His body slammed into the rock wall and turned into a puddle of flowing black liquid.
The impact meant nothing to him. Physical attacks had never been able to harm his essence.
He slid down the stone wall, preparing to sink into the earth. This was his most reliable escape method—one that had never failed in a thousand years.
As long as he entered the earth's veins, no one would be able to find him again.
The ground was right beneath him.
He could already feel the omen of becoming one with the earth.
A victorious escape was within reach.
Suddenly, an irresistible binding force erupted from his own shadow.
Several strands of pure darkness extended from the shadow, wrapping around his liquid body and pinning him firmly to the ground. These shadows were not physical, yet they carried absolute control on the level of will itself.
"Shadow Possession Technique..." Black Zetsu's consciousness let out a shocked screech. How could there be someone from the Nara clan here? When did they set up an ambush? This wasn't in the plan at all.
He struggled with all his might, trying to split his body into even smaller pieces, attempting to slip free from the binding.
But the shadow only tightened, like an invisible hand clenching down on him, gripping him so hard he couldn't move at all.
A white light ignited inside the cave.
The source of that light was the shadow beneath Black Zetsu.
A figure rose from that darkness, as if stepping into this place from another world.
The newcomer had white hair and a cold, stern face. He wore Konoha's standard flak jacket. In his hand was a short blade, its surface emitting white chakra light.
Hatake Sakumo.
In an instant, Black Zetsu recognized him.
Hatake Sakumo.
Konoha's White Fang—why was he here? And why was he coming out of a shadow? Countless questions exploded through Black Zetsu's mind, but there was no time to find answers.
Sakumo's movements had no wasted motion.
The short blade thrust forward, and the icy tip pressed precisely against the central core of Black Zetsu's body.
The vessel of his consciousness—the foundation of his existence.
If that core was destroyed, he would be erased completely.
A thousand years of scheming, the long-cherished wish to revive Mother—at this moment, it all seemed unbearably fragile.
The cold edge carried a lethal threat, cutting off every last path of retreat.
"The will of the Otsutsuki ends here," Sakumo said flatly.
Black Zetsu stopped struggling.
He had lost.
Killed in the most unexpected place, by the most unexpected person.
Inside the Kamui Space, there was nothing but silence.
Obito knelt on the ground. Half of his mask had shattered, and the Sharingan revealed beneath it had lost its former radiance.
He lowered his head, staring at his trembling hands.
These hands had stirred the shinobi world into blood and chaos, had caused the death of his teacher, and had destroyed everything he once wanted to protect.
Soft footsteps sounded.
He didn't look up.
At this point, anything that happened no longer mattered.
He already had nothing left.
The footsteps stopped in front of him.
"Obito..."
A gentle voice called his name.
Obito's body jolted violently, and he snapped his head up.
Rin stood there quietly.
Her gaze pierced through all the disguises he'd worn over the years, seeing the boy who had cried behind the mask.
"I came to pick you up."
Rin's voice was light, and every word struck clearly against Obito's heart.
Obito's lips trembled, but no sound came out.
He wanted to ask why. He wanted to ask if she wasn't already dead. He wanted to ask whether this was just another genjutsu.
His mind was a complete mess—every shred of logic and thought had already collapsed.
Rin reached out her hand toward him.
"Let's... go home."
Go home.
That word was like a key, unlocking a door in Obito's sealed memories.
He remembered Konoha, the Memorial Stone, the ramen shop, the training ground for Team Seven, and Sensei's house.
The images he had deliberately thrown away and destroyed now surfaced with painful clarity.
He had once had a home.
Tears poured from his eyes without warning, sliding down his cheeks.
The leader of Akatsuki who had controlled everything no longer existed, and he was not the "Uchiha Madara" who sought to create a new world.
He was Uchiha Obito.
A fool who had lost his way and gotten everything wrong.
He looked at Rin's outstretched hand, then turned to look at Minato and Kakashi not far away.
Sensei's expression was complicated—sadness, disappointment, but no hatred.
Kakashi stood behind his teacher, head lowered. His silver hair obscured his eyes, making it impossible to read his expression.
Obito gave up completely.
All his plans, all his ambition—everything shattered into bubbles before a single sentence from Rin.
Everything he had fought for had been a joke from the very beginning.
He wanted to create a world with Rin in it, but the real Rin was right there, looking at him with such sorrow.
He lost to the most primitive obsession buried deep in his heart.
Minato stepped forward and stopped beside Obito.
He crouched down and pulled out a special talisman from his ninja pouch.
On it was the formula for Flying Thunder God Technique (Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique)).
He pressed the talisman onto the back of Obito's neck.
The moment the formula activated, Obito felt that faint connection between himself and the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path (Gedō Mazō (Demonic Statue of the Outer Path)) severed completely.
Right after that, a powerful sealing force surged out from the talisman, spreading through his entire body and locking away every last bit of remaining chakra inside him.
Throughout the entire process, Obito didn't move at all, allowing Minato to work.
He was like a puppet that had lost its soul—being controlled however others wished.
After finishing, Minato stepped back.
Kakashi walked over and stopped in front of Obito.
He looked down at the man kneeling there.
This was his best friend—and also his lifelong nemesis.
Their fates had been tangled together ever since the battle at Kannabi Bridge, and only today had it finally reached its conclusion.
Countless emotions churned inside Kakashi.
He wanted to demand why Obito had done this, to condemn him for all the people he'd killed, to tell him about the pain and guilt he'd carried all these years.
But when the words reached his throat, not a single sentence came out.
Looking at Obito's hollow eyes and tear-streaked face, all the accusations and anger lost their meaning.
All that remained was a weight too heavy to describe.
Kakashi raised his hand and held it there, suspended in midair for a long time.
In the end, his hand gently came down onto Obito's shoulder, giving it a light pat.
No words.
All the grudges, regrets, and suffering seemed to dissolve within that simple action.
They could never return to the past, but that bond they once had finally drew to a close in this way.
The karma of Minato's team, in this moment, was finally settled completely.
(End of Chapter)
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