Human corpses decay with alarming speed.
The sudden realization sent cold sweat cascading down young Obito Uchiha's back like a waterfall! Had he not been surrounded by others, he would have immediately retreated into his Kamui's Dimension to demand answers from the 'Masked Man'—had he properly preserved the body?
What if... What if Kakashi from that world was resurrected... But if the body had already rotted... then wouldn't that mean—
He imagined an Adult Kakashi greeting him, only for a rotting eyeball to accidentally fall out, fingers revealing exposed bones, and intestines wriggling with some "cute little critters." Then that Kakashi would calmly pop the eyeball back in, saying, "Hey, Obito. So glad to see you again."
Ugh—!!
His body and mind couldn't handle that kind of shock!!
As young Obito's face turned an increasingly ashen shade, the others kindly excused themselves, leaving him alone to test just how well Kamui's Dimension preserved flesh. Minato hurried off to ask Itachi and Kabuto Yakushi if there were any new missions.
That evening, young Obito slipped into his Kamui's Dimension when no one was around. Entering his Kamui's Dimension for the first time, young Obito Uchiha was startled by this completely different world! Looking around at the familiar Konohagakure—wasn't this the very same Konohagakure from his memories?!
It differed from the Konoha in Naruto's current world. In Naruto's world, Konohagakure had been extensively damaged during the Nine-Tails' Rampage twelve years ago. After the village's reconstruction, the Uchiha Clan's ancestral grounds were relocated to the very outskirts of the village, and other major clans had also undergone varying degrees of geographical adjustments.
But the Konoha in Obito's memories was different. The Uchiha Clan grounds occupied a prime location, and his home with his grandmother should still be nestled within a more secluded part of the grounds. Were it not for the fifth head carved into Hokage Rock in the distance—clearly his own, with Sharingan eyes and goggles etched into the stone—he might have doubted he'd entered Kamui's Dimension at all, suspecting instead that he'd time-traveled back to the original era.
"Why?" he couldn't comprehend. "We're both Obito Uchiha, so why is the Masked Man's Kamui's Dimension completely empty?"
But emptiness had its own advantage—at least if they were both in the Masked Man's Kamui's Dimension, they'd spot each other instantly. But how could he find him in a place as vast as this Konoha?
With time running out, young Obito could only follow his instincts to guess where the Masked Man might appear.
— —Hokage...
Not here.
— —Hokage...
Not here either.
One... Memorial...
Tsk. He wasn't Kakashi; obviously, he wouldn't be lingering at the Memorial Stone all day.
What good would repentance do for that other self who'd committed so many wrongs? Wouldn't it be better to think of ways to atone? The dessert shop, the Seventh Training Ground—he'd searched countless places.
"Aren't two White Zetsu supposed to be here?! They should be showing up, but they're all playing dead!!"
The moment he finished speaking, an eerie voice floated lightly into his ear from behind.
"You called us?"
"Need to find a restroom in a hurry?"
"Ah! Could it be you're desperate to go?"
Obito Uchiha stared at the two clowning White Zetsu with disgust. "Where's the masked man?"
"He's at home, Tobi. Listen to me, that masked man—he—"
Obito didn't hear the rest of White Zetsu's words. It was all trivial nonsense anyway. Compared to that, he hadn't even thought to check his own home!
He immediately used the Shinobi Leap technique, soaring over Konoha's houses, rushing toward the direction of his family home within the Uchiha Clan grounds as he remembered it. Leaping over countless houses along the way, the complete absence of any living soul made this seemingly idyllic Konoha feel eerily silent, like a dead valley.
When he reached the old, dilapidated house where he'd once lived with his grandmother, he found Adult Obito lying on his futon upstairs. The adult wore no mask, half his face scarred, his ninja boots removed to reveal his calves, casually propped up with one leg crossed over the other.
"..." Young Obito was speechless. "Don't you realize this futon is way too small for you?"
"It is a bit small." The adult Obito Uchiha looked down on the younger Obito, who hadn't even reached 5'3", with disdain. "Shorty." As he said this, he deliberately stood up, flaunting his 6'0" height advantage.
"Are you trying to live like a stupid Kakashi?!" Young Obito jumped up, shouting angrily. "Making fun of your parallel universe self like this—where's your conscience?! How many times have I been unfairly blamed because of you lately?!"
Perhaps because Kakashi's name had been mentioned, Adult Obito lost his desire to tease his younger self.
"What brings you here?" he asked.
Taking a deep breath, Young Obito Uchiha inquired, "Does your Kamui's Dimension have a refrigeration function?"
"..."
Adult Obito Uchiha almost wanted to give his childhood self a thumbs-up. He twitched his lips.
"So you've finally given up on being a ninja? Planning to use Kamui to deliver takeout and packages for the rest of your life, stuck doing D-rank missions?"
Adult Obito Uchiha: "You want to use Kamui's Dimension as a refrigerator? But let me tell you, Kamui's Dimension isn't a Kamui refrigerator. Give up that idea."
Kamui... Kamui Express?
Kamui refrigerator?
Young Obito truly had no idea what kind of thoughts were constantly swirling around in the head of this version of himself right in front of him!
"What Kamui Express? Flying Thunder God Technique Delivery?!"
As he spoke, Young Obito mimicked the movements of the decaying corpse, shuffling a few steps toward Adult Obito.
He even used a Transformation Technique to take on the appearance of the decaying Kakashi. "Obito, it's so good to finally see you. Let's go to hell together..."
This nearly made Adult Obito kick him flying!
Regaining his composure, Young Obito asked, "Can the space really preserve things? Is Kakashi's body okay? Minato-sensei has already asked Itachi and Kabuto Yakushi if they have any A-rank missions available."
Adult Obito rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "My Kamui's Dimension is indeed cooler than the outside, but it's not cold enough to function as a morgue."
"Then what?! Who knows when we'll be able to time travel back to that parallel world to return that Kakashi?!"
Adult Obito had long considered this dilemma, which had been plaguing him.
But after all these days, he wasn't entirely without a solution.
"You have a solution?!" Younger Obito asked skeptically.
Adult Obito nodded. "But I'll need your help."
"What help?" Young Obito took a quick step back, instantly creating distance between them. "I'm Obito Uchiha, a Konoha ninja who dreams of becoming Hokage. I won't associate with a Missing-nin like you!"
"I'm not a Missing-nin!"
"You have the nerve to say that?"
"Forget it, I won't argue with you about this." Adult Obito Uchiha said,
"Do me a favor."
"What favor?"
"Steal the Scroll of Seals for me."
"...."
The two stared each other down, waiting to see who would crack first.
Sure enough, Young Obito was the first to lose his composure! He grabbed an object and tried to smash it on the ground in frustration!
"Don't drop that!" You'll regret it if you do.
Adult Obito warned, and Young Obito glanced at the item in his hand.
Oh man, it was their class photo—Kakashi still had the tape on his face from when he'd been injured.
Quickly, Young Obito adjusted his movement from tossing it to carefully tucking it away on himself.
Suppressing his short temper, he looked up at the towering, 6-foot-2 masked man across from him. "You, a Missing-nin, want me to steal the Scroll of Seals for you?! Are you tired of living, or do you want me to die?! If you're going to steal it, don't come through me! And don't even think about telling me to use Kamui to snatch it for you! What do you even need the Scroll of Seals for?!"
Adult Obito sighed, clearly unfazed. "With all these questions, which one should I answer first?" he asked. "Stealing the Scroll of Seals? Obviously, it's to learn the Edo Tensei technique inside. Once I master it, all I need is a few strands of Kakashi's hair, and I could resurrect him."
He paused for a moment, his tone shifting slightly.
"As for why I asked you... it's because your criminal record is a little cleaner than mine."
Young Obito Uchiha nearly choked on his own breath, enraged.
"I'm not helping you steal the Scroll of Seals!" he declared firmly.
"Fine, don't help," Adult Obito said dismissively, glancing at him with his single visible eye. "I wasn't expecting anything from you anyway."
Just moments ago, he'd been trying to get rid of Young Obito by asking for his help, and now he was saying he wasn't expecting anything from him. That Uchiha pride was clearly still there, even in this version of Obito. The same tsundere mentality that defined their clan.
Seeing he wouldn't get the answers he was looking for here, Young Obito turned to leave.
"I'm leaving," he said. "If I hear anything from Minato-sensei, I'll let you know. If I can't make it over, I'll leave a note on the desk here."
"Wait," Adult Obito suddenly stopped him.
"What else?" he asked, looking back at the older Obito.
Adult Obito rubbed his short hair, clearly reluctant, then pulled out a scroll from behind him. "I've got an A-rank mission available, but I still need you to do me a small favor..."
He said it with a hint of reluctance.
If you're going to ask for help, then why say earlier, "If you won't help, I won't expect anything from you anyway"? Seriously?! Doesn't your face hurt?