Minato Namikaze was in turmoil.
He had no idea what to choose.
On one hand, Obito was his favorite student, and one he felt deeply guilty about. If he hadn't arrived so late, Obito and Rin wouldn't have died.
On the other hand, Obito was the one responsible for his and his wife Kushina's deaths. If not for Obito, Naruto wouldn't have been orphaned at birth.
But after remembering everything Obito had been through, he found himself wanting to forgive him.
Before Naruto was born, back when Obito was still in Konoha, he and Kushina had treated Obito like their own son.
Minato helped Obito to his feet, then went to sit by a tree and think about what to do.
Could he really forgive him just like that? What about the suffering Kushina and Naruto had endured?
Sigh. He'd better let Kushina and the others decide.
If only I'd been a little faster back then. Just a little faster.
Minato stood up and looked at Obito, who had knelt before him again.
"Let's go. I bear some responsibility for what happened to you. I was your teacher, but I failed to protect you. If only I'd been faster and gotten there in time to help, none of this would have happened."
"But... I can't just forgive you. My family shouldn't have to bear the consequences of my mistakes. Whether to forgive you in the end is up to your teacher's wife. If she forgives you, I will too. If she doesn't... then I'll act as though you were never my student."
Obito stared at Minato in disbelief.
He hadn't expected his teacher to say that he might forgive him.
After learning the truth about the conspiracy, he had begun to guess why his teacher had arrived late. If