Late at night, within the Konoha Military Police Force.
"Release!"
The barrier seal was temporarily lifted, and the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, pushed open the iron gate and stepped inside.
Behind him, the Uchiha prodigy Shisui Uchiha raised his hand, signaling for the surrounding Uchiha shinobi to withdraw.
Just as Shisui turned to leave as well, Minato's calm voice stopped him:
"No wonder they call you Shunshin no Shisui—the man whose speed strikes fear into enemies on the battlefield. You've already guessed, haven't you? Then stay."
Minato's expression grew heavier."As a Uchiha who awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, you must understand what it means to love… and then to lose it. Obito, in that, you and Shion may carry the same wound."
Shisui froze outside the bars, then quietly turned back and stood behind Minato.
"…Hah."
Minato let out a long breath. His hand reached forward and touched the swirling mask.
Crack.
With a sharp snap, the mask came away.
The face revealed was nothing like the sunny, bright student he remembered.
Half of it was twisted flesh, grotesquely rebuilt with Hashirama's cells. His sockets were empty hollows, blood long since dried, yet even without eyes it was clear: no light remained within them.
"…Obito."
The name escaped Minato's lips in a low murmur.
Obito tilted back his head and let out a hoarse, grating laugh.
"Sensei… you already knew it was me, didn't you? The one who fed you information… didn't they tell you who I was?"
He went on, almost to himself:
"No, of course not. You and Kakashi—you were both legends on the battlefield. Your ability to analyze intelligence is beyond question. If that bastard Kakashi had only understood the Mangekyō, then maybe—"
Minato shook his head gently."I only want to know why you became like this. Yesterday… you tried to go after Kushina, didn't you? To release the Nine-Tails, destroy Konoha… perhaps even kill your own teacher, and the woman who loved you like family?"
Obito's lips curved upward, but there was no shame in his smile, only cold resolve."A Konoha without Rin… a world without Rin… is meaningless to me!"
"When Kakashi's Chidori pierced through her chest, the world itself lost all meaning! Always one step too late, Sensei. Kakashi, who killed Rin with his own hand. Neither of you kept your promises!"
Minato opened his mouth, but Obito's harsh laughter cut him off.
"Rin had the Three-Tails sealed inside her, didn't she? I know. I know she begged Kakashi to end her life. That's what you want to say, isn't it? …Sensei?"
Minato fell silent.
"Ha… hahahaha…"
Obito laughed madly. From his empty sockets, streaks of blood-tinged tears streamed down his cheeks.
The tearing of his wounds was nothing compared to the pain in his heart. Just as Minato had countless questions for him, he had countless accusations to hurl back.
To Obito, Rin—Nohara Rin—was his only light.
"Sensei… where were you when Rin was taken? When the boulders crushed me, where were you? When Rin had the Three-Tails forced into her, where were you?!
If only… if only you had been there… if only the master of fūinjutsu had been there… Rin would never have died!!"
His body shook with rage, the sealing chains straining to their limits.
But neither Minato nor Shisui moved.
"Obito," Minato said softly, "no matter what I say now, I can't change Rin's death. But… I'm sorry. I failed to protect you. I failed to protect her."
Minato closed his eyes for a brief moment, then exhaled and opened them again. His voice was firm, yet warm."So, Obito—come back. Return to Konoha. You're still Obito. You're still my student. You're still… Rin's teammate."
Obito froze.
Minato smiled faintly."What happened last night—only Kakashi, Shisui, and Fugaku know. The two medical-nin who were present will remain silent. No one else will ever learn. So come back, Obito."
Silence hung heavy within the cell.
Shisui glanced at Minato, surprised. In that moment, he saw the true measure of the Fourth Hokage's heart and wisdom, and could not help but feel respect.
After all, had they not received so much intelligence ahead of time, the release of the Nine-Tails last night would have been unavoidable. And once the beast had been pulled from Kushina, the Fourth's wife, her death would have been certain. Even Minato himself might not have survived unscathed.
To forgive the very student who nearly destroyed everything… Minato wanted Shisui to see this for himself.
The Mangekyō's power—the Susanoo, the right eye's Kotoamatsukami, and that other Mangekyō with its strange space-time ability—all of it had been weighed carefully by the Hokage.
Minato wanted him to believe. To believe that this Hokage—untouched by the paranoia of the Second—would show the Uchiha genuine trust and mercy.
"…Tch. Heh…"
A low chuckle rose from within the cell.
Obito's head snapped up, his hollow sockets locking on Minato like bleeding voids.
"I don't need it!"
"I don't need Konoha. I don't need a teacher. I don't need anyone. I only need to create a world where Rin exists. Everything else is worthless! Worthless!!"
With a roar, a surge of blue chakra erupted from his body, breaking free of the sealing formula. Chains snapped apart one by one as his power soared.
But in the very next instant—
Boom!"Seal!"
Minato's palm slammed against Obito's stomach, the sealing mark flashing to life. The raging chakra collapsed, smothered before it could even take form.
"…Even without eyes, you can still summon a Susanoo?" Shisui muttered, deactivating his Mangekyō. He had been ready to release his own Susanoo as well. "You truly are a genius of the Uchiha… though not even at the first stage."
Obito collapsed to the ground, motionless.
He had no more words left. The accusations were spoken. The apology had been given. But what use was it?
Rin would never return.
This world had no Rin.
"Let's go."
Minato cast one last look at his fallen student, then turned to leave. Shisui shut the iron gate behind them and wove the seal once more.
In the corridor, Shisui hesitated, as though wanting to speak.
Walking ahead, Minato broke the silence:"Give it a few more days. Perhaps…"
Shisui lowered his head. He understood. The Hokage still wanted to save this disciple.
Minato's voice softened with memory."Obito was always late. His excuse was always the same—he was helping the elderly. Once, on a mission, he told me there wasn't a single elder in Konoha he didn't know.
Even when they called him the dead last at the Academy, he never gave up. To awaken the Sharingan, he would use eyedrops and goggles to protect his eyes.
He was… a boy filled with sunlight. And his light… was Rin."
At that same moment, in the Police Force captain's office, a shadow appeared without a sound.
Kushina had once said… she hoped Naruto could grow up to be as bright as Obito.
And yet, for the one who betrayed everything in the end… how should one judge him?