Obito, I Will Make You Feel Profound Pain

Graveyard of Mountains.

"Rin... Rin... Kakashi... Kakashi..."

Obito muttered, repeatedly calling Nohara Rin and Kakashi's names.

Uchiha Madara sat in a chair woven from tangled branches, his scarlet eyes silently watching Obito.

During this time, Obito had constantly murmured Nohara Rin and Kakashi's names.

Not only did Uchiha Madara not find it irritating, he grew even more expectant.

That was enough to show how deep the "bond" between Obito and them was.

Only a bond like that would have the greatest effect when it was destroyed.

"The seal has been thoroughly planted as well."

Uchiha Madara looked at Obito as his consciousness gradually cleared.

Obito had fused smoothly with the Hashirama Cells. After running a high fever, he was no longer as dazed as before.

Madara had also planted a special restraining seal over Obito's heart, lest Obito fail to follow his plan.

"...Where is this?"

Suddenly, Obito's eyelids trembled, and he slowly opened his eyes.

He stared blankly at the dim underground chamber. There seemed to be little light here, making it impossible to tell whether it was day or night outside.

"This is the gap between life and death... child of the Uchiha."

Uchiha Madara looked at Obito.

"!"

Obito shuddered. He suddenly realized that a decrepit old man had been staring at him.

He felt a chill all over his body. Looking down, he found that he was indeed naked, with only bandages wrapped around him.

"It hurts..."

Obito frowned.

He suddenly felt intense pain coming from the right half of his body and his lower body.

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

"You collapsed in the underground passage I dug, right beside the fallen rocks..."

Uchiha Madara began explaining Obito's situation to him.

"So Grandpa was the one who saved me... Thank you."

After Madara's explanation, Obito finally understood what had happened.

"It's too early to thank me. I want you to repay this favor properly."

Uchiha Madara looked at Obito meaningfully.

Every gift fate bestowed had long since had its price marked in the shadows.

"That won't do, Grandpa. Even though you look really old, I can only help you deal with your waste for a few days before I have to go back and protect my companions."

Obito said.

He often took care of the elderly and knew that some people could no longer hold it in when they got old, so he said it out of kindness.

"..."

Uchiha Madara suddenly did not know what to say.

"With your body, you can no longer... return to the past. Face reality."

Uchiha Madara said flatly.

"No, no. I finally awakened the Sharingan. How could I not be able to return to the past?"

Obito was confused.

He was only missing an arm. Could it be that something else was missing too?

"Nothing in this world will go as you wish. The longer you live, the more you realize that reality is filled with nothing but helplessness, pain, and emptiness."

As Uchiha Madara spoke, several images flashed through his mind.

Senju Hashirama had promised that he could become Hokage. The two had even fantasized together about how they would govern Konoha, yet in the end, he had lost the position of Hokage in Senju Tobirama's so-called "democratic election."

Then, he had chosen to leave Konoha, but not a single clansman had followed him that day.

"Heh..."

Uchiha Madara could not help shaking his head.

Back when they were choosing the Hokage, that inherently evil Senju old ghost had jumped out and said that the Hokage needed public support and had to be chosen by everyone together.

Yet through intelligence gathered by White Zetsu, Uchiha Madara knew that the current Third Hokage had been personally appointed by Senju Tobirama.

As for public opinion and democracy?

Senju Tobirama had not even let the few Hokage guards cast a token vote before directly ordering Sarutobi Hiruzen to inherit his position.

Too many disappointments had made Uchiha Madara see this world clearly.

"What is this old man even talking about?"

Obito wore an expression that said this guy was spouting nonsense.

"Listen carefully. Wherever there is light, there must be shadows. In a world where victors exist, there must also be losers."

"If you wish to protect love, hatred will inevitably arise. Between them lies an inseparable causal relationship..."

"Then where is this place?"

Obito felt that this old man must have suffered some injury in the past, since he kept rambling on and on. He hurriedly interrupted him, unwilling to listen to any more long-winded lectures.

"Hmph. This is the gap. Leave if you want... provided that you can walk."

Uchiha Madara glanced at Obito, understanding that this guy's intelligence was too low for him to grasp Madara's true meaning anytime soon.

"Wait..."

Obito suddenly realized something.

Thinking carefully, he had met every elderly man and woman in the Uchiha clan, yet he had never seen someone like Uchiha Madara.

He possessed the Sharingan, yet Obito had never seen him in Konoha...

"Old man, you... are a rogue ninja, right?"

Obito had found the blind spot.

"Who exactly are you?!"

Obito raised his voice.

He would not let an enemy interrogate information out of him.

Uchiha Madara did not answer Obito. Instead, he supported himself with his kama and slowly sat down.

"I am a dead spirit of the Uchiha clan... Uchiha Madara."

Uchiha Madara's voice echoed through the underground passage.

"You mean the Uchiha clan leader...?"

Obito's eyes widened.

It was said that he was the greatest traitor of the Uchiha clan and a taboo to everyone.

No one dared mention that name. They could only refer to him as that person.

"Even if you're an Uchiha, as long as you betrayed the village, I'll still beat you up!"

Obito looked at Uchiha Madara, already prepared to fight at any moment.

The village had always had only one way of dealing with rogue ninja: kill them!

"What are you trying to do by saving me?!"

Obito demanded.

"I want to sever the causality of this world!"

Uchiha Madara voiced his true thoughts.

"A world with only victors, a world with only peace, a world with only love—I only want to create such a world!"

"I don't care what you want to sever. I just want to return to the village, to my companions!"

Obito had run out of patience.

Rin had to be waiting for him right now.

And there was Kakashi, Grandma, Teacher Minato, Sister Kushina...

If he did not hurry back, that detestable Kiyohara might do something to Rin!

"Do you remember what I said at the beginning? You can no longer return to the past. Not everything will go as you wish."

The corners of Uchiha Madara's mouth faintly curved into a smile.

Obito was his finest chess piece.

You must endure the plan to come.

Because... Obito, I will make you feel profound pain and make you see the darkness of this world.

It would begin with that little girl. He would see how she was lost from Obito's side.

Reality... was just this dark.

"Kiyohara, a new mission has come in."

That day, Kiyohara was training at home while waiting for a new Last Words Book to appear when Kurenai Yuhi came to his door.

"It's Kurenai. So, what's the mission?"

Kiyohara stood bare-chested, asking between breaths.