"Obito Uchiha? At this point, what meaning does that name... does that person even have?!"
"I have already fused with the Ten-Tails. As a transcendent being, I have attained a state of pure enlightenment."
"Which is to say, I am no longer human. I am the leader who will guide humanity into its next stage."
"Possessing the exact same will and body as the Sage of Six Paths..."
"I am the second Sage of Six Paths!"
However, Naruto rejected Obito's claim without a moment's hesitation.
"Wrong! You are Obito Uchiha!"
"Just now, when our chakra connected, I saw your past."
"You and I had similar childhoods. You had someone you loved too, and she always believed that you could fulfill your dream and become the Hokage."
"We both shared the exact same goal of becoming Hokage! We really are alike!"
"Neither of us knew who our parents were, and we both lost the people who mattered most to us."
"That's why you threatened me and said, 'What you fear most is loneliness!' You were just like that at first, wanting to be acknowledged and praised by others."
"It was because you wanted those things that you set your sights on becoming Hokage in the first place!"
"Since you're just like me..."
"Look at yourself now! You've made an enemy out of every last ninja, spouting nonsense about saving the world."
"Doing whatever the hell you want! No one... not even the person you care about most would ever acknowledge this current dream of yours!"
Obito caught his breath, glaring at Naruto through gritted teeth, but Naruto pressed on without pausing.
"You, who once shared the exact same dream as me, have completely strayed from the path of a Hokage!"
"You, who used to be so much like me..."
But this time, Naruto was cut off.
"No, it is precisely because we are so alike that I must tell you this."
"What I lost was my one and only. But the girl you love most isn't dead!"
Naruto stiffened, staring intently at Obito in absolute silence. It was true. Kanon wasn't dead, whereas Rin had long since departed this world.
"So while we have our similarities, there are differences too. If the Kanon you care about most died right before your eyes, what would you do?!"
The words hit Naruto like a physical blow, leaving him stunned. Yes... what would he do?
Kanon had already despaired of the shinobi world. After everything she had done, if he were to bring her back to Konoha, back to the shinobi world, execution would be her inevitable fate.
Seeing Naruto standing there in a dazed dither, the corner of Obito's mouth tugged upward into a faint smirk.
"See? That is why I say you and I are alike, and why I want to see you despair of this world."
"No... more than that, I want to reaffirm that the path I am walking is not wrong."
"Working alongside Kanon gave me the feeling of fighting side-by-side with Rin again. She understood me, and she filled the gaps in my plans."
"And fighting you has reminded me of my past self. That is why I wanted to test you."
"To see when you, who are so similar to me, would finally fall into despair and discard all of your memories."
"It is precisely because you are too much like me that you infuriate me!"
"Right now, you've simply cast everything aside and chosen to run away!" Naruto yelled.
Hearing Naruto's words, Obito actually smiled.
"Aren't you running away too?"
Obito's counter-question made Naruto freeze.
"You keep chasing after her using your so-called bonds and friendship, but the truth is, you don't understand her at all. Though I suppose Kakashi never told you about her past."
"But you chose to turn a blind eye and ask no questions because deep down, you are running away too. You're terrified of the agonizing truth being exposed, fearing that once it is, you will no longer be yourself, and things will never be the same again."
"So, you don't want to know what she went through. You just want to convince her to come back and stop doing what she's doing. But there is no going back to the way things were!"
"Furthermore, let me tell you this: Kanon is not as simple as you think. She is different from me. I didn't push her down this path; it was the entire shinobi world and your precious Konoha that made her into what she is today."
"What..." Naruto stared at Obito, his face blank with shock.
"Besides, my actions are no different from what a Hokage does. In fact, I am doing a better job, because this way, peace can actually be achieved."
Naruto was stunned. He spoke up, his voice tinged with disbelief, "Are you... actually serious right now?"
"Do you really think that?"
Obito turned his head away, gazing outward as a profound loneliness settled over his expression.
In his mind, the memory of Rin applying a bandage to his face was still as vivid as if it had happened yesterday.
"Rin saved me, which means it's the same as saving the entire world."
"Huh?!" Rin had looked at Obito, thoroughly confused.
"Think about it! I'm going to become the Hokage in the future and put an end to this war. To do that, I have to stay alive and well in this world!"
"Do you get it now?" Obito asked.
Rin had turned her gaze toward the Hokage Rock, then back to Obito's face, letting out a soft chuckle. "Yeah, even though it's a bit hard to understand."
"And... how should I put it," Obito said, his face flushing slightly.
"If you aren't by my side watching over me... I mean..."
But in the next moment, Obito's face had turned bright red. Seeing Rin leaning in so close, just staring at him like that, his bravado instantly evaporated.
"Whoa! Why'd you lean in all of a sudden? You scared me!"
"Didn't you just say you wanted me by your side, watching over you?"
Obito nodded, turned around, and pointed toward the Hokage Rock, proudly showing Rin the Uchiha crest on his back.
"I will definitely become the Hokage while carrying the crest of the Uchiha on my back!"
"Mm!" Rin replied with a bright, beaming smile.
Returning to reality, Obito turned back, locking his gaze onto Naruto as he said coldly, "Yes. That is exactly what I think!"
"No one would willingly choose a rough and treacherous path when they cannot see the road ahead."
"It is merely a matter of stepping over the corpses of your comrades. If there is a shortcut with a brightly lit path ahead, anyone would choose it."
"Yes. The ultimate goal of a Hokage should be world peace."
Naruto clenched his fists, glaring fiercely at Obito. "What the hell are you talking about?! What I want to know isn't how to take the easy, smooth road!"
"I want to know how to walk the rough and treacherous one!"
"Just like Kanon once told me: 'There are no shortcuts to becoming Hokage.'"
Obito looked at Naruto and said flatly:
"Even if both paths lead to the exact same destination?"
"Do you still think that way?"
An angry expression flared across Naruto's face. "Who was the one who told you it was a treacherous path in the first place?!"
"In the end, how can anyone know until someone actually walks it?"
"A Hokage is someone who must endure the pain and walk ahead of everyone else!"
"That's why a Hokage will never step over the corpses of their comrades. For someone who wants to be Hokage, there are no shortcuts."
"And for someone who has actually become the Hokage, there is absolutely no turning back. Well, what do you say?!"
Naruto began to circle Obito, closely watching his expressions. Indeed, at this moment, Obito seemed to be caught in the grip of a memory.
"Just a moment ago, you told Kakashi-sensei to throw away all his feelings and memories of his comrades. But back when you became the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki and your consciousness was almost swallowed whole by it..."
"Wasn't it because you refused to abandon the memories of your comrades that you fought so desperately to suppress it?"
"The reason you were able to defeat the Ten-Tails and control it with your own will is precisely because you stubbornly refused to abandon your past."
"You maintained your own free will, didn't you?"
"Deep down, you still can't throw away your memories of Dad, of Kakashi-sensei..."
"And of that girl, Rin."
"That's why, even after becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, you are still Obito."
"Am I wrong?"
"But your attempt to drag everyone else down your path cannot be tolerated."
"You should come back to our side, as Obito Uchiha."
"As a ninja of Konoha, you need to properly atone for the crimes you've committed. You shouldn't be running away from all of this."
"If that girl named Rin were still alive, she would definitely tell you this:"
"'Don't try so hard to hide your true feelings, because I'm watching you.'"
"Because Kanon told me: 'Someone who dreams of becoming Hokage is already just as incredible as the Hokage themselves!' That's why..."
"I won't let you stop here! So stop running away, you bastard!"
With that, Naruto extended his hand toward Obito, his voice ringing loud and clear:
"You're the one who should be coming over to my side!"
"Obito!"
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NOTE: This fic has been completely translated. If you want to read the whole story head over to my p-atre-on: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]