Hearing the voice behind him, Uchiha Obito froze. His body stiffened like stone as he slowly turned his head. Standing there was Hatake Kakashi, staring at him with a complex expression — a mixture of shock, disbelief, pain, and guilt.
Obito's lips twitched. He scratched his head and gave a dry, awkward laugh. "Haha… Kakashi. Long time no see…"
He hadn't intended for Kakashi to discover his presence. Despite everything, they had once shared a deep bond — comrades, teammates, friends.
But Obito had been appearing frequently in Konoha Village lately. He even stirred up a commotion that day, standing boldly before the Ninja Academy, issuing threats. His high-profile behavior had finally drawn attention… and now, Kakashi had found him.
Ironically, Obito's assumption was wrong.
Kakashi hadn't come searching for him. He was simply dropping Naruto off at the academy. It was just a coincidence… or perhaps, fate — cruel and inevitable.
Even if Obito tried to stay hidden, fate had a way of catching up.
As soon as Kakashi saw Obito's face, his normally calm eyes widened sharply, as if he had seen a ghost — or worse, a nightmare come true.
Ever since the incident at the cemetery, a thought had haunted Kakashi's mind:
Could it be… Obito isn't dead?
That small seed of doubt, planted long ago, now bloomed with undeniable truth. The man before him… was alive.
The realization hit him like a thunderclap. His hands clenched into trembling fists, nails digging into his palms, the pain a desperate attempt to remain grounded in reality.
"Obito…" Kakashi's voice trembled with disbelief. "You're alive… You didn't die after all…"
Each word was heavy, dragging every memory and emotion he'd buried back to the surface. His body staggered slightly, as if his legs couldn't bear the weight of the truth.
Memories surged — training together, fighting side by side, laughing like carefree children. Until that day, more than a decade ago, when Obito was crushed beneath the rocks in that tragic mission.
Kakashi had believed he was dead. He saw him die.
But now, Obito stood before him.
Kakashi took a shaky breath, struggling to calm himself. He had so many questions. How did you survive? Why didn't you return? Why reappear now, after all these years?
But when he opened his mouth, none of those questions came out.
He could only repeat in a dazed voice, "Obito… You're not dead…"
His eyes began to redden, tears brimming as emotions overwhelmed him. It was too much.
Obito frowned, veins throbbing on his forehead as he suddenly shouted, "Bastard! Don't look at me like that!"
Kakashi snapped out of his trance, realizing he'd lost his composure. He quickly masked his expression and returned to his usual detached, deadpan face.
Obito rubbed his temple, visibly irritated. He sighed, then looked at Kakashi wearily.
"Come with me."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away. Kakashi hesitated for a second, then followed.
They arrived at a small, inconspicuous bar along the village's commercial street. Obito pushed open the door and entered without a word. After sitting down, he downed a glass of sake in one gulp, then motioned for Kakashi to sit.
"Ask. Whatever you want to know."
Kakashi leaned forward, resting his palms on the table. His voice was tight with urgency.
"How did you survive?"
Obito's gaze drifted to the doorway. He fell silent for a long time, lost in thought.
"…Back then," he began slowly, "I was crushed under that rock. I thought I was going to die. I felt my body shutting down. I lost consciousness."
He paused.
"But when I opened my eyes again, I found myself alive. An old man — a mysterious one — had saved me."
Kakashi digested the words, then asked the next obvious question.
"Then why didn't you come back to us?"
Obito's face darkened instantly. His eyes burned with a mix of pain and rage.
Suddenly, he slammed his glass to the ground. It shattered into pieces with a sharp crack.
In the same motion, Obito leapt to his feet, grabbed Kakashi by the collar, and hauled him off the ground.
"Obito—!"
Before Kakashi could react further, Obito punched him hard in the face.
The impact sent Kakashi stumbling backward. A searing pain exploded in his eye, and stars danced before his vision. He crashed to the ground, clutching his face.
He looked up at Obito, dazed and shocked. The attack was so sudden, so violent — he hadn't expected it at all.
But then Obito spoke. And Kakashi was stunned into silence.
"I was badly injured. But the moment I learned you and Lin were being hunted by the Mist, I rushed back to save you both."
Obito's voice trembled with fury. His eyes gleamed like molten lava.
"But when I got there… the first thing I saw—was YOU killing Lin with your own hands!"
Kakashi's mouth opened, but no words came out.
"You understand, Kakashi? The moment Lin died… my world shattered. Everything turned dark. After that, it didn't matter whether I returned to Konoha or not."
Obito's voice grew hoarse. "A world without Lin… is worthless. I don't care about it anymore."
Kakashi collapsed to his knees, his face pale, trembling.
Those words pierced his soul like kunai. He couldn't breathe.
Images from that day assaulted his mind. Lin — the girl who smiled like spring — had thrown herself into his Raikiri to stop the Mist from using her as a tool to harm the village.
She died by his hand. She chose to die that way. And he could do nothing to stop it.
Even now, years later, the guilt hadn't faded. It had grown heavier with time.
Tears fell freely from Kakashi's eyes.
"I'm sorry…" he whispered. "I didn't protect Lin…"
He raised a trembling fist and slammed it to the floor.
Again.
And again.
Each punch echoed with anguish, with self-loathing.
"I couldn't save her…"
Obito watched in silence, expression cold.
"You say sorry?" he sneered. "You feel guilty? What use is that? What's the point of having all that strength… if you can't even protect the ones you care about?"
He took a deep breath, his next words calm but chilling.
"A world without Lin is a fake. It's not worth living in."
Then he extended his hand toward Kakashi.
"But if we work together… we can bring her back."
Kakashi's breath caught.
Obito's voice was suddenly soft. Inviting. Seductive.
"So… Kakashi… are you willing to help me? To revive Lin?"
Kakashi looked up, still kneeling on the ground. His eyes locked on the hand extended toward him.
He didn't move.
Time stood still.
The weight of the past hung between them like a storm cloud, filled with pain, regret, and choices that could never be undone.
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