Konoha, at the Memorial Stone.
Ever since Shinju thought of Rin's situation, he made a decision—he would resurrect this heroic spirit as well.
An invisible barrier covered this small space, cutting off all sound and light from the outside world.
Inside the barrier, Shinju, Kakashi, and Minato stood in silence, facing one another.
Kakashi's gaze remained fixed on a single name:
Nohara Rin.
This was a ritual he repeated every day—like a form of self-punishment.
After all, it had been Kakashi's own hand that pierced Rin's chest, even if the circumstances back then had left him no choice.
He thought he'd long since grown used to that hollow grief.
Until today.
Minato, as the Fourth Hokage, had protected the village…
But he hadn't protected his students.
Shinju broke the silence.
"Father… and Kakashi."
"Obito's crimes must be judged—without question. But before that, the regrets in your hearts should be mended first."
Shinju's words were like a stone tossed into a still lake, sending ripples through both of them.
Regrets?
Their greatest regret was carved right here on the stone.
"Only a complete Team Minato is the most fitting choice to bring this cause and effect to an end."
Kakashi's body stiffened.
He snapped his head up toward Shinju, his lone visible eye filled with disbelief.
Minato also turned, his golden hair swaying slightly.
Shinju didn't explain further.
Action was the best proof.
He closed his eyes, letting his consciousness sink into a vast spiritual space.
[Command confirmed.]
[Targeting heroic spirit: Nohara Rin.]
[Core regret detected: Failed to keep the promise with Uchiha Obito; forced to become a tool that would destroy the village.]
[Consuming "Correction Points," executing Perfect Revival procedure.]
The moment the command was issued, the air inside the barrier began to move.
A green point of light appeared out of nowhere before them—no bigger than a firefly at first, then rapidly expanding.
It wasn't chakra.
Kakashi and Minato could tell immediately.
Within the center of that light, a blurry human silhouette began to take shape.
Finally, a girl appeared before them.
Short purple hair.
Two purple markings painted on her cheeks.
And the ninja outfit they knew all too well.
She stood quietly with her eyes closed, as if she were only asleep.
Over more than ten years, through countless sleepless nights, Kakashi had imagined every possible reunion—
But he never dared to hope for a scene like this.
Time lost its meaning.
At last, the girl's eyelashes trembled.
She opened her eyes.
Those brown eyes were, at first, filled with the dazed confusion of a long sleep—like a traveler lost in fog.
She saw Kakashi first.
The silver-haired boy had grown into a tall man.
The mask was still there, his left eye hidden beneath his forehead protector, but the right eye that showed wasn't the cold emptiness she remembered.
Then she saw her teacher.
Still young and gentle, just as in her memories—golden hair, blue eyes.
Fragments of memory stitched together in her mind at lightning speed—
The boulder at Kannabi Bridge.
The Mist pursuit.
And then the Chidori that pierced her chest.
Everything became clear.
A smile appeared on Rin's face.
The same warm smile as it had been ten years ago—warm enough to melt all ice and snow in the world.
"Minato-sensei… Kakashi…"
"Long time no see."
"I… I'm back."
Just those four words—
And Kakashi's tears could no longer be held back.
They slid down his cheeks, soaking into the black fabric of his mask.
They weren't tears of sorrow.
They were pure joy—release, like heavy shackles falling away after more than a decade.
He lifted his hand, wanting to touch her, to prove this wasn't an illusion.
But when his fingers were about to brush her sleeve, he yanked his hand back.
This hand…
Was the hand that had pierced her chest.
He didn't have the right.
Minato stepped forward quickly and grabbed Rin by the shoulders.
The warmth in his palm confirmed it—this was real.
"Welcome back, Rin."
He owed these three students far too much.
Obito's "death."
Rin's sacrifice.
The pain Kakashi carried.
Each one was a wound in his heart that never healed.
Rin looked at them, and her eyes reddened too.
She could feel the emotions surging from them, and she understood that these years had not been easy.
She didn't have memories of dying—
But the instant she awakened, Shinju had already passed to her everything she needed to know.
That Obito was still alive.
That he had taken the name "Tobi" and committed countless unforgivable atrocities.
That the root of it all was a complete deception crafted by Uchiha Madara.
A boy who once promised he would become Hokage and protect his comrades—
Falling into endless darkness, all because of a lie carefully designed for him…
Rin's heart hurt so badly she could barely breathe.
She felt heartbreak for Obito—heartbreak for how he'd been deceived, used, and twisted by fate.
She turned to the silent Shinju, then bent at the waist in a deep bow.
"Shinju-sama, thank you for giving me the chance to be reborn."
When she straightened up, the tears on her face had been wiped away.
Those gentle eyes now carried an unwavering determination.
"I have a request."
"Please allow me to meet Obito."
"I want to tell him the truth with my own mouth—tell him that everything he's done was built on a lie."
"I want to pull him back… from that darkness filled with nothing but despair."
This was her responsibility.
And it was the only thing she could do for that boy.
Shinju looked at her, approval in his expression.
This was exactly why he revived Rin.
The strongest weapon against Obito wasn't earth-shattering ninjutsu—
It was the truth that could pierce his false world.
To untie the bell, you need the one who tied it.
Having Nohara Rin do this would be far more effective than anyone else.
Shinju also didn't want to rely on brute force this time.
He wanted to try a different method.
Rin Nohara was the sharpest blade for this job.
"This was always your mission."
Shinju's gaze swept over Minato and Kakashi.
"Let Team Minato carry out one last mission together."
"Mission target—Uchiha Obito."
Minato placed a hand on Kakashi's shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze.
Kakashi lifted his head, met his teacher's eyes, then looked at Rin.
Rin was looking at him too, giving him an encouraging smile—just like she had on countless missions in the past.
The guilt and self-blame in Kakashi's heart didn't vanish.
But a new sense of duty crushed everything else.
Save Obito.
For Rin.
For Team Minato as it once was.
The three of them didn't need any more words.
One look, one nod, said more than a thousand sentences ever could.
They stood side by side.
A team once shattered beyond repair—now made whole again after crossing the boundary between life and death.
A cause-and-effect reckoning delayed for more than ten years…
Was about to begin inside the Kamui dimension.
And Shinju would be the sole witness to the final judgment.
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For 20+ Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!] [[email protected]/Draumel]
[Thank You For Your Support!]