The two figures sitting atop the Hokage Rock spoke openly, their words coming straight from the heart.
After hearing Minato's words, Anya couldn't help but think of Naruto and Sasuke from the original canon. Would she and Minato eventually end up opposing each other too?
Minato gazed down at Konoha village and spoke emotionally, "I was a war orphan. From the moment I was brought back to Konoha, I made up my mind—I would protect Konoha, protect everyone in this village. That's why I became a ninja, why I want to become the Hokage, why I strive to become the one with the power to protect Konoha. This is what the predecessors of the village have done. They sacrificed themselves without hesitation, without fear of death. I can do the same."
At this moment, Minato's expression was filled with unwavering conviction. No one doubted the sincerity of his words, and no one—not even Anya, who had grown up with him—could shake his deep feelings for Konoha.
The Will of Fire really was a miraculous force, and Minato had already come to regard it as his faith.
Anya's tone turned sharp, "Have you ever thought about this—what if you and Little Pepper had a child, and at that moment Konoha came under attack? What if saving the village required your own sacrifice? What would you do then? Would you choose to die for Konoha, ignoring your family's future, leaving your child fatherless from the moment of birth?"
This question left Minato momentarily stunned. Was there a more cruel choice than this?
Finally, Minato replied firmly, "I won't let such a thing happen."
"So naïve," Anya muttered. She didn't press further. At this point, they both understood each other's thoughts. Continuing the conversation would lead nowhere.
Anya brought up another topic, "During the Kannabi Bridge mission, I was stopped by the Tsuchikage. Are your students doing okay?"
Minato's expression darkened. "Obito saved Kakashi by sacrificing himself, being buried beneath the rocks. When I continued with Kakashi and Rin to carry out the mission at Kannabi Bridge, the Raikage and Tsuchikage both appeared. For their safety, I used the Flying Thunder God Technique to send them away. I've been in the hospital these past few days and haven't seen them yet."
That Minato was hospitalized, yet his own students hadn't come to visit him. Anya was about to make a sarcastic remark when suddenly she realized something and her body stiffened. "Oh no."
In a dark underground chamber, the half of Obito's body buried beneath the rocks had regenerated. The restored areas were filled with some unknown white substance. Aside from the color difference, the new flesh was indistinguishable from real flesh. At the moment, he was sweating heavily as he did push-ups, with a White Zetsu sitting on his back. He muttered, panting with exertion, "I will recover as soon as possible and return to Konoha to find Kakashi and Rin."
After finishing his rehabilitation exercises, Obito collapsed onto the bed, completely drained. He focused on the parts of his body that had once been missing. Surprisingly, everything felt just fine—as if it had always been his own body. It actually felt even stronger than before. In just a little while, I'll definitely be able to see them again.
With a smile on his face, he drifted off into a peaceful sleep filled with pleasant dreams.
He didn't know how long had passed. Suddenly, a White Zetsu emerged from the wall and cried out in alarm, "Trouble! Just now, I went outside and found that Rin—the Rin you're always talking about—is in serious danger."
Obito shot upright, asking anxiously, "What happened?"
White Zetsu said, "She's surrounded by ninja from Kirigakure and that idiot Kakashi."
Hearing this, Obito immediately leapt off the bed and slammed his fist into the stone wall blocking the only exit of the underground chamber.
With a loud bang, part of Obito's right arm, which had turned white, snapped off and fell to the ground. A small portion of the stone wall shattered, shook twice, then remained completely unmoved.
Another White Zetsu approached from behind Obito and said, "Your current body can't break through rock."
Obito insisted firmly, "I have to go save Rin and Kakashi."
"Then wear my body," said White Zetsu as he split open like a cocoon, enveloping Obito entirely, leaving only his one intact Sharingan exposed.
"Aren't you guys under Madara's command? Is this really okay?"
"Aren't you going to save your friends?"
"Understood, thanks."
After thanking White Zetsu, Obito, now in his new body, punched through the thick stone wall and rushed toward the direction White Zetsu had pointed. However, Obito didn't notice at all the pair of eyes watching him from the darkness behind.
"What's wrong, Anya? Why so tense all of a sudden?" Minato asked, somewhat puzzled.
"With the Four-Nation Coalition stirring up such a major conflict, there's no reason for those two not to be aware," Anya explained urgently. "Based on their personalities, they definitely would've returned to the village to defend it first. Since they haven't come to the hospital to visit you, it means they haven't returned to Konoha yet, Minato. You need to leave the village immediately to find them."
Minato frowned between his brows, "You suspect they're in danger."
"Not just suspecting—it's certain."
"Alright, I'll leave right away." Minato, trusting Anya's speculation completely, also became urgent.
"Search toward Kirigakure's direction. They're probably there."
Since the Mizukage was under Madara Uchiha's control, Kirigakure was naturally the village most deeply infiltrated. It must be because of Obito—Madara wanted to use Obito as a pawn, so how could he possibly allow his pawn to remain just another ordinary ninja?
"Got it."
In a flash, Minato vanished from the Hokage Rock using [Shunshin].
Anya began frantically recalling the short videos he had scrolled through in his past life. Since most of them were battle scenes, those clips skipped directly in his memory, so he still needed to analyze the plot. Since Obito already possessed the Mangekyo, he must have undergone tremendous trauma. Kakashi had survived all along—so what about Rin Nohara?
Anya's eyes filled with murderous intent upon guessing the truth. Madara Uchiha... you deserve to die.
Minato, please arrive in time.
When he hurried to where the two were surrounded by Kirigakure ninja, what met Obito's eyes was Kakashi's Chidori piercing straight through Rin's heart...
Obito, with only one eye left, couldn't believe what he had just seen. An illusion? He didn't realize it was real until Rin collapsed lifelessly onto the ground.
The two-tomoe Sharingan in his eye sockets spun wildly, directly skipping the three-tomoe stage and evolving immediately into the Mangekyo Sharingan. Almost simultaneously, Kakashi's Sharingan also completed its evolution.
Exhausted mentally, Kakashi immediately fainted and fell to the ground.
"A bloodcurdling scream tore through the air — Obito's voice raw with despair."
"I won't accept this. There's no way I'll accept this."
A powerful aura erupted from Obito's body as he, filled with immense killing intent, charged toward the group of Mist ninja.
Obito, who possessed both Hashirama's cells and the Mangekyo Sharingan, had completely shed his former weakling status and gained extraordinary strength. Even while emotionally unstable, he overwhelmed these Mist ninja so thoroughly that they couldn't put up the slightest resistance.
"Hell no! Don't you dare underestimate our Bloody Mist Village!"
"Just who the hell is that guy?"
Blood-soaked and in this moment, Obito only desired to destroy everything in his sight. Accompanied by a series of hysterical roars, he mercilessly unleashed a massacre.
The gentle glow of the moonlight shining through the sky took on a crimson, blood-colored hue.
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