The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan stared straight into Obito's right eye.
Obito removed his orange spiral mask, his expression empty. He raised his hand, pressed his fingers into his own eye sockets, and ripped out both eyes without hesitation. Blood streamed down his cheeks in thick, crimson trails, soaking his hand and dripping from his fingertips.
He extended his right hand. Uchiha Gen uncorked a bottle, holding it steady. Obito loosened his grip, and the two bloody eyes dropped into the solution with a muted splash.
A moment later, Gen lowered his forehead to Obito's. A black cursed seal pattern spread across his body from head to toe. At the same time, Obito's fading consciousness flickered back.
"It seems my time is up," Obito rasped.
"So be it," he added with a faint breath. "It's fine… I can see Rin again in another world. Do it."
Gen replied calmly, "Then make the most of that reunion. Because one day, I'm going to revive her."
Obito's expression twisted. "Why would you revive Rin?"
Gen smirked. "What, you don't want her revived? You've lived all these years, don't you want Rin to experience this world again?"
Obito hesitated, then said quietly, "If she really is revived… then let Kakashi take care of her."
"Why not ask me?"
"Rin likes Kakashi. Why would you take care of her?"
Blood still smeared across his face, Obito glared at him with sudden ferocity. "You're not allowed to touch Rin!"
"You think saying that means I won't?" Gen replied lazily. "I'll touch her anyway."
"Bastard!" Obito snapped. "If you touch Rin, I won't let you off... even if I die!"
"Tch. I'm not afraid of you while you're alive. Why would I be afraid of you after you're dead?"
Gen wasn't joking, he was deliberately provoking Obito, ensuring the man died with lingering resentment.
Realizing threats were pointless, Obito opened his mouth to say something softer...
... but Gen didn't give him the chance.
He tapped a finger against Obito's brow. A bolt of blue-white lightning pierced cleanly through his forehead and exited the back of his skull.
Obito died instantly.
His head slumped forward. Blood from his empty eye sockets dripped steadily to the ground.
Gen didn't absorb Obito's soul; he didn't need more souls, and letting Obito remain in the world, even dead, kept certain future events more interesting.
Nor did Gen truly plan to revive Rin anytime soon. But if the opportunity arose effortlessly, he wouldn't mind bringing back the gentle girl he'd once gotten along with.
Gen lifted his right hand to his eye. Blue chakra flared as the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan slid out of its socket.
The Kamui Mangekyō Sharingan rose from the bottle and flew neatly into place. The Eternal Mangekyō fell into the bottle. A thin trickle of blood ran down his cheek before chakra-green hands formed over his eye, healing the transplant.
Moments later, the operation was flawlessly complete.
Gen placed a hand on Obito's shoulder. Space distorted, forming a swirling vortex.
The corpse was sucked into the Kamui dimension, three times faster than Obito himself had ever managed. Using Mangekyō while powered by an Eternal Mangekyō, and with matching Uchiha blood, felt almost effortless.
"This feels… wonderful," he murmured.
Another vortex spun open. Gen's body stretched through it, pulled into Kamui from feet to head.
After leaving the island, he didn't return to Konoha immediately.
He went first to Rin Nohara's burial site, then to the main base Obito and Black Zetsu once occupied.
Rin's body had been meticulously preserved. Obito had sealed her in a special ice coffin. The wound on her chest and her torn clothing had been repaired. Her soft expression remained untouched, gentle, serene, lips slightly curved, hands folded over her lower abdomen. Aside from her pallor, she looked like she was peacefully sleeping.
Gen placed her body into his Kamui dimension, then collected Obito and Black Zetsu's various stored items and placed them inside as well.
Only after finishing everything did he return to Konoha, switch his eyes back, and head home.
Mikoto and Kushina were waiting. When Gen appeared, they rushed toward him but then stopped abruptly, staring at him in stunned silence.
He knew exactly what they were thinking. Sliding his arms around both their waists, he smiled. "Obito is dead."
Mikoto sighed with relief, her shoulders loosening. Kushina also sighed, though her expression was more complicated.
They sat down together, one woman on each of his legs. Their soft warmth pressed against him, two scents mingling in the air. As their eyes met, both women froze.
Then Mikoto's gaze flicked to Kushina in surprise.
Kushina's face went crimson. She shot up like she'd been burned, unsure whether to sit or stand, clearly wanting to disappear.
"I—I'm leaving!"
She tried to dart off, but Gen caught her around the waist and pulled her back with ease.
His earlier slip had been unintentional, but since it was already revealed, hiding it now was pointless.
"What are you doing?!" Kushina sputtered. "Mikoto, he's harassing me...help!"
She squirmed, calling for backup.
Gen's voice softened. "Stop pretending."
He looked at Mikoto who said. "I always wondered why my husband never let me imitate you with transformation. Turns out it wasn't necessary."
"With the real person… why bother with illusions?"
Caught between guilt and embarrassment, Kushina's movement stiffened. Realizing escape was impossible, she lowered her head, face flushed all the way to her neck and ears.
Mikoto reached for Kushina's hand with a gentle smile. "Kushina, don't feel guilty. I'm not angry."
"Our lives have always been intertwined. Being like sisters… and now becoming family, it's natural."
"And knowing your personality, it must've been my husband pestering you nonstop…"
Gen laughed softly. "I couldn't resist. Kushina-nee's too beautiful."
Mikoto shot him a playful, scolding look. "You're impossible…"
"Heh. If I weren't persistent, how could I have the two legendary flowers of the academy sitting on my lap?"
Smack, smack!
He kissed both women loudly on the cheek before either could react.
They froze for a heartbeat, then scrambled away in flustered panic and bolted from the room.
Gen didn't chase them. He simply smiled to himself and sipped his tea.
They could run now, but not forever. If he'd embraced both today, the day they accepted sharing him openly wasn't far off.
After leaving, the two women separated…but soon enough they reunited again, whispering hurried secrets.
...
Days passed. After a brutal and intense competition, the second exam ended.
Some entrants advanced. Some were eliminated. Some were gravely injured. And some never returned from the Forest of Death.
Few cared about the failures, maybe only their loved ones.
Three days of rest slipped by, and the preliminary rounds of the third exam began.
Ten hidden villages had joined this Chūnin Exams. Even with the increased difficulty of the first and second stages, the number of successful candidates was still more than double that of the original timeline.
Daimyō, nobles, wealthy merchants, villagers from Konoha, and countless spectators filled the examination grounds, eager to witness a new round of fierce, spectacular battles…