Rin, all the pain in this world combined does not equal even one ten-thousandth of the heartache I felt when I lost you

Chapter 22: Rin. All the pain in the world combined does not equal even a ten-thousandth of the heartache I feel when I lose you.

If my soul had a color, it would surely be the violet of Nohara Rin's eyes.

--Uchiha Obito

"Karatachi Yagura has successfully sealed the Three-Tails, but something seems to have gone wrong. The Kirigakure ninja have now raised a barrier, and Fuguki has gone to investigate."

Watching Uchiha Chen, whose eye sockets were continuously bleeding, Pakura advised with a hint of worry:

"You're bleeding so much. If you really can't control Yagura, just give up!"

"Someone else is trying to control Yagura just like I am, and I'm currently using genjutsu to suppress them. Keep a lookout for their accomplices!"

Uchiha Chen, his face smeared with blood, forced a grin at Pakura.

"I need to concentrate on using my genjutsu."

Using a prosthetic eye to perform ocular techniques usually wouldn't cause bleeding like a Mangekyō, but the excessive output of Eye Power for the permanent Kotoamatsukami forced the prosthetic to overclock, placing a heavy burden on Uchiha Chen's body.

Uchiha Chen poured the majority of his consciousness into the Mental Space, beginning the process of rewriting Obito's consciousness with Kotoamatsukami.

The reason Kotoamatsukami is hailed as the strongest genjutsu is that it can completely rewrite the target's will, allowing them to be manipulated while unconscious, even making them believe that everything is perfectly natural.

If it tells you that you are a pug, you will truly believe that you were born in a doghouse and raised in a pet shop; even if this defies all logic, the victim will not notice a thing.

"Aaaaaahhhhh!"

Within the Mental Space, Uchiha Obito was unleashing his incredibly powerful Eye Power recklessly, causing the entire Mental Space to shake violently.

However, No matter how strong the Eye Power erupting from his single crimson eye was, it could only slow the speed at which the eerie shadows symbolizing the power of Kotoamatsukami wrapped around him; it could not repel the shadows in the slightest.

From his feet to his ankles and knees, Obito's mental body was slowly dissolving into the shadows.

Beside Uchiha Chen, who was connected to the other side of the shadows, the parts of Obito's mental body that had disappeared were slowly regrowing after being reshaped by Kotoamatsukami.

The modification Uchiha Chen set for Obito using Kotoamatsukami was simple and direct: absolute loyalty to Uchiha Chen.

This modification, of course, ran completely contrary to Obito's current philosophy and personality.

Consequently, as these two diametrically opposed ideologies occupied parts of his mental body, his state became increasingly deranged.

"Who am I again? I am Obito. No, I am Uchiha Madara. I'm going to kill you, Uchiha Chen! No, I will protect you well."

Uchiha Obito was gradually losing himself, and the speed at which Kotoamatsukami was overwriting his consciousness was accelerating.

Until—Kotoamatsukami began to erase a certain figure from the depths of his memory.

A person of absolute loyalty, in their life, cannot have another person who profoundly influenced their existence besides the object of their allegiance.

"Do your best, Obito!" "Obito has always worked so hard!" "Obito."

The Eye Power of Kotoamatsukami acted like an eraser, beginning to wipe away the traces of that girl from his life.

Those missions they experienced together, those memories from the Ninja Academy, those words he had thought about a thousand times but never managed to say—

"Obito, I will always be watching you!"

Only this.

Only this, I must never forget!

"Rin! Aaaaaahhhhh!"

Obito, who had already begun to quiet down, suddenly erupted with Eye Power several times stronger than before. A tiny, twisting vortex appeared out of thin air within the Mental Space, sucking his mental body into it.

Is it even possible to use space-time ninjutsu while inside a Mental Space? Can shouting a name really trigger a five-hundred-percent increase in power?

Uchiha Chen was dumbfounded.

"Simps are truly terrifying!

But the power of Kotoamatsukami isn't so easily shaken off!"

The two legs that had been standing beside Uchiha Chen disappeared along with Obito, as they were part of the same entity.

This indicated that the power of Kotoamatsukami remained like bone-deep gangrene; it had not stopped altering his mind just because Obito had left the Mental Space.

"Whatever, since you're already here!"

After driving Obito away, Uchiha Chen turned his gaze toward the Three-Tails, which had been playing dead in its cage.

"Human! You..."

The Three-Tails spoke; it was preparing to concede and submit.

Uchiha Chen couldn't be bothered to entertain it and fed it a dose of Sharingan genjutsu directly.

Mutual understanding with a Tailed Beast is something best left to the future Crown Prince; as for me, Uchiha Chen, as long as I've had my fun and enjoyed the moment, that's enough. I have no desire to become the spiritual sanctuary for a Tailed Beast.

Right, there's still that unlucky guy Yagura; I haven't even taken his gag off yet!

"Uchiha Chen, we can have a proper talk! I can definitely offer terms that will satisfy you! What do you want? With all my power, I will surely satisfy you."

With the gag removed, Karatachi Yagura attempted to engage in a transaction of interests with Uchiha Chen.

"Foolish!"

Well said, but Uchiha Chen chose to reward him with a shot of Kotoamatsukami: Light.

"Since you belong to me, aren't all those things mine as well?"

"Urgh!"

Within the boundless, desolate Kamui dimension, Uchiha Obito, having removed his mask, collapsed onto a rock and vomited blood uncontrollably.

The overload of using Kamui just moments ago had forced him out of the Mental Space, but the subsequent backlash was immense.

Even with the half of his body made of Hashirama Cells providing Yang Release Chakra, it had nearly cost him his life.

And that wasn't even the worst of it!

Obito could clearly feel that even while hidden within the alternate dimension of Kamui, the terrifying ocular technique Uchiha Chen had used on him was still constantly influencing his thoughts.

He had already found himself picturing Uchiha Chen's face multiple times while reminiscing about Rin!

It was only because he was inside Kamui, a dimension exclusive to him, that the efficacy of the ocular technique was greatly diminished, granting him the time to contemplate a way to resolve it.

But he could not hide in the Kamui dimension forever!

"Cough, cough!"

Obito stumbled through the Kamui dimension, so weak that he had to stop and catch his breath every few dozen steps.

"Finally, here!"

Before him stood a massive storage rack, holding various documents and items he had inherited from Uchiha Madara, as well as the Sharingan that Uchiha Madara had taken with him when he originally left the village.

Uchiha Obito leaned against the rack, struggling to lift his hand to retrieve glass jars filled with Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

He pulled out a Kunai and carved a deep gash into his pale, artificial chest; the flesh split open, yet very little blood flowed out.

One by one, the Sharingan were crudely pressed into his own chest by Obito.

He knew that his mind, and even his soul, had already been tainted by Uchiha Chen's ocular technique.

Under these circumstances, even activating Izanagi would be insufficient to purge the corruption hidden deep within his psyche, and the power of Kotoamatsukami would continue to influence him indefinitely.

Therefore.

Only an intensely concentrated scarlet remained in Uchiha Obito's eyes; at this moment, his "madness" had reached a level that was incomprehensible and unimaginable:

He intended to use Izanagi to perform surgery on his own soul, mind, and Chakra.

Just as the Sage of Six Paths had divided the Ten-Tails into the nine Tailed Beasts, He would split off an independent entity, offloading all the corruption from Uchiha Chen and the connection to Kotoamatsukami onto this being born from himself.

"Rin! Until I create that happy world where you exist, I will never stop!"

The agony of a thousand cuts to his soul could not compare to even a ten-thousandth of the heartache he felt when he lost her.

Izanagi, activate!