Sin Index
"No... no! It's all my fault... I was so stupid, so foolish to believe that nonsense... I chose that path myself and did so many irreversible things..."
Uchiha Obito almost shouted it out; his voice was urgent. He knew Rin all too well.
Lin is that kind of person, kind to the core, with a deep love for the village, her companions, and life itself, and she would not hesitate to give her life to protect them.
At this moment, after witnessing the heinous crimes he committed, Rin's first reaction was not angry condemnation, but reflection on her own mistakes—because of her "death," Obito had fallen into this state. Therefore, was she also entangled in this chain of cause and effect of evil?
Obito opened his mouth, his throat dry and tight. The "reasons" from the past almost burst out.
It was this world, filled with war and loss, that utterly disappointed him. He realized that as long as the world remained the same, the struggle would never end, and even if he brought Lin back, he would eventually lose her again.
That's why he chose to believe in "Infinite Tsukuyomi," choosing an extreme path that seemed to offer a permanent solution to an illusory peace...
But these words, though they rolled on his tongue, were ultimately swallowed back down. In Lin's presence, these excuses seemed so ugly.
He had chosen to hurt and betray, yet he tried to shift the blame to the world, using grand but empty reasons to whitewash his personal sins and weakness... He couldn't bring himself to utter such words to offend Lin's ears.
Lin exhausted all her strength, her knees buckled, and she knelt on the grassy ground of this Pure Land land. Her head was bowed, her shoulders trembling slightly from crying, and broken, fragmented words spilled from her tears.
"No... this... is wrong..."
She raised her tear-blurred face and looked at Obito, who stood frozen in Obito. There was no hatred in her eyes, only unfathomable sorrow and a pleading inquiry.
"Obito... you... you know yourself... you did something wrong...?"
"Um... I know... I'm sorry, I..." Obito's voice was so low it was almost inaudible; besides apologizing, he found himself unable to say anything else.
Lin didn't utter any harsh or sarcastic words. She just silently shed tears, as if all her strength had been drained away with them.
What could she say? She had no right to.
She has no right to punish Obito, because she was not a direct victim, and she has even less right to forgive Obito, because Obito has hurt far too many people... Their pain and loss are far beyond what she can represent or forgive.
Moreover, this Pure Land itself seems to have established a set of order. The existence of that mirror that reflects everything in one's previous life is like a silent declaration that here, cause and effect will inevitably be revealed, and karma will finally be settled.
Sinners... cannot escape here.
Lin received this message clearly in her mind. So, amidst immense disappointment and endless sorrow, she made her choice.
She did not leave in anger, nor did she try to exonerate Obito.
She simply raised her head again slowly, and with her eyes, washed clean by tears but still filled with pain, she quietly gazed at Obito.
Then, she stopped talking and just knelt down in front of him, silently shedding tears, keeping him company with this silent, heavy companionship, waiting together.
They await the "judgment" symbolized by that mirror.
"Hmph... I never thought I, Uchiha Madara, would one day be judged. I'll see what tricks this land of the dead has up its sleeve."
Uchiha Madara sat cross-legged on the ground, his posture still carrying his usual arrogance. His Rinnegan flickered slightly upwards, glancing at the number floating above his head, emitting a dim red glow.
[8.2]
Not far in front of him, Black Zetsu's soul, repeatedly pierced and torn by Susanoo's blades, was still enduring endless pain.
Not only that, Madara also imprinted Rinnegan -level Genjutsu into it, preventing Black Zetsu from even letting out a soul-level scream. He could only endlessly experience the double hell of being torn apart physically and tortured mentally while in a state of absolute consciousness.
Above Black Zetsu's head, a blindingly red number also floated—
[10.0]
The meaning of these numbers, like the common knowledge about mirrors and the order of the Pure Land, is directly imprinted on the perception of every awakened soul.
[Sin Index]
A numerical value that intuitively quantifies the sins and evil deeds committed by a soul in their lifetime. 10 is the maximum value, representing heinous crimes that are too numerous to count.
Black Zetsu, the mastermind who lurked for a thousand years, sowed discord among the descendants of the Sage of Six Paths, altered history, and caused countless wars and tragedies, is the most heinous criminal in the world and one of the most sinful souls in this Pure Land.
The 8.2 on Uchiha Madara's head also indicates that he belongs to the category of heinous crimes.
He schemed against the lives of Nagato, Obito, and others, directly or indirectly causing countless tragedies. He even personally planned and nearly destroyed Hidden Leaf Village he helped establish. The disasters brought about by his obsessive ideals and methods were equally profound.
Madara's gaze shifted to his side. Uchiha Izuna was standing next to him, his face showing shock at the number of sins his brother had committed. He couldn't accept that his most admired and role model brother was such a heavily condemned villain in historical evaluations.
However, when Madara saw the almost imperceptible pale red number above Izuna's head, a sigh of relief arose from the tension in his heart.
Izuna's value is 0.05.
This tiny number means that he was neither the instigator nor the conspirator of the war, nor did he commit any senseless massacres or atrocities against civilians.
In the Warring States Period, battles fought out of necessity due to one's family's stance were not considered crimes. Uchiha Izuna was a tragic figure swept up by the tides of the times. Loyal to his family and protecting his elder brother, he ultimately died young on the battlefield, never seeing the sky beyond the shadows of war in his short life.
Turning our gaze to the other side of the Pure Land, a completely different scene is unfolding.
"Tobirama! Look what you've done!?"
Hashirama Senju, unusually, raised his voice, his face displaying a rare expression of shock and annoyance as he lashed out at his younger brother.
Originally, the two brothers were searching everywhere on this vast, Pure Land grassland with excitement and urgency—they were looking for the souls of their other two younger brothers, Itama Senju and Kawakama Senju.
Hashirama was filled with emotion at the thought of seeing his younger brothers, who had tragically died young, again.
Even above their heads, the striking red numbers quietly appeared.
After understanding the meaning of the "Sin Index," Hashirama was startled. He immediately thought of his final battle with Uchiha Madara at the Valley of the End —he ultimately failed to bring his best friend back and was forced to kill him with his own hands.
In Hashirama's view, this was undoubtedly a huge regret and a "sin".
However, the number displayed above his head was 0.00.
Pure, flawless zero.
Hashirama was stunned at first, then breathed a sigh of relief, but then his gaze fell on the top of his Tobirama Senju's head, and he froze instantly.
Tobirama Senju's stats are: 3.8
For an index with a perfect score of 10, this is already a fairly considerable value, close to the median!
Hashirama was initially completely bewildered and indignant. In his heart, Tobirama was the Second Hokage, who had devoted himself entirely to Konoha Village, a bulwark of the village and a wise guide. How could he bear such an obvious Sin Value?
As if in response to his question, a few lines of brief, directional information appeared thoughtfully beside the floating number. The information clearly revealed the main source of Tobirama Senju's 3.8 points of Sin Value—
It did not originate from battlefield violence or political intrigue.
Rather, it stemmed from the numerous [forbidden techniques] he painstakingly developed, which had a profound and complex impact on later generations.
As the information was presented, Hashirama's expression gradually darkened. He looked at his younger brother's profile, which remained expressionless but seemed to have anticipated this, and couldn't help but recall how he had tried to persuade the boy but hadn't listened to his advice as the older brother. His temper suddenly flared up.