On the other side, or rather, another world. The scroll mission world. People at the Hatake Clan's old residence and the nearby Missing-nin inn suddenly sensed several powerful chakra signatures, only for them to disappear without warning.
Then, just as suddenly, they reappeared.
At the inn, Captain Yamato hurried over to investigate, while people from the Hatake Clan's old residence rushed out to see what was happening.
Then...
Everyone was stunned. Compared to the three Edo Tensei Hokage turning into living beings, the appearance of Adult Obito Uchiha barely registered as big news!
Minato from the Kannabi Bridge Timeline stood there, staring blankly at the version of himself from this world.
"Did you all happen to fall into some kind of magical realm~? It's almost like that old story about the River God.
You know, where the god asks, 'Which axe did you drop into the river—was it the gold one or the silver one? Since you're so honest, I'll just give you both axes.'
And then, just like that, the River God would ask, 'Did you drop the living Hokage into the river, or the one who's already passed away? Since you're such a good person, I'll just give you the living Hokage instead.'"
"....."
(This is a playful nod to an old Chinese myth where the "River God" tests someone's honesty, offering rewards based on what they claim they lost in the river. In Minato's case, he's humorously applying that logic to the absurdity of the situation, offering a living Hokage as a "reward.")
The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, imagined this scene based on Minato Namikaze's words. His mouth twitched, unsure of what to say.
Adult Kakashi was dumbfounded as he saw both adult and young Obito return, with a living Minato-sensei in tow.
Naruto was equally stunned. He couldn't believe it—he had been worried about what to do if one father returned to his world and the other passed on. But now, both of his fathers were alive at the same time?! Double the joy?
The Fourth Hokage, Minato, smiled as he recounted their journey.
"So, we originally planned to just send that world's Kakashi back," Minato explained with an awkward smile. "But Nagato's resurrection was aimed at Konoha on a massive scale."
Hashirama Senju commented, "Who would have thought that both Tobirama and I would also be resurrected? Truly unbelievable."
Tobirama Senju glanced at the young Obito Uchiha.
"What about this one? His journey to that world was part of his mission. Resurrecting the Fourth Hokage might atone for some of his sins, but the Nine-Tails attack didn't just kill the Fourth Hokage. We can't just let him off the hook."
He started gathering chakra.
In the other world, they had refrained from intervening because that realm didn't belong to them, and they hadn't wanted to interfere too much with its development.
But this world was different. Adult Obito Uchiha, along with the First, Second, and Fourth Hokage, all belonged to this world. Certain things had to be dealt with now.
"Tobirama is right," said the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. "But this matter should be left to the Fourth Hokage to decide. After all, it concerns his student and the troubles caused during his time."
He turned to his brother. "Tobirama, as for the matter with Danzō, let's handle that ourselves."
"Yes, that seems only right."
"Young Uchiha," Hashirama Senju said, addressing the thirteen-year-old Sasuke Uchiha.
"The issues with Danzō and Madara are our failures, and we've left you with the burden. Before, we were dead, reborn through the Edo Tensei. Now that we've been resurrected, there are responsibilities we must face. We will give you and your brother answers regarding the Uchiha Clan."
Sasuke Uchiha lowered his head, neither denying nor acknowledging the words.
"Minato-sensei, what about me..."
Adult Obito had many things to handle in another world, so he and the Hokage, including Minato Namikaze, could still prioritize the greater good.
But returning to their parallel world left him feeling hesitant and unsure of what to do next.
"Actually, I was planning to..."
He hesitated over his words, deliberately avoiding the gazes of Rin and the two Kakashis—the elder and the younger.
"I was planning to do something to atone for my sins, then let my childhood self complete that SSS-rank mission."
The SSS-rank mission of the young Obito Uchiha—
Kill the Masked Man.
This revelation caused Adult Kakashi's eyes to widen in surprise, though he quickly concealed it behind his reserved demeanor.
The expressions of Minato's classmate, Young Kakashi, Young Obito, and young Rin shifted more noticeably. Though they inwardly rejected such an execution method, having visited the world of the Nine-Tails Incident multiple times, they had witnessed Kushina and Minato-sensei's agonizing farewell to Naruto.
The same thought crossed the mind of Kannabi Bridge's Minato Namikaze.
He who has not tasted another's suffering should not preach virtue.
Neither the people of this world, nor Minato-sensei, Naruto, Sasuke, and Itachi—those tormented by this world's Obito—could intercede for this world's Obito.
Naruto and Sasuke, barely twelve or thirteen, were too young to make such decisions.
All eyes turned to the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
"In short..."
The Fourth cleared his throat.
"We've all just returned from another world. Due to the interference of these mission scrolls, many things are beyond our control. So, we can start planning the atonement first. As for subsequent matters, especially Naruto and Obito's SSS-rank mission, we'll take it one step at a time for now."
"Is that acceptable?" Adult Obito himself voiced the doubt.
Minato-sensei's words were too ambiguous, as if deliberately favoring him.
Yet he had committed so many irreversible acts...
Adult Obito didn't realize that his expression of doubt appeared to others as a mix of resignation, grievance, and self-reproach.
There was no pretense. This man, who might have sparked the Fourth Shinobi World War in the future, was genuinely remorseful and reforming.
Sasuke didn't approve of this approach.
"Just let him go like that?! This guy is the Masked Man!! Don't you remember his vicious, despicable face during the Nine-Tails incident?! This guy is a ticking time bomb!"
"The risk is indeed high, Fourth. Have you thought this through?" The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, looked at the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
Just as Sasuke Uchiha was about to remark that even the Hokage rumored to hate the Uchiha most was actually speaking on his behalf...
"If it were up to me," Tobirama Senju continued, "we should eliminate all risks at their source. Besides this Obito Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha and Indra—as reincarnations and predecessors of Madara Uchiha—should also be placed under strict surveillance."
"......"
Sasuke: Dammit! I was young and naive!!
You're still the damn Second Hokage of Konoha!
Thus, the Uchiha finally realized: The Second Hokage didn't hate the Uchiha clan at all—he simply despised Madara Uchiha as an individual?!
Whether it was Madara Uchiha or Sasuke Uchiha, even Indra himself was caught in Madara Uchiha's crossfire!
Obito Uchiha, who had originally been quite opposed to the execution of Uchiha Obito, was rendered speechless by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju's words.
Though Tobirama Senju truly meant no offense, our Uchiha Clan members are just too sensitive.
To Sasuke Uchiha, this statement amounted to a stark reminder: the one who caused Obito Uchiha such suffering was Madara Uchiha, and Madara's reincarnation is you, Sasuke Uchiha. Therefore, the root of all evil still lies with you.
In short, it was just bloody annoying.
Captain Yamato: "Should we assign him a room then?"
At Captain Yamato's words, everyone turned to look at the adult Obito Uchiha.
Obito's gaze drifted uncertainly. He was about to say he could stay in his own Kamui's Dimension. If everyone felt uneasy, he could also stay in the Kamui's Dimension of his childhood self.
Truth be told, living in Young Obito's Kamui's Dimension would be far more comfortable.
But Minato believed Obito's increasingly extreme views stemmed from a lack of human connection. Isolating himself as an old-age shut-in was simply not an option.
So, with his approval...
Oh wow, the roster of Konoha's strongest renegade ninja guesthouse just grew.
This truly pulled the rug out from under Akatsuki—they'd snatched away the mastermind behind the strongest renegade ninja organization.
"But what about Black Zetsu? This world's Black Zetsu hasn't been dealt with yet, right?"
"Not just Black Zetsu—what about Danzō Shimura!" Sasuke Uchiha spat with fury.
Hashirama patted Sasuke on the shoulder. "Within three days, we'll deal with Danzō and his forces. Restoring the Uchiha's pride is only a matter of time. Tobirama and I will handle this."
Sasuke's gaze darkened. While the power gap between him and Naruto hadn't caused a rift, the Fourth Hokage's resurrection did stir a faint sense of imbalance within him.
Naruto had gained a family. He knew he should be happy for him.
But...
Once, they had only each other—both orphans of Konoha.
Yet now...
Obito Uchiha seemed to read his thoughts. "I'll seek out Nagato. I'll borrow his Rinnegan to revive your family."
Black Zetsu would turn against them sooner or later, but for now, they had to replicate the previous world's strategy: completely seal Black Zetsu by surprise, or else face endless trouble!
"Hold on, Obito," Minato from the Kannabi Bridge Timeline suddenly spoke.
The Hokage's eyes flickered slightly.
"Obito, open your mission scroll and take a look."