"And most importantly, with Kushina as a perfect Jinchūriki, forget you-even Nagato wouldn't stand a chance."
At that, Black Zetsu's gaze grew solemn.
After hearing this, Obito's voice unwittingly took on a trace of conflicted emotion as he murmured under his breath.
"Kushina... was she really that strong?"
In his memories, Kushina had a fiery temper and a fierce, carefree personality. She loved tugging his ear and scolding him for being stupid, dragging his feet, and failing to live up to his potential.
She was always snapping at him, arguing with him, and teasing him.
But Obito knew perfectly well that beneath her fierce exterior, Kushina was one of the very few people who truly cared about him and treated him kindly.
Others looked down on him for being a dead last, but Kushina never berated him for being a failure. She quietly encouraged him to train, cheered him on, and cooked for him.
The Sky Screen abruptly shifted, interspersing countless little moments from Obito's former everyday life.
Beside the training ground, Kushina stood with her hands on her hips, scolding Obito for slacking off;
Kushina handed a lavish packed lunch to a hungry Obito;
Whenever others mocked Obito, Kushina was the first to step forward and fire back at them.
One warm, vivid memory after another flooded Obito's mind.
Those had been some of the few sources of warmth in his life before the darkness came.
Black Zetsu quietly watched Obito fall silent, sink into his memories, and waver. Choosing his moment, he probed him with a playfully provocative tone.
"What is it?"
"Remembering the past?"
"Don't tell me... you can't bring yourself to hurt her?"
Whoosh!
Obito slowly let out a long, heavy breath.
Faced with his all-consuming obsession, he forcibly extinguished that last lingering trace of warmth.