"Oh, I can finally move again!" Naruto said excitedly, stretching his arms.
"Phew… that was close. We're finally safe," Sakura sighed in relief, patting her chest.
"What just happened?" Sasuke asked coolly, one hand resting in his pocket.
"A mysterious guy attacked us just now, but Gen-nii took care of him," Sakura explained.
Naruto blinked. "Wait, why did Gen-nii turn into you, Sasuke?"
Sakura clasped her hands and stared dreamily. "So he's the Fifth Hokage! He looks even cooler than you, Sasuke!"
Sasuke didn't get angry at that. When it came to presence, he knew he still couldn't compare to Uchiha Gen, the head of the Konoha Military Police. Their looks were similar, but Gen's aura completely outclassed his.
"That's because Uchiha Gen got intel that the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails incident would make a move on you," Sasuke said calmly. "So he disguised himself as me to lure the culprit out."
"That person is the real murderer who killed my father… and yours," he added.
"What?!" Naruto shouted. "That guy's the one who killed our dads?! Damn it! I missed my chance for revenge!"
Sasuke sighed. "Don't be stupid. Gen said even if the three of us joined forces, we wouldn't stand a chance against the real mastermind."
He looked at the others, his tone firm. "If Gen hadn't been here, we'd all be dead right now."
To Sasuke, Uchiha Gen's words were absolute. He never doubted them.
"Really?" Naruto muttered. "I still feel like the three of us together could take anyone."
"Idiot," Sasuke replied flatly.
"You're the idiot!" Naruto shot back.
"Alright, that's enough!" Sakura cut in, smacking them both lightly. "The exam isn't over yet!"
While the two bickered, Uchiha Gen had already sent someone to inform Kushina.
Not long after, Kushina arrived at the Uchiha compound, moving swiftly through the familiar halls until she reached the front chamber of the clan leader's residence.
"Mikoto," she greeted warmly before turning to Gen. "Gen, what did you call me for?"
Gen set down his teacup and met her eyes with a grave expression.
"I've captured the culprit behind the Nine-Tails attack and Fugaku's death. I'll take you to see him."
"What?!"
Both Mikoto and Kushina's expressions changed dramatically.
"Husband, you're not joking, are you?" Mikoto asked, half-incredulous.
Gen's tone hardened. "How could I joke about something like this? Let's go."
He stood, extending both hands, left to Mikoto, right to Kushina.
Mikoto immediately took his left hand. Kushina stepped forward without hesitation, taking his right. The natural ease in her movement made a flicker of doubt pass through Mikoto's eyes. Remembering how Gen had never impersonated Kushina during their previous intimate encounters, a faint suspicion began to take shape in her mind.
With a whoosh, the three vanished from the living room.
An instant later, they reappeared deep within the forest that belonged to the Uchiha clan.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, falling across a small clearing where a man stood restrained. Uchiha Obito was bound by five glowing chains, each pulsing with multicolored light that locked around his limbs and neck. Black seals ran across his entire body, from head to toe.
This was an Sealing Gen had prepared as a safeguard, one infused not only with the five chakra natures of Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth, and Water, but also with natural energy. Even Kushina herself would find it nearly impossible to undo.
With a flick of his hand, Gen recalled the chains into Obito's body, completely sealing his chakra.
Kushina and Mikoto turned their gazes toward the masked man bathed in sunlight. His orange spiral mask hid most of his face, but the faint bloodshot veins around his visible eye betrayed exhaustion and madness.
Mikoto had never met him before. Kushina, however, instantly froze.
That chakra… that presence—she would never forget it.
"It's him…" she whispered, her voice trembling. "It's him!"
Her slender fingers shook as she pointed at Obito.
Hearing her voice, Obito's body gave the slightest tremor, but he quickly forced himself still.
"Who exactly are you?" Mikoto asked. Her tone was steady as she walked up to him and reached toward his mask.
Obito couldn't resist. The seals restricted all movement except speech. He could only watch as Mikoto's hand lifted the mask away, revealing a half-normal, half-grotesque face.
"This face… it looks familiar," Mikoto murmured.
"Obito!" Kushina gasped, eyes wide in disbelief.
Gen widened his eyes slightly, feigning shock.
"Heh… to think we'd meet again under these circumstances," Obito said with a low, mocking chuckle. "Uchiha Gen… I should've eliminated you back then, no matter the cost."
He tilted his head slightly, hollow eyes glinting crimson as he met their stares. "Obito, how could it be you?" Kushina demanded. "Weren't you killed in the Kannabi Bridge mission?"
She shook her head in disbelief. The boy she once cherished as kind and innocent was now revealed as the monster who'd slain her husband and nearly destroyed Konoha.
"Why couldn't it be me?" Obito sneered. "I survived the Kannabi Bridge… and I was saved by someone."
His gaze darkened. "The one who saved me was the real Uchiha Madara."
Mikoto's breath caught. "Madara? He's alive? He actually deceived even the First and Second Hokage…"
"Then why didn't you come back?" Kushina asked, her voice cracking with emotion. "Why attack Konoha?"
Obito's tone grew cold. "After I survived, I was badly injured, barely able to move. By the time I recovered, Konoha was at war with the Hidden Mist. I went to find Kakashi and Rin."
His voice trembled slightly. "And I saw it with my own eyes—Kakashi… killing Rin."
"What?!" Kushina exclaimed. "That can't be!"
She knew about Obito's bond with Kakashi, and about his feelings for Rin. Such a blow could shatter anyone. But to go this far—to attack his teacher, his village, his friends, it was unimaginable.
"Heh… I'd like to know why too," Obito said bitterly. "The moment Rin died, the world lost all meaning. Everything became false… worthless. Only a world where Rin still lives can be real!"
His voice rose into a distorted roar, eyes burning with madness.
Kushina and Mikoto could only stare, speechless.
"Obito," Gen said evenly, "didn't you ever think Rin's death was suspicious?"
"At first, no," Obito muttered. "But later… I learned the truth."
"Rin's death was orchestrated by that bastard Uchiha Madara, to force me to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan."
As time passed, it was clear that Obito had regained fragments of clarity. For all his darkness, he wasn't a fool—he was dangerously sharp.
Kushina rubbed her temples, frowning. "If that's true, then why did you keep acting under his name? You must've had some kind of connection."
"Heh… If being branded with a curse seal on my heart and turned into a puppet for his resurrection plan counts as a connection, then yes, we were very close," Obito replied with a bitter sneer.
Kushina's eyes widened. "So you're saying… your actions weren't entirely your own?"