Chapter 283 – Obito and Rin
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
The small town beside the Capital of the Land of Fire was now overflowing with people.
Merchants called out from every corner, voices overlapping in a chaotic melody of trade and chatter.
But beneath the surface bustle, there was tension—every smiling face hid a warrior's alert eyes.
These were no ordinary civilians.
Even in laughter, their gazes swept the crowd with subtle caution.
And at the heart of it all stood a towering building—
the site of the Five Kage Summit.
Guards patrolled in shifts, ANBU prowled the rooftops, and security was tighter than ever.
Inside one of the upper rooms, Deidara leaned forward, grinning ear to ear as he looked at Gen and Mei Terumī.
"Man, it's been forever since we met, hmm!"
"Forever?" Gen smirked. "I saw you barely a month ago."
He tilted his head, eyes gleaming with amusement.
"By the way, where's the Third Tsuchikage? He just let you come alone?"
"Tch, this time I'm the official representative!" Deidara puffed out his chest proudly.
"Besides, the Third Hokage didn't show, the Fourth Mizukage didn't either—it's our generation's turn to shine, hmm!"
"Enough posturing," Mei chuckled, folding her arms. "Let's talk business. The Akatsuki—they've gone too far."
"Yeah," Deidara growled, his usual arrogance replaced by irritation. "They've hit every village, even yours and the Sand's. They're getting cocky, hmm."
"Funny," Gen said lazily, a teasing smile curling on his lips. "Didn't you almost join them once?"
"Tch—that was just a temporary setback."
Deidara's smile twitched as his face darkened.
"If I see them again, I'll blow them all to hell!"
"Sure you will," Mei said with mock sympathy. "If you could beat them, you wouldn't have lost in the first place."
"You—!"
The room erupted in bickering as the three "Kage" started arguing like old friends.
They were friends—young, brash, and familiar enough to drop their titles.
After all, three years ago, they'd fought side by side during the Cloud Village skirmish.
---
From the back of the room, Naruto watched with barely contained awe.
"Man… even Kage argue like normal people."
"More like kids," muttered Kurotsuchi, crossing her arms.
Chōjūrō chuckled shyly.
"It's not so bad, right? It just means they trust each other."
"It's boring," Sasuke mumbled, earning a quiet nod from Shikamaru.
"Yeah. When everyone gets along too well, things either go really smooth… or blow up completely."
"You all think too much," Chōji said, patting his growling stomach. "When do we eat?"
"Chōji, please," Ino hissed, smacking his arm. "We're representing Konoha. Try not to embarrass Gen!"
Chōji sighed dramatically.
"Why's it always me?"
Kakashi, standing nearby, ignored the commotion. His attention was on Rin Nohara, who stood quietly beside him, her eyes tracing the crowd.
"How are you holding up?" he asked softly.
Rin hesitated, then smiled faintly.
"Better now. I'm… getting used to it, Kakashi."
It had taken time.
This world felt both familiar and foreign to her.
Without Kakashi—and without the Fourth Hokage and his wife—
she wasn't sure she could've adapted at all.
But even as she smiled, there was pain behind her eyes.
She had learned the truth about Obito.
About what he had become.
And no matter how much she told herself it wasn't the same person she'd once known…
it still hurt.
"That's good," Kakashi said quietly. "This era's more peaceful, at least. Not perfect, but better than the one we grew up in."
"Mm." Rin nodded faintly. But after a moment, her voice grew small.
"I heard… you run into Obito sometimes during missions?"
Kakashi froze for an instant, then nodded awkwardly.
"Yeah. It happens."
Rin lowered her gaze, her voice trembling ever so slightly.
"Then… do you think we'll see him again this time?"
The question hung in the air—
and before Kakashi could answer, a shrill alarm blared through the building.
---
At the Edge of Town
"Orochimaru's Edo Tensei units are in position," Obito murmured, his lone Sharingan spinning. "Time to begin."
He turned to his two companions—Nagato and Kimimaro.
"Are you ready?"
"I'm fine," Nagato said flatly.
"Me too," Kimimaro replied calmly, though his eyes burned with anticipation.
They had prepared for this day—the day of the Five Kage Summit.
And now, it had come.
"Good," Obito said, his gaze hardening. "But remember—this is dangerous. Kitagawa Gen is there. If you let your guard down, even I might not be able to save you."
"You don't need to."
Kimimaro's tone was steady, almost eager. His body thrummed with new strength, the strange power within him still growing.
Nagato crossed his arms.
"Kitagawa Gen, huh? That's fine. He's exactly who I've been waiting for."
There was pride in his voice—
the pride of the man who believed himself to be the Sage's true successor.
"I am the Sage of Six Paths' will on Earth," he declared quietly. "I will walk his path—and I will not lose."
Obito gave a small nod.
"Then let's move."
His Mangekyō spun—and space around them began to twist.
Moments later, they vanished.
---
Inside the Summit Hall
Reality warped. The air cracked.
And suddenly, Obito, Nagato, and Kimimaro appeared in the middle of the meeting hall.
"Enemies! Sound the alarm!"
"We're under attack!"
ANBU shouted as chakra flared in every direction.
Obito's voice was cold and clear.
"Kill anyone who resists. We'll find our targets afterward."
Outside, the signal flare shot into the sky.
---
At the Perimeter
Watching from a distance, Kakuzu rolled his shoulders, grinning.
"They're really doing it… attacking this place? That's suicide."
"Heh," Hidan snorted, clutching his scythe. "That's what makes it fun! Maybe I'll finally find that bastard who insulted Jashin's name!"
"You're insane," muttered Jūzō Biwa, while Raiga Kurosuki scoffed beside him.
"Too bad Kisame's not here," Raiga said with a smirk. "He'd have loved this bloodbath."
"Focus," Kakuzu growled. "We're here to block reinforcements. Nothing else."
He glanced at Sasori—silent, seething—and Itachi, whose face was unreadable.
"Let's move. Whatever happens inside… is their problem."
---
Back at the Summit
"Seriously? Already?" Deidara groaned as alarms echoed through the halls.
"The Chūnin Exams had better timing than this, hmm."
"And there are many of them," Mei said, her voice calm but sharp. "Most are Edo Tensei shinobi. But there are three inside the building—and they're strong."
Gen smiled faintly, resting his chin on his hand.
"Three attackers, huh? Not bad. Let's deal with them first—then we can get back to politics."
He wasn't surprised.
Obito's attack matched the memories from another timeline.
The motives might differ, but the chaos was the same.
Maybe it was the Karma mark's influence.
Maybe it was something else.
Either way—this was just the beginning.
"And the others will be here soon too," Gen thought, a sly grin curling at his lips. "This is about to get interesting."
Deidara cracked his knuckles.
"Then let's go! Time to blow those Akatsuki freaks sky-high!"
"Agreed," Mei said, her eyes glinting. "Especially after what they did to the Mist."
"Well then," Gen said, standing at last. His chakra surged, calm but commanding.
"Let's give them a proper welcome."
---
Inside the tower, Nagato and Kimimaro moved like specters, tearing through elite guards and ANBU squads with terrifying precision.
Nagato's chakra erupted in waves of pure devastation—
and Kimimaro's every strike seemed to grow stronger, his power swelling with every heartbeat.
Somewhere, in the shadowed realm of consciousness, Isshiki Ōtsutsuki watched through the link of the Karma seal.
"Impressive," he murmured. "A strong body, remarkable bloodline… and the Byakugan, too. You've been fortunate."
"Indeed," Kimimaro whispered back. "Very fortunate."
Urashiki stood quietly at a distance, his wary gaze flicking toward Isshiki. Though he nodded obediently, suspicion still shadowed his face.
"Lies, all of it," he thought bitterly. "A thousand years in this world, and you claim you never noticed someone like Kitagawa Gen? You're fooling no one but yourself."
Isshiki, of course, couldn't hear Urashiki's inner contempt. His sharp eyes were fixed on Obito, who was locked in battle below—a battle so strangely lackluster that it made Isshiki's jaw tighten.
"Damn it," Isshiki cursed inwardly. "Of all the vessels I could've chosen, I had to end up with this idiot!"
He glared at Obito, who was moving half-heartedly through the fight, constantly phasing in and out of Kamui's dimension.
"Does he think slacking off will strengthen the Karma?!" Isshiki seethed. "If he doesn't push his limits, how does he expect to evolve?!"
In truth, Isshiki had long begun to regret his choice.
"I should've taken that red-haired one—Nagato."
But then he paused, reconsidering.
"No… that one's even worse. He'd probably run straight at that Kitagawa Gen out of some delusional 'justice' and get himself killed."
He sighed, his irritation never fading.
"Speaking of which—where are Momoshiki and Kinshiki? They should've arrived by now."
His voice dropped to a growl.
"It's been too quiet lately. I don't like it."
Urashiki shook his head.
"I'm not sure. But they're close. I can feel it."
In truth, no one wanted them to arrive more than Urashiki himself.
"Once they're here," he thought nervously, "I'll finally be safe."
---
Down below, the world trembled.
The battle had spread through the summit hall, and even from a distance, the ground quaked with each clash.
Obito stood at the center of it all—silent, cold, his body half-immersed in Kamui's space.
Ever since suffering so many beatings at Gen's hands, he had developed a near-paranoid habit of keeping his intangibility active at all times.
He was ready—always—for the next strike from nowhere.
"Not bad," he murmured, watching Nagato and Kimimaro tearing through squads of elite shinobi.
He narrowed his eyes.
"Especially that Kimimaro… something's off about him. And yet—"
His brow furrowed, a flicker of unease crossing his face.
"Why does he feel… familiar?"
The thought barely formed before his Sharingan twitched.
Something was wrong.
His Kamui space—
was being interfered with.
"What the—?"
Obito's head snapped to the side.
And then—
Zzzzzzzzzt—!
The shrill cry of Chidori split the air.
Electricity flashed across his vision.
That sound—he knew it anywhere.
"Kakashi!"
Obito's voice cut through the chaos, and he spun around, Mangekyō flaring to life.
Blue lightning pierced the dim air as Kakashi charged, the Chidori screaming in his palm.
"You still rely on my power?" Obito snarled, summoning the spectral armor of Susanoo around himself. "But I'm not the same man you fought before!"
Clang!
The Chidori struck the Susanoo's ribcage—
and stopped dead.
Not even a crack.
Obito looked down at Kakashi with a cold, triumphant smirk.
"How ironic," he said softly. "To see you here of all places… It's almost nostalgic."
He raised his hand, black chakra flaring.
"But this time, Kakashi—you'll fall."
Yet even as he spoke, something in his periphery froze him in place.
From the corner of his eye—
he caught sight of a figure stepping through the smoke and flame.
Someone… he had thought was gone forever.
Her brown hair shimmered faintly in the light.
Her eyes—warm, gentle, and impossibly familiar—met his.
For a heartbeat, the world around him vanished.
His Sharingan trembled violently.
His breath caught in his throat.
"No… impossible…"
The name left him in a hoarse whisper.
"Rin…"
She stood there, stunned, but her voice—
that soft, lilting voice he'd heard a thousand times in his dreams—
rose above the chaos.
"Obito…?"
And for the first time in what felt like an eternity—
Obito Uchiha's mask of hatred cracked.
His body shook.
His Sharingan bled.
And beneath the roar of battle—
the past and present collided in a single, trembling moment.