Obito: Could You Be Kuro in Disguise?

After a brief period of confusion, Obito's consciousness gradually returned to clarity.

He subconsciously opened his eyes, and what came into view was a space with no clear boundary between heaven and earth.

In the boundless view, a gentle pink halo flowed all around, like diluted sunset.

"Here it is..."

Obito looked around blankly, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

"Where did that guy take me?"

He murmured in confusion, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he seemed to realize something and paused in surprise.

My own voice... seems a little off?

Obito subconsciously lowered his head and looked at his hands.

Those were the hands of a boy, without the pale skin that would later appear due to the transplantation of Hashirama Cells, and without the thick calluses that had been stained with blood and sin for years.

He seemed to understand something, and raised his hand to touch his face.

It felt smooth and even to the touch, and the hideous scar on the right cheek was gone.

His current appearance is strikingly Uchiha Obito, who was still in Konoha and dreamed of becoming Hokage!

"This--"

Obito sensed the changes happening to his body, paused for a moment, and then quickly accepted the situation.

He sighed helplessly and lowered his hands back to his sides.

"Ugh, that guy, he should have finished what he was saying. He suddenly dragged me into this weird place and turned me into this state. It's all so inexplicable."

Obito stroked his chin, his eyes slightly narrowed, as if pondering a certain possibility:

"Tsk, could this be one of his pranks...?"

After all, he hadn't held me accountable for always secretly eating his snacks.

It's not impossible that they might take revenge on me before I unleash my Rinne Rebirth Technique.

At this point, he shook his head sharply, immediately dismissing his own guess:

"No, that shouldn't be it. Although that guy Kou is indeed quite petty, he shouldn't use Lin's matter to tease me."

So what exactly is this...?

"Obito?"

Hearing the sudden call from behind, Obito's displeased expression froze.

His body seemed to be frozen in place; all his movements stopped in that instant.

He would never forget that voice.

Even after so many years, even after so many things have happened, even after he has traveled far and committed such heinous crimes, he has never forgotten.

That gentle... call.

"Lin!!"

Obito suddenly turned his head, and what came into view was the petite figure of a chestnut-haired girl.

Lin stood in the pink halo, her beautiful short hair swaying gently in the flowing light, her face delicate and bright, with a crescent-shaped smile.

Her bright eyes were fixed on the boy before her, filled with barely suppressed excitement and a hint of playful teasing.

"I didn't expect to hear you gossiping about Kou behind his back as soon as I saw you. If Kou finds out, he'll definitely get his revenge."

"It's exactly the same as before, whether it was when you were in Konoha or when you were in Mist Village."

Lin shook her head with feigned helplessness, looking at Obito with a smile. Just as she was about to say something, a familiar aura enveloped her.

Obito rushed up to her and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Lin, is it really you? Lin!!"

Rin was taken aback at first, but as she felt Obito's trembling body, a gentle light flashed in her eyes.

She slowly raised her hand and wrapped it around Obito's neck, holding the head buried in her shoulder even tighter.

The two embraced quietly in this space, a pink halo slowly swirling around them, as if preserving this moment that belonged only to them.

After an unknown amount of time, Obito's body stopped trembling, and his eyes gradually regained their clarity.

He tilted his head slightly, looking at Lin's profile so close to his chest, and instantly realized what he had just done, his eyes widening in shock.

"Ugh, ahhh!!"

Obito abruptly released his grip, bouncing backward a considerable distance, and frantically waved his hands:

I'm so sorry!

I'm not, that, this--"

Lin was startled by the sudden noise. Feeling the warmth disappear from her arms, the slight disappointment in her heart hadn't even had time to surface before it was somewhat dispelled by his silly appearance, and she chuckled:

"Seriously, that's incredibly rude of you, Obito."

"It's such a precious reunion, why are you acting like you've seen something terrifying?"

"I'm sorry, Lin! But, but..."

Suppressing his shock, Obito looked at Rin before him, a deep sense of doubt rising within him.

If I were already dead, seeing Lin now would still make me excited, but it wouldn't seem unreasonable.

But now, he is certain that he is still alive.

Even with the method of knocking, it shouldn't be possible to directly pull the souls of the Pure Land into the mortal world.

And judging from what Lin just said, it seems she also knows about what happened between him and Kou when they were in Mist Village?

Lin shouldn't have known about these things.

Could it be that--

Obito seemed to have thought of something, and looked at Rin with a strange expression.

Rin, feeling Obito's strange gaze, tilted her head in confusion:

"What's wrong, Obito?"

"Wait, don't speak yet!"

Obito observed Rin suspiciously, his gaze sweeping over her face again and again, as if searching for some flaw.

After a long pause, he pointed a finger at Lin and said suspiciously:

"Although it seems unlikely, you... you wouldn't be Kou in disguise, deliberately trying to trick me, would you!"

"Ah, ah?"

Lin was taken aback at first, but then couldn't help covering her mouth and laughing:

"Pfft, hahaha..."

"I knew it!"

Obito pointed at Rin, his voice rising several decibels, as if he were truly enraged:

"Hey, I know you have a lot of opinions about me, but what you're doing is going too far!"

Since it's Lin who's playing tricks on me, I'll never forgive her, not even if it's you!

"You've gone too far, knock!"

"Haha, no, why would you think that, Obito?"

Rin suppressed a smile and said helplessly to Obito:

"I'm not pretending, it's real. You're overthinking it."

"Liar!"

A flicker of hesitation crossed Obito's eyes, followed by a furious outburst:

"If you are Lin, how could you possibly know about what happened between me and Koko in Mist Village?"

I'm not the same person I used to be; I won't be fooled so easily!

"No, Obito, you haven't changed much since then... at least that's how it seems to me."

Rin smiled helplessly at first, then her gaze softened as she looked at Obito's flushed face.

"However, I can give you an answer as to why I know about you and Kou in Mist Village."

Under Obito's still somewhat suspicious gaze, Rin looked at him intently and murmured softly:

"That's because I've always been by your side, always... watching over you."