To Obito that was both her bodyguard duty and her obsession with Vegapunk.
"Long time no see, Obito. Looks like you're enjoying this world."
Vegapunk smiled; Obito's cheek twitched, his face darkening even more.
Was he living well in this world or not? Even Uchiha Obito couldn't say. The resolve to undo everything had, as he sobered up, turned into a wish simply to mend his regrets.
To that end, Obito strengthened Rin Nohara's strength so she wouldn't be hurt, while also playing the part of a wise old mentor to the younger Obito.
Whichever Obito it was, his infatuation with Rin Nohara might be genuine, but his complete ineptitude at wooing her was equally real.
When it came to chasing girls, Obito had nothing to teach the younger Obito; in the end he could only raise the boy's power, hoping improved strength would make Rin look at him with new eyes.
Sure enough, the pre-Sharingan Obito lived up to the nickname "Dimwit," constantly sending the present Obito's blood pressure soaring, his heartbeat irregular, his nerves in chaos—he simply couldn't fathom how he could have been this stupid as a kid.
In truth, Obito's talent had never been poor; it was just that before his fall the boy was too careless, forever missing a screw. In study and battle he couldn't tap even a third of his potential.
Naturally, Obito couldn't say any of this aloud, so he kept a straight face and changed the subject: "Dr. Vegapunk, you're finally here. What brings you this time?"
For Obito, Vegapunk's arrival had always been a matter of time; he'd long since prepared himself. What exactly the scientist planned to do in this world, however, he had no idea.
"Indeed, I have plans…" Vegapunk rose slowly. "Obito, you should know where Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu are right now."
"Looking to pick a fight with them?" Obito nodded, unsurprised. "But at the moment, Black Zetsu shouldn't have been created yet…"
"No… Black Zetsu appeared far earlier than you think," Vegapunk said with a faint smile.
"Is that so? Seems that guy's hiding plenty of secrets…"
Uchiha Obito murmured pensively, yet he didn't much care. Since he no longer intended to carry out the Infinite Tsukuyomi Plan, whatever schemes Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu cooked up were none of his concern.
Besides… glancing at the confident Vegapunk, Obito suspected that the Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu of this world were about to suffer a very bad day.
In a dark, hidden subterranean base, a huge withered Gedo Statue towered. Before it, a decrepit old man, hair white and skin like dried bark, sat silently on the foremost stone throne, tubes running from his back into the statue.
Suddenly the elder opened his previously closed eyes, suspicion flashing in them: "Who's there?!"
Footsteps echoed. Clad in an Akatsuki cloak with a swirling mask, Uchiha Obito stepped into the cavern, his gaze complex as he regarded Uchiha Madara.
"Long time no see… Madara."
Uchiha Madara narrowed his eyes; a low, hoarse voice rumbled through the cave: "I don't recall ever meeting an Uchiha like you. Or do you think I've gone senile?"
Obito hesitated, seeming on the verge of speaking, but in the end said nothing.
Behind him, ripples of space-time appeared, and Vegapunk, Boa Hancock, and Ōtsutsuki Kaguya all materialized in the cavern.
Seeing so many intruders, Uchiha Madara slowly reached for the scythe and war-fan beside his throne. White fungus-like growths sprouted over his body, completely enveloping him.
That was the ultimate White Zetsu he had cultivated—Tobi. With his aged and diminished Chakra, Madara could still draw roughly thirty or forty percent of his prime strength through such external aid.
Whoever the visitors were, they could not be friends; Madara had long since readied himself for battle.
Once the white growths covered him entirely, Madara rose, a fearsome aura erupting—enough to leave an ordinary Ninja trembling, mind blank, unable to resist.
But those who had entered were no ordinary Ninja; even the weakest, Uchiha Obito, stood at the pinnacle of Kage level and remained unshaken.
Madara didn't mind. Anyone who could reach this place was certainly no run-of-the-mill shinobi—many White Zetsu guarded the outer veins, so slipping in unnoticed required at least Elite Jonin strength.
So what? He was Uchiha Madara.
Yet none of those present reacted to his hostility,
especially after seeing Madara cloak himself in Tobi to boost body and Chakra. Vegapunk nearly laughed aloud: "What a fool… treating something of unknown origin as his trump card—clearly he's never been taught a harsh lesson by life."
"Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, he's yours."
Kaguya nodded silently, glanced at Madara, and instantly the White Zetsu Tobi stopped supplying Yang Release Chakra and instead began draining Madara's own.
"What… is this?! Who are you?! How can you control White Zetsu?!!"
Furious and shocked, Madara raised his scythe, took one step, and collapsed. With his scant remaining Chakra—barely kept alive by the Gedo Statue—he could not resist.
After all, whether the Gedo Statue or the White Zetsu coating him, ultimate control still lay with Ōtsutsuki Kaguya. Even a Parallel World Kaguya could easily influence them.
Now both the statue and the White Zetsu voraciously sapped his Chakra and life-force. Already at his limit, Madara couldn't endure; within moments he lay lifeless, eyes wide in death.
Seeing Madara die this way, Uchiha Obito sighed with emotion: "To think… Uchiha Madara would meet such an end…"
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