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ā° Resets Monday!
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Ding! Affection level for target [Obito Uchiha] has reached 70!
Now that was a pace only Tobi could match. Just like their IQ levels.
Tsukimi Heshu's smile sweetened further.
"Thank you!" he said.
"What's your name? Why were you with that old pervert?" Obito shoved a rice ball into his mouth, blissfully blunt.
Heshu used every ounce of willpower to hold back his laughter. He shook his head gently, his voice soft. "You shouldn't speak of elders like that."
Obito paused. But the old guy really did look like a total creep.
"My name is Tsukimi Heshu. It's nice to meet you." Heshu's radiant smile seemed to light up the entire dark, damp cave.
Obito stared for a second. He mentally reaffirmedāthree timesāthat he was in love with Rin. Only then did he reply, a touch guiltily, "I'm Obito Uchiha! Nice to meet you too!"
He gave a goofy, earnest bow.
For the next few days, Heshu stayed by Obito's side during his rehab. Affection points trickled in, hitting 93ā¦ and then stopped dead. Nothing Heshu did moved the needle.
Today, Obito was doing push-ups when Tobi's head sprouted from the cave wall beside him.
"Obito," Tobi's voice brimmed with the excitement of someone delivering spicy gossip. "That girl you keep talking aboutāRin, was it? And that 'Kaka-what's-his-face'ā¦ seems they're in trouble."
His beady eyes glittered with pure, unadulterated schadenfreude.
And still, Obito couldn't hear or see it.
There's a reason Madara keeps shearing this particular sheep, Heshu mused. Plenty of Uchiha kids out there. Not so many with the IQ of a stunned mullet.
Obito jolted. "What?!"
His fists clenched.
"No!"
"I have to save Rin and Kakashi!"
He threw on his long robe but hesitated, his gaze landing on Heshu and Tobi.
Here's the moment, Heshu thought. He looked at Obito with gentle reassurance.
"Go, Obito. I believe you can save your friends." His eyes held nothing but encouragement.
Tobi glanced at Heshu. Huh?
Didn't Madara explain the whole plan to him? That Rin girl was doomed. A done deal. Why was Heshu saying stuff like this? Tobi's brain short-circuited.
Obito stared, then gave a firm, heavy nod.
Ding! Affection level for [Obito Uchiha] has reached 100!
Heshu almost choked on his own glee.
Then Obito stepped forward. "Heshu!"
He wrapped Heshu in a bear hug.
Heshu relaxed the hand that had been subtly forming an ice blade behind his back, letting out a quiet sigh. Phew. Thought he was making a move for a second.
"You're a friend for life! I was really happy these past days with you!" Obito said, launching into a touching farewell speech. "Butā¦ I'm sorry. I can't stay here forever."
Heshu's expression wasā¦ complicated. He looked into Obito's nostalgic, determined eyes. Oh, you sweet summer child. Don't say that. You'll be back before you know it.
Obito punched the stone wall with his prosthetic arm. The prosthetic cracked. The wall didn't even get a scratch.
For some reason, Heshu's secondhand embarrassment kicked in with a vengeance.
Luckily, Tobi saved the moment. "I'll come with you!"
Obito donned the Tobi armor and, with a single blow, shattered the cave wall. As he stepped out, he couldn't help but glance back one last time.
Heshu stood amidst the rubble, his gentle smile exactly as it was on the day they met.
Obito pushed down the sudden pang of reluctance and vanished into the darkness.
Heshu shook his head with a quiet sigh.
Suddenly, Madara Uchiha materialized beside him, silent as a ghost.
Heshu flinched. Then, his face twisted into an expression of utter disappointment. "He still couldn't let go of his attachments to that false reality. Pathetic! He can't even see how hollow and fragile the real world is! Only by forging a new world can we achieve eternal love and peace!"
His face was alight with barely contained fervor.
Madara finally smiled, satisfied. "He will understand soon enough."
Heshu relaxed internally. Close one. Almost slipped up there.
Outside, rain began to fall. A gentle, rhythmic pattering that would have been perfect for a quiet night of contemplation. If only Heshu wasn't living underground.
"Who wants to explain," he muttered to the dripping ceiling, "why it's leaking down here?"
"Did Madara even do a basic site inspection?"
He stared at his damp bedding, his resentment deeper than any ghost's. Food and sleep were sacred. Tobi had left with Obito, so no midnight snacks. Fine. But now he couldn't even sleep?
"I should just pull the plug on Madara's life support and get out of here," he grumbled in his head. "Find a nice, dry place to live."
"What kind of conditions are these? Capitalists would weep. Even Hitler would take a knee."
His internal monologue was a torrent of complaints. The system, unable to bear the onslaught, finally hit the mute button.
The sound of heavy, dragging footsteps reached his ears.
Obito was back.
His cloak was soaked through. Rainwater traced paths down his face. In his one visible eye, three tomoe had connected into a distinct, menacing shape.
The MangekyÅ Sharingan.
Heshu didn't approach. The old Obito was dead. What stood before him now was Obito, reborn.
Even though affection was maxed out, he couldn't break character. He subtly pulled a handkerchief fromā¦ somewhereā¦ and rushed forward, his face etched with concern.
"Obito? What happened?"
His worry was painfully obvious. He reached up to gently wipe the rain from Obito's cheek.
Obito's hand shot out, grabbing Heshu's wrist. The grip was crushing, bone-grinding.
"I'm going to create a world where Rin exists!"
"A world with nothing but love!"
Fine, create it then! Why are you breaking my hand?!
Heshu kept the pained smile on his face. It took all his willpower not to activate Limitless and give that shiny new Sharingan a close-up introduction to an ice blade.
Thus, under Madara's masterfully sinister plan, Obito officially joined their little villain alliance.
Days later, Tobi sneakily brought Heshu before Madara. Obito was off training somewhere. Heshu wasn't sure why Madara had summoned him in secret.
"Heshu," Madara began, his tone shifting, becoming heavy and distant.
Heshu's eyes narrowed. Judging by experience, he's about to start his spiel. The con.
"Obitoā¦ is also someone who wishes to create a new world," Madara said, his gaze fixed on Heshu.
A flicker of disdain crossed Heshu's face. "Someone who still clings to the sentimentality of the old world? I doubt his ability to truly forge the new." He hesitated, then added with a quiet intensity, "Only someone like meāwho has nothing left to loseācan dedicate everything to creating that perfect world."
A hint of madness lurked in his eyes.
Madara seemed to relax, ever so slightly. "My timeā¦ is running short," he said slowly.
Before he could finish, Heshu's face darkened, his eyes filling with desperate anxiety. "What do we do? Is there a way?" He played the part of the loyal disciple looking to his master for guidance.
Madara was pleased. "I trust you more than Obito," he stated. "After I am goneā¦ it will guide you on the path."
A shadowy form began to seep from behind him.
Heshu resisted the urge to roll his eyes. The number one filial son of the ninja world. Black Zetsu. The true hidden protagonist of the whole story.
"I believe you will keep a close watch on Obito for me," Madara added suddenly.
That sentenceā¦ Heshu turned it over in his mind. Interesting. Heavy implications. Madara wanted him to monitor Obito? He'd actually surpassed Obito in Madara's tool ranking. He wasā¦ touched.
"Don't worry. No one will stand in the way of our goal!" Heshu's smile turned savage.
Black Zetsu gave him a subtle, appraising look. Excellent. Madara has recruited a truly loyal tool for my mother-rescuing plan.
"Bring Obito here," Madara commanded Tobi, who had been watching the whole show.
Seeing Madara looking more corpse than man, Heshu knew the old schemer was about to deliver his final will and testament. Obito, being an Uchiha with a fire affinity, had been training like a madman with the cave's Fire Release scrolls.
Tobi fetched him.
Obito's gaze was cold as it fell upon Madara. Since that night, he had transformed into a stoic, icy prince. Even his few words to Heshu were delivered with frost. If not for the solid "100" glowing in his system log, Heshu would've thought all his effort was wasted.
With the villain roster assembled, Madara began his final briefing. Heshu didn't hear a word.
A strange feeling nagged at him. He'd forgotten something. Something important. But what? It was maddening.
His eyes landed on Obito. He wracked his brain. Then, it hit him.
The lottery draw! 100 affection points means a draw!
Shit! How could I forget something so crucial?!
He was so lost in thought, he absentmindedly smacked his own forehead. All eyes snapped to him.
Madara took a wheezing breath. "Whatā¦ are you doing?" he asked, weary.
Heshu froze. Tears welled up in his eyes. He stubbornly looked away, forcing them back, but his rims were already red. "It'sā¦ nothing."
Everyone immediately assumed he was on the verge of tears over Madara's impending demise.
Tobi's chirpy voice cut in. "Heshu, don't be sad! Madara will be back!"
"ā¦" Heshu was speechless internally, but the shimmering tears in his eyes remained perfectly in place.
Madara looked at him. A rare flicker of genuine feeling stirred in his ancient heart. Facing death had a way of softening a man.
Ding! Affection level for [Madara Uchiha] has reached 69!
Still as stingy as ever, Heshu mentally snarked.
Obito wasn't surprised. He'd always known. Heshu was different from all of this. Heshu was good. Kind. He shouldn't be in this dark, cold place.
Madara finished his final words. The light in his eyes faded.
See you in the Fourth War, Heshu thought.
The moment Madara's breath stilled, Obito opened his mouth to speak. He glanced at Heshu, at his red-rimmed eyes, and swallowed his words.
"We rest tonight. We discuss plans tomorrow." His voice was ice. He disappeared into the cave depths.
"Is he tired?" Tobi asked, innocent as ever.
Black Zetsu glanced at him, then turned his gaze to Heshu. "Perhaps it is not he who is tired."
Perhaps it was the young girl (Black Zetsu, newly hatched, was still unclear on Heshu's true gender) who needed rest.
Heshu retreated to his personal cave and rubbed his hands together with glee.
"Draw! Time to draw!"
"What will it be this time?"
[Obito Uchiha Affection Level: 100. Lottery Wheel Ready. Host, initiate draw?]
[Yes] / [No]
Heshu excitedly slammed [Yes].
The blue wheel spun. A minute later, a section lit up.
[Teleportation (Limitless Derivation Skill)]
[Skill Description: Teleportation (Aliases: High-Speed Movement, Long-Distance Rapid Transit). An advanced application of the Cursed Technique: Blue. By precisely designating a vector, the user applies a targeted 'Blue' that affects only the desired person or object. This compresses the space between the start and end points, resulting in near-instantaneous teleportation. Can be used on oneself or others.]
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