Pain. Hate. Regret. Rage.
They howled through Obito like wolves, gnawing straight down to bone. Rin's "death," that accusing look frozen on her face—and Sogetsu's devil-soft whisper—pushed his mind over a cliff.
Something inside snapped.
The world went blood-red. Wings beat—he tracked every feathered flick. Dust motes swirled—he saw each grain tumble. And the man he loathed most stood out like an X-ray: chakra coursing bright through his coils.
Power surged up to meet him.
"AAAHHH!"
Obito tore free from the boot on his skull, rolled, and sprang low to the ground, a bolt of black and orange skimming the earth as he cut for Sogetsu.
Zi–in–xu–chou–mao–yin!
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
Dozens of firebuds fanned wide, wheeling in tricky arcs before collapsing inward.
Boom! Smoke geysered up—
Sogetsu strode out of the haze with dusty sleeves and not a scorch on him.
Footsteps knifed in from the flank. A kunai thrust for his cheek—he tilted past it, body coiling, heel whipping out in a brutal Leaf Strong Whirlwind.
Obito dove, moving with a feral sharpness that belied the bruises, slipped under the kick, then drove both hands up with his kunai toward a very unfriendly target.
Pop. A log split around the blade.
"Close one." Sogetsu patted his chest, mock-relieved. "You almost had me."
"I knew you'd sub in!" Obito snapped his head, tiger seal already formed. He gulped air deep, ribs flaring. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A three-meter sun roared across the field.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu." Sogetsu answered in kind—bigger, hotter, heavier.
The two infernos collided mid-air. Heat washed the clearing, grass kindled all around, dirt buckled, and a shockwave scythed outward.
"You— you killed Rin!" Obito's face twisted under his palm; hatred leaked between his fingers. "I'll never forgive you, Sogetsu!"
"What a pig-headed kid." Sogetsu rubbed his brow. "Class is over. Try to listen, Obito—cool it."
But madness had him by the throat. Obito burst through the burning curtain, both eyes gone crimson—three tomoewhirling around each pupil—murder rolling off him in waves.
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
"So you can't hear me." Sogetsu's gaze went cold. "Game's done."
He vanished.
"Sleep."
The hand-edge cracked against Obito's neck. Vision tunneled, pressure spiked—then black. Obito face-planted with a thud.
Sogetsu dusted his palms and looked over at Kakashi. "He's yours. Think you can handle the rest?"
"Y-yeah… I'll explain." Kakashi's smile was all wry. He'd basically come out here to get beaten senseless—but he'd also learned something. That no-seal wind trick… an idea was sparking in his mind already.
"Thanks for today, Sogetsu-nii."
"Don't mention it." Sogetsu waved and strolled off—only to pause, glance back at the unconscious boy, and let a sly smile tug his mouth. "Kamui, huh… won't be long now. A space-time gift like that would be wasted on you, Obito."
Thank fate for the present, kid.
—
Late afternoon.
Obito came to with a groan. His neck felt broken; every bone complained. Memories sluiced back—
"RIN!" He howled to the sky and pounded the dirt. "Rin! Rin—!"
A warm hand mussed his hair. A familiar voice: "I'm fine, Obito. Don't cry."
"R-Rin?" He swiped at tears, looked up—froze, then crab-scuttled backward on hands and feet, white as a sheet. "G-ghost—?!"
"Honestly!" Rin puffed her cheeks, hands on hips. "Use your eyes. Am I a person or a ghost?"
Obito blinked hard, stared, blinked again—and what he saw was Rin. A very swollen-cheeked, slightly pig-faced Rin… but very much alive.
"I saw him split you in half—blood everywhere—like this—" He mimed it with both arms, horrified.
"Idiot." Kakashi limped in, face more swollen than before, arms folded. "We got played. Genjutsu."
"G-genjutsu?!"
Obito reeled, then slowly took in Rin's very non-bisected state.
"Sogetsu-nii did it to shock you," Kakashi added, a flicker of envy shadowing his eye. "It worked. You awakened your Sharingan."
"My— right! The Sharingan!" Obito's shock flipped to giddy triumph. "I awakened it—ha!"
"Che. Moron." Kakashi looked away, voice dry—but the corner of his mouth did twitch.
(End of chapter)
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