As the billowing dust slowly settled, a scene of utter devastation came into view.
Obito lay battered on the ground, half his body pinned beneath a massive boulder. Blood streamed from his forehead, staining the earth a horrifying red.
His breathing was shallow and labored. Each breath seemed to take the last of his strength.
"Kakashi..." Obito said with difficulty, his voice hoarse and weak, yet firm beyond question. "No matter what the people in the village say, you're the best jonin. I've always argued with you, but deep down, I've always respected you."
He paused, then struggled to raise his hand, as if trying to grasp something.
"This is a small token from me..."
Obito's gaze slowly shifted to his eye.
"Use it to protect Rin... Promise me you'll do it."
His eyes were full of hope and trust. At that moment, he entrusted Kakashi with the entire responsibility of protecting Rin.
Then Obito turned his head toward Rin, who was sobbing uncontrollably nearby. In a voice so faint it was almost inaudible, he pleaded, "Rin... Please, take one of my Sharingan and give it to Kakashi."
Rin covered her mouth, tears pouring from her eyes like a burst dam. Her hands trembled, but she couldn't bring herself to move.
After Obito urged her again and again, Rin gritted her teeth and fought back her grief. Following his instructions, she removed the Sharingan and implanted it in Kakashi's injured eye socket.
With the destruction of Kannabi Bridge, the Iwa Ninja could no longer cross the natural barrier to attack Konoha. They had no choice but to announce their retreat, though they still demanded that Konoha compensate them for the losses incurred in the attack. Otherwise, they would continue the war.
Under pressure, Konoha was forced to comply. For the sake of peace, Hiruzen Sarutobi reluctantly paid a vast amount of resources in exchange for it.
Sunagakure suffered a complete defeat and never recovered after the Battle of Kikyo Pass. They could only sign an alliance treaty with Konoha, while demanding a large amount of wealth and resources from the village to stabilize their alliance.
Out on the sea, Uchiha Shisui watched the Kirigakure forces retreat like a receding tide and sighed helplessly. His template progress had reached halfway, and he had only just unlocked the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. He hadn't even used his Perfect Susanoo, yet the enemy had already run off.
How was he supposed to show off now? His reputation still hadn't even caught up with Namikaze Minato's. Though he couldn't rule out the possibility that the Hokage faction was deliberately suppressing the Uchiha Clan's contributions.
Kumogakure would send envoys to Konoha later to discuss reparations after the war.
After returning to Konoha, the Uchiha Clan had clearly distinguished themselves on the Mist Battlefield, yet Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't even mention their name. Meanwhile, Namikaze Minato was praised to the heavens.
The villagers and jonin were deeply dissatisfied with Hiruzen Sarutobi for paying the defeated side in the name of peace. The Daimyo announced that Hiruzen Sarutobi would step down, and Namikaze Minato became the Fourth Hokage.
And so, at the end of Year 50, the Third Shinobi World War came to a complete end.
"Damn it! The war's already over, but Kirigakure Ninja are still inside the Land of Fire!"
Kakashi fled toward Konoha with Rin, dodging the Mist Ninja pursuing them from behind.
"Damn it, I'm almost out of chakra. The Sharingan is draining me much more than before."
After killing two of the Mist Ninja who had been closing in on them, Kakashi panted as he spoke.
Just then, Rin's heart lurched. She saw the enormous creature inside her.
"Kakashi, kill me!"
"Rin? What are you talking about?"
As they spoke, dozens of Kirigakure Ninja quickly surrounded them.
"We're not getting away! Chidori!"
Facing the two who had surrounded them, Kakashi used up his last bit of chakra to unleash Chidori.
Rin's body was so weak she seemed like a withered leaf that might drift away at any moment. She leaned against Kakashi's ear with difficulty and, in a faint voice, revealed Kirigakure's plan.
As Kakashi listened, his pupils shrank, his face filled with incredulous shock.
He had never imagined that Kirigakure would be so depraved as to seal a Tailed Beast inside Rin, then try to use her return to Konoha as an opportunity to make it run wild and take revenge on the village.
The scheme's cruelty and malice far exceeded anything he could have imagined. For a moment, his mind went blank, shock and fury surging through him.
Just as Kakashi stood frozen by the shocking plot, his thoughts in disarray, Rin suddenly moved.
Somehow, she found the strength to quickly lift Kakashi's hand. Then she thrust her abdomen straight toward the Chidori crackling in his palm.
"Thud!" The sound of Chidori piercing flesh was dull and grating. Blood gushed from Rin's abdomen at once, soaking her clothes red.
A faint but relieved smile tugged at Rin's lips, as if she had finally accomplished something incredibly important.
Her eyes gradually lost focus, and her body could no longer hold itself up. She collapsed backward.
"Rin!" Kakashi came to his senses as if from a dream and cried out in anguish. "Why? Why would you do this..."
All that answered him was Rin's fading body heat and a deathly silence.
As blood and tears mingled, the curved Mangekyō Sharingan rotated in Kakashi's eye. At that moment, his last bit of chakra ran out, and he too collapsed, powerless.
The moment Rin's life faded and Kakashi fell from pain and despair, Obito felt as if an invisible hand had clenched his heart.
His world crumbled in an instant. Everything before him blurred, leaving only Rin's lifeless face circling endlessly in his mind.
"Ah!! Ah!" Obito threw back his head and howled. His voice brimmed with boundless pain, fury, and despair. The cry sounded like a wail from the depths of hell, making the air around him tremble.
The Three-Tomoe Sharingan in his eyes spun rapidly. A moment later, it slowly evolved into the Mangekyō Sharingan. Blood-red light flickered in his eyes, radiating a chilling menace.
As Obito lost control, a powerful and uncanny force surged out of him.
The earth shook violently. Countless sharp wooden spikes burst from the ground like the fangs of demons clawing their way out of hell, spreading wildly outward from Obito.
The Kirigakure Ninja had no time to react before the sudden Wood Style: Cutting Sprigs pierced them through.
Cries and screams rang out without end. Blood splattered across the surrounding earth, making the battlefield even more sinister and horrifying.
When all was still, Obito slowly walked toward Rin's body. His steps were heavy and slow, each one like a footfall on his shattered heart.
He gently crouched down, his hands trembling as he lifted Rin's cold body. Then he slowly knelt beneath the pale moon.
Moonlight fell over him and Rin. It should have been gentle and serene, but now it seemed to carry endless sorrow.
Obito gazed down at Rin's face. Tears and bloody tears spilled uncontrollably from his eyes, dropping one by one onto her face. His lips trembled slightly.
"This world is hell!"
The moon reflected on the water had, at some point, turned blood-red. It was as though the cruel slaughter and grief had stained it through, perfectly mirroring Obito's despair and fury.