After processing the information for a while, Rin thought of a certain silver-haired boy. Her eyes brightened with gossipy curiosity as she asked, "How is Kakashi? Is he married? Does he have a son?"
"He is quite withdrawn, I haven't heard of him having a partner."
"Ah? Then can I go see him?"
If she could, Rin planned to give Kakashi a piece of her mind. How could ten years have passed without him finding a girlfriend?Wasn't he worried about the Hatake family line ending? It was so worrying.
"Probably not."
Seeing Rin's expression quickly darken, Yahiko hurriedly added, "I'll ask Hiromi for you."
"Really?" She was pleasantly surprised, but then felt a bit uneasy. "Hiromi won't kill you, will he?"
For some reason, she was a little afraid of this seven-year-old boy, Hiromi.
Yahiko shook his head and said, "He has his goals. For now, we are not his enemies."
—
It was impossible for Rin to see Kakashi.
Ignoring Yahiko's persuasion, Hiromi sent Yahiko, Rin, and the three Uchiha Root Members out of the village again, heading toward the Land of Rain.
Experience makes things easier, so they should have been faster, but because they were traveling with Rin, who was only a Genin, their speed was actually slower. It was already the tenth day by the time they reached the border.
Yahiko wasn't surprised to see the masked man standing on a thick tree branch again.
The three Uchiha Root Members, as if seeing him for the first time, had cold expressions filled with killing intent.
Death to those who block the way!
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
Seizing the opportunity, Rin hurriedly asked the masked man the question on her mind, "Do you know me?"
Obito's heart trembled.
'Hiromi didn't tell her.' This thought calmed his panic.
Without a word, he charged forward to attack.
The three Uchiha Root Members, lacking memories of the previous fight, were instantly controlled by the Mangekyo's genjutsu. Only Yahiko and Rin remained.
On the controlled Yahiko, Explosive Tags began to sizzle and burn.
Completely ignoring the self-destruction, Obito immediately arrived in front of Rin. Their eyes met as he attempted to release the Transcription Seal that Hiromi had placed on her.
But how could a Mangekyo possibly undo a Transcription Seal from an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan?
The attempt failed, but Obito's expression remained unchanged.
"It seems I have no choice but to save Yahiko."
He knew that last time, Rin committed suicide because Yahiko had died. In other words, as long as Yahiko didn't die, Rin wouldn't commit suicide.
Obito, clinging to that hope, instead heard the sizzle of Explosive Tags burning on Rin's body.
"No!!!" His expression changed drastically, filled with sheer terror.
Countless Explosive Tag were ruthlessly and rapidly burning and expanding. Finally, they culminated in a thunderous explosion.
Boom!
Obito stood once again in the pitch-black crater. He only had to look down to see the remains of Rin's flesh and blood scattered everywhere.
His pupils were bloodshot, a beast-like roar erupting from his throat.
"HIROMI!!!"
His voice resounded through the entire forest once more, like history repeating itself.
—
Eight days later.
Yahiko and Rin, resurrected for the third time, arrived at the border once again. But Obito, who should have appeared, did not show up again.
"Yahiko, has he given up?" Rin was very curious about the masked man.
"Perhaps he can't bear to watch you commit suicide anymore." Yahiko sighed weakly.
He had repeatedly tried to persuade Hiromi not to let Rin follow him to her death, but Hiromi's will had not wavered in the slightest.
Consequently, he felt very guilty toward Rin and did his best to make her as comfortable as possible along the way. Because of this, Rin became very close to him.
Especially after discussing in detail why Yahiko was heading to the Land of Rain despite the danger to himself, Rin was drawn to Yahiko's charismatic personality and decided to help him achieve his goal, no matter how many times she had to die.
This time, she was even prepared to threaten the masked man with her own safety. But as it turned out, not even a glimpse of the masked man could be seen.
The three Uchiha Root Members acted as if it were their first time there, completely forgetting that they had already died twice in this place.
Thus, this group of five, after a month and two deaths, finally stepped into the territory of the Land of Rain.
—
In a dark cavern, the Gedo Statue stood like a wooden carving. With its nine closed eyes and ten severed tails, it appeared exceptionally eerie.
Obito stood within, looking very much like the big boss behind the scenes.
Zetsu emerged from the ground.
Black Zetsu said, "They're here again."
Obito clenched his fists. "Has Orochimaru still not been found?"
In a situation where there are no corpses yet they can still be resurrected, it can only be through Edo Tensei. In the entire Ninja World, the only person who knows Edo Tensei right now is Orochimaru.
If he could find him and perform Edo Tensei immediately after Rin's suicide, he could break Hiromi's control over her. That way, he would never have to experience Rin's death again, nor would he ever have to stand in despair amidst her remains.
Black Zetsu shook his head.
White Zetsu's calm voice carried a hint of cheerfulness. "That snake is too good at running away."
Ever since the Konoha Crush Plan, Orochimaru had defected from the Akatsuki.
Although White Zetsu's scouting was stealthy, Orochimaru's ability to flee was nothing to scoff at.
Unless Black Zetsu exposed Possession, they could only see the tip of Orochimaru's tail, catching him was absolutely impossible.
And expose himself for the sake of one Rin?
Even if the plan to rescue his mother failed this time, Black Zetsu wouldn't expose himself.
Veins bulged on Obito's face, his whole body turned blood-red and trembled uncontrollably. Yet he made no other move and said nothing, the atmosphere incredibly oppressive.
"Do you intend to give up on your dream of world peace?" Black Zetsu reminded him once more.
But this time, Obito did not respond. He did want world peace, but that was to build a world where Rin could live happily. If such a world were built upon Rin's countless suicides, then he would rather not have it.
Black Zetsu saw through him, lowering his head with an inscrutable expression.
His body slowly sank. Eventually, he disappeared into the ground.
In the pitch-black, massive cavern, only Obito remained.
—
Amegakure.
Rain fell in a pitter-patter, the air was filled with damp mist.
At the village's high tower, a man wearing the black cloak with red clouds of the Akatsuki stood calmly, his eyes closed like a statue in the rain. He was using the Rain Tiger at Will Technique to sense everything in Amegakure and root out spies.
Standing beside him was a girl with light blue hair styled in a bun. On the right side of her head, she wore a light blue paper flower. She wore light purple eyeshadow, and she had a labret piercing below her lower lip. She was also wearing the Akatsuki's black cloak with red clouds.
The two stood calmly in the rain.
Just then, a Humanoid Pitcher Plant emerged at their feet.
Black Zetsu's calm yet somber voice rang out. "Hiromi has resurrected your old friend and wants to disband the Akatsuki."
Both the man and the girl snapped their eyes open, their pupils constricting sharply, which was somewhat frightening.
However, the difference was that the man looked rather fierce and angry, while the girl seemed somewhat pleasantly surprised and expectant.