Obito Bait

Rin Nohara.

One of the key players in the tears hidden within Kamui.

As Uchiha Obito's deceased white moonlight, she truly was the perfect Obito bait.

Especially in the original story, beneath Obito's cheerful exterior lay loneliness, and Rin Nohara was the only one who had always paid attention to him, mediated for him, and given him fleeting warmth.

Many people said Rin Nohara did not like Obito, but Kakashi—that it had all been Obito's one-sided wishful thinking.

But so what?

To Obito, Rin Nohara might not have been his moon, but at one particular moment, that white moonlight truly had shone upon him.

Was that perhaps why his two-tomoe Sharingan had been able to leap straight to the Mangekyō Sharingan?

After all, when it came to feelings, nothing could surpass a deceased white moonlight.

Especially one who had died right before his eyes.

Come to think of it, in the original story, Rin Nohara had always comforted Obito whenever things went wrong for him, and then Obito fell for this gentle girl. That counted as the suspension bridge effect, didn't it?

While Uchiha Makoto was lost in thought, Uchiha Xuan beside him sucked in a sharp breath.

"Makoto, that is Lord Sakumo's..."

Uchiha Xuan asked softly, his gaze fixed squarely on Kakashi.

"That's right. He's White Fang's son, Hatake Kakashi."

As Uchiha Makoto nodded in confirmation, the wistful, sentimental look on Uchiha Xuan's face deepened.

"He's already grown this much?"

During the Second Shinobi World War, he had served under Sakumo Hatake, whom he had always deeply admired.

Especially since the last time he had seen Kakashi was at Sakumo Hatake's funeral. Kakashi had only been six then.

In the blink of an eye, Kakashi had become a ninja.

At that moment, who knew what Kakashi had said, but Obito suddenly jumped up and shouted, "I'm going to become the first Hokage in Uchiha history!"

"Dead last can't become Hokage."

"Then I'll be the first one!"

Seeing Uchiha Obito confidently thump his chest, passersby kept turning to look.

Watching from afar, Uchiha Makoto could not help covering his face.

Honestly, he felt embarrassed for Obito. With Obito acting like this, proclaiming in public that he would be the future Hokage, how was that any different from taking a sh*t in the street?

And the guy did not even realize how embarrassing it was.

"Kakashi, Obito isn't dead last anymore!"

Rin beside them refuted him solemnly, and the others nearby nodded in full agreement.

During their studies and training at the Ninja Academy, due to his personality and other reasons, Obito had long ranked near the bottom of the elite class.

But after being drilled in actual combat and sparring within the clan, Obito's "physical" methods had improved by leaps and bounds.

The classmates who had once been about as strong as him could now be effortlessly beaten senseless by Obito.

In battles between Ninja Academy students, there was no concern for elemental counters or ninjutsu exchanges. What mattered most was the fundamentals of taijutsu and combat awareness.

As Obito broke free from being dead last and rose abruptly through the ranks, many of his peers also came to understand anew what it meant to be an Uchiha.

However, the one mocking him now was Kakashi. Before Kakashi, who had already become a chunin, Obito was still just Obito.

Just like Senju Tobirama before Senju Hashirama, no matter how capable he became, he would always be the little brother.

"Ahhh, Kakashi, I want to duel you!"

Watching Obito blush furiously and stomp around in anger, Rin Nohara simply could not hold back her laughter.

"You two are so funny whenever you bicker. Honestly."

"Who's bickering with Kakashi? I'm not."

Uchiha Obito huffily turned his head away and muttered with a red face.

"I'm just telling him the facts."

"Fine. If you say it's a fact, then it's a fact."

Hatake Kakashi folded his arms, wearing an expression that said whatever you said was right.

Uchiha Obito found it even harder to save face. He turned back, craning his neck stubbornly.

"Hmph, coward! Do you dare duel me today?"

"What, can't wait to get beaten up?"

Hatake Kakashi's further mockery made Uchiha Obito's eyes flash with fury.

"Nonsense! I'm far stronger than I used to be. I'll knock all your teeth out!"

Uchiha Obito gritted his teeth and made his threat.

"You should spend more time in the sun. Get a little darker, then no one will call you an idiot anymore!"

Kakashi's cold remark left Obito utterly speechless.

The few friends beside him also tried to calm him down, keeping his second-fool personality trait firmly intact.

All in all, things were fairly harmonious.

That was perfectly normal.

After all, the children of these ninja clans did not enter the Ninja Academy to learn its meager handful of ninjutsu. Building connections was their main purpose.

They would grow up together at school, then form three-man squads and be led by an elite ninja. They were the pillars of Konoha's next thirty years!

"Alright, alright, stop arguing, you two." Rin Nohara smiled as she mediated. "If you want to compete, save it for later."

Hearing Rin Nohara's words, both Uchiha Obito and Hatake Kakashi calmed down.

"But Obito, you really are strong now."

Rin Nohara looked at Uchiha Obito and spoke approvingly.

"I believe you can definitely become an outstanding ninja."

"Of course! I'm the man who'll become Hokage!" Uchiha Obito said smugly.

"Hmph!"

For once, Hatake Kakashi did not mock him. He merely snorted coldly.

Clearly, he did not particularly like certain things Obito had said.

Watching the little group gradually head farther away from the clan grounds, Uchiha Xuan said with certainty.

"Looks like that boy Obito likes that girl. I just don't know whether that girl likes Obito."

"She does. She absolutely will."

Uchiha Makoto blinked, and a flash of red light passed through his eyes.

Rin Nohara liked Uchiha Obito. He said so, and even Kishimoto himself could not change it!

In the original story, Rin Nohara had been nothing more than a tool character. She liked Kakashi early on and Obito later on. In Kishimoto's hands, she liked whoever he wanted her to like.

The Kamui Mangekyō Sharingan could serve as one of his greatest assets. The Uchiha had to obtain it, and Rin Nohara, as the white moonlight, also had to "die" before Obito's eyes!

Of course, he could not let her truly die. Otherwise, when Obito turned dark, the clan points would definitely drop by quite a lot.

She could not die completely, nor could he intervene when Obito came under the watchful eyes of Black Zetsu and Madara Uchiha, lest he bring trouble upon himself.

He could only deepen their feelings for each other and hope that Obito would awaken because Rin Nohara was injured during the Third Shinobi World War.

As for that not being how it happened in the original story?

What the hell did Kishimoto know about Naruto!

"Now, Kishimoto, I am the author!"

"You'll regret this!"

"Bang!"

Uchiha Makoto silently added the sound effects in his mind.

Uchiha Makoto looked toward Hatake Kakashi's retreating back and narrowed his eyes—though, come to think of it, Yamato was still called Kinoe, wasn't he? Still hidden away in Root by Danzo.

If word got out that Konoha had regained Wood Release, and that its Wood Release wielder was still young, would the other four great ninja villages be able to sit still?

Heh, Konoha already has a second Madara Uchiha. Are we supposed to let you have a second Senju Hashirama too?

Do you want us to die?

If I'm not fighting you, who am I supposed to fight?

Wait until Wood Release matures and comes to fight me?