The End of Kannabi Bridge

Konoha.

The Hokage's office.

Minato Namikaze and Kushina were both consumed with guilt.

Kushina raised her hands to cover her mouth, but tears still streamed down her face.

Kushina Uzumaki remembered little Obito, who had once been so cheerful and full of life.

And gentle, well-behaved Rin Nohara.

Both had died at Kannabi Bridge...

Beside her, Minato Namikaze gently embraced her. "Kushina, you can't let yourself get too upset right now."

"Could you go back to your room and rest...?"

Kushina Uzumaki knew she was pregnant and due in just over a month.

She couldn't let her emotions run too high. "All right, Minato. Take me home to rest first."

Minato Namikaze nodded, picked Kushina up, and used the Flying Thunder God technique.

With a whoosh...

Minato and Kushina appeared in their room.

Minato Namikaze gently set Kushina down.

After telling her to get plenty of rest, Minato Namikaze hurriedly used the Flying Thunder God again.

Back in the Hokage's office, Minato Namikaze stared at the screen in the sky, his face full of guilt. "I'm sorry, Obito, Rin, Kakashi. I was your teacher, but I didn't make it in time."

Minato Namikaze gazed quietly out the window.

Only those who knew him would understand that this was when Minato Namikaze was at his angriest.

Looking out over Konoha, Minato Namikaze declared with resolve, "No matter what happens in the future this time,

"I'll protect Konoha. As the Fourth Hokage, I swear it on the name of Hokage!"

Kakashi, dressed in his Anbu uniform, stood atop a tree. In the end, he could no longer hold it in.

Obito's final words before his death had undone him.

Tears poured down his face...

"I'm sorry, Obito," Kakashi said in anguish. "In the end, I couldn't even protect Rin."

Kakashi once again remembered how Rin Nohara had died by his hand.

He clenched his right hand tightly...

Just then, Itachi Uchiha appeared below the tree.

Itachi Uchiha looked up at Kakashi in his grief.

He recalled what the video had revealed.

It seemed that he and Kakashi would get along well enough in the future.

At last, he couldn't help saying, "Obito was as great a Ninja as White Fang.

"He was a hero of Konoha, too, and a source of pride for the Uchiha."

Hearing a child's voice, Kakashi slowly lowered his head.

Once he saw the boy's face, he remembered.

During the video of the future, the boy had asked him about his Sharingan.

Kakashi realized that the child before him was Itachi Uchiha of the Uchiha.

Itachi Uchiha looked at Kakashi with determination in his eyes. "I believe Obito is still with us.

"Your left eye is the best proof of that, Kakashi."

As if embarrassed, Itachi Uchiha ran straight home after saying that.

Naka Shrine.

Because the screen in the sky had shown Shisui Uchiha helping Naruto Uzumaki destroy the Shinobi World in the future,

the Uchiha Great Elder had confined him to the courtyard and forbidden him from going anywhere.

He would wait until the screen finished revealing the future before deciding what to do.

But...

Shisui Uchiha was full of questions. "What made my future self choose to follow Naruto Uzumaki?"

He simply couldn't understand it.

How could his future self think that way?

Shisui Uchiha knew how much he loved Konoha and how deeply he valued peace.

He had never imagined he would make such a choice in the future.

Shisui Uchiha made a vow to himself. Whatever happens, Naruto Uzumaki...

Your future self said we were brothers. This time, I'll make sure you stay safe.

But if you try to destroy the Shinobi World, I'll stop you.

Fugaku Uchiha was stunned. He hadn't paid attention to Kakashi's left eye before.

He had assumed Obito Uchiha's Sharingan had awakened one tomoe at a time.

But to his astonishment,

Obito Uchiha's Sharingan had first awakened with two tomoe.

He had skipped one tomoe entirely...

Beside Fugaku, the Uchiha Great Elder couldn't help praising him. "If that young Uchiha hadn't died back then,

"he might truly have awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan..."

Fugaku Uchiha watched the young Obito on the screen, his expression grave and composed.

The Uchiha Great Elder patted Fugaku's shoulder and sighed. "Ah..."

The Sarutobi Family.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed helplessly. "White Fang, I never thought you'd do that. This is all my fault."

"I failed to stop Danzo, and that drove White Fang to make that choice..."

Beside him, Asuma Sarutobi scoffed. "Old man, you were the Hokage, weren't you?

"White Fang was a hero of Konoha!

"He abandoned a mission to save his comrades, only to be reviled by the villagers and his own people.

"And you, the Hokage, said nothing. Heh."

Furious, Asuma Sarutobi pointed at Hiruzen Sarutobi, whose face remained calm.

Just as Asuma Sarutobi was about to continue berating Hiruzen Sarutobi,

a Ninja suddenly appeared and covered Asuma's mouth.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a weary drag on his pipe and exhaled thick clouds of smoke.

His gaze turned cold as he looked angrily toward Root in the distance.

Root's underground chamber in Konoha.

Danzo sat on a stone bench in the pitch-dark chamber.

After seeing Kakashi's left eye, Danzo said excitedly, "So that's it. A Sharingan can evolve on its own."

His face darkened as he murmured, "One day, Kakashi's Sharingan will be mine. Hahaha."

Danzo raved, "Once I take Kakashi's Sharingan, I can evolve it into the Mangekyō Sharingan! Hahaha!

"And once I have the Mangekyō Sharingan, the Hokage's seat will be mine."

If Danzo dared say that in front of Obito, Obito would have only one response: "Danzo, you fool."

I, Obito Uchiha, awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan myself. What does Kakashi have to do with it?

Iwagakure.

The Tsuchikage's office.

Ōnoki's expression was grim. "That future really makes you feel powerless."

"Ah."

"Future Konoha will have Kakashi and Shisui Uchiha,

"not to mention an even more powerful Naruto Uzumaki."

Seeing how worried Ōnoki looked, Kurotsuchi protested, "Grandpa, don't underestimate me. I'll become an amazing Ninja someday.

"When I grow up, Deidara and I will both be really strong. Then we'll defeat all of Konoha's enemies together."

Ōnoki fondly patted Kurotsuchi's head. "Of course. My granddaughter will become an even stronger Ninja than me."

Ōnoki spoke to Kurotsuchi patiently. "Then from now on, you'll have to study Dust Release properly with Grandpa."

Kurotsuchi nodded obediently. "Yes, Grandpa."

Ōnoki was delighted to see how well-behaved his granddaughter was.

Then he suddenly thought of that bastard Kitsuchi.

Ōnoki quickly warned Kurotsuchi, "Oh, and Kurotsuchi, remember to stay away from that idiot Kitsuchi. Got it?"

Kurotsuchi looked bewildered. "Why, Grandpa? Dad's nice too."

Ōnoki continued, "My dear granddaughter, just stay away from those two idiots, Kitsuchi and Deidara."

Kurotsuchi nodded obediently.

Note: If you see a newly updated chapter, please don't read it right away.

I spend five to ten minutes revising each new chapter after posting it,

fixing typos and adding detail to the characters' dialogue.

Please tap the free little gift button, everyone. Thank you so much.