Chapter 448: Even Kamui Cannot Hide Tears
"Truly invested? Invested in what?"
Another member of the "supporting actor squad," Fu, asked curiously.
"Think about it. Under Uchiha Madara's full investment, how long did it take before Obito's strength underwent a complete transformation? Compared to how he was in Konoha and within the Uchiha clan, isn't the difference like heaven and earth?"
"But he overlooked one thing: there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. If Uchiha Madara invested so much effort into him, then naturally, what Madara wanted in return had to be even greater. People don't show kindness for no reason—if Tobirama's being nice, he's definitely up to something."
"Meanwhile, Konoha, Minato-sensei, and the Uchiha clan may not have seemed as attentive to him as Madara was, but that's because everyone treated him like a normal person, not a tool. Unfortunately, he never understood that."
Rin let out a deep sigh.
"So what do we do now?"
Hanabi continued delivering her lines.
Aside from Rin, everyone else's role was basically to act like curious children, constantly asking questions so Rin could continue explaining.
"Originally, Amegakure planned to have Ryuzetsu, a ninja formerly from Kusagakure, learn the special Fire Release technique used in Hozuki Castle to imprison prisoners: Fire Release: Heavenly Prison. They intended to carve it onto his body."
"It was meant to prevent him from using his Mangekyo abilities to escape or launch attacks after waking up."
Rin continued speaking.
"Originally? So that means you're not using it anymore?"
Fu asked curiously.
"That's right. It was my suggestion not to use Fire Release: Heavenly Prison."
Rin nodded.
At that moment, inside the room, the "man lying there with his eyes shut and mouth closed," Uchiha Obito, couldn't help feeling moved.
Even now, at a time like this, Rin was still thinking of him...
Really...
"I examined his body. More than half of it is composed of Hashirama cells and White Zetsu tissue, which makes his sense of pain much weaker than that of an ordinary person. Fire Release: Heavenly Prison likely wouldn't be enough to truly restrain him. There's a good chance he could endure the burning and force his way out."
"So now, Pakura of Sunagakure, who uses Scorch Release, has modified the technique. Instead of Fire Release, it now uses Scorch Release. Rather than merely sealing chakra like Heavenly Prison originally did, it directly activates Scorch Release, burning and evaporating everything from the inside out, chakra pathways, muscles, skin, everything."
"The technique's only flaw is that it's even more troublesome to use than Heavenly Prison. It requires a huge number of hand seals and repeated applications. It can only really be used on someone unconscious like him."
"..."
After hearing that, Obito froze completely.
He even unconsciously opened his eyes, forgetting to continue pretending to be unconscious.
"That brutal? But wasn't he your former teammate?"
Hanabi continued asking questions.
"Yes. Obito, Kakashi, and I were once teammates. But precisely because we were teammates, we have to take responsibility for what one another has done. He's caused too much destruction in the ninja world. I can't allow him to continue any longer. Kakashi and I both have the right and the duty to stop him. Showing him leniency would be the same as indulging ourselves."
"..."
After hearing Rin's explanation, Obito let out a long sigh internally.
Rin was still just as kind as ever.
Her love had never been narrow or selfish. It was love for the entire ninja world. She never longed for personal romance—only for peace and beauty.
That was exactly why he had to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
It was to fulfill Rin's dream!
"His injuries are no longer a problem. I personally treated him and confirmed everything during yesterday's follow-up examination. Later, have someone come monitor him and watch for when he wakes up. Remember to tell him immediately about the Scorch Release Heavenly Prison on his body. We still want to give him one chance."
"Mm. This chance wasn't obtained through Kakashi or me fighting for it. We don't have the right to do that. This opportunity was granted by the victims he killed."
As Rin spoke, she walked toward the exit.
"The victims? I didn't expect them to be so forgiving, just letting go of a life-and-death grudge like that."
Hanabi followed after her, asking curiously.
"That... is hard to say. But no matter what those victims want to do, none of it would be excessive. After all, they already lost the most precious thing there is—their lives. Life is the most precious thing in this world, not love or romance. You young girls should remember that."
The voices of the group gradually faded into the distance.
Rin's final lecture to Hanabi and the others was, in essence, also directed at Obito.
And hearing those words come from Rin herself truly struck deep into Obito's heart.
But the problem was that Obito's mind had already been completely occupied by something else.
These past few days... Rin had been the one treating him?
And she had personally examined and confirmed the condition of his entire body?
She already knew how much of his body consisted of Hashirama cells and White Zetsu tissue?
Then that meant...
Cold sweat covered Obito's back, and his limbs turned icy cold.
What was the ultimate humiliation?
It wasn't being hung up like a roasted duck, tortured for a month by some perverted freaks, or having dogs unleashed on him.
No.
It was having the woman you loved see all of that with her own eyes.
Likewise, Obito didn't care that only half his body remained.
He could endure pain and loneliness. Whether it was physical agony or mental pressure, he could tolerate it all.
Except for this.
Rin had seen it with her own eyes.
He was no longer a complete man.
Even though this "already" had in truth become reality more than ten years ago.
But for Obito, until Rin learned the truth, he had been able to ignore that pain.
Drip.
Obito turned over, and a tear of despair slid from the corner of his eye.
This time, even Kamui could not hide his tears.
Ever since the night Rin died, he had never shed another tear.
Until today, when his heart was once again shattered completely.
The reason was simple. Before now, he could still fantasize about reuniting with Rin.
But from this point onward, even in his dreams, he would instinctively think about what happened today.
No, more accurately, what happened yesterday.
Now, he didn't even have the right to fantasize anymore.
Inside the monitoring room.
Watching Obito's wildly fluctuating readings on the screen, even Shiromo's mouth twitched slightly.
This was exactly what Shiromo had meant earlier when he said the repeatedly revised version of the plan was basically forcing Obito down the path of activating the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
They truly weren't leaving him even the slightest shred of hope or emotional refuge.
But overall, things had accidentally worked out in the right direction.
This crushing heartbreak might not necessarily redeem Obito, but it would absolutely stop him from continuing onward.
Why?
On the surface, after experiencing this kind of suffering, Obito would seem even more convinced that the Rin in reality was fake, and that he absolutely had to create a new world with a new Rin—and a cooler version of himself.
But in reality?
Obito's will was nowhere near as firm as he imagined.
He could deceive anyone.
Except for himself.
Even if he overcame every obstacle and became the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, he would ultimately be consumed by the Ten-Tails' berserk consciousness.
Because this time, there would no longer be a Rin to save him.
And while his mind was being torn apart by the Ten-Tails' will, the only thought left in his head would be that Rin already knew he wasn't cool anymore, and then he would completely collapse.
(End of this chapter)