Whoosh!
Deep in the night, above the dim streets of Konoha, a swirling vortex suddenly appeared, and descending from that vortex was Obito, dressed in all black, blending into the darkness, his face hidden beneath a hood and a brand-new orange mask marked with black patterns.
Through the two holes of the mask, his Sharingan gleamed in the night.
"Finally, I've arrived here."
Gazing at the four characters reading "Ichiraku Ramen" before him, Obito felt a wave of emotion.
He lifted the curtain and stepped inside.
"Welcome!"
Behind the counter that also served as a dining bar, the owner of Ichiraku, dressed in his chef's attire, greeted him warmly.
At this time, the Ichiraku owner was in his prime, his face not yet marked by the wrinkles of age, and beside him, his daughter Ayame sat in a baby carriage, sound asleep.
"Large bowl of tonkotsu broth."
Obito sat down at the rightmost seat against the wall among the three seats at the counter.
This time he had come alone, without Obito, because he feared that Obito would jabber on endlessly about the topic of feces during the meal and ruin his appetite.
Ichiraku ladled the tonkotsu broth into the bowl, then used a strainer to scoop up the noodles and place them into the broth, finishing with green onions, red ginger, and other garnishes, blending color, aroma, and flavor into one bowl, and set it in front of Obito.
"Here is your tonkotsu broth, sir."
"Mm."
The fragrance hit him, stimulating his taste buds, and Obito could wait no longer; he split apart his chopsticks, set his mask aside, and lowered his head to eat.
Slurp!
The noodles entered his mouth, springy and smooth, the broth rich and full-bodied.
It was so delicious, ten times better than the best ramen Obito had ever eaten before, and once he touched his chopsticks to it, he simply could not stop.
Just as Obito was savoring the meal with great relish, two ninja lifted the curtain and walked into the ramen shop side by side, and of all people, it happened to be Might Guy and... Hatake Kakashi!
Guy was wearing his signature green jumpsuit, and Kakashi's left eye was covered by a black eyepatch, but what lay hidden beneath it was no longer the Sharingan, only an empty socket.
"Old man, two large bowls of miso chashu." Might Guy's large eyes beneath his thick brows blinked once, his teeth flashing brilliantly, as he held up two fingers toward the Ichiraku owner and plopped down into the seat on the far left.
Kakashi, unhurried, sat down in the middle seat, and without thinking turned his head, and when he caught a glimpse of the side profile of Obito's face half-hidden beneath long hair, he was momentarily dazed.
"Here are your miso chashu, gentlemen." It was only when the Ichiraku owner set the two bowls on the counter that Kakashi pulled his gaze away.
"I say, Kakashi, our rivalry currently stands at twenty wins and twenty losses; how about we make the next contest to see who finishes their ramen first!" Guy said, as energetic as ever.
"Sorry, I really am not in the mood for that right now." Kakashi replied listlessly, split his chopsticks apart, pulled down his face mask, and ate in an absentminded manner.
Guy watched Kakashi with a complicated expression.
Half a year ago, Kakashi had lost Rin and the Sharingan, been rescued and brought back to Konoha, and had suffered extreme physical and emotional trauma, spending the time since in Konoha's recovery ward for rehabilitation, only being officially discharged a month ago, and had remained in this despondent state ever since.
Guy withdrew his gaze, split his chopsticks, wolfed down his food, finished the entire bowl in under a minute, then gulped down the broth as well, set down the bowl, wiped the broth from the corner of his mouth, and looked at Kakashi with a serious expression.
"Kakashi, as your rival and closest friend, I can understand how you feel; I went through a period like this myself with my father Might Duy, and letting yourself fall into despair is a desecration of those who have passed; I believe what Obito entrusted to you was not only his eye, but also his will, and if he were still alive, he would definitely not want to see you like this."
Kakashi's chopsticks paused, and he said with a melancholy air, "I understand everything you're saying, but understanding and letting go are two different things; a person like me who failed to protect Rin has no right to possess that eye, and I'm sure this is Obito's spirit from beyond punishing me by taking the eye back; he must hate me to the bone."
Guy frowned and said, "Kakashi, aren't you getting a little too stuck in your own head?"
"Perhaps, but I've already made my decision to join Root."
Guy slammed his hands down and shot to his feet, staring in disbelief. "Root!? Kakashi, are you serious!"
Noticing the look the Ichiraku owner had cast their way, Guy realized he had lost his composure, apologized, sat back down, and whispered to Kakashi, "Is this the Fourth's idea?"
Kakashi said, "No, it's my own idea; half a month ago, Root's headquarters was attacked by a mysterious ninja and several members were killed, and Danzō exaggerated the incident in his report to the Fire Daimyo, claiming the Fourth had deliberately allowed the enemy in to undermine Konoha's foundations."
Guy frowned and said, "Would the Daimyo actually believe such nonsense?"
Kakashi said, "Under normal circumstances, probably not, but a month ago the incident in which Hokusuke, who belonged directly to the Fourth's Anbu, attempted to assassinate the Daimyo left the Daimyo with doubts, and now with this latest incident, the situation is quite unfavorable for the Fourth."
"Hokusuke, while not without ability, never seemed like someone bold enough to do something like that; could it be Root's doing?"
"The Anbu has its suspicions as well and sent people to pursue Hokusuke to uncover the truth, but just the night before last, the Anbu members who were dispatched were killed, and it was Uzuki Yūki who struck them down; this dealt another blow to the credibility of the Fourth's Anbu, and it was only because the Third Hokage stepped in and staked his own reputation as a guarantee for the Fourth that the situation was barely brought under control; however, the condition Root put forward was that the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki Kushina be placed under Root's supervision, and the Daimyo agreed."
Guy cut straight to the point and said, "The Jinchūriki, could it be that Danzō intends to..."
Kakashi said gravely, "That's right; Danzō has long coveted the position of Hokage, and he definitely intends to get the Nine-Tails under his control to undermine the Fourth's standing; things have reached the point where even the Anbu cannot intervene, and the only thing I can do is join Root, do everything in my power to protect Kushina, and spare the Fourth from having to worry on that front so he can get through this crisis."
Guy said with concern, "But Kakashi, you know what kind of person Danzō is; there's a real chance you won't come back alive!"
Kakashi said with resolve, "It doesn't matter; I failed to protect Obito and I failed to protect Rin; someone like me isn't worth mourning over, and at the very least, I want to take some of the burden off of Sensei."
Nearby, Obito finished his ramen, paid, put his mask back on, got up, and walked out.
On the sparsely populated street, Obito gazed up at the moon obscured by dark clouds, his eyes deep:
'I have no intention of capturing the Nine-Tails right now, but if the Nine-Tails falls into Danzō's hands, it will create a great many complications down the road; in the story I intend to bring about, Naruto is no longer the protagonist, and at the very least I want to give him a carefree childhood free from hardship; history must not repeat itself; Kushina will be the last Nine-Tails Jinchūriki in the history of the ninja world.'
A foreboding wind swept through the street, and Obito turned his head to gaze into the darkness of the village.
'Danzō, it's time to go pay him a visit.'
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