"What was the future like?"
Minato Namikaze did not question him. Instead, he watched Obito with interest.
Obito remained silent for a long time, then picked out a few things he could tell him.
"After the Third Shinobi World War broke out, you earned great distinction with Flying Thunder God and became the Fourth Hokage."
"After the war ended, you and Kushina had a child."
Minato's eyes brightened slightly.
"A boy or a girl?"
"A boy. Naruto Uzumaki."
"Naruto..."
Minato softly repeated the name, his smile tender.
"That's a lovely name."
A trace of nostalgia passed through Obito's eyes.
"Neither Kakashi nor Rin came the night Naruto was born."
"Aside from the people delivering him, I was the first to hold him."
"I was worried he'd be cold, so I even tucked a few heat patches into his swaddling."
Cangyue hovered nearby, the corner of his mouth twitching.
In a sense, all of that was true.
Obito had indeed been the first to arrive.
Only he had not come to hold the baby. He had come to kidnap Kushina, release the Nine-Tails, and send Minato's family to their deaths while he was at it.
"It sounds like a wonderful future."
Minato looked toward Konoha as its lights began to glow, but his voice gradually grew quieter.
"But your expression tells me something terrible happened afterward."
The smile vanished from Obito's face.
"Later, you died in battle."
"Kushina died that same night."
Minato's gaze sharpened slightly, but he did not interrupt.
"After losing the Fourth Hokage, the Third Hokage returned to power. Konoha grew increasingly weak in its dealings with other villages. Kumogakure sent someone to kidnap a member of the Hyuga Main Family, and when that failed, they forced Konoha to hand over a Hyuga clansman's body instead."
"Later still,