Chapter 63: Hello, I Want to Play a Game with You
Cold. Damp. Dark.
A pungent, thick smell of blood permeated the foul air.
Water droplets seeped from the ceiling, traveling along crisscrossing pipes before dripping down steadily.
Drip... drip... drip...
The cool touch of water on his skin instantly jolted Obito awake from unconsciousness.
His mind was still hazy from being out for so long, and he didn't react immediately. His eyes were filled with confusion as he looked around, swallowing hard.
"Huh? How did I get here? I remember... I was supposed to be taking the Chunin Exams?"
His last memory before losing consciousness was entering the tower with Rin.
As for what happened after that—nothing. Complete blank.
"Ugh, my eye hurts so much..."
Obito's mind was full of questions. His left eye was throbbing with pain, but when he looked down, his expression suddenly changed drastically.
"What... what IS this?!"
He'd been too sluggish when first waking up to notice his surroundings properly.
But now he realized—someone had forcibly bound his limbs to a heavy chair with thick iron restraints. The chair's legs were welded directly to the ground, rendering him completely immobile no matter how much he struggled.
Most terrifyingly, he discovered a huge metal device locked around his neck.
The contraption resembled the gaping maw of some savage beast. Its interior was crisscrossed with sharp, rusted spikes—all of them stained with dried brownish blood. The sight made his stomach turn.
In front of the chair sat a small table with two objects: a sharp scalpel and an old-fashioned alarm clock, currently paused at zero.
After struggling against his restraints a few times, Obito quickly became breathless and gave up.
Creeeak... creeeak...
A sudden creaking sound shattered the oppressive silence.
The strange noise instantly put Obito on high alert. His body tensed as he looked toward the source of the sound.
From the dark depths of the room, a small figure seemed to be slowly moving toward him.
The creaking continued as it approached. With the enhanced vision of his Sharingan, Obito finally managed to make out its shape in the darkness.
It was a small puppet—its movements extremely stiff and jerky—riding a rusty tricycle with squeaking gears.
The doll's eyes were a terrifying blood red. Its cheeks were painted with spiral patterns in crimson paint, and its lips were curved into an unsettling smile with bright red lipstick. It wore a miniature black suit with a red bow tie.
In the surrounding darkness, the puppet appeared utterly eerie and unnatural.
"Hello, Uchiha Obito."
The puppet stopped directly in front of Obito, stiffly raising its head to stare at him with those blood-red eyes. Its jaw moved up and down mechanically as a hoarse, distorted voice emerged:
"My name is Jigsaw, and I want to play a game with you."
"Jigsaw?! Who the hell are you?!" Obito's Sharingan activated instinctively, his eyes turning crimson as he gritted his teeth. "Don't hide behind that stupid puppet! Come out here if you dare!"
He struggled violently against the restraints. "I don't want to play any games with you! Release me right now, or I'll show you what an Uchiha can do!"
"You possess a talent that others can never reach, yet you never learned to cherish it."
Jigsaw rode its small tricycle in a slow circle around Obito as it spoke in that same eerily calm tone. "You don't realize that the gift and life you've wasted are the very destination that countless people strive their entire lives to reach—yet never do. But all you see... is love. Compared to those who truly struggle and fight for their lives, what makes you think you deserve to be so lucky?"
"Love? Wait—Rin! Where is Rin?!"
Obito's mind snapped to attention, panic flooding through him. He couldn't process the puppet's philosophical nonsense—he only cared about Rin's safety.
"Most people live their lives in a daze, completely unaware of what they should be grateful for."
Jigsaw stopped its circling and faced him directly. Though it was merely a puppet's painted gaze, it sent an involuntary chill racing down Obito's spine.
"You have been chosen to receive this test. Only by facing death can one truly be reborn and appreciate life."
An ominous premonition surged through him. Obito swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry.
"What... what do you want from me?!"
"I already told you," Jigsaw said with unnerving calm. "I want to play a game with you."
The puppet tilted its head slightly, those blood-red eyes never leaving Obito's face.
"The device locked around your neck will close completely in exactly one minute. All you need to do is this: before time runs out, use the scalpel on the table in front of you to gouge out one of your own eyes and retrieve the key hidden inside. That key will unlock the device. If it takes you more than one minute..."
Jigsaw paused deliberately.
"Well, you should know what the result will be."
The puppet's tone remained completely flat and conversational—as if discussing the weather rather than mutilation and death.
However, to Obito, those words struck like a thunderbolt. His face went deathly pale, his lips turning purple.
"What... what did you just say?!"
"Since you don't cherish your natural talent, then perhaps it's time to make it more valuable through sacrifice."
Jigsaw paused, its blood-red eyes boring into him with unblinking intensity.
"I'm quite curious, Uchiha Obito—besides Rin, can those precious Sharingan eyes of yours actually see anything else? Or has your obsession blinded you to everything that truly matters?"
"Wait! Who ARE you?!"
Obito struggled desperately against the restraints and suddenly felt the device securing his right hand loosen slightly—just enough to allow limited movement.
Before he could feel any relief, he heard the terrifying puppet speak again:
"The game is about to begin. Make your choice wisely."
With that ominous declaration, Jigsaw slowly rode its tricycle backward, the rusty gears squeaking as the small figure disappeared into the surrounding darkness.
"Damn it! Come back here!" Obito shouted, his voice cracking with shock and rage. "Rin! Where is Rin?! What have you done to her?! TELL ME!"
But only oppressive silence answered him.
CLICK!
The alarm clock directly in front of him suddenly activated!
The countdown began: a full sixty seconds displayed in glowing red numbers.
Each second ticked down like a death knell, the sound magnified impossibly loud in his mind, causing his heart to pound frantically against his ribs.
59... 58... 57...
The blood-red, blinding countdown gradually decreased before his eyes.
Fear. Panic. Heart palpitations. A barrage of overwhelming emotions exploded through him, momentarily shutting down Obito's brain completely. For several seconds, his mind went utterly blank.
When he finally regained his senses, Obito's face had gone even paler.
"Only forty seconds left!" he cried out in terror.
Each decrease in those blood-red numbers felt like a physical hammer blow striking his heart.
But... did he really have to gouge out his own eye with a scalpel?
The very thought made Obito hesitate, his hand trembling as it hovered over the surgical blade.
Not everyone has the courage to mutilate themselves—especially not a thirteen-year-old kid!
35... 34... 33...
Time kept ticking down mercilessly.
Staring at the scalpel with his one remaining clear eye, Uchiha Obito remained frozen in silent internal conflict. His entire body trembled.
Then, unbidden, Rin's smile flashed through his mind—bright, warm, and genuine.
That memory broke through his paralysis.
Finally, he made his decision. Gritting his teeth so hard he tasted blood, Obito whispered:
"Wait for me... Rin! I'm coming!"
He forced himself to pick up the sharp scalpel with his freed right hand, holding it with white-knuckled intensity. His entire arm shook violently as he aimed the gleaming blade at his left eye.
Deep breath... deep breath...
25... 24... 23...
Staring at the countdown with only twenty seconds remaining, bulging veins appeared across Obito's forehead. Sweat poured down his face, mixing with tears he didn't even realize he was crying.
With a desperate, anguished cry, he plunged the scalpel downward with all his might.
SQUELCH!
The blade pierced directly into his eyeball.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH—!"
Intense, blinding agony made Obito scream at the top of his lungs. He nearly dropped the scalpel from the sheer overwhelming pain.
It hurt. God, it hurt so much.
He wanted to give up—wanted to stop—but each time that thought crossed his mind, Rin's smile became even clearer in his memory. Her voice echoed in his head, encouraging him, believing in him.
"AAAAAHHH!" Obito screamed in absolute torment as he twisted the scalpel inside his eye socket, churning the blade to destroy the tissue completely.
Blood gushed out in hot streams, running down his face. His left eye was completely ruined, the excruciating pain constantly eroding his consciousness, nearly causing his brain to shut down entirely from shock.
CLANG!
Obito finally dropped the blood-soaked scalpel. It clattered against the table.
Gasping desperately for breath, his remaining bloodshot right eye fixated on the countdown display:
15... 14... 13...
He knew there was no time left to hesitate—no time for second thoughts.
With trembling, blood-slicked fingers, he resolutely inserted his hand into his own ruined eye socket. He frantically searched through the gore and destroyed tissue, desperately feeling for the key.
His fingers squelched through pulped flesh and fluid.
Finally—FINALLY—his fingertips brushed against cold metal.
The key!
But when he glanced at the timer, his heart nearly stopped.
8... 7... 6...
Obito grabbed the key with slippery, blood-covered fingers and yanked it free from his destroyed eye socket. He took one deep, shuddering breath.
Despite the mind-numbing pain that threatened to drag him into unconsciousness, despite his violently shaking hands, he forced himself to focus with every last ounce of willpower he possessed.
With trembling fingers, he guided the key toward the lock on the metal collar around his neck.
4... 3...
The key slipped once—twice—his blood-slicked fingers making it nearly impossible to grip properly.
2...
Finally, finally, the key slid into the keyhole.
1...
Obito twisted the key with desperate strength.
CLICK!
The lock disengaged with a sharp, crisp sound that was the most beautiful thing Obito had ever heard.
0.
The countdown hit zero.
The massive metal device around his neck suddenly released and crashed to the ground with a thunderous CLANG, the internal spikes stopping just millimeters from where his throat had been.
Obito slumped in the chair, barely conscious, his remaining eye half-closed. His entire body shook with aftershocks of pain and adrenaline.
Blood continued streaming from his ruined left eye socket, pooling on the floor beneath him.
But he was alive.
He'd survived.
And somewhere in this nightmare, Rin was still out there.
He had to find her.
[End of Chapter 63]
Author's Note:
Holy hell, that was intense! The infamous "Saw" trap has entered the Naruto universe, and Obito just went through absolute psychological and physical torture.
This chapter really puts Obito's character to the test. His obsession with Rin—which in canon eventually led him down such a dark path—here becomes both his weakness and his strength. He literally gouged out his own Sharingan eye to survive, all because of his feelings for her.
The Jigsaw puppet's philosophical commentary about Obito not appreciating his gifts is especially brutal because it's true. Obito has incredible natural talent and the legendary Sharingan, yet he's often portrayed as the "failure" of his team. This twisted "game" is forcing him to confront that in the most horrific way possible.
Remember: this is all still within Kazuki's genjutsu. The physical damage isn't real, but the psychological trauma absolutely is. When Obito wakes up, he'll remember every second of gouging out his own eye.
Discussion Questions:
How will this experience change Obito's character?
Is this level of psychological torture going too far, even for training?
What "game" might Rin be facing right now?
Will Obito's mind ever fully recover from this?
Drop your reactions! This arc keeps getting darker!
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