In early April of Konoha Year 51, Konoha and Sunagakure resumed friendly exchange activities.
For some time, Sunagakure has been hampered by the problem of Jinchuriki, and has been unable to master Shukaku's power, so the exchange activities have been postponed again and again.
Fortunately, the Fourth Kazekage made a sacrifice, ultimately Shukaku into his youngest son's body, barely resolving the problem.
Chiyo believed that this premature child would become a qualified Jinchuriki, but Rasa had little confidence in the child.
What saddened Kazekage even more was that his wife Karura, passed away after giving birth to their son.
The child named Gaara seemed to be born with bad luck. Rasa didn't love this son much; he was more interested in whether Chiyo's decision was right.
Fortunately, Shukaku has not caused any more disturbances in the past two months, which relieved Rasa. He then used an exchange activity as an excuse to hand over the care of his youngest son to his wife's younger brother Yashamaru.
On the day the Konoha Ninja team arrived, Yashamaru, who was at home holding Gaara, looked helpless.
He wasn't sure if his sister's choice was right. The arrival of this child had changed everything. He only hoped that Gaara could grow up healthy. The power of the Tailed Beast was not something he needed to consider.
It was another sunny day, and Konoha was peaceful. In the commercial street, many ninjas were discussing the exchange team.
Since Kakashi was chosen and had already left the village, Rin Nohara, following her boyfriend's request, basically lived a life of going back and forth between home and work every day.
During weekday lunch breaks, Rin Nohara would have lunch with the Medical Corps, and the girl was almost never alone throughout the day.
Inside the Three-Color Pills shop, the girls all whispered their approval of the food, including Rin Nohara. As they talked about gossip, the smiles on the girls' faces grew even brighter.
" Kakashi must be the youngest in the delegation! He's really amazing!"
"Lin, how far have you gotten?"
"Could it be that you're getting married in two years?"
A round-faced girl whispered something in Rin Nohara's ear. Rin blushed slightly at the end, but still tilted her head and readily admitted, "Nothing special! Marriage and all that, you have to be 18 at least..."
"Sixteen is fine too! That's great, I've always wanted that kind of happy life."
Rin Nohara blushed and said it was too early. When talking about her own relationship progress, she reiterated that she and Kakashi had only held hands.
Just as the girls were about to continue gossiping, an elderly woman with her hair tied up at another table suddenly looked at Lin and asked in a low voice, "Child, I remember a couple of years ago you always had a helpful boy following you around."
"It seems like it's been a long time since I've seen that child. Do you remember him?"
The girls at the table stopped gossiping. They all knew that Rin Nohara had lost her memory due to serious injuries sustained in the war, so she rarely talked about her past. Hearing the question, they all looked at Rin with concern.
"Grandma, are you talking about that Uchiha Clan genius, Obito Uchiha?"
"I'm sorry, Obito sacrificed himself for the village. He was a hero of Konoha."
" Kakashi and I were saved because of Obito. He saved many of his comrades and was an amazing ninja!"
Rin Nohara tilted her head, looking as if reminiscing, and quickly responded. At the end, a look of reverence appeared on the girl's face.
Kakashi told him that Obito had perfectly inherited the Will of Fire, and with his talent, he might even become Hokage in the future.
After hearing about how such a genius made a sacrifice for his comrades, Rin Nohara had great respect for Obito.
The old woman suddenly fell silent. On the ground, unnoticed by anyone, a small twig suddenly retracted into the soil. The message spread rapidly, and soon Obito, who was near the Memorial Stone, sensed the information through the White Zetsu he was possessing.
Although the mask concealed Obito's expression, Black Zetsu, with half his head visible on the ground, could sense the boy's suppressed emotions.
Unseen by Obito, Black Zetsu's smile widened, the chilling Chakra filling him with an unusual joy; the Executor had no need for kindness.
The White Zetsu that possessed him suddenly removed its mask, and white tentacles waved back and forth in front of Obito. A puzzled voice followed. "If I remember correctly, you and I touched her artery together back then."
"His heart was pierced; he was already dead!"
" Kakashi was in a terrible state too; he had four fatal wounds on his chest alone. He gave up his defense and was instantly killed by the Kirigakure Ninja."
"The Rin Nohara we see now doesn't seem to be the same girl as before, and the same goes for Kakashi; their Chakra fluctuations are completely different!"
Even though the White Zetsu had already discovered that the two had been resurrected, they suddenly put on an amazing performance, acting as if they were truly empathizing with Obito, repeatedly bringing up the past that the boy least wanted to recall.
Shut up! Don't say another word!
"Lin... how could Lin forget me?"
"Am I a genius of the Uchiha? Am I a hero of Konoha?"
"This isn't Rin, this isn't Kakashi, this isn't me!"
After Obito low growl, Obito once again transformed into a vortex and disappeared. Unlike before, this time his return to the spatial dimension was extremely fast, surprising even Black Zetsu: "This guy has trained for so long and hasn't achieved such results, but now, in less than a week, he's actually accomplished it!"
"That kindness in your heart has indeed been hindering you all along; embrace despair..."
In a space no one could enter, Obito screamed in agony once more. His best friend's resurrection should have been a good thing, but after observing for four...
The diva was completely overwhelmed by fear.
Even now, Obito can still recall the moment he confirmed his friend's death; that hellish night lingers in his mind.
Bearing this hatred until now, the two of them have been living happily in Konoha, Obito cannot accept.
Obito found a broken mirror somewhere, and when Obito looked at himself in the mirror, he immediately collapsed to his knees, utterly helpless.
Half his face was covered in scars, and his disheveled long black hair obscured his left eye. His exposed scarlet right eye was filled with indifference and hatred, and the complex pattern on it looked extremely malevolent.
This isn't me!
How did I become like this?!
"Ah!!"
Obito covered his eyes with his right hand and screamed in agony. The special Chakra secreted in his brain amplified his despair, and under the influence of the pain, his eye power increased once again.
Even though careful thought would reveal the flaws, Obito reverted to his "Kenji" mode, his mind filled with Rin Nohara and Kakashi's happy life these past few days.
When they reappeared near the Memorial Stone, it was already evening. Obito lay on his back on the ground, letting the White Zetsu complete its possession.
What he didn't know was that in just the last few hours, the White Zetsu had been overjoyed; their reaction was simply too amusing...
Why not confirm it in person?
"If you just appear in front of Rin Nohara and ask her directly, you should be able to resolve your confusion, right?"
"Would you like us to create an opportunity for you? It just so happens that Shu Furukawa and Kakashi aren't here right now."
The White Zetsu's comical voice appeared again, Obito's fear returned after hearing the suggestion. His right hand trembled as he propped himself up.
The White Zetsu in the distance had half their heads buried in the ground. They all knew that Rin Nohara wouldn't recognize Obito at all; the person looked very different from the one in the photo.
More importantly, the Obito that Kakashi mentioned was already dead, and the Obito image described by the girl was also embellished.
"Lin should recognize me, right?"
"She will always be watching over me..."
Obito seemed to be comforting himself, the White Zetsu on his body swaying its tentacles, responding in a sincere voice, "If it were the original Rin Nohara, she would definitely recognize you!"
"She comes here every Friday, should we prepare?"
Obito nodded silently. He had to confirm it in person; maybe seeing him would help the girl remember everything.
On Friday evening, as the sun set, Rin Nohara came to the Memorial Stone to replace the flowers after work, something she and Kakashi did every week.
Upon arriving at Obito Uchiha's tombstone, the girl noticed an unfamiliar figure. After a closer look, she estimated that the person was about 175 cm tall.
At this moment, Obito felt short of breath and his heart was pounding. He carefully dressed up and covered his right cheek with his long hair to hide most of the scars.
As Rin Nohara drew closer, the face he had longed for day and night showed some changes. Obito turned his head to greet her, but the girl bowed slightly and asked curiously, "Senpai, are you here to visit Obito too?"
When Obito Uchiha heard "senpai," his mind went blank. Overwhelmed with emotion, his Sharingan almost materialized on the spot. He couldn't describe how he felt at that moment.
"With the weather getting warmer, the number of tasks seems to have increased a bit. Obito will definitely be happy to see someone come to visit him."
"So you're also from the Uchiha Clan, senpai? Did you come from the Naka Shrine?"
"If Obito were still alive, he probably would have moved there too, since it's a gathering place for the Uchiha Clan's genius ninjas."
As Rin Nohara spoke softly, she replaced the flowers on Obito's gravestone.
The girl's gentle smile Obito Uchiha on the other side, but he felt an overwhelming sadness. "Thank you for coming to see him."
Rin Nohara paused slightly upon hearing the deep, husky voice, turned to look at her "senpai," and then lowered her head to whisper, " Obito saved me and Kakashi; we will always watch over him."
"I won't disturb you and Obito's conversation any longer. People of the same clan must have a lot to talk about."
Watching the girl bow and say goodbye, Obito Uchiha stood motionless in front of his own tombstone.
As night fell, the boy was utterly overwhelmed by despair, tears welling in his bloodshot eyes. "I... I really am in hell..."
97
The weeping Obito vanished instantly from the vortex. Once in his own space, the boy staggered and collapsed to the ground, repeatedly pounding his fist before screaming madly, "Rin is dead! Kakashi is dead too!"
"All of you who are alive are imposters!"
"I absolutely refuse to accept this reality!"
The possessed White Zetsu was secretly amazed by the fluctuations of Obito's Chakra; this icy eye power even affected his own body.
After watching a good show, the Executor successfully evolved, and White Zetsu was secretly delighted. He couldn't wait to share what had just happened with his companions.
Kakashi, who is participating in an exchange mission in Sunagakure, has been frequently given the Byakugan by Chiyo in recent days. The old woman thinks of Sasori of the Red Sands deserter, whenever she sees him.
If Sasori's parents hadn't died, perhaps Sunagakure wouldn't be in this state now.
For once, there was no sandstorm. After the morning sharing session, Kakashi was surrounded by many young Sunagakure Ninja. Some clamored for a sparring match, while some girls asked questions with admiring eyes.
Behind the room, Pakura, now disguised Shu Furukawa, looked at everything that was both familiar and strange with a complex expression. It seemed that everyone here had forgotten her.
"Speaking of which, you actually held back some of these secret techniques for confirming Jinchuriki when you couldn't obtain them back then!"
Shu Furukawa came to Sunagakure to assess the opponent's strength and check on the Jinchuriki's situation, but he ended up seeing Rasa showing off his youngest son.
Chiyo glared at the "demon" beside her. The old woman's face darkened at the thought of the village's secret techniques being stolen, "There were no secret techniques, just a strange premonition!"
"That child possesses his mother's Chakra; this love can lessen the Tailed Beast's corruption of him."
" The Jinchuriki is an absolute secret, you evil brat, now you can rest easy!"
"It will take Gaara at least ten years to grow up, Sunagakure Ninja just want a peaceful life."
Seeing the disappointment on Chiyo's face, Shu Furukawa immediately comforted her. When the conversation turned to Gaara again, he subtly reminded her, "Protect your Jinchuriki, and remember to prepare well. You might need to use the One's Own Life Reincarnation in the future!"
"Damn it! Is this some kind of blackmail? You evil brat, you're trying to take advantage of the Jinchuriki again?"
Chiyo immediately retorted angrily, but Shu Furukawa calmly shook his head and looked at the furious old woman seriously, saying, "The power of the Tailed Beast is nothing special. I'm not particularly interested in them right now."
"The reason I'm reminding you to master forbidden techniques is for the good of Sunagakure. In case of unforeseen circumstances, you'll have more options."
Chiyo pouted angrily but couldn't refute it. Without even needing to sense it carefully, the Chakra fluctuations emanating from Shu Furukawa were frightening enough.
When Kakashi was pulled to the training ground by the enthusiastic Sunagakure Ninja, the Konoha Ninja watching also started to cheer. This familiar scene reminded him of his time at the Ninja Academy.
Dealing with the Sunagakure Village youths was not difficult; their combat experience and Chakra usage were on completely different levels.
Wearing a white headscarf, Baki was the only outstanding young ninja from Sunagakure Ninja, and his Wind Release caused Kakashi some trouble.
However, after the close-quarters combat and the introduction of the sword technique, Baki quickly found himself at a disadvantage. When Kakashi kicked the short sword out of his hand, he could only helplessly lower his head and admit defeat. "I lost..."
"Your foundation is quite good, but you lack some experience. It's obvious the village is intentionally protecting you."
Kakashi casually commented, then sheathed his short sword behind his back, drawing cheers from the surrounding ninjas.
Noticing Baki's resentful gaze, Kakashi seemed lost in thought again. He silently walked to the sidelines, sighing inwardly, " Obito, I couldn't understand your feelings back then. I really wish you were still here..."
"Someone as show-off as you would probably really enjoy this kind of task!"