Because You Failed to Save Rin
"Hand them over," said Obito Uchiha through clenched teeth.
Now that Kakashi Hatake was in Uchiha Yi's grasp, even Kamui's space–time distortion could not safely extract him at such close range. They had already tested it the earlier attempt proved that Kamui alone could not decisively injure this strange opponent.
He didn't know how Ah Huo had done it.
Between maintaining the "Afei" persona and facing an enemy whose abilities defied normal ninjutsu logic, Obito had no choice but to compromise.
This forced him to reassess Ah Huo entirely.
Suppressing his anger, Obito produced the agreed items. Even through the mask, the reluctance was obvious. Handing them over felt like tearing flesh from his own body.
"Hahaha!"
Uchiha Yi laughed wildly after receiving the goods, his mood soaring.
"Much appreciated, my dear brother Afei."
Without hesitation, he summoned a pitch-black flame that devoured light itself.
Not ordinary Fire Release.
Amaterasu.
The jet-black blaze spilled across the heap of White Zetsu corpses like oil igniting under divine wrath.
The moment the flames touched them, they began burning endlessly.
"Beautiful," Uchiha Yi murmured, eyes gleaming.
"Only this kind of fire feels worthy of existence."
He turned suddenly.
"By the way, Afei… do you have more White Zetsu lying around? A hundred isn't nearly enough. I'd love to burn a few hundred more."
Obito froze for a second.
At first, he suspected Ah Huo knew the secret behind White Zetsu their origin tied to Hashirama cells and the Demonic Statue. But now…
This man might genuinely be insane.
Who in their right mind would use Mangekyō-level black flames just to burn White Zetsu for entertainment?
"No. Absolutely not," Obito said firmly.
"Not even one more."
"Really? That's unfortunate," Uchiha Yi replied with exaggerated disappointment. "If you ever change your mind, come find me."
With that, he stepped back, clearly satisfied. There was no longer any reason to linger.
Watching him prepare to leave, Obito finally exhaled in relief.
Dealing with Ah Huo was mentally exhausting. Even after suffering such a massive loss, he couldn't retaliate without risking exposure.
It was infuriating.
But that score could be settled later.
For now
He turned toward Kakashi.
The sight nearly broke his composure.
Kakashi's body was charred black, his iconic silver hair completely burned away. His appearance was so absurd that Obito almost laughed aloud.
Only sheer will kept him from breaking character.
"Kaka"
"Obito," Kakashi said calmly.
The name struck like a kunai through the chest.
"You… what?" Obito's voice cracked involuntarily.
The identity he had guarded for years shattered in a single breath.
Kakashi's visible eye remained steady.
"It's you. I knew the moment you started making excuses. You've always been terrible at lying."
He paused.
"If you were alive… why wait until now?"
Silence fell.
Slowly, Obito reached up and removed the spiral mask.
The broken half of his face emerged scarred, warped, bearing the weight of endless hatred.
The frivolous air vanished. What remained was cold, suffocating darkness.
"My life or death has nothing to do with you," Obito said quietly.
Then his eye hardened.
"But if you insist on a reason…"
His voice dropped into something hollow.
"It's because you didn't save Rin."
The name hung between them like a curse.
Rin Nohara.
"I've already abandoned this world," Obito continued. "I have nothing left to say to you."
Without waiting for a response, his Mangekyō spun.
Space twisted.
Kamui activated.
In the next instant, Obito vanished.
Kakashi stood frozen.
After searching for so long, he had finally found the truth yet it only deepened the abyss in his heart.
Obito was alive.
But the Obito he knew was gone.
That darkness… it rejected everything.
"I have to bring him back," Kakashi whispered.
Even if it meant walking into hell.
After steadying himself, Kakashi made his decision. His mission in the Land of Water had yielded enough intelligence. There was no reason to remain.
If Obito chose to hide, no one could find him.
But now that Kakashi knew he was alive there was still hope.
He would not give up.
Not again.
Far away, hidden within lingering black flames
Uchiha Yi observed silently.
After completing the exchange, the Fire Release clone had dispersed and transferred the spoils back to the original body. Yet a fragment of consciousness remained embedded within Amaterasu's flames, allowing him to witness everything.
He had expected a violent clash.
Instead
Just a few words, and Obito left.
"How disappointing," Uchiha Yi muttered.
"No battle at all? That's not very dramatic."
He frowned slightly.
The calmness Obito displayed felt unnatural. Too controlled. Too restrained.
Almost as if the hatred had crystallized into something deeper than rage.
Meanwhile
Elsewhere in the Hidden Mist Village, chaos finally subsided.
Through immense sacrifice, the elder known as Genji rallied the surviving shinobi and lured the rampaging Three-Tails into a massive sealing formation.
The tailed beast Isobu was finally suppressed.
With the combined power of the village, it was sealed once more into the body of Yagura Karatachi.
But the victory came at a horrific cost.
The village was devastated. Countless shinobi perished. Entire districts lay in ruins.
The Hidden Mist had been dragged back to a state resembling its earliest, blood-soaked era.
Survivors stood amid the wreckage, unsure whether to rejoice or mourn.
And yet
It still wasn't over.
Ambition remained.
A faction led by a militant clan leader declared that their strength had saved the village and demanded control of the Mizukage seat.
Genji's loyalists refused.
Conflict erupted again among the remnants.
In the end, Genji's side emerged victorious but only barely.
A tragic victory.
The civil war finally ended.
But the scars it left behind would haunt Kirigakure for decades.
Far above it all
The world of shinobi had quietly shifted.
And the next storm was already forming.
The Duel doesn't end here… it only gets more intense.
30+ chapters ahead are already waiting.
If you want to see the next moves, the hidden strategies, and the outcome before anyone else—
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