Even so, Naruto couldn't help but feel a tinge of worry. But Sasuke had already vanished from sight; by the time Naruto snapped back to reality, Sasuke was already charging straight toward Madara.
Sasuke wiped the blood from his face. Kanon's foot might as well have stepped directly on his heart. For his relationship with his own younger sister to deteriorate to this point, it was entirely his and Itachi's fault.
But what of it? The current him needed a revolution. He had a greater mission to fulfill. Familial love, friendship, bonds, he would sever them all. He would become the new darkness.
Seeing Sasuke leave first, Naruto remained still. He gazed at Kanon from a distance, and only after realizing she wasn't making a move did he prepare to support Sasuke.
Minato understood perfectly well why Naruto had stood frozen just now.
"Back then, you guys weren't even as old as Naruto is now."
"Do you still remember? The missions the four of us went on together."
"Rin, as a medical ninja, did everything she could to protect the two of you."
"She definitely wouldn't want to see things turn out like this." Minato let go of Kakashi's hand, sighing with emotion.
"But I bear responsibility for how things turned out, too."
During the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, Minato had arrived a step too late, ultimately leaving Obito to fall inside that stone cavern. And it was yet another mission that had forced Minato away from his subordinates.
That was what had led to Rin's death. Minato felt that his disciples had drifted apart and broken entirely because he was simply too useless.
"Perhaps it's no coincidence that I, who should be dead, am standing before you right now."
"Maybe Rin brought this about. Because as your teacher, I didn't do well enough..."
"I failed to protect Rin... I'm sorry."
Hearing Minato's apology, a look of confusion drifted across Obito's face as he murmured:
"Rin... Rin was once my only light."
"After losing Rin, the world in my eyes changed drastically."
"It became a pitch-black hell."
"There is no hope in this world. Even though I traveled all over the globe using Madara's name..."
"Everything I saw and heard only made me more certain of that fact."
"Even with this Sharingan, I still can't see anything, and I can't find anything."
Hearing Obito's words, a look of loneliness washed over Kakashi's face. "To be honest, I don't entirely understand it either."
"So, the new path I chose..."
Kakashi nodded slightly, not denying Obito's chosen path.
"The path you chose is indeed one of the paths available. Perhaps... it isn't actually wrong."
"Back then, I also felt like this world was a hell. I thought I had lost you, and soon after, I lost Rin."
"And finally, I even lost Minato-sensei."
"But... I had comrades by my side. I had the four members of Team 7, and I had many people who helped me walk out of my self-blame, out of that hell."
"Though I didn't fully understand it, I tried to wipe my eyes clear and look with my heart."
"I felt that as long as I had the Sharingan you gave me and the words you spoke, I would be able to see clearly."
After a long silence, Obito finally spoke.
"Are you referring to Naruto? What makes you so certain his path won't fail?"
"On his path, there is Kanon. Can he truly succeed?"
Kakashi shook his head and said softly, "No, of course there is a chance he might fail."
"What is the difference between Naruto and me? Why do you place such trust in him?" Obito's voice was soft, but the weight behind his words was heavy.
"Obito, because I can say for certain."
"Compared to the current you, he is far less likely to fail!"
"Why!"
"Because if he encounters an obstacle on his path, I will help him!"
"Why help him..."
"Because he won't give up on his dreams, nor will he give up on reality."
"That's just the kind of person he is, and his steady, unwavering steps have drawn countless comrades to his side."
"So when he runs into a crisis, others can't help but want to lend him a hand."
"At first, it was only Kanon alone, but just as I said, gradually people will take notice of him, and as more and more helpers arrive, he draws closer to the finish line."
"That is the difference between the two of you."
Obito stared at Kakashi, then looked up at the red moon slowly being veiled by clouds in the sky, before scanning his surroundings.
"Are you saying that in this pitch-black hell... such a thing truly exists?"
Kakashi nodded slightly and said:
"The same goes for you, actually. As long as you want to see it, you should be able to."
"Because we possess the exact same eyes."
"If we gather reliable comrades together, hope might just manifest into a visible reality. That's what I believe, Obito..."
Obito nodded slightly, whispering to Kakashi and the others, "Perhaps..."
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, the Wood Dragon had already tightly coiled itself around Madara.
"This Wood Dragon can drain away all of your chakra! This way, your chakra-absorption ninjutsu is rendered useless."
"Which means you can no longer move, nor can you absorb the next ninjutsu!" Hashirama shouted, panting heavily.
Right at that moment, a Susanoo arrow came flying through the air. Hashirama leapt away just in time.
I can use the aftershock of this attack to seal him along with the Barrier Team, Hashirama thought to himself.
Seeing that the Allied Shinobi Forces required no orders and were maintaining their formations perfectly as they charged toward Madara, Gaara nodded slightly. At that moment, Shukaku hopped over to lightheartedly mock Gaara.
Gradually, Gaara and Shukaku struck up a casual conversation.
Back with Minato, Obito seemed to finally feel a spark of comprehension at this very moment. In his mind, the scene he had once envisioned for himself kept flashing vividly.
On the other side, Hashirama clapped his hands together.
"Sage Art: Gracious Deity Gates!"
Countless massive torii gates rained down from the sky, pinning Madara firmly within the Gate of the Great God.
Sasuke's Susanoo arrow hadn't managed to eliminate Madara, but this setup completely locked down his movements.
The rest is just waiting for the sealing ninja to arrive, Hashirama thought.
But trapped within the Gracious Deity Gates, an exhausted Madara dropped into a half-crouch. After taking a few ragged breaths, a wicked, charming smile spread across his face.
Simultaneously, over where Minato stood, the corners of Kanon's mouth gradually curled upward. The perfect opportunity was finally arriving.
Even though Kanon had witnessed all of Obito's memories, her resolve did not waver in the slightest. For her and Konin's ultimate goal, there was absolutely nothing she wouldn't do.
Obito panted weakly. Seeing him in this state, Minato supplied the grim deduction: "Having a Tailed Beast extracted means that Obito will..."
However, the Nine-Tails inside Minato spoke up, informing Minato that the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki was entirely different from regular Jinchuriki. He would only be rendered extremely weak, but he would not die.
Thus, Minato conveyed this to Kakashi: "Kakashi, the Nine-Tails inside me just told me..."
Obito's eyes were hollow as he recalled the words his younger self had spoken in his memories: "The person Rin wants to protect is Obito Uchiha."
After relaying the situation to Kakashi, Minato finished, "So you don't need to worry."
"In other words, his life isn't in danger."
Kakashi looked at Obito and said softly, "I originally wanted you to properly atone for the sins you've committed."
"But since you can't move, it can't be helped. Just stay right here quietly."
"Sensei, please keep a close eye on Obito."
"Understood," Minato nodded.
Yet, Obito tremblingly raised his hands, clapping them together. At that exact instant, Kanon's eyes lit up.
"What are you trying to do?" Minato demanded.
Hearing Minato's sharp tone, Kakashi turned back around to look at Obito.
"The man I once tried to utilize... used this exact trick to betray me..."
The moment those words left his mouth, Kakashi immediately understood.
"Could it be..."
"Yeah... To think that I would end up doing the exact same thing. I really didn't expect it."
Obito stared up at the sky, his hands pressed flat together as he whispered softly:
"Outer Path: Rinne Rebirth."
"If you use that jutsu, you'll..." Kakashi said, his expression becoming highly complex.
Catching the look on Kakashi's face, Minato instantly understood that this was a technique executed at the cost of one's own life.
"Why Nagato betrayed me back then... I think I can finally understand it now..."
"A will that connects one person to the next can also transform into a powerful strength."
"Nagato, Naruto, and Kanon are all Jiraiya's disciples..."
"You could say I lost to Jiraiya..."
"Sensei, he was your master, the man who raised you to become the Hokage. And I am your student."
"I abandoned my goal of becoming Hokage, and I severed that connecting will..."
"In that world... I won't have the face to meet Rin..."
Kakashi's pupils trembled; he truly felt a deep reluctance to let Obito go.
"Are you really going to do this?"
"You could also choose to live on and atone for your crimes."
"No, those aren't the kind of things that can be easily atoned for."
With that, Obito closed his eyes. Right at that exact second, a massive black hand erupted from beneath the ground, wrapping directly around Obito.
"Kanon!" Black Zetsu's voice echoed.
Minato and Kakashi were utterly shocked.
And it was at this precise moment that Kanon finally spoke.
"A bunch of worthless trash, nothing more. You, with your wavering resolve, are trash, and Kakashi, who can't even protect his own students, is no different."
In a flash, a figure closed the distance to Obito in a single heartbeat. It was the Flying Raijin Technique. Kanon stood squarely between Minato and Kakashi, her flat, indifferent voice drifting out calmly.
"Chidori Current."
From Kanon's body, a violent surge of purple electrical currents erupted indiscriminately, instantly paralyzing everyone in the vicinity except for Black Zetsu and Obito.
Kakashi and Minato found themselves completely unable to move. Only Black Zetsu, Obito, and Kanon remained capable of action.
"You'll help him? How incredibly righteous of you, Kakashi."
"I told you before, you can't protect a single thing."
A smile mirroring Madara's stretched across Kanon's face. At this very moment, across two completely separate battlefields, she and Madara spoke in perfect unison:
"Time to switch out."
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NOTE: This fic has been completely translated. If you want to read the whole story head over to my p-atre-on: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]