[After this battle, Obito and Kakashi finally recognized each other.
[They found Rin in the cave together, but they fell into a trap set by the firelight.
[The entire ceiling began to collapse, and Kakashi was hit by falling rocks.
[In a critical moment, Obito turned around, hugged Kakashi, and threw him out, while his own body was trapped under a huge rock.
[In his final moments, Obito gave his left eye to Kakashi as a gift for him becoming a jonin.
[This Sharingan helped Kakashi see through the movements of enemies he couldn't see with Chidori, and it later helped him become the legendary Copy Ninja.
[In the end, Minato's team successfully completed the mission.
[For Konoha, Obito was a hero. His name was carved on the Memorial Stone, but he did not die at that moment.]
On the screen, Obito was lying in bed, his body wrapped in bandages.
Beside the bed, there was an elderly man who looked like he hadn't had a haircut in years, with wrinkles covering his face.
"This must be Uchiha Madara."
"He looks even older on the screen than he does in reality."
In the Hokage Office.
To be honest, the Senju brothers still recognized Obito's actions before his descent into darkness.
At that time, Obito was not only kind, lively, and cheerful, but also had the resolve to sacrifice for his comrades.
If he hadn't gone to save Kakashi, things might have turned out completely differently.
"Big brother, I want to unify the ninja world, and Uchiha Madara is the only variable. You should understand what I mean."
"I know."
Hashirama sighed and continued, "But you should also understand that if our plan succeeds and Madara returns to Konoha, he won't be an obstacle for you. On the contrary, he will be very excited to help you."
"At one time, things were different. People change based on time, place, and their surroundings. From his desire to cast 'Infinite Tsukuyomi,' a large-scale genjutsu that aims for peace but is essentially world destruction, it's clear that he's no longer the Madara we knew."
Whether it's for peace or world destruction.
The Madara that Senju Tobirama knew would never have had such an idea.
In his heart, Madara was an extremely extreme person.
Such a person might care about comrades, family, clan, and local peace, but would never care about the peace of the entire ninja world.
To put it bluntly, whether the whole ninja world was at peace or not had nothing to do with him.
As long as the Land of Fire was peaceful, and those he cared about were safe, that was all that mattered.
As for world destruction, Madara probably never had that idea.
So, without his brother and after being betrayed by his entire clan, Madara, who now had thoughts of peace or destruction, was no longer the Madara they once knew.
"Don't worry, little brother, I'll try my best to persuade Madara. Also, don't forget you have Izuna as a trump card, right? Even if Madara changes, he won't be crazy enough to kill Izuna, right?"
"Who knows? We have to prepare for both possibilities. If Madara refuses to return, then we'll have to trouble you to suppress him."
"Alright, if it really comes to that, I won't hold back."
Tobirama had full confidence in his older brother's strength.
His brother was invincible, and now with the power of the Sharingan, even if Madara had the Rinnegan in his old age, what difference would it make?
To put it bluntly, Hashirama could grind Madara down.
At that point, he hoped Madara wouldn't complain about him not playing fair.
Madara: I've never seen someone so shameless.
Tobirama: Eh~ now you have!
[When Obito wakes up, he finds himself wrapped in bandages, with the right side of his body gone.]
[At that moment, an old face appears before him. This old man is none other than the still-living Uchiha Madara.]
[Madara had transplanted the cells of Hashirama into Obito's damaged body, helping him grow new limbs.]
[Madara tells Obito: "It's a miracle you're still alive. It's as if your body has pierced through stone."]
[Obito doesn't give much thought to what Madara said. Right now, all he can think about is getting back to Minato's team, to Kakashi and Rin.]
[However, his body is completely immobile, and the entrance to the cave is blocked by a giant stone.]
[Madara subtly reminds Obito that what he's seeing right now is actually an illusion.]
[After saying that, Madara has two White Zetsus take care of Obito, waiting for the Hashirama cells to take effect.]
[During this time, the thought of seeing Kakashi and Rin again became the belief that kept Obito going.]
[One day, a White Zetsu on patrol brings news that Kakashi and Rin are being surrounded by a group of Mist ninjas.]
[Obito immediately becomes anxious. Ignoring the fact that his arm hasn't fully healed, he punches the giant stone, only for his arm to break. But in the next moment, Obito suddenly feels a power enveloping him.]
[White Zetsu, nicknamed Chatterbox, wraps Obito's skin in a layer of armor and injects the power of the Golem into his body.]
[With Chatterbox's boost, Obito smashes the giant stone with a single punch.]
[Watching Obito's back as he leaves, Madara understands that his plan can now officially begin.]
"Damn it, that incident really was Madara's plot."
Looking at the satisfied smile of Uchiha Madara on the screen, Obito gritted his teeth in hatred.
Years had passed, but he had always felt that what happened back then was too coincidental and suspicious.
Trapped in Madara's lair, he had somehow learned about Rin and Kakashi's encounter.
Blocked by a boulder, the normally emotionless White Zetsu had suddenly helped him, allowing him to break the rock and escape.
Once outside, he had coincidentally witnessed Kakashi killing Rin.
Every time the night grew quiet, Obito would often reflect on the events of that time, and the more he thought about it, the more something seemed off.
He had always had suspicions, and now, with Madara's actions revealed on the screen, those suspicions were confirmed.
"There's no such thing as love or hatred without reason. Madara saved you with the intention of using you from the start."
Seeing that scene from back then again, Kakashi couldn't help but feel deeply moved.
"Don't worry, Kakashi. Madara is the real killer of Rin. I'll never help him again."
"I never doubted your resolve. I'm just worried, with Madara's methods, he will definitely try to manipulate you to prevent any betrayal."
With Rin around, Obito would never betray Konoha. He'd have to be completely insane to abandon the real Rin and pursue a fake one instead.
"I still have debts to pay. I don't have the extra money to clone my own body."
Obito understood what Kakashi was saying, but he still needed money to resurrect the villagers and ninjas he had killed. He really didn't have any spare cash.
"That's not urgent. If you don't have money, Rin and I can help you pay for it. Right, Rin?"
"That's right, Obito. I can help pay for it."
"Really? Thank you so much, Rin."
Hearing Rin's offer, Obito was overjoyed and immediately tried to grab Rin's small hand.
But by this time, Rin had become more cautious. She smiled and effortlessly dodged Obito's hand, avoiding his "perverted" gesture.
"We still don't know what kind of backup Madara planted in you. Maybe we don't need to clone you after all?"
"Let's check the screen first. There should be some clues about this."
*********
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