Obito's eyes burned like blazing flames as he stared fixedly at Shi Xiu before him, as if he wanted to tear him apart.
The situation was undoubtedly extremely unfavorable for Obito.
At this critical moment, a graceful figure raced over like lightning. It was Rin.
Without hesitation, Rin rushed toward Obito, moving so fast it was astonishing.
Obito instinctively tried to raise the long blade in his hand to defend himself. But when he saw that the person charging toward him was Rin, his heart jolted, and he forcibly suppressed his urge to swing the blade.
Rin rushed up to Obito like a gust of wind and, without the slightest hesitation, opened her arms and hugged him tightly.
Her beautiful face pressed against Obito's chest as she said earnestly,
"Obito, don't keep going down this path! Come back with us. Let's go home together!"
Rin's voice trembled slightly, full of concern and worry for Obito.
In fact, from what Obito had said just now, Rin had gradually realized that his transformation into the person he was now might have had a great deal to do with her.
So, although she knew full well how dangerous this was, Rin still rushed forward without hesitation. She believed in Obito and truly wanted to persuade him to turn back.
Sure enough, when Obito heard Rin's heartfelt words, a trace of confusion flickered in his previously murderous gaze.
At that moment, Obito looked at Rin holding him, and her words—"Let's go home together"—echoed endlessly in his mind.
Seeing this, Shi Xiu couldn't help feeling moved. He couldn't help thinking to himself,
Sometimes, only the person who tied the knot could untie it! In the original story, Naruto had spent dozens of episodes earnestly trying to talk Obito around, but he still hadn't managed to sway him.
Who would have thought that Rin had managed to shake Obito with just a few words?
At the same time, Kushina slowly walked forward. With a gentle smile on her face, she softly embraced Obito and said, "Obito, good boy, don't keep making mistakes."
From a distance, Minato saw Rin and Kushina both step forward to persuade Obito, and his own feet began to carry him forward.
As Minato drew closer, a trace of guilt was unmistakable in his eyes.
At last, Minato stopped in front of Obito and apologized sincerely, his words earnest and his tone heartfelt. "Obito, I'm truly sorry!"
Seeing this, Shi Xiu immediately understood that there was no longer any need for him to get involved.
So Shi Xiu simply plopped down on the ground, wrapped his arms around his knees, and watched the scene unfolding before him with great interest.
Obito's gaze moved back and forth between Rin and Minato and Kushina, whom he had personally killed. His heart was filled with conflict and turmoil.
Obito's gaze finally settled on Minato. His throat was slightly hoarse as he struggled to ask, "T-teacher... don't you blame me at all?"
Minato gazed quietly at Obito, raised a hand, and gently patted his shoulder. Then he let out a deep sigh.
Then, as if he wanted to pour out all the words he had kept bottled up for so long, he slowly began to speak. "I know this wasn't entirely your fault. As Team 7's teacher, I failed to protect my students. And as Hokage of Konoha, I failed to protect the village..."
As he spoke, Minato lowered his head slightly and fell silent for a moment, as if recalling painful memories.
After a brief pause, he raised his head again. A warm, gentle smile had blossomed across his face as he continued,
"But what I'm grateful for is that you're still alive and well, Obito! That's truly the best news I could have hoped for!"
When Minato's words reached Obito's ears, the emotions he had been struggling to suppress deep inside surged out like a flood breaking through a dam.
The face Obito usually kept hidden behind his mask, cold and resolute, finally crumbled completely.
Two streams of tears slid uncontrollably from beneath his Sharingan and Rinnegan, as if releasing all the pain and regret he had endured over the years.
Seeing this once-familiar yet now-strange man lose control like that, Kushina and Rin couldn't help feeling a surge of pity for him.
Without hesitation, the two women reached out and gently wiped the tears from Obito's cheeks.
Kushina even stroked Obito's hair like a loving mother, trying to comfort him that way.
Obito hugged Kushina tightly and burst into tears, repeating the same remorseful words over and over.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Every word struck the hearts of everyone present like a heavy hammer.
Shi Xiu watched in silence, thinking to himself, This time, Obito really couldn't hide his tears.
But just then, Shi Xiu suddenly sensed something strange.
Shi Xiu frowned slightly, his keen gaze quickly sweeping over the ceiling. Then, without warning, he stood up and roared at it, "Come out!"
Shi Xiu's sudden shout exploded through the room like a clap of thunder.
Obito and the others shuddered in fright, and the warm, touching atmosphere vanished in an instant.
They all stared at Shi Xiu in astonishment, unable to understand why he had reacted so dramatically.
Shi Xiu flashed forward, leaped high into the air, and slammed a punch into the ceiling.
With a thunderous crash, the ceiling shattered into countless pieces, and clouds of dust tumbled down around them.
At the same time, a clump of black, unidentified matter fell from the hole in the ceiling.
"Black Zetsu!" Obito cried, somewhat surprised, as he looked at the writhing black mass on the ground.
Now that Black Zetsu saw he had been discovered, he simply stopped hiding.
His face twisted in fury as he shouted, "Obito, you ungrateful wretch! How dare you betray the great Lord Madara!"
Hearing this, Shi Xiu's lips curled into a disdainful sneer.
Shi Xiu suddenly lifted his foot and stomped down on Black Zetsu with all his strength.
"Heh, 'the great Lord Madara.' What a true master schemer you are!" Shi Xiu mocked, his gaze sharp as he stared down at Black Zetsu beneath his foot.
Shi Xiu's sudden kick left Black Zetsu completely dazed, and for a moment he couldn't recover.
When he had finally regained a little of his senses, he heard Shi Xiu's deeply mocking words. His heart sank, and a vague sense of foreboding rose within him.
"What exactly do you mean?" Black Zetsu gritted his teeth and demanded, forcing the words out through his pain.
But Shi Xiu acted as if he hadn't heard Black Zetsu's question. He simply continued speaking at his own pace. "Black Zetsu, a mass of chakra split from Kaguya Otsutsuki when she was sealed a thousand years ago. To break the seal and resurrect your 'mother,' Princess Kaguya, you altered the prophecy stone tablet left behind by the Sage of Six Paths."
With every word Shi Xiu spoke, Black Zetsu's expression grew more terrified. When Shi Xiu mentioned Princess Kaguya, he shouted, "Shut up!"
Shi Xiu paid no attention to Black Zetsu's helpless rage and continued, "You tricked Madara Uchiha into gathering the Tailed Beasts and summoning the Ten-Tails, so he would cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi and resurrect Kaguya."
Hearing Shi Xiu reveal his origins and purpose, Black Zetsu immediately wilted.
He simply couldn't understand how Shi Xiu knew so much.
At this, Obito and the others were stunned by Shi Xiu's words and Black Zetsu's reaction.