Chapter 335 — Solitude
"You…"
"Have we met before?"
Right in the middle of Konoha's main street, Might Guy, standing upright after his acrobatic flip, stared intensely at the disguised Obito.
The sheer focus in his eyes made Obito unconsciously take a step back.
Yet Guy immediately took a long stride forward—closing the distance even more.
Uchiha Kei and Ayaka Hyūga stared blankly at the scene.
Neither expected this:
After Kei painstakingly adjusted Obito's disguise—making his appearance more natural and his temperament drastically different—he still got pinned down instantly… by a former classmate!?
Kei felt a sense of déjà vu wash over him.
Wasn't Guy supposed to have world-class face-blindness?
How was he suddenly sharp enough to sniff out someone who should be unrecognizable?
A beast's instinct?
This was the same idiot who once mistook Kisame for some "dark reflection of himself."
And yet here he was, latching onto the newly disguised Obito like a bloodhound.
Unbelievable.
---
"Hey… is this guy okay?"
Ayaka tugged lightly at Kei's sleeve. "Your subordinate's about to be exposed by your old classmate. Are you stepping in?"
"It should be fine…" Kei whispered, leaning close to her ear.
"Honestly, I can't fathom a single reason he'd be recognized. Maybe just… a sense of familiarity?"
"Familiarity?" Ayaka frowned.
"If a disguise still lets people feel familiarity—that's a failure. How did you make that mistake?"
"I didn't. He insisted on certain things." Kei sighed helplessly.
"And my options were limited. I can't let the Uchiha clan's sensory experts examine him either, so…"
Obito's identity was far too sensitive.
Kei would rather explain things personally than risk anyone else discovering anything.
This was too important.
And while Kei's disguise technique wasn't bad, Obito himself ruined the effectiveness by demanding certain features remain unchanged.
Worst of all, Kei genuinely couldn't comprehend how Guy was picking up on anything at all.
---
"Met before?"
While Kei and Ayaka exchanged whispers, Obito's forehead began to bead with cold sweat.
"I—I don't think we've met…" he stammered.
But as Obito spoke, a strange sensation crept over him.
One side of his face felt… sore.
A phantom ache.
As if it still remembered the time this very man kicked him across half the training grounds.
Even after years, his body seemed to recognize Guy.
Is this guy a monster?
My entire presence, chakra, even temperament have changed—
How did he detect me!?
Obito sneaked a glance at Kei and Ayaka… and froze.
They were practically flirting off to the side.
Neither of them cared about his crisis.
Obito sighed internally.
Great. I'm on my own.
"Really never met?" Guy kept staring holes through him. Suddenly, he muttered:
"Uchiha…"
Obito stiffened instantly.
For a moment, he actually considered knocking Guy unconscious.
But then—
"Uchiha really do look alike sometimes."
Guy burst into a grin, patting Obito on the shoulder.
"Sorry! Guess I mistook you for someone else."
"Ah—no problem…" Obito forced a laugh, still stiff as a board.
Guy stepped back, rubbing his chin as he muttered, "But where have I seen that face…"
Obito breathed a slow, relieved exhale.
But seriously… how could someone ignore Kei—standing right there—and instead hyper-fixate on him?
Guy really was bizarre.
Feeling drained, Obito paced back toward Kei…
Only for Guy's voice to suddenly call out behind him:
"Please wait!"
Obito froze mid-step.
When he turned—
Guy was right in front of him, staring into his face with the intensity of a starving wolf.
Cold sweat streamed down Obito's temples.
"W-What is it?" Obito gulped.
"Nothing…" Guy deadpanned, still staring.
"It's just… are you absolutely sure we've never met?"
"N-No, really. I think all Uchiha look kinda similar?"
Obito pointed quickly at Kei.
"See? Doesn't he look kinda like me too?"
"Huh?"
Guy blinked, finally noticing Kei.
He turned—froze—and looked mortified.
"Ah—Kei—Kei-san! I—I didn't see you there…"
Kei rubbed his face, exhausted.
Ayaka simply shook her head.
They had both been thoroughly ignored.
"It's fine," Kei smiled faintly.
"This is Rin—my subordinate at the Police Force.
Who did you think he was?"
"I… don't know exactly," Guy said, rubbing his head sheepishly.
"Just felt like he reminded me of an old friend.
A feeling, that's all.
Maybe I saw a shadow of someone I lost…"
His voice softened with an unusual melancholy.
Kei fell silent.
Obito froze.
He hadn't expected such an answer.
He opened his mouth but closed it again, unable to speak.
How many comrades did he once have?
How deep were those bonds?
He had forgotten—buried—so much under hatred.
Guy's words pried something open.
"Anyway—sorry for holding you up!" Guy suddenly brightened.
"Kei! Don't forget—you promised to spar with me!"
"I know. We'll arrange it soon." Kei nodded.
"We'll be on our way. See you around, Guy."
"Right! See you!"
Guy waved, then flipped upside down again.
Before running off, though, he shot one last long, contemplative look at Obito—
as if trying to place a face lost in memory.
Then he was gone.
Kei watched Guy disappear and sighed.
That man was always brimming with life—
but it seemed his words had struck something deep inside Obito.
Sure enough, Obito was still staring at Guy's retreating figure in silence.
Kei clapped him on the shoulder.
"Alright. Come back to reality. Guy's gone."
"Ah… sorry." Obito murmured.
"I just realized how stupid I used to be."
"You were stupid." Kei said bluntly.
"Your academy evaluation basically said that."
"You—!"
Obito gave a helpless laugh.
But maybe… that evaluation wasn't wrong after all.
Still—
if Kei hadn't pulled him out of darkness, he would've drowned in it forever.
"I think we should go to the cemetery now," Obito said quietly.
"I want to avoid meeting too many people."
"Fine. Cemetery first." Kei nodded.
Ayaka didn't care either way.
But none of them expected this—
When they finally reached Konoha's Hero Memorial Cemetery…
They saw someone already standing at Rin's grave.
A silver-haired figure.
Life was strange like that.
Those with bonds often crossed paths at the same moments.
Today, Kakashi Hatake had taken a rare day off.
After weeks of hunting Hidden Mist spies, he wanted a break.
Minato readily granted his student three days' rest.
After a morning of wandering aimlessly, Kakashi decided to visit the friends he had neglected recently—
the ones who could no longer walk beside him.
He bought flowers
and made his way to the cemetery.
The place was quiet.
Too quiet—
which suited him perfectly.
He stood before Rin's grave, placed the flowers gently,
and said nothing.
Time passed.
He didn't know how long.
Just as he was about to speak—
He sensed movement approaching.
At first he thought nothing of it.
People visited the cemetery at all hours.
But when he realized someone was heading directly toward Rin's and Obito's graves—
he frowned.
Who would visit these two graves at this hour?
When he turned—
He saw Kei.
Reasonable.
But then he saw Ayaka—
and then…
The third person.
A young Uchiha standing quietly behind them.
Kakashi's breath caught.
His heartbeat quickened.
In that unfamiliar face…
he saw a shadow of Obito.
Impossible.
Ridiculous.
Obito was dead.
He carried Obito's eye—proof of that.
And yet…
His instincts whispered a truth his mind refused to accept.
Kakashi was confused—utterly, overwhelmingly confused.
Why did this stranger's presence feel so… familiar?
But after a moment, reality reasserted itself.
This person's aura—cold, sharp, unsettling—was nothing like the warm, impulsive Obito he remembered.
And yet…
Kakashi couldn't deny it.
In this man, he saw Obito's shadow.
The realization froze him in place.
At the same time, Obito too stood rooted to the spot as he stared back at Kakashi from afar.
He hadn't expected today to unfold like this—
first Guy, now Kakashi.
And judging by Kakashi's reaction, he seemed to be having the same problem Guy had.
Obito let out a bitter sigh in his heart.
It was complicated.
Painfully complicated.
There was joy—yes.
There was guilt—more than he could bear.
And above all, there was the crushing weight of regret.
He hated what he'd done.
He hated how he'd let grief blind him.
How he failed to think—to analyze—
the way Uchiha Kei had.
Kei had faced agony no less severe than his.
Kei had awakened a Mangekyō Sharingan just as he had.
And yet Kei stayed calm… while he fell apart.
Kei became Head of the Police Force.
Obito became… this.
Obito smiled bitterly.
But this time, he didn't run.
Facing Kakashi, he made a quiet decision.
Uchiha Obito was dead.
A hero of the past.
A memory.
And if fate allowed…
perhaps someday, in death, he could finally reunite with Rin.
But this identity—the man standing here—was someone else entirely.
A loyal shinobi working in the shadows.
A nameless operative moving between Konoha and the unknown.
He exhaled softly and stepped forward.
"You're Kakashi, right?"
With a gentle smile Obito extended his hand.
"My name is Rin. Uchiha Rin.
Obito may never have mentioned me… but I was his friend.
It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Rin…?"
Kakashi blinked, dazed.
He reached out automatically to shake the offered hand.
"I—ah… yes. Kakashi. Nice to meet you."
"You're nothing like Obito described," Obito chuckled.
"He complained about you a lot. But I guess I've been away on a long mission, so…"
"Ha. That idiot…" Kakashi's lone visible eye softened into a crescent.
"He wasn't wrong—I am annoying.
But he was an idiot too."
---
Elsewhere —
"Are you sure it's fine to leave them alone like that?"
From the shade of a small grove near the Hero Memorial, Ayaka watched Kei calmly.
Clearly, neither she nor Kei had anything meaningful to contribute to Obito and Kakashi's reunion.
And standing there awkwardly would just ruin the moment.
Still, Ayaka couldn't help but question it.
Kei had dragged her to a more secluded spot quite decisively.
Letting "Uchiha Rin" and Kakashi talk freely like that—
wasn't that risky?
"No need to worry."
Kei shook his head, glancing back toward the two figures by Rin's grave.
"Rin knows what he's doing—well, probably.
He shouldn't cause trouble."
Ayaka raised a brow.
"The way you say that makes me very unsure.
Your subordinate clearly has issues.
Especially the brain kind."
"…Fair," Kei admitted without resistance.
Ayaka gave him a sidelong glare.
"And your tone—'that kid,' 'that idiot'—you talk like you're decades older than him.
Aren't you two the same age?"
"Perhaps," Kei shrugged.
"But mentally, I'm much older than all of you."
He wasn't wrong.
With over twenty years of memories from a previous life, plus fifteen in this world,
his internal age was closer to mid-thirties.
As for Obito's "brain problems"—
Ayaka was absolutely correct.
If Obito's head worked properly, he wouldn't have made such catastrophically stupid choices in the first place.
But Kei also had to admit—
Obito's stupidity had created opportunities Kei could exploit.
Especially now that Kei's alterations to the timeline demanded he place more "eyes" inside the Akatsuki.
Obito was indispensable.
Kei exhaled softly, looking again toward the two standing side by side at Rin's grave.
They spoke in low tones.
Both of them staring at her name carved in stone.
"What is it?" Ayaka asked.
"Curious about what they're talking about?"
"Partly." Kei admitted.
"But mostly—
I wanted to give them space."
Ayaka's lips curved.
"Oh?
And what are we doing in this quiet little corner then?"
Kei gave her a flat look.
"…Because I wanted to be alone with you. Obviously."
"Really?"
Ayaka smirked faintly.
"Then I'm honored."
Silence fell between them—
soft, quiet, natural—
and only the breeze dared to make noise.