"My Sharingan... I'm giving it to you. Come to think of it, I never properly congratulated you after you became a jōnin, Kakashi. So take this eye as my gift to you for becoming a jōnin."
When Obito, half his body crushed beneath a massive boulder, smiled and said those words, Kakashi and Rin, standing helplessly to the side, both shuddered.
The agony in Kakashi's eyes instantly gave way to stunned emptiness, while Rin's tears paused for the briefest moment before flowing down her cheeks again.
They both knew what it meant for Obito to say something like that himself, yet all they could do was watch helplessly as he, on the verge of death, arranged his final affairs. The pain was like having someone carve their hearts apart with a knife again and again!
"No matter what the people in the village say, you're the greatest jōnin there is. This is... the last bit of goodwill I can offer. Take it. And, Kakashi, I'm counting on you to look after Rin."
With a smile at the corner of his mouth, Obito handed Kakashi his undamaged left eye and entrusted Rin to his care. Then, feeling the violent shaking of the ground, his consciousness sank completely into darkness.
"With this eye, you'll definitely be able to get Rin out of here, right? Don't disappoint me... Kakashi."
"The clone sent word. Lord Madara brought back another badly wounded kid who's on the verge of death. Do you want to go take a look?"
Little White suddenly emerged from the ground like a ghost, staring at Shimiya Aoba with a pair of dead-fish eyes.
But when Shimiya Aoba heard that, his eyes lit up. He immediately jumped off the bed and said, "Let's go. Where is he?"
"Lord Madara is treating him in the Medical Room."
The Medical Room, huh...
Shimiya Aoba curled his lips. For some reason, the gloomy and terrifying place was the one he liked least in the entire base.
Besides, he would only get in the way if he went there now, and might even arouse that old immortal's suspicion. So he decided to endure a little longer. He had already made it through half a year—couldn't he wait a bit longer?
As for whether the kid who had been rescued was that poor kid Obito, he would know soon enough.
Thus, he left his room and made his way, taking short-legged little steps, through a winding series of turns to another place.
This was one of the many spare spaces Madara had left behind after establishing the base. Since it had not yet been put to use, he had claimed it and turned it into a Tomb Chamber.
The room was dim and empty. Two tombstones stood side by side in the middle of the floor. They were the tombstones he had erected for the parents of his present life after settling down.
Although the original Shimiya Aoba had already been killed, since "he" had come back to life and inherited this name, body, and everything else, he still needed to repay that debt.
He was still far too weak. He could neither avenge the parents of this body nor do anything else for them, so he simply did what he could. At least that counted as fulfilling his filial duty.
There was another, more utilitarian reason—one he was unwilling to mention.
He was doing it for that old immortal to see!
Which was easier to manipulate: a person who valued loyalty and affection, or an ungrateful wretch devoid of feeling?
Since he could not display any value for exploitation for the time being, he would create some himself.
Besides, this sort of thing fit perfectly with his current "persona." Why not do it?
It eased his conscience somewhat while also achieving his goal. It was killing several birds with one stone.
The only problem was that he had no idea whether that old immortal Madara would fall for it.
After respectfully paying his respects to his deceased parents, Shimiya Aoba stood up again. He believed that nothing he did could escape the eyes of White Zetsu and Madara, so he would let time prove whether all these efforts of his were worthwhile.
He took a deep breath and turned to leave.
"I... am I dead?"
On a stone bed, Obito, wrapped up like a mummy, suddenly opened his eyes. But the dim surroundings made it difficult for him to adjust.
"Where... is this?"
"This is the gap between the netherworld and the living world, Uchiha clan member."
The moment Madara spoke, Shimiya Aoba, who was eavesdropping outside, knew that this bastard was definitely an old chuuni!
He could actually say such painfully over-the-top, fortune-teller-like lines without the slightest embarrassment. No wonder he had managed to fool so many people.
That poker face covered in wrinkles also made it impossible to tell whether he was speaking the truth, instantly boosting his aura. No wonder he was completely unafraid of Naruto's ultimate Talk no Jutsu later on. So this was a grandmaster-level figure!
"Your eyes..." After briefly adjusting, Obito finally saw more clearly. Then he noticed the familiar tomoe in the old man's eyes before the bed!
"Could it be that you're also a member of the Uchiha Clan?"
"Heh heh, who knows?"
See? See?!
There he went again!
When it came to the art of acting cool, Madara was the strongest in the ninja world!
In short, Shimiya Aoba was thoroughly convinced!
The inexplicably cryptic and over-the-top conversation inside continued. The more Shimiya Aoba listened, the more he yawned. Fate, karma, a world of peace, someone being saved because of you... It made him drowsy again and again.
He could already imagine Obito's completely bewildered expression, even from outside.
Still, it was predictable that Madara had successfully established his persona as a worldly sage of the Uchiha Clan. After all, if he could not even fool a hot-blooded youngster like Obito, how could he be a major villain?
But being single-minded had its advantages too. Although Madara had once again brought out his tactic of demanding repayment for a favor, making Obito repay him for saving his life, Obito kept shouting that he wanted to return to Konoha and find Kakashi and Rin.
Madara's brilliance lay in the fact that he did not seem eager to force things. Or perhaps he still had some method he had yet to use to make Obito submit.
Thus, Shimiya Aoba heard Obito shout from inside, "I haven't understood a word you've been rambling about since the beginning. In any case, I'm not staying here. I'm leaving!"
"If you want to leave, you can do so at any time, as long as you're able to move."
After saying that, Madara said no more and turned to leave.
Just then, Obito seemed to think of something and suddenly demanded loudly, "Who are you, exactly? I've met every member of the Uchiha Clan, so... are you a missing-nin from Konoha!?"
"Konoha?"
"A missing-nin?"
With his back to Obito, Madara seemed to smile. Without turning his head, he spoke words that sent Obito's mind reeling!
"I am the spirit of the Uchiha Clan. Uchiha... Madara."
Obito's eyes widened instantly, as if someone had clamped a hand around his throat. He could not voice any of the questions in his stomach. All that reached his ears was the sound of a sickle being dragged across the ground, fading farther and farther away...
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