Obito stood in a daze, unmoved by Shisui's questioning voice behind him.
His gaze locked solely onto Kakashi.
He staggered forward, his steps heavy, unaware that he had just passed through Shisui's body as if it were mist.
Just a few short steps… yet it felt like the distance between two worlds.
Finally, with trembling effort, Obito stood before Kakashi. Slowly, painfully, he raised his shaking right hand, about to touch the man who had once been his closest friend.
But then—Lin suddenly looked up.
Her dark, hollow eyes, like an empty void, met his gaze. They were vacant and lifeless, devoid of any spark. That look—full of despair and loss—pierced through Obito's soul like a blade of ice.
That expression...
Obito felt as if a thousand arrows had torn through his heart. It was a searing, agonizing pain, unlike anything he'd ever known. It dragged him into the very depths of despair, into a hell of his own making.
In that moment, he realized—he didn't deserve to touch Kakashi. Not with these bloodstained hands.
Tick. Tick.
Crimson tears, tinged with the chakra of his Sharingan, flowed silently down his cheeks. Each drop splashed into the puddles below like blood-red petals falling onto a battlefield.
"What have I done…"
Lin's lifeless eyes jolted Obito from his delusions. The illusion he had so desperately clung to had shattered.
But… maybe there was still a chance.
In his despair, a faint memory surfaced—Madara's words.
"The strongest illusion… one that can overwrite all ugliness in the world and create a perfect dream… the Infinite Tsukuyomi."
A world without conflict.
A world where no one suffered.
A world where even the dead could be revived.
Yes… if he succeeded, then Kakashi could live again. Lin could smile again. They could return to that golden time—back to Minato's class, back to those days that now seemed like a dream.
"I'm sorry, Lin… I'll atone for everything with my own hands…"
He turned his tear-filled eyes toward Kakashi.
"Kakashi… I want to create a world with you!"
Those words—spoken from the depths of his heart—carried a conviction that only he could understand. His bloodstained eyes gleamed with determination.
"But before that…" Obito's voice hardened, a fury surging within, "I will personally send every last one of you—the ones who surrounded and killed Kakashi and Lin—to hell!"
Swish!
In an instant, Obito vanished and reappeared amidst a group of Kaguya clan warriors.
"UOOOOAAAAHH!!"
"Wood Style: Hell's Chaos!!!"
With a roar, the earth beneath the Kaguya shinobi erupted. Dozens of massive, thorn-covered trees burst upward, twisting violently. The thick, spiraling branches wrapped around each enemy like constricting serpents, trapping them in a grotesque embrace.
It was like watching iron maidens bloom from the earth.
Blood oozed from the narrow gaps in the bark, dripping along the thorns and soaking the soil in crimson.
Within seconds, the screams ceased. More than a dozen members of the Kaguya clan—renowned for their endurance and durability—were reduced to mutilated corpses, crushed and shredded inside their wooden prisons.
Terror swept through the remaining Kaguya warriors who had witnessed the massacre.
Their scalps tingled. Their spines froze.
This… this was far worse than being instantly killed by that Uchiha boy's ninjutsu.
At least that death had been swift.
This was torture. Agonizing. Merciless.
But their nightmare had only just begun.
---
Meanwhile, hidden among the trees, Kakashi observed in silence.
He had used Earth Style to quietly reposition himself to the edge of the battlefield. Now, behind a thick tree trunk, he watched everything unfold.
He was conflicted.
When he first sensed Obito's presence, he immediately became cautious.
As a precaution, he had replaced himself with a Shadow Clone, implanting subtle psychological cues into Lin to ensure she wouldn't notice the switch. After all, Lin knew him too well—any minor inconsistency might shatter the deception.
Even though Shadow Clones were nearly indistinguishable—even the likes of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya couldn't see through them—he wasn't about to take any chances.
Thankfully, Lin's safety was already ensured. She bore his Flying Thunder God seal. The moment something went wrong, he could teleport to her instantly.
Everything was carefully arranged.
But what happened next caught him completely off guard.
Obito had attacked—without reason, without warning.
Kakashi had been puzzled.
And then… Shisui's eyes changed.
Kakashi's heart skipped a beat.
The Mangekyō Sharingan—also known as the Eye of Inner Reflection—was a manifestation of one's truest, most powerful emotions. The techniques it granted reflected the deepest wishes of its wielder's soul.
That was why Kakashi had orchestrated this scenario.
Part of him wanted to observe how Madara's plot might unfold… but another part—perhaps the greater part—hoped that Obito would awaken Kamui through pain rather than hatred. That way, he wouldn't stray down a darker path.
After all, in Kakashi's past life, Double Kamui had often been regarded as the strongest Mangekyō ability.
If Obito were to awaken something like Amaterasu instead—just for the sake of power—then everything Kakashi had done would have been in vain.
But to his relief, not only had Obito awakened Kamui—Shisui had awakened his Mangekyō as well!
Double success. The plan was working!
For a moment, Kakashi allowed himself to feel triumphant.
But then… he saw Obito's blood-red tears. He heard those words—"Kakashi, I want to create a world with you!"
Kakashi's joy crumbled.
This wasn't the reaction he had hoped for.
He had spent years preparing for this day—training under Tsunade, mastering medical ninjutsu, developing Flying Thunder God, helping Rin refine her Mitotic Regeneration—all for one goal:
To save Lin.
To stop Madara's resurrection.
And now, everything was within reach.
Once Obito activated Mangekyō and returned to Madara, Madara would finalize his end-of-life preparations. After that, he'd pull out his oxygen tank and die as planned.
Then, Kakashi would only need to find Obito before the Nine Tails incident and seal Black Zetsu at the right time.
It would all be over.
The future would be saved.
But seeing Obito now—so broken, so tormented—shattered his resolve.
Yes, if he stuck to the plan, success was all but guaranteed.
But… what if he was too late?
What if, by the time he found Obito again, his friend had already committed atrocities he couldn't take back?
Even if he succeeded, would it be worth the price?
Would Obito still be the same person? Or just a hollow shell, consumed by guilt?
Obito had always treated Kakashi as his closest friend.
If the pain he suffered now was meant to temper him—like a trial of fire—Kakashi could accept that.
But this… this was different.
This was cruelty.
That sunny, passionate boy—who had once reached out a hand to him, just like Lin and Guy had when he first arrived in this world—was being dragged into hell.
If Kakashi went through with his plan…
Would Obito ever smile again?
Would he ever find joy?
Would he even want to live?
If he allowed that to happen, wouldn't he be just like Danzo?
Danzo—who sacrificed others for the sake of "the greater good."
That was not who Kakashi wanted to be.
He took a deep breath.
"The plan to stop Madara… can wait."
"At worst, I'll just have to train harder… grow stronger… face the danger head-on."
"But right now…"
Right now, his only priority was simple.
He wanted to save his friend from this unbearable pain.
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