Obito's "Last Request"

"Brat! Do your best to please me!!!"

A White Zetsu had disguised himself as an unremarkable jōnin from Iwagakure. Madara had sent his consciousness into the body, and he roared at Zhengyi.

Rin flinched like a startled fawn.

She had no idea what she'd done to make so many Rock Ninja target her today.

As for her looks, she hadn't even grown into them yet.

As for her medical skills, there were plenty in Konoha who were better than she was. Why were they all targeting her?

It was just strange.

Seeing Rin frightened by the roar, Zhengyi glared at Madara and snapped, "What the hell are you barking about?!"

Madara froze. You're yelling at me?

Well, who else?

"Hahahaha!!!" Madara laughed maniacally. This was interesting. Very interesting.

Then he sprang forward and began fighting Zhengyi.

The White Zetsu's body was physically weaker than Zhengyi's, but the one controlling it was none other than Madara Uchiha!!

During the Fourth Shinobi World War, he'd dared to charge into the Allied Shinobi Forces unarmed and dance among them.

Zhengyi was clearly a step below Madara in Taijutsu. Compared to him, he had to admit that his muscles were all the useless kind he'd built at the gym.

He was scared~~~

Did Iwagakure really have people this skilled at Taijutsu?

Anyone with a trained eye could see just how refined Madara's Taijutsu was as he fought Zhengyi.

Madara's fists tore through the air. Every strike was precisely calculated to target the tiny gaps in Zhengyi's defenses. Most terrifying of all, he could predict Zhengyi's moves, as if he could see the future and knew exactly how Zhengyi would attack.

Zhengyi failed to block one strike and was sent flying, clutching his stomach.

"Being able to trade a few blows with me means you'll have something to brag about when you get out."

Ōnoki was fighting Hiruzen Sarutobi in the air. He dodged a stream of dragon-shaped fire and glanced over, marveling that he'd only just discovered such a Taijutsu prodigy.

This brat had already killed many Rock Ninja from their village.

Too bad Hiruzen Sarutobi had him tied up, or he could have finished the brat with a single Dust Release attack.

"Pass on my orders! Kill Konoha's next generation at any cost!" Ōnoki seized an opening and shouted, his voice ringing across the battlefield.

"Everyone in Konoha who has a free hand, carry out the mission to kill Iwagakure's next generation!" Hiruzen Sarutobi shouted as well.

Orochimaru was busy fighting Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, and couldn't spare a moment to help Zhengyi. He had to wear Han down bit by bit. It took real skill to dodge Han's successive accelerated attacks, each wreathed in steam, with his slippery movements.

After all, ten hits from him were worth less than one hit from Han.

That was the misery of having no bloodline or kekkei genkai.

He'd already reached the limit of what someone without a bloodline could achieve.

It wasn't until Obito joined the fight that things started looking up for Zhengyi.

"Come on!!"

Even with two Madaras, he'd still fight.

Perfect! He wanted to see whether this Uchiha Obito had what it took to carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan.

He had to admit, Obito had a lot of willpower.

When he realized Madara intended to capture Rin Nohara, he got knocked down again and again, yet kept getting back up.

At first, Zhengyi had been the one taking the beating. Now Obito was the one taking most of it.

Kakashi, who had just killed a young boy with his own hands, looked at Obito—his face battered and bruised, blood running from his nose. "Is this really worth it? Our mission now should be to kill Iwagakure's next generation. Zhengyi's already risking his life to hold him off. Isn't what you're doing the same as abandoning the mission?"

"Kakashi! In the world of shinobi, missions are important, and a shinobi who abandons a mission is trash. But someone who abandons their comrades for a mission is worse than trash."

Obito's eyes were so swollen from the beating that he could barely open them, but his words hit Kakashi hard.

Is that so?!

How could he possibly be worse than Obito?!

Come on!!

The three of them fought Madara together.

It wasn't that Obito was useless, but it wasn't as if he was useful either...

Either way, Zhengyi and Kakashi were still doing most of the work.

"Kakashi, his body can't match ours. Let's overpower him."

"Okay."

"Hmph." Madara sneered.

He spoke to the White Zetsu, and to all the hungry little White Zetsu in their shared network.

It's not the White Zetsu body that's useless! It's the White Zetsu.

Look! Didn't he just beat an enemy that more than a dozen of you couldn't handle all by himself?

Then, the very next second, his words came back to bite him. He realized he was being restrained. Kakashi was clinging tightly to one of his arms and his body, holding him in place.

"See ya." Zhengyi appeared with the Body Flicker Technique.

Game over.

Madara's view ended with blue sky and white clouds.

Underground, there was dead silence. Even the most hyperactive, obnoxious White Zetsu didn't dare say a word.

"Good!"

This time, Madara had come with a shadow clone.

His body was in bad shape. Forcing himself to fight with a shadow clone would only drain what little remained of his lifespan.

But...

He had to save face.

Without a doubt.

Zhengyi had been beaten badly, and so had Kakashi. The two of them were sprawled on the ground like dead Pakkun.

If these two weren't Obito's bonds, and if they couldn't help him awaken his Sharingan in the future, Madara would have strangled them to death on the spot!

He hadn't just beaten the two of them. He'd also taken his anger out on many people from Konoha, some of whom he'd beaten to death.

Ōnoki was both delighted and furious. Delighted that another prodigy had emerged after one of their own from Iwagakure had died; furious that the bastard had dared to kill their Konoha shinobi!

As if things couldn't get any worse, Rin had been captured too. Obito, the only one who could still walk, went after her.

"Obito, I can't save you." Zhengyi lay flat on the ground, feeling as if his body had fallen apart. Was this the fighting strength Madara had in his later years? Just how strong had he been in his prime?

In theory, Madara could go on one last rampage and take all of them with him, at the cost of his own life.

So if they exposed the fact that Madara was still alive and had a scheme, and got Konoha and Iwagakure to work together to stop him, none of them would survive.

Maybe his conscience hadn't completely disappeared.

Zhengyi struggled to his feet and followed after Obito with Kakashi.

By the time the two of them reached the scene, supporting each other,

Obito was already pinned beneath a boulder, delivering his "last words."

As the rocks came crashing down in a landslide, he shoved Rin away and took her place beneath them.

Rin... I might not be able to look after you anymore.

What did it mean to be a real man? To see the woman you loved happy.

Feeling like he was about to die, Obito let go of everything. With Zhengyi around, Rin would surely be happy, right?

Zhengyi was handsome, grateful, clever, and had plenty of stamina...

He couldn't accept it.

"Rin, Zhengyi's a jerk, but he's actually pretty nice when he isn't being a jerk. He's better than Kakashi. Kakashi... he's too lecherous. He might cheat on you after you get married."

Kakashi and Zhengyi had just arrived, and the first thing they heard was Obito badmouthing him.

"Stop talking, Obito. I can save you, I swear." Rin knelt on the ground, weeping uncontrollably. Obito had done all this to save her.