Opening his eyes, Jiraiya's gaze was filled with the wisdom of a man who had weathered countless storms. He looked at Charles and spoke sincerely, "Thank you, Lord Charles."
Hearing Jiraiya's heartfelt gratitude, Charles nodded and replied, "At the very least, you're now on par with Tsunade and Orochimaru."
Jiraiya chuckled at that, feeling content. Though he sensed that his current strength wasn't as refined as his older self in the memories, his robust body and abundant chakra reserves made up for it.
It was, indeed, a fair trade.
"Jiraiya, you can go for now. I have matters to discuss with Obito."
Understanding, Jiraiya gave a respectful nod before leaving the room.
Now, only Charles and Uchiha Obito were left in the room.
Obito looked at Charles with a mix of nervousness and curiosity, unsure of what his master intended to discuss with him. Was this about merging with his future self? Or something else entirely?
Truthfully, Obito had some doubts. Based on what he had heard from others—like Sasuke, Minato-sensei, and Kakashi—his future self had supposedly died shortly after awakening the Sharingan during the battle at Kannabi Bridge.
He didn't believe he even had a future self to merge with. Perhaps Charles had summoned another Uchiha or simply wanted to enhance his abilities?
As Obito's thoughts spiraled, Charles spoke.
"Obito, this time, I've retrieved your future self from the timeline of the ninja world."
Obito froze, his mind struggling to process the revelation. He... actually had a future self? Didn't he die back then?
"Lord Charles, didn't I die in the future?"
Seeing Obito's shocked expression, Charles chuckled lightly, fully aware that Obito had some understanding of what had transpired in his original timeline.
Charles continued, "The future you didn't die—but your situation wasn't ideal."
Charles's voice softened as he elaborated, "As you may already know, in the future, you gifted your left eye to Kakashi as a token when he became a jōnin. As a result, you lost your own left Sharingan."
"However, despite that loss, the future you grew far more powerful, awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan in the process. But you also endured immense pain."
"And yes, as you've probably heard, not only were you presumed dead in the future, but Rin also died."
Hearing that he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, Obito's lips curved into an involuntary grin. But when Rin's name was mentioned, the joy faded, and a deep sadness surfaced.
"Lord Charles... will you bring Rin to this world as well?"
Charles nodded firmly, "Yes, trust me. It may take some time, but eventually, Rin will come to this world and be reunited with you all."
Charles spoke with confidence. Rin already existed as a card in the system. It was only a matter of time before her card was added to the summon pool—perhaps even in the next batch of updates. Charles had no doubts about this.
Hearing Charles's assurance, Obito's face lit up with relief and joy.
"As long as Rin can come, that's enough."
Obito's thoughts drifted to Kakashi, who had grown into an adult, as well as the powerful Uchiha clan members and other ever-improving ninjas.
His own strength was far too weak in comparison. He realized he needed the power to protect Rin and contribute more effectively to Lord Charles.
Obito's eyes filled with resolve.
"Lord Charles, let me merge with my future self."
"With greater strength, I'll be able to serve you better. Besides, I also want to know what happened to my future self in the ninja world."
Scratching his head, Obito added with a sheepish grin, "The others don't know anything about my future. They all believe I died at Kannabi Bridge."
"I'm a genius of the Uchiha clan, someone who awakened the Sharingan! How could I have died so easily?"
"But... they really didn't know. They've all treated me as a hero who sacrificed himself for the clan."
Seeing Obito rambling on, Charles couldn't help but chuckle. Since Obito had made up his mind, Charles wouldn't deny him the opportunity.
Charles's consciousness entered the system space, retrieving Obito's card. With his presence, Charles stepped into the summoning realm.
The system detected two identical cards of Uchiha Obito, prompting Charles to confirm their fusion.
Due to the condition of the older Obito's body and the influence of White Zetsu, the younger Obito couldn't be used as the primary form. Instead, the fusion would center on the older, battle-worn Obito.
Once the fusion was complete, Charles placed the newly merged card in the battle deck, setting the manifestation location within three meters of himself.
Soon, the fused Uchiha Obito appeared beside Charles.
As Obito received the memories of his future self, his mind replayed the events of the Third Shinobi World War. He remembered awakening the three-tomoe Sharingan, being crushed by a boulder, and gifting his left eye to Kakashi.
He recalled being rescued by Uchiha Madara, having his body repaired with White Zetsu's cells, and undergoing rehabilitation.
Then came the devastating moment when he rushed to save Rin, only to witness Kakashi drive a Chidori through her chest.
"Ugh... AH—!"
Obito let out an anguished roar, overwhelmed by the memories.
In the summoning realm, Obito's chakra surged uncontrollably, creating massive waves of energy. His right Sharingan instinctively transformed into a Mangekyō Sharingan as he lost himself to despair and rage.
Watching the scene unfold, Charles murmured, "Absorbing the memories caused him to spiral into a frenzy, huh?"
Elsewhere in the summoning realm, the two-tailed Matatabi and One-Tailed Shukaku turned their gazes toward Obito's location, their senses piqued by the sinister chakra.
"What an ominous chakra..."