As the power he had granted Kakashi faded and returned to its rightful owner, Obito began to feel himself return to the afterlife. Rin held his hand. Maybe this all along was everything he had always wanted. As he gazed forward into eternity, he realized how very short life on earth was and could be. Those like Orochimaru sought immortality for fear of death, not yet knowing that the soul was eternal. And whether it spent its time here in bliss, or in the darkness of damnation, where immortality was a curse, regardless, it was eternity, and they were immortal. It put his actions on Earth into perspective. The futility of his selfish desires. In his heart, he was filled with shame.
But just as he prepared to accept his fate, a voice—gentle yet commanding—called out to him.
"Obito… your story is not yet over."
A brilliant light surrounded him, and before he could process what was happening, the weightless peace of the afterlife was ripped away.
Pain. Cold air. The pounding of a heartbeat—his heartbeat.
Obito's eyes shot open. He was lying on damp grass, the scent of earth and rain filling his lungs. His body—whole and unscarred—felt unfamiliar yet achingly real. He reached for his face, expecting the worn, battle-hardened features of a man who had lived through war and despair. Instead, his fingers met the smooth skin of youth.
He sat up, disoriented, and looked around. The village before him was painfully familiar—Konoha. But something was wrong. The buildings, the streets… they weren't as he last remembered them. They were older, unchanged from his childhood.
Then it hit him.
He knew this Konoha.
Because he had once lived in it.
A horrified realization settled in as he stumbled toward a puddle, gazing at his reflection. The face staring back at him was young, unmarked by years of war and suffering. His Sharingan had not yet awakened. His body was that of a child.
He had been reborn.
Memories flooded his mind—the mistakes, the regrets, the pain. The war he had helped fuel, the people he had betrayed. And yet… here he was. Given a second chance.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Obito Uchiha felt something stir deep in his soul.
Hope.
This time, he would not fall.
Obito wiped his eyes quickly, forcing himself to stay composed. He had no time for breakdowns—not here, not now. He had been given an impossible second chance, and if there was one thing he knew for certain, it was that he couldn't waste it.
He plastered on a grin, the same goofy, overconfident smile he had worn as a child, and scratched the back of his head. "Eh? What are you talking about, Kakashi? I'm always this cool."
Kakashi scoffed. "Cool? More like brain-damaged."
Rin giggled, stepping closer. "Well, if you're fine, then we should get going. Minato-sensei is waiting for us."
Minato.
Obito's heart clenched. His teacher was still alive. His *sensei*, the man he had admired, respected, and ultimately betrayed in another life. How was he supposed to look him in the eye, knowing what he had done?
*No. That was the old me.*
He shook off the weight pressing on his chest. *This time, things will be different.*
With a nod, he followed Rin and Kakashi down the familiar streets of Konoha. Every step felt surreal. He saw faces he hadn't seen in years—shopkeepers, children running through the streets, shinobi who had long since died in the war.
They made their way to the training field, and there he was—Minato Namikaze, standing in the morning sunlight, arms crossed, that ever-present gentle smile on his face. The warmth in his gaze was unmistakable.
"You're late," Minato said with a sigh, but there was no real annoyance in his voice.
"Blame Obito," Kakashi said immediately.
"Hey! I was *not* late! You guys just ran ahead!"
Minato chuckled. "It's good to see you all so lively. Now then, let's get started."
Obito clenched his fists. He had trained his entire life in his previous existence, mastered the Mangekyō Sharingan, awakened the Rinnegan, and controlled Kamui… but now, he was back in his young, untrained body. It felt so *weak*, so *slow*.
But that didn't matter. He had knowledge that no one else did. He knew the future. He knew about the Uchiha massacre, about Madara's manipulation, about the Akatsuki's dark fate. He knew about *Kaguya*.
And most of all… he knew how to save them.
As he met Minato's gaze, he made a silent promise to himself.
He would train harder. He would grow stronger.
And when the time came, he would do what no one else could.
He would *change everything*.
Obito nodded, determination settling deep in his bones. "I won't waste this chance, Sensei."
Minato's smile was warm but searching. "Good. But remember, strength isn't just about power. It's about the kind of person you choose to be."
That hit harder than Obito expected. The words felt almost ironic, given that he had once *chosen* to become one of the greatest threats the world had ever known. He had wielded unimaginable power, but what had it brought him in the end? *Nothing.*
This time, he would choose differently.
That night, Obito lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, his mind racing. He was still trying to make sense of what had happened—why he was here, why he had been given a second chance. He had expected to fade into the afterlife with Rin, not wake up in his past.
What was he supposed to do now?
The obvious answer was to change the future. To stop the chain of tragedies before they could begin. But the more he thought about it, the more terrifying the idea became.
He knew what was coming—his own so-called "death" during the Kannabi Bridge mission, the Uchiha Massacre, the Akatsuki's corruption, the Fourth Shinobi War, and Kaguya's revival.
But changing the past wasn't that simple. One wrong move, one careless decision, and he could make things even *worse*.
Still, there was one thing he knew for certain.
*I won't let Rin die.*
He would do *whatever* it took to protect her this time.
His fingers twitched, itching for the power he no longer had. No Sharingan, no Mangekyō, no Kamui. He wasn't the war-hardened shinobi he had once been—he was just a kid again. He had to start from scratch.
And that meant training.
If he wanted to change anything, he had to be *strong enough to do it.*
The next morning, Obito was up before the sun, pushing his body harder than he ever had before. Running laps, throwing kunai, going through every jutsu he could still remember from his old life. His body protested—he wasn't used to this level of exertion yet—but he gritted his teeth and pushed through it.
By the time he arrived at the training field for their usual session, Kakashi looked surprised. "You're *awake* before me?"
Obito smirked, even as his muscles screamed in protest. "Better get used to it, because I'm not losing to you anymore."
Kakashi scoffed. "Sure. I'll believe it when I see it."
Rin clapped her hands together. "I think it's great! Keep it up, Obito."
Minato arrived shortly after, and they began another day of training. Obito struggled—his body still had a long way to go—but he refused to stop. He trained longer, and harder, taking Minato's lessons more seriously than he ever had before.
And little by little, he felt himself improving.
But deep down, he knew training alone wouldn't be enough.
If he wanted to *truly* change the future, he had to think ahead. He had to make sure *certain things never happened*.
Like Madara finding him.
Like Danzo's influence spreading unchecked.
Like the Uchiha Clan's downfall.
This wasn't just about getting stronger. This was about *rewriting fate itself*.
And if there was one thing he had learned in his past life, it was that fate can be changed.