Chapter 259: This World Is False
What is the cruelest thing in the world?
Your crush and the person she has a crush on both get hit by a Sister Key.
What is the most wonderful thing in the world?
The one she likes can't do anything, leaving only you to help her.
And what is the cruelest thing in the world?
That even you can't help, and can only watch helplessly.
Right now, Obito was trapped in that most, most cruel stage.
"Ahhh!!!!"
Obito let out a roar of powerless rage.
Logically, that cry should have been heard no matter how far away others were.
But unfortunately, everyone in front of him was completely under the Sister Key's control, utterly ignoring Obito's presence.
Then something even more terrifying occurred.
The White Zetsu of this world were much like those in the real world, also transformed from humans of ancient times.
During Kaguya's reign, the Sage of Six Paths had already revealed his warped inclinations, beginning to spread his distorted ideology throughout the ninja world.
Whenever Kaguya discovered that some individuals had been influenced into becoming bizarre, fetishistic "furry enthusiasts," she would gather them together, absorb their chakra, and transform them into White Zetsu.
In the real world, the Uchiha clan had what could be considered one-and-a-half exceptions.
Those who did not play the "bond game," and instead had a perfectly normal attraction to women.
Half of that was Uchiha Fugaku.
As for why only half, it was mainly because he never displayed particularly deep affection toward his wife. Thus, some people found it entirely reasonable to suspect that he and Namikaze Minato were a pair of ill-fated lovers.
The other was Uchiha Obito.
Although Obito also shared bonds with Kakashi, Rin still firmly occupied first place.
Likewise, in the Limited Tsukuyomi world, Uchiha Fugaku, under the pull of fate's gravity, was already considered relatively normal.
After awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan and discovering that his wife was actually his ancestor Izuna in disguise, he fell into utter despair. With a heart already dead, he willingly allowed Itachi to kill him.
As for Obito, there was hardly any need to elaborate.
He still thought constantly of Rin.
However…
Half of his body had already become White Zetsu, infused with Senju Hashirama's cells—cells that were, by nature, fundamentally incompatible with him.
When Obito's emotions collapsed and he evolved into the [Enraged Obito] form, he awakened Wood Release.
At the same time, he was influenced by the residual effects of the ancient, fetishistic humans within the White Zetsu body, as well as by the Hashirama cells.
Originally, for men in this world to reach the level of resistance that Obito and Fugaku had achieved, they needed to suppress their instincts, as though locking themselves away.
Now, that lock has been opened.
Obito's feelings for Rin rapidly faded, while his obsession with tailed beasts surged forth like a bursting flood.
At that very moment, within Kirigakure's shinobi ranks, a seal was released.
The container holding the sealed Three-Tails was shattered!
Kirigakure's original plan had been to conquer Kakashi and Rin first, then turn one of them into a jinchūriki before sending them to wreak havoc in Konoha.
But they had never anticipated that Kakashi would display the brilliance of the "Copy Ninja" so early, deciphering and countering their closely guarded Bloody Mist conquest technique.
Just moments earlier, one of the Kirigakure shinobi responsible for carrying the sealed container had accidentally smashed it during the chaos.
"Roar~"
The Three-Tails, Isobu, burst free from the container, inhaled sharply, and let out an enraged bellow.
"Gah?"
With that single breath, the Three-Tails sucked in the dense Sister Key mist surrounding the area, swallowing it whole and releasing a distinctly abnormal cry.
Obito had not been affected by the Sister Key, yet with his psychological shift now fully unleashed, the sight of the Three-Tails pushed him past all restraint. He lunged forward without hesitation.
Obito now truly adored the Three-Tails. And as a being composed entirely of chakra, a tailed beast was naturally immune to restrictions such as "insufficient affection levels preventing excavation."
Obito's previously ruined body, thanks to the Hashirama cells, regained its former vitality.
Unfortunately, he had by now completely forgotten Rin. His mind was filled only with the Three-Tails.
And so, Obito began battling the Three-Tails.
Meanwhile, Nohara Rin's consciousness was gradually fading.
But her personality was unyielding, her will resolute.
She remembered the promise she still had to fulfill—to bring Obito's balls back to Orochimaru.
Orochimaru?
As a medical ninja, Rin suddenly recalled certain medical knowledge Orochimaru had once explained to her.
She had a way to save herself!
With great difficulty, Rin pulled out a surgical scalpel from her pack.
She began operating on her own abdomen, removing an organ, tossing it aside, then stitching herself back together.
As expected, the abnormal sensations plaguing her subsided considerably.
Rin let out a breath of relief, then looked around.
She truly should not have.
The moment she did, the wound she had just sutured tore open once more.
Kakashi and his ninja hound, Pakkun…
The "resurrected" Obito and the Three-Tails…
"This ninja world… is hell."
Rin collapsed weakly onto the ground.
Completely consumed by despair, she allowed the wound to split open, blood spreading across the earth.
At that point, the Giant Clam's illusion abruptly ended.
The mist began to dissipate.
A figure emerged from within it.
It looked unfamiliar.
"Huh? Is that what I look like as an adult?"
From the spectator stands, the reanimated Rin immediately recognized the silhouette.
It really was her.
Since Nohara Rin had died in her youth, she had never possessed an adult form. No wonder the image had not been instantly recognizable.
And no, identifying someone solely by the two markings on their face would not work.
Pakura of Sunagakure's disciple also had two facial markings.
"This is the truth of what happened back then. I've been waiting for you for a long time."
Adult Rin's voice was icy cold.
"So the mysterious masked man was you? But that still doesn't make sense. Konan clearly said earlier…"
Shiromo sensed something was wrong.
[Konan] had explicitly mentioned that the masked man had once shouted "Zero" inside her room before being discovered.
There was no way Rin could have done something like that.
"You mean that incident? See for yourself."
Adult Rin raised a… staff?
Set into the staff was not a gemstone, but the Giant Clam itself. The massive clam had been miniaturized into a small shell embedded in wood.
And inside the Giant Clam was not a pearl, but a Sharingan.
The Sharingan rotated.
A faint mist spread outward.
The illusion reappeared.
As it turned out, the mysterious masked man truly had been Obito.
However, [Konan], after the roof was torn away, had not examined the situation carefully, leading to the misunderstanding.
When Obito shouted "Zero," absolutely nothing had happened.
That's right.
Although Obito had already fallen in love with tailed beasts, his memories had not been altered. He attempted to fantasize about Rin…
Yet remained completely motionless.
Every day, his attempts proved futile.
Eventually, he simply gave up, resigning himself to immersing in his "tender paradise" with the Three-Tails.
The Kamui dimension became his private sanctuary for hiding tailed beasts.
"Uh… you killed him?"
Shiromo pointed at the staff.
"That Sharingan… it's his, isn't it?"
"That's right."
Adult Rin nodded coldly.
"This world is false. The ninja hounds and Kakashi are false. The Three-Tails and Obito are false. The Nine-Tails and Minato-sensei are also false."
(End of this chapter)