While the Hatake father and son were engaged in a deep, heart-to-heart conversation, Uchiha Raizen opened the passage to the Pure Land where Rin Nohara resided.
The rift shimmered, and Raizen stepped through calmly.
The passage led directly to Rin's location in the afterlife. Rin, sitting by a solitary campfire, froze when she saw a silhouette emerge. She had been here for years without seeing a single soul. Who could it be? Was it Kakashi? But Kakashi was so talented—could he have died so soon?
As the figure approached, Rin realized it wasn't Kakashi. It was a handsome man she had never seen before.
She stood up, watching him with curiosity. Raizen came to a halt, his expression indifferent.
"Senior, who are you? How did you get here?" Rin asked, her face breaking into a bright, healing smile as she tilted her head curiously.
"You are Rin Nohara, aren't you?" Raizen spoke coolly.
Rin nodded. "Yes, I am Rin Nohara. And you are, Senior?"
"It's truly surprising," Raizen said, his voice deep and neither hot nor cold. "To think that the trigger for the Fourth Great Ninja War is a little slip of a girl like you."
"What?" Rin was completely bewildered. "I'm the cause of the Fourth Great Ninja War?" She had been dead for years, quietly staying in the Pure Land. How could she possibly cause a war?
"Yes. Because of you, the Fourth Great Ninja War will break out, resulting in countless casualties," Raizen said sternly.
"Senior, I don't understand what you're saying at all. I've been dead for a long time. How can a dead person cause a future war?" Rin looked at Raizen with a troubled expression, thinking this man was surely trying to trick her.
"You know Obito, don't you?" Raizen said plainly.
"Obito?" Rin blinked. "What does this have to do with him?"
"Hmph!" Raizen snorted. "How could it not? Do you know that a few years ago, he conspired with others to massacre his own kin? He spared no one, not even the elderly or infants. The great Uchiha clan was reduced to only two survivors—and I am one of them!"
"How can that be?" Rin's eyes widened in disbelief. "Obito died a long time ago! And he was so kind... how could he do something so heartless? Senior, you must be lying to me, right?"
In her memory, Obito was the kindest soul, always helping the elderly across the street even if it made him late for school. How could he become a cold-blooded killer?
"Kind? Do you know he also indirectly killed your sister-in-law, Kushina Uzumaki, and your teacher, Minato Namikaze?"
"When Kushina was about to give birth, he broke into Konoha. Taking advantage of the moment the Nine-Tails' seal was weakened by childbirth, he attacked her and forcibly extracted the beast. He controlled the Nine-Tails to rampage through the village, causing massive casualties. In the end, Minato Namikaze, who had only recently become the Fourth Hokage, died to seal the beast."
"Do you know how much their son suffered after they died? Everyone mocked him, calling him a demon fox and the murderer of the village. No one would play with him; no shopkeeper would sell him food. He went hungry for two out of three meals a day, living on expired ramen and milk. He is the son of a hero! Why did he have such a miserable life? All of it was thanks to Obito. And all of it was because of you. It was because of you that Obito became so deranged."
Hearing this, Rin staggered back a few steps, her voice trembling. "Because of... me?"
"Yes, because of you!" Raizen said coldly. "Because he saw you die at Kakashi's hand, he fell into darkness. He grew to hate Konoha, hate everything."
"He plans to build a fake world where you exist. He wants to trap the entire world in a massive genjutsu, reconstructing your presence within that illusion. To achieve this, he won't hesitate to start the Fourth Great Ninja War, plunging countless people into the fires of conflict."
"Impossible... Obito is so kind, he would never do that!" Rin collapsed to the ground, shaking her head violently. She couldn't believe the Obito she knew would do something so monstrous.
Minato-sensei was so good to them; how could Obito hurt him? And Kushina, who was so kind and often invited them over for dinner—how could he attack her? Even her child? And his own clan, his own grandparents—how could he hurt them?
"Kind? Kind, my foot!" Raizen sneered. "While the Fourth War hasn't happened yet, the deaths of Minato and Kushina and the Uchiha massacre have already occurred. These are facts. And you still call him kind?"
"Could the kindness he showed before not have been a deliberate act to deceive you?"
Rin shook her head frantically, tears streaming down her face. "Is it really because of me? I made Obito like that... I caused the deaths of Minato-sensei and Kushina-nee... It's all my fault! I've hurt everyone! Uwahhh..."
Seeing Rin overwhelmed with guilt and grief, Raizen let out a small sigh. Rin was undoubtedly a kind girl. Perhaps he was being too harsh.
However, to strike at Obito, Raizen had to be ruthless. He wanted to see Obito's face when the woman he cared for most stood before him to question his actions. Raizen looked forward to that scene.
"Can I stop it? Can I stop Obito?" Rin looked at Raizen with swollen eyes, full of hope. "Senior, if you know the future, you must know how to prevent it, right? We have to stop Obito. He can't keep going down this wrong path."
"To stop him, you'd have to kill him. But killing him is very difficult. Because of the shock of your death, he awakened the ultimate eye of the Uchiha—the Mangekyō Sharingan. His ability is perfect for escaping. Killing him is nearly impossible." Raizen paused before continuing, "Unless there is someone who can make him choose not to run. Only then can we stop what's coming."
Raizen stared directly at Rin.
"Is that person... me?" Rin asked tentatively.
Raizen nodded. "Exactly. Only if you are there will he choose not to flee. Only you can stop him from starting the Fourth Great Ninja War. If you are alive, he has no reason to cast that Great Illusion to create a world where you exist."
"But I'm dead. I can't stop him," Rin sobbed.
"Actually, I can bring you back to life." After all the buildup, Raizen finally revealed his true intent.
"Resurrection?" Rin shuddered. "But you're dead too, and you haven't revived yourself. How can you revive me? Besides, bringing back the dead is... unthinkable."
"Which of your eyes sees me as dead?" Raizen asked plainly. "Look at me. Do you see a difference between us?"
"A difference?" Rin looked closely and suddenly realized that under the glow of the campfire, Raizen had a shadow.
"Senior, you aren't a dead person? You're alive?" Rin stared at his shadow in disbelief. How could a living person enter the Pure Land? Bringing a physical body into the realm of souls... it was too shocking.
"Hmph! Of course I'm alive. I won't die until I've dealt with my enemies. So? Have you made up your mind? What is your decision?" Raizen looked at her with a cold gaze.
Rin's expression became resolute. "Senior, please revive me. I will definitely stop Obito and prevent the Fourth Great Ninja War."
"I can revive you," Raizen said, "but I have one condition."
"A condition?" Rin blinked. "What condition, Senior?"
"I want you to be my woman."
"Ah!" Rin gasped, her face instantly flushing crimson. She never expected Raizen to say something so blunt.
Seeing her blush, Raizen said coldly, "I want Obito to see the woman he cares about most held intimately in my arms. I want him to know despair!"
He didn't just want to kill Obito; he wanted to destroy his heart. True vengeance was breaking the spirit.
"That... that's not right! We've only just met!" Rin stammered. Raizen was incredibly handsome, but this was so direct it left her brain in a muddle.
"What's not right?" Raizen asked coldly. "You want to stop Obito, and I want to kill him to avenge my clan. Simply killing him isn't enough. I want to crush his soul. That is the best revenge."
"But... but this is too fast!" Rin's face was beet-red. Though she had been dead for years, she had been alone and had the same pure, innocent heart she had when she died. To suddenly be told to be a man's woman was overwhelming.
"Just say if you are willing or not. If not, I won't force you. You are a kind girl, after all. I'll give you three minutes to consider. If you refuse, I'm leaving."
Raizen fell silent, standing quietly by the side. Time ticked by.
"Time's up. Goodbye." Seeing no answer, Raizen turned to leave.
"Wait, Senior!" Seeing him walk away, Rin panicked.
Raizen stopped and turned back.
"I... I promise you, Senior." To stop Obito and atone for everything, Rin finally nodded, her face burning with shame.
A small smile played on Raizen's lips. "Don't worry. As my woman, I'll treat you well for the rest of your life. You won't regret this." His gaze softened.
"Wait here for a moment. I'll return to the living world first, then summon you back." Raizen smiled, drew Tenseiga, and split the barrier between the Pure Land and the living world.
Seeing this with her own eyes, Rin was floored. She never imagined he entered the afterlife in such a way—literally tearing through the fabric of reality. What kind of power was this?
The rift closed, and Raizen vanished from her sight.
Obito... how did you become a villain? Rin thought of their school days, unable to reconcile that boy with a cold-blooded murderer.
Raizen stepped out of the rift in front of Rin's grave. He used the Flying Thunder God to vanish and reappeared moments later with a set of fresh clothes.
He drew Sōnga and drove it into the ground.
"Resurrect, Rin Nohara!"
With his command, Sōnga released an eerie red light. The gravestone trembled, the soil churned, and a skeleton crawled out. In an instant, flesh, blood, and veins knit onto the bones. A delicate young girl stood before Raizen. She was 166cm tall, with long, slender legs, a tiny waist, and a face so exquisite it was a 99 out of 100.
The girl opened her large eyes, curiously taking in her surroundings, not yet realizing she was wearing absolutely nothing.
Raizen didn't bother to remind her, quietly enjoying the beautiful scenery.
"This is the Konoha Cemetery! Incredible, Senior... I'm really alive." Rin looked around excitedly. In the moonlight, she could clearly see the nearby structures.
"Congratulations, my baby," Raizen said, his eyes fixed on her.
The term "my baby" made Rin's face turn bright red instantly. "Senior, don't look at me like that, I'm embarrassed." She lowered her head to avoid his gaze.
As she looked down, she saw her own smooth, white legs. She froze. Her long legs were bare. Looking further up, everything was bare.
"Ah!" Rin shrieked, finally realizing she was naked. she scrambled to cover herself with her hands.
"Senior! You... you... why didn't you tell me!" Her face turned from red to a scorching scarlet, the heat reaching her neck. She desperately wanted to hide in the trees.
"I brought you a set of clothes. Put them on." Raizen smiled and handed them to her.
Rin hunched over, one hand covering herself while the other snatched the clothes. "Senior, turn around! Don't look! I'm so embarrassed!"
"You're my woman. What is there to be embarrassed about?" Raizen laughed.
"Senior, please! I can't get dressed like this! Just turn around!"
"Alright, alright." Raizen turned his back, smiling. He had all the time in the world. He wasn't in a rush.
With Raizen's back turned, Rin dressed as fast as she could.
"Are you done yet?" Raizen asked.
"Wait, almost!"
A moment later, she whispered, "I'm done, Senior. You can turn back."
Raizen turned around. Rin was still flushed, her head lowered, too shy to meet his eyes.
Raizen didn't mind. He reached out, gently taking her slender hand in his. "Let's go, baby. I'm taking you home."
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