The next morning.
The girl's eyelashes trembled as she lay in bed. Then she opened her eyes.
"Did I... really sleep that soundly?"
She glanced around the room, then sat up.
Only then did she realize she was lying on the bed, while the bedsheet and bedding lay on the floor nearby.
"Did I sleep on the floor?"
The sight seemed to make everything click. She also realized that she'd slept peacefully last night.
It was just as before: once she fell asleep, the nightmares from her past kept returning.
The twisted faces of the Uchiha Clan members still appeared in her dreams.
But this time, she wasn't gripped by such intense fear. She seemed able to face it all calmly—a change even she hadn't expected.
She shook her head, got to her feet, and looked for Haori.
Strangely, though, the room was especially quiet, and she couldn't help frowning.
But when she reached the table, she found a breakfast laid out and a note beside it.
Puzzled, she picked up the note and read it.
[Sorry, you were sleeping so soundly that I didn't want to disturb you.
I have to get up early today to attend the village's funeral.
I made you some breakfast, though. Remember to eat it.
You're still rather weak, so I hope you recover soon.
Your friend, Haori]
"Friend?"
She set down the note and murmured the word under her breath.
She lifted her head and looked out the window.
The weather was gloomy, with rain falling from the gray sky.
Yet the drizzle seemed to wash over her heart, leaving her with an unfamiliar sense of peace.
"It's such an unfamiliar word..."
"Ugh, this is so boring. Every time I wake up, I hope it's all just a dream."
In the dim underground base in the Land of Grass, Obito sighed helplessly. He'd lost track of how many times this had happened.
Still, he couldn't help holding on to some hope. Since he was still alive, he had to get back to Kakashi and Rin!
So even though he was practically missing half his body, he kept training to improve his balance and coordination.
He believed he would recover.
"Yo, good morning, Obito!"
Just then, the Spiral Face appeared right on time and waved to Obito.
"Up so early? Going to train again?"
"Morning, Spiral Face," Obito replied listlessly, then got to his feet.
"Yeah. I want to get out of here as soon as possible. I can't stand this place!"
"Obito, who are Rin and Kakashi?"
At that moment, another White Zetsu appeared beside him, looking curious.
"Are you planning to go outside and touch the bells?"
"Oh, and you say 'idiot' a lot. 'Idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot.'"
The Spiral Face White Zetsu stroked his chin, as if trying to remember.
"Sometimes you mix in things like 'idiot Kakashi.' By the way, what's an idiot Kakashi?
I remember you repeating it ever since you got here. Do they owe you a lot of money?"
"I say stuff like that in my sleep? That's so embarrassing."
Obito looked flustered. But just as he was about to change the subject, the Spiral Face spoke again.
"By the way, you only ever talk about them. Don't you have any other friends?"
"Uh..."
The question caught Obito off guard. He thought of Namikaze Minato, and of Kushina, who'd always looked out for him.
But he quickly shook his head and hurriedly spoke up before the Spiral Face could say anything else.
"Why are there only two of you here today? Where is everyone else?"
Over this period, he'd met quite a few White Zetsu.
They all looked exactly alike, and plenty of them had chatted with him, too.
They were all as dumb as rocks, but Obito had gotten along with them well enough.
"They went out to gather information," the other White Zetsu replied casually.
"What? They can go outside?" Obito asked in surprise. He really hadn't known that.
"Huh? Didn't I tell you?"
The White Zetsu scratched his head, thought for a moment, then explained.
"We can move through the earth, so we can go outside. We've been sent all over the place to gather information for a long time.
Actually, we can see all of you fighting and stuff. We just don't get involved."
"Seriously? Why are you only telling me something this important now?"
Obito clenched his fists, then quickly asked, "Then do you know how Kakashi and the others are doing? My teammates! You must have seen them when you rescued me!"
"You mean the white-haired guy and the brown-haired girl?"
The Spiral Face looked at Obito curiously, then stroked his chin as if searching his memory.
"If that's who you mean, then I do know a bit about them."
After all, he'd been following Haori for a while. Kakashi and Rin were right by Haori's side, so it would have been hard not to know about them.
The Spiral Face's words immediately made Obito excited. He couldn't get out, but learning how they were doing was still good news!
"Hurry up and tell me! How are they doing? They're my best friends!"
Obito asked eagerly. He couldn't wait to hear everything.
"They must be having a hard time now, after losing their best friend.
But it's okay! I'll speed up my recovery, and then I can get back to them sooner!"
"Uh, I hate to interrupt your fantasy, but..."
The Spiral Face saw that Obito seemed lost in his own world. He scratched his cheek, then finally spoke with a trace of helplessness.
"They're doing fine now. Were they sad? Sure, they were a little sad right after you were buried.
But they got over it pretty quickly. Someone really kind and strong showed up in time and saved them.
Then he went on missions with them and kept helping them through it."
Hearing that, Obito's body stiffened. Kakashi and Rin had already moved on?
What... what was that supposed to mean?
"Was it our teacher? Namikaze Minato?"
Obito pressed his lips together and forced a smile.
"If it was our teacher, then yes, he's kind and strong..."
"No, it wasn't him. It was someone like you, another Uchiha."
The other White Zetsu poked his head out from beside the Spiral Face, then shrugged and smiled at Obito.
"That guy's way better-looking than you. He really is kind and strong. He saved your former teammates.
And not just once, either. They seem really close, much closer than you ever were.
Oh, right. I think his name was Haori?"
Haori?
Why did it have to be you again!?
Obito couldn't take it anymore. Why had that guy saved Kakashi and Rin? Why did it have to be him?
Suddenly, he remembered something Madara had once told him.
"You and I have both been betrayed, and forgotten."
Obito's fists clenched tighter and tighter as the words echoed in his mind.
After a long moment, he suddenly lifted his head. His eyes were now bloodshot.
"I don't believe it! I'm getting out of here, and I'm going to ask them myself!"