Land of Fire — Southeastern front, Kazama Valley, former Kirigakure battlefield.
Years ago, Yuki Yoru had sealed this place in ice. Though time and human efforts (mostly Konoha shinobi retrieving bodies) had gradually thawed the glacial terrain, the valley remained a lifeless wasteland.
Obito stood silently, eyes grave, surveying his surroundings.
The Ice Release used here had utterly annihilated everything—ninja, animals, even plant life. Nothing was spared.
This place wouldn't recover for many years to come. In terms of devastation, it was on par with the deserts of the Wind Country.
"The Uchiha Clan's ultimate weapon… is sealed here?" Obito asked quietly.
"More precisely," Black Zetsu replied, "deep beneath Kazama Valley."
"After defeating her, the Senju, Uzumaki, and Sarutobi clans worked together to ensure she'd never be found. They buried her deep underground, beneath layers of soil and sealing jutsu."
"Without White Zetsu's unique tracking capabilities and the intel from Lord Madara, we never would've located her."
"Underground, huh…" Obito scanned the terrain.
There was no trace of any barrier or sealing formation. Clearly, the Senju and their allies had gone to great lengths to make the site completely undetectable.
But how the hell are we supposed to dig her out?
What, am I supposed to split open the entire valley? Like some mythical hero rescuing a goddess from the mountain?
Black Zetsu seemed to guess his thoughts.
"I can sense her presence, but due to the sealing technique, I can't pull her up. That's where you come in."
Kamui's ability to phase through space—and even project into real-world locations—was ideal for accessing sealed zones like this.
Obito nodded.
"No point wasting time. Let's do it."
Black and White Zetsu slithered into the ground, guiding Obito to the hidden seal. Upon arrival, Obito's eyes narrowed.
There was nothing visibly different about this place. The stone looked the same as everywhere else.
But something about the air—its stillness, its weight—told him this was it.
"A space-time sealing technique... No wonder she completely vanished after being sealed."
Buried this deep, and locked behind a special space-time barrier—no one but an Uchiha with Kamui-like abilities, and the necessary intel, could ever hope to break it.
Fortunately, for Obito Uchiha, the reincarnation of Madara and would-be Second Sage of Six Paths, this wasn't a problem.
"Releasing Seal Formula."
This was a unique jutsu Obito had developed by modifying the Tailed Beast Extraction Seal. It was designed specifically to bypass complex space-time locks—like those used by Minato or Yuki Yoru.
As he activated it, the rock walls shimmered with strange energy.
Suddenly, a pale yellow crystal prism emerged from the stone.
Roughly two meters wide and tall, it gleamed like amber, set flush into the cliff wall. Suspended inside was a young girl in traditional Uchiha robes.
Her long black hair flowed down her back. The blue battle robes she wore were tattered in places. Bandages were wrapped around her legs. Shackles, now unlocked, hung loosely at her ankles. She clutched a bloodstained short blade in her hand.
Her eyes were closed, but her delicate face exuded an intense, chilling aura of killing intent.
Obito frowned slightly.
This is the Uchiha Clan's so-called ultimate weapon?
A little girl?
This is who I'm supposed to use to defeat Yuki Yoru?!
He shot a glance at Black Zetsu, suspicion in his gaze.
Black Zetsu, silent for a moment, finally said, "Her dōjutsu is… unusual. Though she's a girl, her ocular power rivals that of Lord Madara."
"Your concern shouldn't be whether she's strong enough. You should be thinking about how to control her."
"She's the strongest weapon of a century ago—and now she's yours to wield."
Obito didn't respond immediately. His Mangekyō eyes studied the crystalline seal closely.
No doubt—it was a masterwork of sealing arts, created by the Senju, Uzumaki, and several other clans.
Even with all of Madara's techniques at his disposal, Obito had to admit: it was impressive.
Still, time had weakened it.
For someone of Obito's level, it was no longer difficult to dismantle.
He activated his Mangekyō, and with a surge of dense Yin Release chakra, intricate cursed seals lit up across the crystal's surface.
A few breaths later, the entire crystal shattered into shimmering chakra dust and vanished.
Obito stepped forward.
But before he could approach the girl, her eyelashes twitched.
Then—
Her eyes snapped open.
Twin spirals of blood-red Mangekyō Sharingan locked onto his.
"Susanoo!"
Her voice rang out, cold and sharp.
A torrent of ocular power burst from her eyes like a tidal wave. The air froze.
A skeletal red arm materialized, wrapping around her protectively.
Her Susanoo formed a giant fist and hurled a punch directly at Obito.
Boom—!
Dust exploded everywhere as her punch landed. But Obito emerged from the rubble unscathed.
She furrowed her brows.
Her Mangekyō spun rapidly, emitting more chakra.
"Huh?"
Their gazes met in mid-air. The girl clearly saw Obito's Mangekyō Sharingan beneath his spiral mask, and a hint of confusion appeared in her eyes.
In her memory, she was battling the Senju, Sarutobi, and other individuals who had attacked her... No, those guys had also called upon the Uzumaki clan and had... sealed her?
And this scene now is...
Looking at the Mangekyō under Obito Uchiha's spiral mask, the girl had already formed a logical conclusion in her mind.
She remained silent for a moment, then pursed her lips, dispelling the Susanoo around her while lowering her head to Obito Uchiha.
"My apologies, the mission failed."
"…?"
Obito narrowed his eye.
He could feel her aura—emotionless, robotic. She was like a puppet, or a machine.
But after recalling Black Zetsu's briefing, he began to understand.
Just like Black Zetsu had said…
She was a tool.
"This chakra…"
The girl finally looked up. Her expression, still distant, flickered.
Her senses picked up on it—Obito's chakra.
Beneath the Uchiha signature, there was something else.
Something that made her scowl.
"Senju chakra?"
"What are you?"
"That question is meaningless," Obito said coldly. "But if you insist… I'm just a man who lives in hell. Broken by reality. Abandoned by the world."
His cryptic tone struck a nerve.
The girl stared at him.
Three crimson tomoe spiraled in each of their eyes, hovering in silence.
"Where are the others?" she asked flatly.
"Others?"
Obito scoffed. He stepped closer, looking down on her from above.
Behind his mask, his Sharingan gleamed with disdain.
"You mean those decayed fools who lost themselves to greed and politics?"
"Those who groveled before their enemies, who served as pawns for other clans, who forgot what it means to be Uchiha?"
"They're not my kin."
"And you—"
"I expected more from the Uchiha's ultimate weapon. But you're just another relic. A soulless puppet with no will of your own."
"You don't even deserve to be awakened."
"You've got nice eyes, sure—but what good are they, if there's nothing behind them?"
"Go back to sleep. You're worthless."
No self-awareness… Uchiha's so-called legend…
His bitter words, and the odd blend of Senju and Uchiha chakra on his body, stirred something inside her.
Her Mangekyō spun faster.
Though the weather was fair, a single cloud drifted across the sky, casting a deep shadow over the valley—plunging the place into cold gloom.
Obito's heart skipped a beat.
Then everything changed.
The world around him shifted.
The sky turned crimson, the ground gray and dead. The air became suffocating.
Genjutsu space!
Damn genjutsu-type dōjutsu again!
Even Kamui couldn't block genjutsu.
And among all his past failures, it was genjutsu that tripped him up—Shisui, Fugaku, Yuki Yoru.
And now her.
"This is my Tsukuyomi space," she said coolly, stepping out from the shadows. "Here, I control time, space, and mass."
Her eyes bore into his.
"Tell me everything you know. Everything that has happened to the Uchiha Clan."
Obito smirked.
"Interesting. Even a tool can start forming thoughts, huh?"
He took a breath, then smiled darkly.
"Very well. If you're ready… I'll tell you."
"Your war with the Senju and Uzumaki ended a century ago."
"Everything you knew—your enemies, your world—it's all gone."
"The Uchiha you knew? Long dead. The Senju? Extinct."
"The ninja clans themselves aren't even the backbone of the world anymore."
"What…?"
That finally broke her mask.
Her eyes widened. Shock, confusion, even fear crept into her voice.
"What, what exactly happened?!"
"It's a long story," Obito said.
But unable to resist her gaze, he began explaining—from the fall of the Warring States, to the founding of the Hidden Villages, to the major wars of the past decades.
He did, of course, mix in his own twisted worldview throughout.
The more he spoke, the deeper the stunned expression on the girl's face became.
She never imagined that after merely fighting a battle, a century had passed, and yet for her, it was just the blink of an eye...
Everything had changed. Even her sworn enemies of old had become allies, creating a village. This kind of thing was simply a fantasy to her! Her eyes were filled with confusion, a fear of the unknown, of unfamiliar things, and even a doubt about her own existence.
"All in all, although ninja clans became ninja villages, and regions became countries, the essence of this world has not changed."
Obito Uchiha looked at the girl whose expression was changing, and smiled faintly: "Knowing the changes in the world caused your numb heart to ripple a bit, huh... It seems you have many stories."
"But it doesn't matter. War, greed, hatred, slaughter... This world, filled with despair and like hell, has no value in existing!"
"Value..."
The girl murmured the word, to herself.
Whether this world had value in existing, she didn't know, but her own value...
She had extraordinary talent, awakening her Sharingan at a very young age. She awakened her Mangekyō Sharingan because her parents died on the battlefield.
But it was precisely because of those eyes that her entire life changed.
From that moment on, she became the Uchiha clan's most powerful weapon of war, the sharpest spear against the Senju and other ninja clans. Killing enemies on the battlefield was the value and meaning of her existence!
But now, things were no longer the same.
The Uchiha and Senju had made a century-long grand reconciliation, even becoming family. So what was the meaning of her existence?
The girl fell silent.
"Hey."
She suddenly looked up at Obito Uchiha: "What do you think is the meaning of life?"
"The meaning of life?"
Obito was startled, and a bright, moving smile unconsciously flashed in his mind.
But soon, that smile dissipated like a bubble, replaced by the desperate image of Minato Namikaze piercing through his most beloved person...
Obito remained silent for a long time, then scoffed, his tone ambiguous.
"There is no inherent meaning to life, but as long as you live, as long as you keep walking, you will find meaningful things, and embark on a valuable path."
"Even if that path is destined to be full of hardships and thorns, cruel and hollow..."