Obito's shoulders sagged, his head bowed and his face buried in shadow, yet laughter rose from that darkness.
"Heh heh heh... So it really was true. Last time, Naruto said you were living in his nine-tails chakra. I thought he'd made that lie up on the spot to shake me!"
Obito clenched his fists and raised his creased face, his eyes glistening red. "Kushina, do you hate me?"
Kushina did not answer that question. She said in a low voice, "You did this because of what happened to Rin, didn't you? Then you turned your anger on Minato for not getting there in time. The truth is, he..."
Obito interrupted her. "I know what happened to Rin wasn't Sensei's fault! The fault lies with this world, filled with conflict, hatred, and lies!"
"I want to sever the chain of cause and effect behind all of this at its source!"
Kushina demanded, "So you caused the Nine-Tails' Rampage Sixteen Years Ago!"
Obito raised a hand, justifying himself with conviction. "Kushina, I never intended to hurt you back then. The Nine-Tails I needed just happened to be inside you, and a female jinchūriki's Sealing just happens to weaken more than ever during childbirth~. I had no choice but to make you a sacrifice~."
"As for Minato-sensei~, he happened to be your husband and Konoha's Hokage. His position and convictions left him no choice but to oppose me, so I had no choice but to eliminate him~!"
Kushina's expression dimmed. "No choice...?"
Obito wore a sickly smile. "Yes, no choice~. Trace it back to the beginning~. You had no choice about becoming the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki either, did you? Konoha, this shinobi world, forced it on you~! They never considered what you wanted~! All those things we had no choice about ultimately drove teacher