Chapter 153: Obito's Finale

Konoha Prison

A few rays of sunset filtered through the small iron-barred window, illuminating a curled figure in the corner.

Underneath disheveled, graying hair was a pair of hollow, empty sockets. The chakra within his body was sealed, and both his Sharingan and Rinnegan were gone. Uchiha Obito had lost any means to escape from this place.

The life force drained by the Rinnegan had left him resembling a man in his fifties.

"Why… Why did the plan fail?"

Obito's voice was hoarse as he whispered to the darkness before him, his mind spiraling in thought.

The Eye of the Moon Plan had been proceeding smoothly, everything seemingly perfect.

When did it all start to fall apart?

It was Tobirama.

That Second Hokage, who was supposed to stay buried in the dirt, had crawled out of the Pure Land and destroyed everything with nearly invincible power!

Obito clenched his teeth, the image of Tobirama bringing ruin to his plans vividly etched in his mind.

And then there was Orochimaru. If it hadn't been for that damned snake, none of these variables would have emerged!

Creaaaak...

The sound of the iron door opening snapped Obito out of his thoughts, his ears perking up instinctively.

"...Sir, why are you here?"

"I'm here to see Obito," came the response, a deep and distinct male voice. But Obito couldn't place it.

"Yes, sir!" The Konoha ninja guarding the cell quickly unlocked the door.

Despite the dangerous criminal housed within, the visitor's identity was equally exceptional, granting them the right to visit.

Once the guest stepped into the cell, the guard thoughtfully closed the door behind them.

"Who's there?"

Though Obito's sight was gone, he could feel the figure standing before him.

"Obito. It's been a while," the visitor said, their tone laced with subtle emotion.

"Madara… What are you doing here?"

Obito's lips moved slightly, his weak voice barely audible to Madara.

To Obito, Madara was nothing more than a pitiful puppet, controlled by Kotoamatsukami. He had come so close to realizing his ideal world, only for it all to crumble because of a single Sharingan from Shisui.

Madara, however, paid no heed to the hostility in Obito's tone.

"Do you hate me, Obito?"

Staring at the hollow sockets, Madara spoke with a calm and steady voice.

"Hate you? Why should I hate you?" Obito responded, his voice tinged with confusion.

"Perhaps you don't know… Everything at Kannabi Bridge was orchestrated by me."

Madara's tone remained impassive as he continued, "The girl named Nohara Rin was implanted with the Three-Tails under my orders. All of it was to make you witness her death at the hands of your companion, to make you despair at this world, and to ensure you'd willingly carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan for me."

"You were chosen from the very beginning."

"So… Do you hate me now?"

Obito's frail body trembled faintly. Supporting himself on the ground with his hands, he drew in ragged breaths, his heart pounding violently.

"...The Infinite Tsukuyomi is real. None of this matters anymore," Obito muttered, leaning back against the cold stone wall.

"Is that so?" Madara raised an eyebrow.

"If I hadn't intervened, you might've continued living as a Konoha ninja. Married that girl. Maybe even become Hokage, just as you always dreamed."

"You're wrong," Obito replied, shaking his head. "Without you, I would've died under that rock."

"And if I hadn't died, if half my body hadn't been crushed, then what? More dangerous missions, countless wars—one way or another, I would've met my end at some unknown battlefield."

"I'm no genius, no hero. Just the tail-end of the Uchiha clan."

"This world is broken. The ninja world is a massive prison! Kakashi never wanted to kill Rin, and Rin didn't want to die. But Kakashi killed Rin, and Rin died anyway."

"Ninjas follow orders from their superiors, thrown onto battlefields to kill or be killed, endlessly breeding hatred."

"Ha… The Hidden Villages have only existed for a few decades, and already we've had three great wars. One generation dies, and another is raised to continue the cycle. Then another war begins."

"Hokage? They're nothing but glorified leaders sending others to their deaths for their own gains."

"Even if Rin hadn't died, I wouldn't want her to live in such a cruel world!"

"That's why I wanted to create a perfect new world!!"

Obito's voice echoed in the cold, dark cell as he raised his right hand high. A ray of sunlight from the window illuminated his back, wrapping him in a golden hue that made him seem almost divine.

Madara fell silent.

Because this ideal… was exactly the same as his own.

Of course, it was because he had instilled this ideology in Obito.

Madara had spent his life fighting for this dream, even orchestrating his death to ensure its fulfillment.

But now…

"Do you know why I abandoned the Moon's Eye Plan?" Madara asked, his tone tinged with regret.

"Why?"

Obito seemed drained, leaning against the wall as if he couldn't muster the strength to care.

"Because it's a lie." Madara sighed deeply and explained the truth about the Infinite Tsukuyomi, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, and Black Zetsu's schemes.

When Madara finished, silence fell.

"Impossible! What Kaguya? That's nonsense!" Obito roared, his hollow eye sockets widening as he lashed out. "You're just a puppet of Senju Tobirama, controlled by his genjutsu!"

Madara frowned, about to respond when loud noises came from outside the cell.

Moments later, the locked door swung open, revealing three figures standing there.

"Apologies, Lord Madara! These three have also come to visit the prisoner," the guard explained nervously.

"Let them in," Madara said, waving a hand after recognizing the visitors.

"Madara-sama."

Kakashi bowed respectfully before glancing at Obito, whose expression was blank, then at the little girl beside him. Pain flickered in his eyes.

But Uzumaki Kushina had no such reservations. Learning that the masked man responsible for the Nine-Tails incident had been captured, she had wanted to confront him for a long time. Meeting Kakashi and Rin on the way had delayed her.

She didn't yet know the masked man's true identity.

"You bastard!" Kushina stormed over and grabbed Obito by the collar. "You're the one who released the Nine-Tails and killed Minato and me, aren't you?!"

...

"Lady Kushina… did you die, too?" Rin tugged on Kakashi's sleeve, confused. She'd caught the word 'killed' in Kushina's tirade.

Looking at Rin's youthful face, Kakashi felt a deep sorrow he couldn't express. Still, he kept his composure.

"Yes. On the night Lady Kushina was giving birth, that man attacked her and released the Nine-Tails. Both she and Lord Fourth died that night."

"But it's okay. Thanks to the Hokage, you're all alive again." He forced a smile.

Rin lowered her head, processing the information. After a pause, she asked, "Kakashi, if I could be resurrected… could Obito, too?"

Her hopeful gaze unsettled Kakashi. He struggled to find the right words, glancing at Obito, who was enduring Kushina's relentless blows.

...

Though blind, Obito instantly recognized Kushina and Rin's voices. He gritted his teeth, refusing to cry out under Kushina's furious punches. He feared being recognized by them—especially Rin.

"Boom!"

A particularly heavy punch landed on his abdomen. Kushina, finding no satisfaction in his silence, scowled.

"Why won't you scream? Just who are you?" Her curiosity piqued, she reached for his face, intending to uncover his identity. Obito's frail yet surprisingly strong hands flew up to shield his face. Furious, Kushina redoubled her efforts.

Finally, she succeeded. Half of Obito's disfigured face, devoid of eyes, was revealed.

"You…" Kushina's eyes widened in shock. "You're Obito?"

"Obito?" Rin's voice trembled as she turned toward him.

Kakashi let out a long sigh, stepping closer to whisper the truth to Rin. Her expression shifted from disbelief to sorrow as he spoke.

Madara, seated on a stone chair nearby, chuckled softly. He couldn't understand Obito's motives for releasing the Nine-Tails and killing the Fourth Hokage and his wife. It defied logic. But seeing Obito's reaction, he began to suspect the answer lay somewhere in Obito's fractured psyche.

For the first time since his identity had been uncovered, Obito remained utterly silent, as lifeless as a corpse.

Kushina's voice cracked. "How could it be you?"

"Minato and I treated you like our own child. What did we ever do to deserve this?"

Her fingers brushed against the spiral scars and hollows of his face, trembling.

Obito said nothing, merely turning his head away.

Rin stepped closer, taking his cold, bloodless hand in hers.

"Why, Obito? Why did you kill Lord Fourth… and Lady Kushina?"

Obito felt the warmth of Rin's hand, the touch he'd yearned for all these years. Yet he also felt a strong urge to pull away, to escape. His ugliness, his sins—he didn't want to taint her.

"I… just wanted to free them… from the suffering of this world," he confessed, explaining his actions and the dream of the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

Rin's tears fell as she listened. "You're such an idiot! Chasing after a fake world… and destroying the real one in the process. It's backward!"

Obito trembled. "I… I…"

"Apologize to Lady Kushina now!" Rin demanded.

Obito hesitated before kneeling before Kushina.

"Lady Kushina, I'm sorry… for everything."

Tears streamed down his face as his forehead pressed to the ground.

Kushina hesitated before sighing. "Fine. Stand up. You were manipulated, weren't you?"

Madara, observing from his seat, smirked faintly at the irony of the situation.

Obito, still on his knees, looked at Rin and smiled weakly.

"Rin… thank you."

Turning to Kakashi, he added, "Take care of Rin… and Lady Kushina…"

Obito formed hand seals, his voice resolute.

"Dead Demon Consuming Seal!"

The spectral figure of the Shinigami appeared behind him, and Obito demanded the return of Minato's soul.

Before the Shinigami could complete the deal, Madara intervened, shielding Obito.

"This soul isn't yours to take."

Madara's Rinnegan glowed ominously as he unleashed his powers, forcing the Shinigami to retreat.

But Obito had exhausted his life force. Collapsing into Rin's arms, he whispered, "Rin… live on… happily…"

As his life faded, he uttered one final truth.

"Rin… I've always loved you…"

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