Chapter 450: Shared Rin
"That's not how it works."
Shiromo denied the idea and continued explaining.
"No matter how flawed the Infinite Tsukuyomi might be, the binding power of its genjutsu would never be weaker than an ordinary Tsukuyomi. Uchiha Itachi's regular Tsukuyomi could freely torture its victims, and it could even directly tell them that everything happening was an illusion."
"And think about this carefully: what are the principles behind casting and breaking genjutsu?"
"To break a genjutsu, an outside force has to disrupt the victim's chakra flow, causing the illusion's effects to disappear. That works because ordinary genjutsu are cast only once."
"But the Infinite Tsukuyomi is different. Aside from the initial targeting phase, its true purpose afterward is chakra absorption. It remains connected to the God Tree, meaning the genjutsu is continuously applied. Not only can someone trapped inside the Infinite Tsukuyomi fail to break free on their own—even if someone outside tries to disrupt their chakra, they still wouldn't wake up."
"So we return to the same question: why would the Infinite Tsukuyomi need to provide people with 'perfect dreams' in the first place?"
"So Uchiha Obito and Uchiha Madara were completely played by the Otsutsuki."
Konan sounded "shocked."
"You're saying not only would victims of the Infinite Tsukuyomi eventually be drained dry of chakra and die, they wouldn't even get to enjoy a brief pleasant dream before death?"
"That's not necessarily true."
"Based on the currently available evidence, the Infinite Tsukuyomi affects far too many targets at once. Because of that, it can't construct detailed and precise scenarios the way Itachi's Tsukuyomi or ordinary genjutsu can."
"Think about the Limited Tsukuyomi experiment we conducted not long ago. That was basically a downgraded version of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, yet even it couldn't precisely control every detail. It could only establish a few key points."
"So the Infinite Tsukuyomi most likely functions passively. It causes people to experience whatever matters most to them within the illusion, placing their minds into an excited state so their chakra can be extracted more efficiently."
"In other words, it's possible for someone to experience a dream they desire from reality—but it's not guaranteed. And regarding that point, I actually have evidence..."
At this stage, there was no longer any need for Obito to hear the rest.
Conclusions that sounded too absolute would only arouse suspicion. Likewise, excessive detail would make people suspicious too.
But the conversation between Shiromo and Konan wasn't a lie.
Everything they said was true.
As for the evidence?
That required analyzing the content of the original Infinite Tsukuyomi dreams.
The original Infinite Tsukuyomi gave people the illusion that it fulfilled everyone's wishes.
But in reality?
Take the classic example: Karin.
Karin's Infinite Tsukuyomi dream wasn't some pure, perfect fantasy.
At most, maybe twenty percent of it was a pleasant dream. The remaining eighty percent consisted of nightmares—painful memories of the suffering she and her mother endured in Kusagakure since childhood.
If the Infinite Tsukuyomi truly created a carefree perfect paradise, then Karin shouldn't have experienced those nightmares at all. She should have dreamed about living happily together with her mother.
Clearly, Karin cared deeply about her mother, which was why the Infinite Tsukuyomi made her relive those memories.
But she couldn't imagine a truly happy future where she and her mother lived peacefully together. The Infinite Tsukuyomi couldn't create a scenario like that. And even if it could, it wouldn't keep Karin emotionally stimulated enough for efficient chakra extraction.
Another similar example was Yamato.
The first half of Yamato's dream was also filled with the darkness of his past.
If the Infinite Tsukuyomi were really designed to fulfill ideal dreams, then at the very least, the Danzo in Yamato's dream should have been some bright and cheerful young man.
Or take it even further.
In reality, Sarutobi Hiruzen gave Yamato the care of an elder. Kakashi gave him companionship as a peer. Team 7 gave him bonds with juniors.
Then, according to the "Infinite Tsukuyomi fulfills dreams" logic, the dream should have been the Third Hokage and Danzo getting married together, jointly raising Yamato while providing him both fatherly and motherly love. Then Kakashi should also have proposed to Yamato to provide peer affection.
That would make more sense.
Then there was Tenten's dream.
What Tenten wanted was to break free from the Infinite Tsukuyomi itself.
If the Infinite Tsukuyomi truly intended to fulfill everyone's wishes, then Tenten should have experienced a "dream within a dream," where she believed she had broken free of the illusion and successfully saved the ninja world.
Instead, she inexplicably went through a bizarre sequence of events and even got arrested as a traitorous spy.
Simply put, if the Infinite Tsukuyomi were truly a perfect dream generator, then the dreams inside it shouldn't resemble real life in the ninja world, with all its ups and downs, blessings and disasters intertwined.
The sound of Konan and Shiromo's footsteps gradually faded into the distance.
Inside the room, Obito slowly opened his eyes, his expression complicated.
Earlier, he had already begun doubting whether he still had the ability to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
And within the Infinite Tsukuyomi's world...
Could Rin still remain perfect? Perfect from his perspective, at least.
Now he had learned new information from Konan and the others.
The Infinite Tsukuyomi was not a pure beautiful dream.
Which meant that if he created a new world through the Infinite Tsukuyomi now, there was a very high possibility that the Rin inside that world would also be a Rin who knew he was no longer "cool."
Obito fell into confusion.
He turned over.
What was that smell?
Obito frowned and noticed another wet patch near his head.
Tears?
That was strange.
Hadn't he turned over earlier?
The tears should have been on the other side.
And if he hadn't turned over, then shouldn't that medical ninja who examined him earlier have noticed something strange?
Obito subconsciously reached a hand beneath himself.
Wet.
He brought it to his nose and sniffed it.
It really was tears.
His tears were indeed on the other side.
Then what was the liquid near his head?
Could it be...
Had he actually wet himself earlier?
Obito's expression immediately turned ugly.
His thoughts became a complete mess.
But things still weren't over.
The very next day, Actor Shiromo returned with Deidara, who had apparently been dragged into this against his will while passing by. The two brought up Uchiha Madara.
"Speaking of which, Uchiha Madara's goal is also the Infinite Tsukuyomi, right? At least Madara wants to use the Infinite Tsukuyomi to achieve true peace in the ninja world. He personally doesn't seem to have many desires."
"But the guy inside there? Wasn't he constantly muttering in his sleep about creating a world with Rin in it?"
"Damn it, if he wants to create an illusionary world with Rin, shouldn't he just cast genjutsu on himself?"
"If he uses the Infinite Tsukuyomi and the entire ninja world falls under genjutsu except for himself, then he still wouldn't create a world with Rin in it!"
"Unless... he actually has some kind of cuckold fetish? Maybe what he really wants is to create a world with Rin for Kakashi?"
Deidara recited the lines Shiromo had given him.
"Not necessarily. Maybe he's the ultimate cuckold fetishist. Maybe he wants to create a world with Rin for everyone."
"Holy crap—shared Rin?"
"This guy seriously has mental problems, doesn't he? Does he really think everyone wants his Rin?"
"Isn't that obvious? Uchiha being mentally unstable is perfectly normal."
"True enough."
Inside the room, Obito: "..."
Why did what they were saying actually sound so reasonable?
(End of this chapter)