On the Sky Screen, after Obito finished venting his inner thoughts, the three tomoe in his right eye began to vibrate rapidly.
Then under Kakashi's stunned gaze, Obito suddenly stood up, willingly letting the Chidori pierce through his chest, the blue-white lightning sinking into his torso.
"I know everything."
Obito's voice was terrifyingly calm.
"I know that Rin deliberately ran into your attack. That she chose to die."
Hearing that, Kakashi's expression grew dazed.
For a moment, the Obito before him seemed to transform into a young Nohara Rin.
At this very instant, it was exactly like that moment back then.
In the eyes of the people watching the screen, the scene in the Kamui dimension had shifted—Kakashi had also reverted to his younger self.
That day, Kakashi had pierced Rin's chest with the Chidori in the exact same way.
The same posture. The same Chidori. The same spot—the chest. Only this time, the one standing opposite him was Obito.
Sensitive people like Kushina and others were already teary-eyed.
---
[Konoha, Year 50. Hokage Office]
Kushina leaned on Minato's shoulder, tears streaming uncontrollably. "That child Kakashi… how much pain must he be carrying inside?"
After wringing enough tears from the audience, the scene in the Kamui dimension returned to Kakashi's Chidori piercing Obito's chest.
The illusion of young Rin and Kakashi faded, replaced by two middle-aged men covered in scars. Kakashi's Chidori was still embedded in Obito's chest.
Obito continued, relentless: "To me, you—who couldn't protect Rin—are nothing but a fake."
"To me, Rin is someone who wasn't supposed to die. So the dead Rin is also a fake."
"Take a good look!"
Obito stepped back and pointed at his own pierced chest. Strangely, there was no blood—only an empty, gaping hole.
He said sharply to Kakashi, "There's nothing in my heart!"
"I don't even feel pain anymore."
"You don't need to feel guilty… Kakashi."
"This hole was torn open by this hellish world. In the past, all I felt was pain here. What's the meaning in that?"
"So I abandoned everything. You've been suffering all this time too, haven't you?"
"Kakashi… that's enough already. You don't have to suffer anymore."
"Rin is right here!"
As Obito spoke, Rin's figure actually appeared on Kakashi's left side. She stood with her hands behind her back, smiling at Kakashi—just as she did when they were young.
Her short brown hair swayed gently, her face warm with a gentle smile. She tilted her head, her eyes curving into crescents, the corners of her lips lifting.
"I love you, Kakashi." Rin even gently said those words.
"And your ideal version of me is also here."
Obito continued, and a young Obito appeared in front of Kakashi's left side—goggles on, shouting that he would become Hokage.
"You can wish for whatever you want… You can have anything you desire in this Genjutsu world."
"The hole in your heart can be filled immediately."
Obito's voice rang in Kakashi's ears like a devil's whisper.
[Speaking of which, this brings to mind a tale of an old geezer deceiving a middle-aged man, the middle-aged man deceiving a kid, and the kid having nowhere to hide his tears.]
[Compared to Naruto's Talk-no-Jutsu, Obito's Talk-no-Jutsu was no less effective. He even used Genjutsu to manifest Rin and his younger self, shaking Kakashi's resolve.]
[For Obito, Rin's death and Kakashi's guilt had long ceased to matter. He had grown weary of this false world long ago.]
[The Kakashi who couldn't protect Rin was a fake. The world without Rin was even more fake. And to end the endless wars and bloodshed, he resolved to launch the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Everything could return to its happiest moment within a dream.]
[As a side note: if the Infinite Tsukuyomi were simply a world where people could live forever in a dream fulfilling all their desires, it might actually be quite appealing to the ordinary people of the Shinobi World.]
[After all, the Infinite Tsukuyomi asks not about one's origins—it only grants fulfillment. No schemes, no unfulfilled desires, no being forced into anything. Everyone becomes exactly who they want to be. It uses the most extreme illusion to embrace the most genuine exhaustion.]
[In the end, it's not that the Infinite Tsukuyomi is too tempting—it's that sometimes, simply living is too exhausting.]
---
It was only at this moment that the people across the pre-Fourth-War Shinobi World timelines finally understood what Obito's "Eye of the Moon Plan" truly was.
Everywhere in the world, ordinary people were discussing it.
"So it's just putting everyone under a Genjutsu, making them sink into a dream?"
An old farmer crouched on a ridge, deep in thought, "Sounds… not that bad."
The woman beside him glared at him: "Not that bad? It's all fake!"
"Fake is still better than real suffering," the old farmer sighed. "I've farmed my whole life, never had enough to eat. My son went off to be a samurai and died in battle—I never even found his body. If I could have a full meal in a dream and see my son again, that'd be fine by me."
The woman opened her mouth but found no reply. If she could see her dead son in a dream, she might be willing too.
Elsewhere, a middle-aged shinobi wearing a forehead protector said, "Exactly! You can have everything in the dream—why wake up? In reality, you risk your life and struggle just to become a Chūnin. In a dream, I could become a Kage instantly, how great is that."
Opposite him, a younger shinobi objected, "That's just escaping reality!"
"And what's so great about reality?" the middle-aged shinobi retorted. "One day you might go on a mission and never come back. In a dream, at least you won't die."
The younger shinobi opened his mouth but couldn't find a refutation.
After all, a friend of his from the same class had died on a mission last month.
Debates spread everywhere—some in favor, some opposing, but many remained silent.
Not because they had no opinion, but because they were also wondering: if the Infinite Tsukuyomi were real, would they want to go in?
---
[Konoha, Year One. A vantage point outside the village]
Madara sneered disdainfully: "What a pathetic man. This is how he seeks peace?"
"Why doesn't he just cast a Genjutsu on himself and permanently live in the dream of the Infinite Tsukuyomi succeeding?"
"Or he can dream that everyone supports the Eye of the Moon Plan—doesn't that also count as success?"
"It's all a dream anyway! Him dreaming for everyone is the same thing."
Hashirama nodded in agreement.
What meaning was there in peace obtained through dreams? That was just self-deception.
True peace should be built on reality, not on illusory dreams.
Not far away, Tobirama fell into thought.
It seemed that the Sky Screen was suggesting… that the Infinite Tsukuyomi did more than just trap people in a dream?
He carefully recalled every word the screen had spoken, trying to find clues between the lines.
"Madara," Hashirama suddenly spoke.
"Hmm?"
"Do you think dreams can really bring peace?"
"Why even ask that?"
Madara glanced at him and spoke with absolute certainty: "Of course not! But that fool Obito clearly doesn't understand that."
Hashirama let out a sigh of relief. "Good. After what the screen said, some people might actually think of seeking peace this way."
Madara sneered, "My peace is peace in reality—not hiding in a dream like a coward."
"Anyone who wants to dream can do so themselves. But if they try to drag the entire world into a dream, they'd better ask my blade if it's sharp enough."
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Somewhere on a cliff in the Shinobi World]
Obito stared at the screen, his heart skipping a beat.
What did the Sky Screen mean by "the old geezer deceiving the middle-aged man, and the middle-aged man deceiving the kid"?
Who was the old geezer? Who was the middle-aged man? Who was the kid?
And… the Infinite Tsukuyomi didn't just make people dream?
So what else did it do?
Wasn't the Eye of the Moon Plan Madara's scheme? Did it contain other secrets?
Had Madara hidden something from him?
What else about the Infinite Tsukuyomi did he not know?!
---
At the same time, somewhere in the Shinobi World, a pitch-black figure swallowed nervously.
He hid in a dark corner, his body trembling slightly—as if frightened by something.
He felt like the plan might need to be changed… and he felt conflicted.
Based on the screen's previous revelations, he felt that that guy Hagoromo was definitely watching his every move.
Perhaps every action he took, every step he made, was under Hagoromo's scrutiny.
So even if mother was unsealed, she might still end up sealed again.
'Damn Indra and Asura!'
And more than them—'Damn you! Hagoromo!!'
Black Zetsu gritted his teeth, wishing he could chew the Sage of Six Paths to pieces.
---
[Konoha, Year 83. Naruto's Home]
Himawari lay on the sofa, chin resting on a cushion, her little legs swinging in the air.
"Dad, what is this Eye of the Moon Plan?" Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.
Naruto sat beside her, thought for a moment, and decided to tell the truth. Since the screen had already revealed so much, there was no point in hiding it.
"It puts everyone under a Genjutsu, making them live in a dream. And then… the people outside the dream turn into white monsters."
Naruto's voice was calm, but hearing that Himawari jolted upright, her eyes wide. "White monsters?!"
"Mm," Naruto nodded, his expression serious. "So the Infinite Tsukuyomi isn't just about dreaming. Everyone trapped in the dream eventually becomes a weapon, as those white things are used to fight enemies."
Boruto shrank back and pressed closer to Naruto: "So scary."
Himawari though looked up, her big eyes full of confusion. "Dad, why does that Obito uncle… seems so pitiful?"
Naruto froze for a moment, then ruffled his daughter's hair. "Obito… yeah, he really is pitiful. But what he did was wrong."
---
[Konoha, Year 20. Hokage Office]
Tobirama heard the Sky Screen's description of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, tapping his fingers lightly on the desk.
"The old geezer deceives the middle-aged man, the middle-aged man deceives the kid…" he murmured. "The old geezer seems to be Madara. The middle-aged man is Obito. Who's the kid? Nagato? Or Sasuke?"
[On the other hand, Obito also underestimated Kakashi.]
[As a legendary man in the Shinobi World whose heart cannot be swayed by any distraction and whose resolve cannot be shaken by any force, the core reason for Kakashi's unshakable conviction lies in the fact that after losing loved ones and enduring internal struggles time and time again, he still chose to uphold the belief of "protecting his comrades." This conviction was not innate—it was gradually forged and reinforced through pain.]
[He lost his father at a young age, lost comrades in the Third Great Ninja War, and lost his teacher during the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha—a series of heavy blows.]
[Yet he never sank into prolonged grief. Instead, he kept moving forward. Such a man could never be swayed by a few words from Obito.]
[Especially since Obito was trying to get Kakashi to forsake reality and give-in to dreams… that was even more unrealistic.]
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Land of Waves, Tazuna's house]
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura looked at Kakashi, complex emotions surging through their hearts.
'His heart cannot be swayed by any distraction, and his resolve cannot be shaken by any force'—this was the screen's evaluation of Kakashi.
They never expected that the man who always held a copy of 'Icha Icha Paradise', slacked off, and made endless excuses for being late was actually this kind of person.
Naruto was the first to speak: "Kakashi-sensei… you're amazing!"
Kakashi leaned by the window, not turning his head. "Mm."
"I'm serious!" Naruto stood up. "The screen said you went through all that, and you still..."
Naruto felt he was miserable enough. But Kakashi-sensei seemed to have lost even more.
Sakura's eyes were slightly red: "Kakashi-sensei, you never told us those things."
Kakashi's voice came from behind his mask: "Tell you what? How much I suffered? There's no need. You're not here to listen to my stories."
"But—" Sakura tried to say more.
But Kakashi cut her off. "The screen is right. The people are gone, but life goes on. And I've chosen to cherish the present—and you guys are the present."
Naruto paused, then grinned. "Kakashi-sensei, was that a compliment?"
"Mhm-mm."
Sasuke suddenly spoke: "Kakashi."
"Hmm?"
"Do you regret it?"
Kakashi turned looked at him. "Regret what?"
"Regret… not being able to do more."
"I do..." he said. "But regret is useless. All I can do is carry their will and keep living."
Sasuke lowered his head, saying nothing.
Outside the window, the sea breeze of the Land of Waves blew in, carrying a salty tang.
---
Somewhere on a cliff in the Shinobi World.
Obito stared at the Sky Screen's words, a sneer curling beneath his mask.
'His heart cannot be swayed by any distraction, and his resolve cannot be shaken by any force?' Obito let out a cold laugh. "Kakashi, you sure are being praised to the skies."
Kakashi was indeed strong—strong enough to make him annoying.
"But what good is your strength?"
Obito gritted his teeth. "Can you bring Rin back? Can you make this world better?"
He spread his arms as if to embrace the whole sky. "No. You can only protect a few people around you, then stand alone staring at the Memorial Stone late at night."
"Is that your conviction? Is that your strength?"
The wind swept across the ledge, and no one answered him.
Obito then lowered his arms and closed his eyes. "Kakashi, you chose to cherish the present. I chose to create a new world. Let's see who's right."
---
[Konoha, Year 50. Hokage Office]
Minato looked at the Sky Screen's evaluation of Kakashi, a flash of relief in his eyes.
"That kid… has grown up."
Kushina leaned on his shoulder. "He was always good."
"Mhm."
*****
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