"Obito, it's been a long time."
To Obito's surprise, Minato Namikaze, who had been so angry and disappointed by his confession six months ago that he had stopped speaking to him and avoided him ever since,
appeared before him once more.
Minato Namikaze wore a black tactical vest and a white Fox Mask that covered most of his face as he emerged from the shade of the trees.
He found a rock and sat down without waiting for an invitation.
"Minato-sensei..."
"I..."
Obito's voice caught as he tried to wipe the tears from his face. He had forgotten he was wearing a mask, however, and his hand only touched his Orange Spiral Mask.
"Obito, the Nine-Tails' Rampage happened more than a decade ago. Naruto has already grown up."
"It's... time for you to move forward, too!"
Sitting on the bluestone, Minato was overwhelmed by conflicting emotions as he tried to comfort Obito, whom he had once raised like his own son.
Six months had given him time to regain his composure.
He could now calmly face everything that had happened in Konoha.
At the same time, Kakashi's reaction on this occasion had made it clear to Minato that Obito's situation could no longer be left unresolved.
He had once lost two students, Obito and Rin, one after the other. Now, at long last, all his students had returned to life. Though there were flaws and things that fell short of his hopes, he knew this was already the best outcome he could ask for.
"Minato-sensei." Beneath his mask, Obito's lips twisted into a bitter smile. "After all the wrongs I've committed, after hurting so many families... can someone like me really move forward?"
Minato paused for a few seconds, giving Obito time to settle down and get his emotions under