stretched out a hand toward Suzuki Genji's back.

"Then let's go together! Daisuke, you too. We'll all escape together!"

Strangely, the masked man did not attack right away as he watched the three of them talk. Instead, he stood quietly to the side, as though watching an entertaining show.

Saito Daisuke stepped forward and stood in front of Suzuki Genji, blocking Kagami as well. With his back to them, his body trembled uncontrollably. Clearly, he was afraid. Before Obito had made his move, Daisuke had paid little attention to him. But now that Obito was truly about to attack, the terrifying pressure and the sensation of death drawing infinitely close instantly made all three of them realize how utterly unbeatable the person before them was.

"Genji, Kagami, go. I—I'll hold him off."

Kagami rushed to Saito Daisuke's side, grabbed his hand, and pulled hard.

"Go, Daisuke! You're trembling in fear, so stop trying to act tough! Hurry and escape with me. If we stay, we won't survive."

Although Saito Daisuke's entire body was trembling faintly, he did not move at all when Kagami pulled him. Trembling, he turned his head and looked at Kagami.

"Kagami, have you ever seen a Hokage hide behind someone else?"

Kagami flew into a rage.

"Why are you talking about being Hokage now? Hurry and escape with me! Besides, I've never even seen a Hokage fight."

Saito Daisuke violently shook off Kagami's hand and revealed a sunny smile that completely contradicted his trembling body.

"The Hokage I want to become is a Hokage who can protect his comrades. No matter what happens, I won't give up on this dream. So hurry and escape. I—I'll protect you. I already said I'd show him how powerful Saito Daisuke is. I can't go back on my word."

He was terrified, yet he still managed to say such things.

But Obito began to feel disgusted. He had originally wanted to watch a touching drama of life and death, to see comrades abandon one another for the sake of their own lives. Through that, he would become even more certain that this world was false. But what had he seen instead? He had seen an idiot endlessly rambling about his Hokage Dream.

At that moment, he seemed to glimpse a little of his former self. But this was not what he wanted! This was a false world!

With one slash!

The eyes beneath the mask were exceptionally cold.

Saito Daisuke's right arm was severed from his body. Blood sprayed out, splattering across Kagami's face.

Obito pointed the bloodstained blade at Saito Daisuke, as if asking Daisuke—and also his former self—a question.

"Do you still want to become Hokage now? Do you still think you can protect them?"

Feeling the blood on his face, Kagami was completely stunned. He stared at the stump of Saito Daisuke's right arm as huge amounts of blood continued to gush out. If it was not bandaged in time, Daisuke would die before long.

"Wait—"

Kagami took a step forward, wanting to do something.

But Obito's cold gaze swept over him.

"Do you want to end up like him too?"

Kagami stopped. His legs became unbearably heavy, and he could no longer take another step forward.

Then Obito looked back at Saito Daisuke.

"Where is the answer I wanted?"

Saito Daisuke's face had long since gone deathly pale, and cold sweat poured down his body. He endured the agony of his severed arm. At his young age, after suddenly suffering such pain, he could no longer even speak.

It hurt too much!

He could only stand straight with his back to Kagami and the others. He raised his remaining left hand, gave a thumbs-up, and forced a few words through clenched teeth.

"Run. I'll handle this."

Suzuki Genji's expression was extremely grim as she glared at the masked man.

Kagami stared at the back before him, mouth open, not knowing what to say.

Obito's gaze grew even colder. He raised his blade.

"That isn't the answer I wanted."

With that, he thrust the blade toward Saito Daisuke's chest.

"Stop!"

Kagami and Genji shouted at the same time and charged forward together.

It was no different from moths throwing themselves into a flame. The final outcome would only be one more death. But moths might not save one another—people would.

A slender hand pushed Kagami away first. Then the blade pierced through her chest.

Kagami's hand was too late. As Genji and Kagami charged out, they had both reached out, intending to push the other away. But this time, Kagami lost. He was one step slower than Genji.

Blood trickled from the corner of Suzuki Genji's mouth. She smiled faintly. She had never been a woman of many words, but at this point, she seemed to finally want to say more. Yet whenever she opened her mouth, blood kept pouring out, making it impossible for her to speak clearly. After opening her mouth several times, wanting to say something, she finally felt that she might not have enough time to say so many words. Thus, Genji remained true to her usual style—her words were still few.

"Run. Remember, may everything be well."

That was her dream. Yet now, she could no longer fulfill it. She smiled faintly, as if wanting to entrust that not-quite-a-dream dream to Kagami, because the two of them shared the same dream.

Obito snorted coldly and forcefully thrust the blade forward. Pushing Genji's body along with it, he drove the blade that had pierced her through Saito Daisuke's chest behind her as well.

Genji resisted with all her strength, but she still could not withstand Obito's tremendous force. The blade pushed her backward, and her feet dragged a bloody trail across the ground.

Obito pulled out the blade. Without sparing Daisuke or Genji another glance, he pointed the blood-covered weapon at Kagami.

"Now it's your turn. Before I kill you, I'll ask you one final question. If the two of them die while you survive alone, will you be happy? If you say yes, I'll let you go."

Obito looked coldly at Kagami. He hoped Kagami would say yes. He wanted to use Kagami to prove that so-called bonds between comrades were nothing but lies, that this was a false world, and that only the world he intended to create would be real.

Kagami let out a cold laugh. At that moment, he was utterly disheartened. Looking at the two bodies beside him, he knew very clearly that he would soon become the third corpse. Even if Obito said he would spare him, would he be happy?

Kagami looked toward Obito.

"Only a beast would be happy. I'm sorry, but I'm not a beast."

In his pitch-black pupils, the blood of Genji and Daisuke was reflected. That peculiar red seemed about to dye Kagami's eyes red as well—growing redder and redder until a tomoe slowly formed, a blood-red one-tomoe Sharingan.

Obito looked at those blood-red eyes and raised his blade.

"That isn't the answer I wanted. Go keep your comrades company."

Kagami drew a Kunai and tried to fight back, but a red glint flashed in the eye beneath Obito's mask, and Kagami became unable to move.

The genjutsu of the Mangekyō Sharingan was not something Kagami's mere one-tomoe Sharingan could resist.

With one slash, a massive gash was carved across Kagami's body. Blood continuously poured out, quickly soaking his clothes red.

Kagami gritted his teeth hard and did not let out a single scream. If Daisuke could endure having his arm severed, how could Kagami do any less? He could not disgrace himself.

Besides, this was the ninja world. Shouting would not bring help. Anyone who could find them would locate them through Chakra sensing, while those who could not find them would not come even if he screamed himself hoarse.

Obito put away his blade.

"After thinking it over, I've decided not to kill you directly. You can stay here and slowly watch your comrades bleed to death. This wound is enough to kill you. From now until you die, savor despair. Savor the despair of this false world."

Cold sweat kept running down Kagami's face. The wound had left him so weak that he could no longer move.

"Thud."

Kagami collapsed onto the ground. He turned his head toward the two people lying beside him. His vision grew increasingly blurry. With great effort, he reached out and first grabbed Daisuke's hand. Then he placed Genji's hand on top of Daisuke's, and placed his own hand on top of Genji's.

Blood covered the ground around them. After Kagami's fumbling, all three hands were stained completely red.

At last, Kagami smiled faintly.

"May everything be well."

That was his dream as well. After saying it, Kagami's vision soon faded completely. He could no longer see anything and sank entirely into darkness.

At the very end, Kagami seemed to hear someone shouting furiously.

"Where's Kakashi?! Is he dead?!"