Obito Uchiha had imagined countless times the scene of Rin Nohara running into his arms—but never, not once, had he envisioned her charging at him with a kunai. That cold, killing intent on her face was not a deception; she truly saw him as the enemy.
At that moment, Obito's heart shattered.
The most painful thing in this world is to linger in the torment of whether to let go or not. True release comes only when one can truly let go. But some things, even as time dulls them, leave behind a scar deep in the soul.
Rin Nohara was that unhealable scar in Obito Uchiha's heart.
"Rin, stop! Please—I beg you, stop! Don't come any closer, I'm begging you!" Obito screamed silently in his heart. With every step Rin took, pain twisted deeper in his chest. But in the end, Rin still stabbed at him with the kunai in her hand—without the slightest hesitation, without mercy.
The target was his heart—just like how Kakashi had once pierced Rin's heart with Chidori.
The kunai passed through Obito's body—and also pierced through his heart.
The Mangekyō Sharingan is the eye that reflects the soul, born from one's innermost desires. When Obito witnessed with his own eyes Kakashi's Chidori run through Rin's chest, all he wanted was to escape this cruel reality, to flee from this cold and merciless world—and so the Kamui dimension was born.
Obito was always late. Always a step behind. And it was precisely because he arrived a moment too late that Rin died at Kakashi's hand. Deep in his heart, he longed more than anything to cross space and stand beside Rin, to protect her. That's why, when his Mangekyō awakened, it granted him the space-time dojutsu—Kamui.
And now, the very Mangekyō Sharingan awakened for Rin… was being used to dodge Rin's attacks. Inside, Obito was utterly consumed by despair.
"You… You're unharmed? You're actually unharmed?" Rin's pupils contracted as she passed through the masked man. "I clearly stabbed through your body."
"Unharmed? How could I possibly be unharmed?" Obito gave a bitter laugh, his heart wrenching with pain. Rin hadn't pierced his body—she had pierced his soul!
"Again!" Seeing that the masked man had made no move to retaliate, Rin once again raised her kunai and lunged.
But at that moment, two chains suddenly whipped toward her.
Obito intended to bind Rin with chains and drag her into the Kamui dimension, where he would then use a sealing technique to sever the summoning contract between her and Orochimaru.
But that was wishful thinking—and reality was brutal. The "Orochimaru" created by Uchiha Itachi's clone wasn't about to let such an opportunity go!
"Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!" Orochimaru puffed out his cheeks and—hetui!—spat forth an evolved version of the Vacuum Sphere, rocketing it toward Obito and Rin like a missile.
To save—or not to save? That was the dilemma.
If he chose to save her, Obito would have to take a direct hit from a B-rank ninjutsu.
If he chose not to, he would once again have to watch Rin Nohara die before his eyes!
The Vacuum Great Sphere swept forward, wind howling, dust surging skyward. Leaves and branches were swept into the air, trees rattled violently in the gale, and the icy wind cut to the bone.
"Orochimaru—you win!" At the very moment the chains latched onto Rin, Obito solidified his body—and in doing so, took the full brunt of the Vacuum Great Sphere!
He knew Rin was just an Edo Tensei corpse—but even so, he couldn't let her die again before him. Not even like this!
BOOM!
The jutsu struck Obito head-on, sending him flying, blown upside down.
Rin Nohara didn't understand. Why would this enemy shield her? Weren't they enemies? Wasn't he afraid of dying? Had he lost his mind?
At that moment, the chains in Obito's hand had already bound Rin tightly. Though he was severely wounded, he still ensured that she was completely unharmed.
The space warped—both figures vanished from the battlefield, entering the Kamui dimension.
"If this isn't love… then what is?" Orochimaru muttered to himself.
Inside Kamui, white liquid dripped from Obito's black cloak—it was the residue of White Zetsu's body.
When the Vacuum Great Sphere hit just now, it was White Zetsu who helped absorb the bulk of the damage—otherwise, Obito might not have survived.
"Rin, wait here. I'll be right back." Obito released the chains binding Rin and vanished again from the Kamui space.
Now that Rin was no longer a hostage, Orochimaru was doomed!
"Orochimaru. You've utterly enraged me. You could have used Edo Tensei on anyone—but of all people, the one you should never have reanimated… is Rin!"
Obito emerged from Kamui, his killing intent surging sky-high. This score—he would settle thoroughly with Orochimaru!
Obito Uchiha's Kamui Mangekyō Sharingan was a time-space jutsu. His right eye could shift any part of his body into a different dimension to dodge attacks or pass through barriers. The drawback was a time limit—if he was continuously attacked for five minutes while intangible, the technique could be broken.
His offensive capability allowed him to teleport himself or others into Kamui. Like the left eye's ability, it required physical contact or a previously placed mark to initiate the transfer. That's why Obito used chains—to capture and drag targets into the dimension along with the chains.
He could also teleport himself to a marked location.
As soon as the space-time vortex reappeared, Orochimaru, not even caring where to strike, formed a Rasengan and hurled it directly at Obito: "Rasengan!"
As expected, Obito chose to phase, dodging Orochimaru's attack.
Just as a sinister smile curled across his face and he reached out to grab Orochimaru, a sudden, excruciating pain exploded from his lower body. Though he had evaded the Rasengan, Obito's face turned a deep shade of purple as he collapsed, clutching his nether regions.
Inside the Kamui dimension, Rin Nohara saw the masked man's lower half suddenly appear before her. Without hesitation, she struck—delivering a devastating groin kick meant to sever all possibility of future lineage.
Immediately, chaos ensued!
Obito gasped, his face pale and drenched in cold sweat, as he crumpled to the ground, hands still gripping his groin.
"Die!" A Rasengan took shape in Orochimaru's hand once more as he slammed it toward Obito Uchiha!
Back in Kamui dimension, Rin Nohara also raised her kunai, preparing a sure-kill attack on the spot where the masked man had just appeared!
A wolf in front, a tiger behind!
Obito gritted his teeth. Better to be struck by Orochimaru—than to be wounded by the one he loved.
Thump!
He took the Rasengan head-on. Obito collapsed, barely breathing, lying on the ground. His eyelids drooped as he stared at the approaching Orochimaru, gasping, "You… You're not Orochimaru… Who… exactly are you?"
Orochimaru's signature techniques always involved snakes. But this person had used only Wind Release ninjutsu. Obito had to know—who was this imposter?
"You cowardly thief, hiding your true face! Remember this, old man, your killer is Danzo Shimura, the future Fifth Hokage!" The Orochimaru-transformed Itachi Uchiha clone entity spoke, transforming back into Danzo Shimura's appearance.
"So it was you!" Obito's expression turned grim. He hadn't expected to fall for the schemes of this damned dog Danzo!
"In that case… you can die now!" Danzo's hand pierced straight through Obito Uchiha's chest.
"You're the one who should die—Danzo!!"
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