[Hashirama]: "Wait… does that mean Obito's still alive?!"
[Tobirama]: "Big Brother, do you finally believe me now?"
[Deidara]: "Oi, where's that 'solar-powered fan guy' from before? This is getting wild!"
[Hidan]: "666, total madman energy!"
Between Life and Death
"Such spirit, even now…"
The Iwa-nin ringed around Kakashi sneered coldly. "No wonder he dared to sneak this deep into enemy territory."
Kakashi staggered to his feet, the Lightning Cutter crackling faintly in his right hand. His left gripped a kunai tight enough for the handle to creak.
He was exhausted. Surrounded.
But he still faced them head-on.
"Rin… I'll hold them off. You run."
"But—" Rin's hands trembled against her chest.
Kakashi's voice softened.
"Obito entrusted you to me. So even if I die… I'll protect you to the end."
"Then, Kakashi…" Rin whispered, tears shining. "I'll—"
"Don't. I once tried to abandon you. That mistake ends here."
The enemy descended from the cliffs, forming a deadly circle.
The screen flashed white—
and when Kakashi opened his eyes again, the world was quiet.
Above him, stars glittered.
Cicadas sang faintly.
"You're awake," came a familiar, gentle voice.
"...Sensei?"
Minato smiled faintly at his student. "You've been through a lot. The enemy won't trouble you again."
Kakashi turned and saw Rin standing a short distance away, staring up at the sky.
The Third Great Ninja War was over.
Countless heroes had fallen.
Some names etched into stone.
Others into legend.
"On that day, two heroes with Sharingan were born in Konoha—"
"One engraved on the memorial…
The other known across nations as Sharingan Kakashi."
Applause and sniffles rippled through the viewers.
[Naruto]: "So that's how Kakashi-sensei became famous…"
[Gaara]: "War always leaves scars… seen and unseen."
Just as the footage seemed to fade out—
the screen went black.
Then, white letters appeared:
"You walked toward the light.
I fell into the dark."
The Shadow Awakens
[Tobirama]: "@UchihaClan. Look at me. WHAT. IS. THIS?!"
[Fugaku]: "…"
[Sasuke]: "So… Obito survived?"
[Kakashi]: "Obito?! You're alive?!"
[Obito]: "Useless Kakashi! Why didn't you protect Rin?!"
[Kakashi]: "I— I— I'm sorry!"
[Obito]: "Too late for that."
The scene shifted.
A boy's eyes fluttered open to a dim, unfamiliar ceiling.
Before him stood an old man in dark armor, a ripple of chakra like a ghostly tide around him.
Hashirama's face twitched.
"Why… does this old man look familiar?"
Obito blinked. "Who are you? Where am I?"
The old man chuckled low.
"This is the space between the living world and the afterlife."
Obito's eyes widened.
Then he noticed the crimson eyes glaring down at him.
"W-wait… you have Sharingan too?! Old man, are you… Uchiha?"
Madara said nothing.
Obito rambled nervously, his imagination running wild.
"Are you… some kind of reaper? Oh no, please don't take me to hell! I—I've always helped old ladies cross the street! I swear I'm a good person!"
Madara actually sweatdropped. "Good grief…"
After a long pause, he muttered, "You're not dead. I merely patched you up."
Obito blinked. "Huh? You… saved me?"
"Don't thank me yet," Madara said darkly. "One day, you will repay me."
The boy grinned sheepishly. "Repay? Heh. You'll probably be gone by then, old man."
Madara's eye twitched.
The Crawl Toward Life
Weeks passed.
Obito, half-mechanical now, trained daily—dragging himself along the cavern floor, clawing forward inch by inch.
He fell. Got up. Fell again.
Sometimes, he used his chin to keep moving.
"Rgh… Kakashi… Rin… wait for me! I'm still alive!"
The viewers fell silent.
[Boruto]: "This is… painful to watch."
[Inojin]: "Half his body's crushed, and he's still crawling…"
[Chocho]: "Inojin! Don't say it like that!"
[Kakashi]: "Obito… this was all my fault."
Kakashi's voice trembled, full of guilt.
He'd never stopped dreaming of that cave—of hands he couldn't save.
But in that darkness, something began to change.
Half of Obito's ruined body had been rebuilt with Hashirama cells, pulsing faintly with life.
He could stand again.
He could move.
"I can finally walk… I can finally see them again…"
But fate wasn't so kind.
The News from Outside
Just as Obito prepared to leave, a pale figure slipped out of the wall—its grin half-human, half-plant.
"Bad news, Obito! Big bad news!" said White Zetsu, his voice rapid.
"What happened?!"
"Rin and Kakashi—they're surrounded! Mist-nin, dozens of them!"
"What—?!" Obito lunged for the exit, but a giant boulder blocked the mouth of the cave.
He hammered it with both fists, cracks spider-webbing across the surface—
but his reconstructed arm shattered before the stone did.
"Damn it!!"
Blood splashed down the rocks.
"Your body's not ready yet," White Zetsu said quickly.
"Use mine. My body can help you move."
Obito's breathing hitched. "...Thank you."
White Zetsu's body wrapped around him, fusing with his flesh.
And then—
He punched.
BOOM!
The cave mouth exploded open, sunlight pouring in.
Obito stepped out, cloak fluttering in the sudden breeze.
He felt the wind, the warmth—his heartbeat.
A butterfly fluttered past, wings glimmering like dawn.
"The White Zetsu's Mask—Celebrating Rebirth."
The title flashed across the screen.
The audience sat frozen.
Would Obito make it in time to save Rin and Kakashi?
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