Late at night, within the depths of the Konoha Military Police Force Headquarters.
*Clack*
The heavy iron door groaned open, its seals momentarily lifted under the authority of the Hokage. A dim light cast long shadows across the cold, stone corridor. Standing tall with a calm yet resolute expression, Namikaze Minato, the Fourth Hokage, stepped into the detainment chamber.
Behind him, Uchiha Shisui, the famed prodigy of the Uchiha clan and the youngest to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, lifted his hand in signal. The surrounding Uchiha guards gave a slight bow of acknowledgment and retreated without a word. Silence fell, save for the distant drip... drip of condensation from the ceiling.
As Shisui turned on his heel, intending to leave his Hokage alone with the prisoner, Minato's voice halted him.
"As expected of Shisui, the one who distinguished himself on the battlefield… You sensed it, didn't you? Stay."
Shisui blinked, then gave a small nod and remained by the entrance. The torchlight flickered, casting dancing shadows over the bars of the high-security cell.
Minato took a deep breath, his expression conflicted. "You and Obito… you're both Uchiha who've awakened the Mangekyō. You've tasted love—and its loss. I believe you two carry similar wounds."
Shisui said nothing. He simply shifted to stand silently behind Minato, his black cloak rustling softly with the movement.
'Hahh…'
Minato exhaled again, his hand reaching forward with practiced precision. Fingers brushed the vortex-patterned mask that had become synonymous with mystery and terror.
*Click*
The mask was removed with a soft, decisive sound. But what lay beneath was not the face Minato remembered—the cheerful, impulsive boy who once aspired to become Hokage.
The right half of the young man's face was grotesquely twisted, consumed by living tissue—flesh infused with the First Hokage's cells. His eyes… or rather, the hollow sockets where they used to be, were empty. Bleeding had long since stopped, but the void they held was more terrifying than any active glare.
"…Obito." Minato murmured.
A raspy, broken laugh echoed from the prisoner. "Heh… sensei. You've known it was me all along, haven't you? The one who fed you the intel… didn't they tell you my identity?"
Minato said nothing.
Obito's voice was calm, almost conversational. "It makes sense. Both you and Kakashi are prodigies—famed for your analytical minds. If only that bastard Kakashi had truly understood the Mangekyō, maybe…"
"You tried to kill Kushina." Minato said softly, voice shaking with restrained emotion. "You wanted to release the Nine-Tails… destroy Konoha… kill your teacher and the woman who loved you like her own kin. Why, Obito?"
The chained Uchiha gave a twisted grin, the corners of his mouth trembling.
"A Konoha without Rin… a world without Rin… is worthless."
He lifted his head, the blood-soaked hollows of his eyes trained on Minato with unnerving intensity.
"When Kakashi's Raikiri pierced Rin's chest, the world ended for me. You—my sensei—were too late. Kakashi failed her. You all broke your promises. Why should I care about this cursed village?"
Minato's lips parted to respond, but Obito beat him to it with a sneer.
"You're going to say it, aren't you? That Rin had the Three-Tails inside her… that she begged Kakashi to kill her to protect Konoha. I know that story, sensei. And it changes nothing."
Minato stood frozen, expression unreadable.
"Hahahahaha…"
Obito's laugh grew louder, darker. Two tears—mixed with blood—slid down from his eye sockets and streaked down his cheeks.
"Do you know how many times I asked myself where you were? Where you were when that boulder crushed me? When Rin was kidnapped? When she was turned into a Jinchūriki?"
Obito leaned forward, the chains tightening with a clink as his muscles trembled with fury.
"You—a master of sealing—could've saved her. You could've saved me. But you didn't."
Minato's hand trembled slightly. He had no excuse—only regret.
"…Obito. No matter what I say now, it can't undo what happened. I failed you. I failed Rin. I'm sorry."
A long silence followed. Minato's voice then turned hopeful.
"But… you're still Obito. My student. Rin's teammate. Come back to Konoha."
Obito's body tensed.
"Kakashi, Shisui, and Fugaku are the only ones who know what happened last night. The medical-nin have sworn secrecy. Come back… before it's too late."
For a moment, even the torches seemed to dim.
Behind Minato, Shisui's eyes widened ever so slightly. The Hokage's forgiveness—it was something rare. Divine, even. Few men could be so kind to one who had nearly destroyed their world. But perhaps that was what made Minato worthy of the title.
He had faced the Mangekyō Sharingan, seen Susanoo, experienced the threat of Kotoamatsukami, and the space-time distortion techniques Obito used—still, he extended a hand.
A tremble escaped Obito's lips.
"…Tch."
*Crack!*
A sudden wave of blue chakra exploded outward, shattering the containment seals. The chains binding Obito snapped violently, links flying across the room like shrapnel.
"You don't get it, sensei!" Obito bellowed. "I don't need Konoha, or you, or anyone else!"
"All I want… is to build a world where Rin lives. Everything else—everything—is meaningless!!"
The chakra surged, forming the beginning silhouette of a ribcage—the first stage of Susanoo.
*BOOM!*
The shockwave rocked the cell—but before the chakra could stabilize, Minato's hand slammed down onto Obito's stomach.
"Fūin!"
The sealing formula glowed brilliantly. In an instant, the erupting chakra was extinguished, collapsing like a wave meeting a stone wall.
*Thud*
Obito dropped to the ground, gasping. Shisui lowered his hand—he had nearly released Susanoo as backup, but Minato had acted faster.
"Even without your eyes," Shisui said quietly, "you attempted to manifest Susanoo. Truly, you are a prodigy of the Uchiha."
Obito lay there motionless, his body shivering, his voice hollow. "What's the point…?"
"Rin… isn't here."
…
"Let's go."
Minato looked down at his fallen disciple one last time before turning away. Shisui followed, sealing the cell doors once more with practiced hands.
As they walked the stone corridor, Shisui hesitated. He opened his mouth to speak, but Minato beat him to it.
"Give it a few days," he said, not turning around. "Maybe…"
Shisui understood. The Hokage still hadn't given up on Obito.
"…He used to be late all the time," Minato said, voice distant, lost in memory. "Always said it was because he was helping old people around the village."
"He knew everyone. Every shopkeeper. Every granny. He was last in his class, but never gave up—he even wore goggles and put in eye drops just to protect his eyes so he could awaken the Sharingan."
"He was the sunniest boy I ever met. And Rin… was his light."
…
Elsewhere, deep within the shadows of the Konoha Police Force headquarters—
A shadow detached itself from the wall of the captain's office, its presence nearly undetectable.
…
Kushina once said she hoped Naruto would grow up to be as kind and bright as Obito.
And now, Obito had become the ultimate contradiction.
A child of the sun—who chose to live in the shadows.
*****
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