Obito: Rin, I can't possibly forget you!

Shinji slumped on the sofa, tipped his head back to stare at the ceiling, and let out a long breath.

"From now on, I'll keep a low profile and focus on practicing ninjutsu."

He got up and entered the bedroom. After changing into casual clothes, he was about to head out when he suddenly smacked his forehead.

"Almost forgot."

He walked over to the bookshelf and reached toward the very top. A transparent cloak dissolved into specks of light in his palm.

"The Invisibility Cloak's uses are depleted, but I got my money's worth from it."

Beneath the cloak were several Sealing Scrolls, all spoils from the night before.

The spot was clearly the most conspicuous place on the bookshelf. At a glance, it looked completely empty—nothing like somewhere that could hide anything.

Precisely because it was so ordinary, and with the Invisibility Cloak concealing it, Inabi and the others would instinctively overlook it during their search.

Human eyes were prone to deceiving themselves.

The most dangerous place was also the safest place.

Shinji tucked the scrolls close to his body, intending to move them somewhere outside the clan compound.

However, he needed to find someone first.

Leaving the Uchiha compound, he headed toward Konoha Hospital.

Inside a massive underground cavern in the Mountain Graveyard.

"Urgh! It hurts!"

Obito, who had been unconscious for several days, let out a pained groan and slowly opened his eyes. All around him were cold rock walls, dim and lightless.

His mind was still somewhat muddled. He struggled to sit up but failed.

Staring at the ceiling of the cave, Obito murmured softly:

"Is this heaven?"

"If you can feel pain, that means you're still alive."

A hoarse, aged voice came from the darkness.

"Who?"

Obito turned his head with difficulty and saw an old man standing nearby, leaning on a scythe. A familiar tomoe spun in his left eye.

The Sharingan.

A chill shot from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

Instinctively, he thought the man before him was a death god sent by the Uchiha Clan to escort him to the Pure Land.

"No! Grandpa, are you the Uchiha Clan's death god?"

"I don't want to die yet!"

"I-I've always respected the elderly! Please spare me!"

Obito struggled desperately, his body continually shrinking back as he tried to put as much distance as possible between himself and the old man.

Madara Uchiha watched him expressionlessly.

"I'm merely an old relic, not a death god. Still, I never expected you to be saved."

Obito froze, and his struggling gradually stopped.

"So I really survived? Did you save me, Grandpa?"

"Thank you!"

Warmth rose in his heart.

He had thought he would be buried beneath that boulder forever. Now that he had survived, he could return to Konoha, see Rin again, and see Kakashi.

He had already awakened the Sharingan. His dream of becoming Hokage could still continue.

"It's too early for thanks," Madara Uchiha said blandly.

"I want you to repay this debt properly."

"No one in this world gets everything they want."

Madara slowly chipped away at Obito's understanding with his words, beginning to brainwash him.

The more Obito listened, the more irritated he became. Finally, he could not help interrupting agitatedly:

"I already told you, I can't stay here for long!"

"I'm going back to Konoha! Rin and Kakashi are still waiting for me!"

Madara leaned on his scythe, his expression as indifferent as ever:

"Want to go back? Once your body can move, feel free to leave."

He glanced at Obito's body.

Under his control, there was no way the boy could escape his grasp.

Madara Uchiha turned around and slowly lowered his decayed, aged body back into his seat.

"People forget others easily. No one in Konoha will be waiting for you."

Madara Uchiha slowly closed his eyes.

He suddenly remembered the day he had left Konoha. There had been no one behind him, not even half a follower.

That despair toward reality had long since seeped into his bones.

Obito refused to believe it and immediately retorted, "Rin would never forget me!"

"We made a promise!"

Madara Uchiha kept his eyes closed and ignored him.

Obito looked at this unfamiliar elderly Uchiha, his suspicions growing ever stronger.

He had helped plenty of elderly Uchiha men and women in Konoha, but he had absolutely no impression of the man before him.

A thought quietly surfaced in his mind: Could this old man be a rogue ninja from Konoha?

Inside Konoha Hospital.

The moment Shinji stepped into the lobby, he was slightly taken aback by the bustle before him.

"Why are there so many people today?"

There were at least twenty people in the lobby, and more than half of them were ordinary villagers rather than ninjas.

Konoha Hospital had never served only ninjas; it served everyone in Konoha.

It was now the leading medical institution among the Five Great Ninja Villages, all thanks to Tsunade's reforms.

The medical system had been made independent and elevated in status. Basic medical knowledge had been fully introduced to ninja academy students. Medical ninjutsu was no longer limited to oral transmission between master and apprentice, and Konoha had thoroughly established a standardized training system, discovering a great many talents with an aptitude for medicine.

The young nurse behind the reception desk was registering medical records with her head lowered. Shinji waited quietly for a moment, then approached when no one else was around.

He lightly tapped the counter and asked with a smile, "Excuse me, is Nohara Rin here? I'm looking for her."

The nurse subconsciously looked up. The moment she saw Shinji's face, she froze slightly, and a faint blush instantly spread across her cheeks. "Y-you are?"

"I'm her teammate. I need her help with something. Is she free right now?"

Shinji replied naturally.

"Rin! Ah, okay, I'll go get her! She should be changing shifts soon!"

As if encouraged, the young nurse's cheeks grew hot as she trotted away.

"Wait!" Shinji reached out to stop her, but he was already too late.

He smiled helplessly. "I could've gone to find her myself."

Meanwhile, inside the treatment room.

Dressed in a clean white nurse's uniform, Nohara Rin was lowering her head as she changed the bandage on an injured ninja's arm.

Her movements were gentle and practiced. Pale green medical Chakra slowly glowed from her palm as she carefully smoothed the swelling around the wound.

In mere moments, the previously gruesome wound had mostly healed.

"Just rest properly from here on out."

Rin gave the instruction with a smile. Amid the patient's repeated thanks, she picked up the medical records and left the treatment room.

"At least I can finally rest for a bit this morning."

She softly let out a breath, intending to return to her office and organize the records first.

Just as she reached the corner of the hallway, the young nurse from the reception desk came running over excitedly and leaned close to her ear with a teasing look.

"Rin~ Someone's looking for you at the front desk."

"And he's super handsome!"

Nohara Rin was slightly startled and asked in confusion, "Who is it?"

Once the nurse described his appearance, she immediately realized who it was, and an unconscious smile curved her lips.

"It's Shinji."

The young nurse's eyes lit up as the flames of gossip instantly flared to life. She lowered her voice and waggled her eyebrows. "Could he be your boyfriend?"

Rin's cheeks turned bright red with a swoosh, and she stammered awkwardly, "W-we're just teammates!"

The young nurse cupped her cheeks in both hands and stared at her with sparkling eyes.

Overwhelmed by that gaze, Rin could no longer hold on. Clutching the medical records, she hurriedly fled. "I-I'll head over first!"

"I-I'll head over first!"

She quickly made her way to the front desk and spotted Shinji waiting there at a glance.

The moment he saw her, he immediately raised a hand and gave a light wave.

Nohara Rin instinctively hugged the medical records tighter against her chest and slowly walked over, her eyes curving gently with a smile.

"Shinji, why are you here?"

The girl before him wore a plain white nurse's uniform. Her smile was clean and gentle, and she seemed to be surrounded by a quiet, healing aura.

With just one look, Shinji's irritation from being bothered by Inabi and the others vanished in an instant.

Looking at Rin, he smiled.

"Of course I came to see you, Rin."

"Find somewhere without anyone around and keep me company for a while."