"Are you Haori?"
"Thank you so much for everything you did. That damned Haku once killed one of my teammates."
"You're amazing. If it weren't for you, who knows how much longer this war would have dragged on."
"Thank you."
At the Konoha camp, nearly every Konoha Ninja who had stayed behind greeted Haori as soon as they saw him.
Their warmth and unmistakable goodwill still caught him off guard, even though Rin had warned him about it.
Still, he kept smiling and returned each greeting. Smiling back at everyone who showed you goodwill was simply basic decency.
Before long, Haori had more or less gotten used to it and understood what was going on.
Although their mission had been classified, now that the situation on the battlefield was becoming clearer, its results could boost morale.
Even though the mission had gone terribly off course, they would still promote its success heavily on the front lines.
As a war hero, Haori didn't even need to say anything. "The scholars would naturally make the case for him."
It wasn't just him, either. The others seemed to find all this attention overwhelming, and Might Guy and Aoba had already gone into hiding.
"But I suppose that's normal. After all, Jiraiya is in command of the Land of Grass battlefield."
Haori had always known his own limits. Even if he wanted to "get ahead," he had to consider whose command would give him the best chance to do so.
Jiraiya could be downright outrageous at times, and he was an idealist whose ideas were often far too idyllic.
But there was no denying that when it came to serious matters, he could hold his own and step up when needed.
Most importantly, Jiraiya had no particular animosity toward the Uchiha.
They were all Konoha Ninja, so he would treat everyone equally.
Of course, this was only true in the camp. It was hard to say what things would be like once they returned to Konoha.
"Haori, how does it feel?"
After Haori had greeted the other ninja one by one, Nohara Rin asked him with a hint of a smile.
"This is the kind of treatment only a hero gets."
"A hero?" Haori smiled and shook his head. "Aren't you all heroes, too?"
"No. If it weren't for you, I'd probably be dead by now."
Kakashi, walking behind Haori and Rin, shook his head.
"You saved my life twice on the battlefield. And if you hadn't shown up, we might not have completed the mission at all.
"Come to think of it, Haori, you've changed so much. You've gotten incredibly strong, too.
"I remember you weren't exactly a top student at the Academy."
"You jerk..."
Hearing Kakashi say that, Haori nearly lost his composure. His grades at the Ninja Academy really hadn't been great.
"That was only at school. Even at my worst, I never came in dead last."
"Right, the one who came in last back then was..."
Rin suddenly chuckled, but she stopped before finishing her sentence.
Kakashi fell silent, too. Clearly, they had both thought of Obito.
Seeing them like this, Haori couldn't help shaking his head.
He'd given Obito a hearty dose of encouragement in time, but it seemed it hadn't been enough.
If Obito really had died, he would have been a hero for the rest of his life.
Even if he wasn't a hero to all of Konoha, he would still be a hero to Kakashi and Rin.
But unfortunately, Obito's selfish nature had likely destined him for tragedy. Maybe those two were the only people he truly cared about.
And after meeting Uchiha Madara, once that darkness in him was unleashed, nobody would be able to redeem him—unless they had a silver tongue on the level of Kotoamatsukami.
"Sorry, I lost my composure."
Just as Haori was wondering what to say, Rin shook her head and spoke.
"What happened to Obito is painful, but he was a hero, too. He made a sacrifice for the sake of a better future for us.
"And he wasn't the only one. If they hadn't made those sacrifices, none of what we have now would be possible.
"Haori, you said that we had to carry on their will and live our lives to the fullest. I think I understand what you meant now."
"Yeah, that's right."
Kakashi came back to his senses as well. He reached up to touch his eye and let out a quiet sigh.
"They were the real heroes. There are many others like Obito.
"We shouldn't dwell on our grief. We should remember them and work hard to create a better future.
"Just like you said, Haori—when we eventually reach the Pure Land, and Obito asks us how the world has changed and what we've done with our lives...
"We can't tell him we spent our whole lives trapped in guilt and grief. That would be a terrible way to repay Obito and everyone else for what they gave up."
Had they just talked themselves into it?
Haori was stunned for a moment. He'd thought his pep talk hadn't worked.
But it seemed the pep talk had not only worked—it had worked exceptionally well!
"Haori, thank you."
As Haori's thoughts wandered, Rin suddenly turned to him and thanked him sincerely.
"You've thanked me enough already."
Haori shook his head. Then he put a hand on each of their shoulders and smiled.
"From the moment we set out on the mission until now, you two have been thanking me nonstop.
"Have you forgotten? We're friends."
"Friends?"
Kakashi and Rin were taken aback. Then they both smiled.
"That's right. We're friends!"
Land of Grass, underground laboratory.
Madara looked at the bandage-wrapped Obito, who had already been injected with White Zetsu Cells, and felt conflicted.
Haori had performed even better than he'd expected, especially when the boy had used his wits and tactics to take down a troublesome enemy.
Then he'd relied on his impressive strength to eliminate more than ten enemies in one fell swoop. It was enough to show how well-rounded Haori was!
Most striking of all was the way Haori had danced alone among the enemy ranks. Even Uchiha Madara himself had been momentarily dazed.
Because it had seemed like he was looking at himself!
"That's what it means to be an Uchiha."
Even someone as proud as him couldn't help but let out a sigh of admiration.
By contrast, aside from awakening the Two-Tomoe Sharingan, Obito's performance in the Land of Grass had been thoroughly unremarkable.
"But why did he have to be so clever?"
Madara sighed faintly. After observing Haori for so long, he was now completely certain of just how clever the boy was.
Forget everything he'd done before. Just the way he'd figured out the Five-Tails Jinchuriki's objective by watching him clash with Namikaze Minato—and then rushed to reinforce them without hesitation—was enough to prove it.
Obito could never compare to that.
And that was exactly the kind of cleverness Uchiha Madara least wanted to see.
"Forget it. It's a shame, but some things can't be forced. Still, I can put it to use."
Madara's feelings had settled somewhat, and he couldn't be bothered to dwell on it any longer.
He'd injected Obito with White Zetsu Cells. That alone showed his resolve.
Besides, compared with Haori, who was harder to read, Obito would be easier to control. Madara could also be more certain of what would make Obito awaken his Sharingan.
That was Nohara Rin!
He didn't understand why Obito was so infatuated with that girl.
But as an Uchiha, he wasn't about to judge.
Every Uchiha had a love that belonged to him alone. Perhaps Obito's love was for this girl.
But unfortunately, the girl was clearly closer to Haori, and more intimate with him.
As long as everything went according to plan, Obito would never, ever be able to turn back. He wouldn't even want to!
"Rin..."
As Madara pondered, he suddenly heard a faint sound.
He turned around and saw that Obito, unconscious on the bed, was repeatedly calling that name.
Madara's feelings, which had only just begun to settle, grew complicated again. After a while, he shook his head.
"So deeply in love, huh? Still, that's a good thing."
New author, humbly asking for your support. Your support now will determine a book's future; if you leave it to collect dust, it may never get off the ground.
Thank you, everyone!