Cold rain battered his face.
It mingled with blood, with mud, with a numb, dull ache.
Obito's hand hovered in midair, just an inch from Liuyu's pale, clean hand.
His fingertips trembled violently.
It was as though he was about to touch not a hand, but the entrance to an unknown abyss.
Just then-
"There's another Konoha ninja over there!"
"Is he a monster? That half of his body..."
"Who cares what he is! Kill him too!"
The Kirigakure Anbu had spotted Obito, who had suddenly appeared.
After a brief moment of shock, their killing intent gathered once more.
Several Anbu broke away from the encirclement around Kakashi and lunged at Obito as he knelt in the mud, kunai and ninja blades in hand, like sharks scenting blood!
Their blades reflected the chill of the rain.
Their killing intent pierced the stagnant air.
Obito did not move.
He did not even look up.
The hand that was about to touch Liuyu's remained suspended.
His eyes reflected only the hideous, bloody hole in Rin's chest in the distance, and the silhouette of a devastated Kakashi holding her body.
The attacks around him, the threat to his life-all of it seemed separated from him by a thick pane of frosted glass, blurred and distant.
"Hmph."
Liuyu gave an almost inaudible snort.
The fingers of the hand resting on Obito's left shoulder curled slightly.
"Since you can't make up your mind..."
"Let your body's instincts choose for you."
The instant his words fell-
Crack.
A faint, brittle sound, as though some shackle had broken, rang out deep inside Obito.
It was not bone, nor flesh.
Something more fundamental-a "limit" restraining a savage power-had been undone.
"Aaaaaargh!!!!"
Obito suddenly threw back his head and let out a scream even more agonized, even more inhuman