Seeing Rin Nohara hesitate, Kurenai let out a quiet sigh.
One look was enough to tell that Team 7's love triangle was still unresolved. If Rin and Obito had really both lived to adulthood, who would she have chosen? Just imagining it was enough to stir curiosity.
"All right, Kurenai," Asuma said, clearly aware of what his girlfriend was thinking. "Putting that aside, even though we don't know the exact details, the Kannabi Bridge mission is dangerous. And you absolutely have to be careful, especially of the Kiri ninja."
"Yeah. Kakashi from this time period already told me about it," Rin replied, her expression dimming slightly.
She didn't know why the version of herself in this world had used Kakashi's Chidori to take her own life, but there was no doubt it had left a deep scar on him.
Inside the Kamui Dimension, Obito was far angrier than Rin. He had no idea what Kakashi had told her. Did Rin even know the truth about how she had died?
Checking the time, Rin said, "I won't interrupt your date any longer. Sakura and I need to buy a few things. If you're free later, we can gather at Kakashi's old family house. Seeing you two will cheer Obito up."
Kurenai Yūhi nodded, leaving the task of organizing the gathering to her boyfriend, Asuma.
There weren't many kunoichi in their generation. She only needed to contact Anko, and at most ask Hayate to bring his girlfriend along as well.
Just imagining Anko throwing herself at Rin and bawling her eyes out was enough to give Kurenai a headache in advance.
...
After they split up, Ino immediately grabbed Shikamaru and Chōji, who had come to recruit her for special training, and told them everything that had just happened.
Even Shikamaru looked surprised, though not completely shocked. Back during the Chūnin Exams, he had already guessed the identity of that blond ANBU. He just hadn't expected him to be not a revived Fourth Hokage, but from the era of the Third Shinobi World War in another world.
It wasn't surprising when Sakura and Rin ran into Hinata as well. It was Hinata's first time meeting Rin, and in Rin's year, the Byakugan user had been a boy.
Seeing the adorable Hinata, Rin greeted her first.
"Um… well…" Hinata fidgeted with her fingers for a long time. Her face turned red like a tomato before she finally blurted out, "Is… is Naruto-kun doing okay lately?!"
As a fellow girl, Rin saw it instantly. This Byakugan girl was in love with Minato-sensei and Kushina's son, and Rin's fondness for her rose immediately.
Sakura said, "If you want to see him, you can go to Kakashi-sensei's old house. Naruto and Sasuke-kun have been staying there recently."
As for the Missing-nin, Sakura wasn't too worried. They had all moved into the new apartments built by Yamato, the jōnin, and were being watched over by Yamato himself.
Like the First Hokage, he could use Wood Release.
Hinata wanted to go. She really wanted to go.
But without a proper reason, she felt too shy to just show up.
Just then, Kiba and Shino arrived. Sakura finally let out a breath and explained Rin's identity again.
From the very beginning, the three members of Minato's team had never intended to hide who they were in this world. Up to now, they still didn't know when they would be able to return to their parallel world.
Since it was bound to come out sooner or later, they might as well be honest from the start.
When he learned that Rin had been Kakashi-sensei's classmate and Kurenai-sensei's contemporary, Kiba exploded with excitement, practically ready to shout the news through a megaphone.
Not hiding it was one thing, but this was a bit much…
Sakura stopped him.
"Uh, about Naruto…" Kiba couldn't help asking the question he was most curious about. "Is he really the Fourth Hokage-sama's son? And when he fought Gaara, that wasn't all Genjutsu, was it?"
Hinata and Shino were just as curious about what they had witnessed that day.
About Naruto defeating Gaara. About the Fourth Hokage in another world being Naruto's father, and about the Nine-Tails Demon Fox everyone feared being sealed inside Naruto's body.
Was it all really true?
Sakura wasn't sure whether revealing Naruto's identity so early was a good thing or not, but she still admitted it.
Everything they had seen was real. It was the truth from another parallel world.
Kiba's shoulders slumped.
Among the twelve of them, the one person he had always been confident he could beat was Naruto Uzumaki.
And yet…
It was all fucking loneliness.
...
After saying goodbye, they finally arrived at Amaguriama, completely exhausted.
What Sakura hadn't expected at all was that they would run into familiar faces there.
Gaara's older brother and sister.
"You're from Konoha…" Temari spoke up, though she couldn't quite recall their exact names. Then again, this was Konoha. It made sense that people would come out for a stroll when they had nothing pressing to do.
"How's that kid doing? The one called Naruto Uzumaki."
The impact he'd had on Gaara's change was enormous.
That day, after they returned, Gaara had actually gone out of his way to find Temari and Kankurō, respectfully addressing them as brother and sister. The moment had sent chills straight down both Temari's and Kankurō's spines.
But when they realized Gaara only wanted to hear more stories about their mother, the siblings exchanged a look. Their hearts softened, tinged with a quiet ache.
Ever since that journey across worlds, after learning the truth and truly putting themselves in Gaara's position to understand the pain he had endured, the relationship between the three siblings had begun to change in a noticeable way.
...
Later, Sakura found herself wondering why Rin had bought two portions of red bean cakes. She could understand the red bean soup, since that was clearly meant for Naruto, but no one else seemed particularly attached to red bean cakes.
"I want… to go to the Memorial Stone."
The words left Sakura completely baffled.
"But Obito is still alive in this world, isn't he?"
Rin didn't answer. Yet inside Kamui's Dimension, the adult Obito was hit with an overwhelming shock.
He had overlooked something crucial. Rin already knew about the Masked Man. She knew what the Masked Man had done, and more than that, she knew the Masked Man was Obito Uchiha.
So how did Rin see him now?
The adult Obito was torn. Rationally, based on what he knew of Rin, she would absolutely be furious about everything he had done. But emotionally, he still hoped she might accept his new ideals.
At the Memorial Stone, Rin placed one serving of red bean cake among the offerings.
She said nothing and turned to leave.
Sakura didn't understand, but seeing that Rin clearly didn't want to talk about it, she didn't press further.
Even so, Obito Uchiha within Kamui's Dimension felt an inexplicable chill crawl over him.
...
When the two returned to the Hatake family residence, the young Obito had already slept for a full day and night. Everyone was gathered there, including both Team Minato and Team Kakashi, waiting for news from him.
They needed to know what Obito had gone through during the time he had been missing.
Why had Madara Uchiha managed to survive until that era without anyone knowing? And had he taken Obito away merely to graft White Zetsu components onto him to neutralize the Hashirama cells within his body?
The thought that this world's Obito, after surviving, hadn't returned to Konoha at all, but instead ultimately walked the path of the current Masked Man left everyone utterly unable to understand.
"Minato-sensei…"
After resting for a full day and night, the young Obito Uchiha finally seemed to have made up his mind.
"I met the Masked Man. He really is this world's version of me."
"What?!!!"
Obito recounted everything he had experienced, from beginning to end.
"In that case, regarding why Madara Uchiha didn't die," Minato Namikaze said, "I believe it's related to what he called 'severing causality.' And if nothing unexpected occurred, the method he used to sever causality is Infinite Tsukuyomi."
Infinite Tsukuyomi.
That was something they had once heard about from Madara-sama of Konoha's founding era.
Although there was no concrete proof, judging from Itachi's Tsukuyomi, Infinite Tsukuyomi was likely a supreme dōjutsu that permanently trapped people within an illusion.
"But why," Naruto asked, "would Madara-sama's body contain the soul of this world's Obito?"
"That's the most incomprehensible part of all," Minato Namikaze replied. "Based on Obito's account, both he and this world's Obito left their respective parallel worlds by gradually turning transparent and disappearing. So if my guess is correct, that Obito may also have crossed into our parallel world because of the mission scroll."
"!!!"
Young Kakashi suddenly remembered something. He grabbed Obito by the collar.
"Hey! Did you tell this world's version of yourself that Infinite Tsukuyomi is fake?! Or that the Uchiha stone tablet was tampered with by Black Zetsu a long time ago?!"
"There was less than a minute!" Obito shot back. "I was still in shock just from seeing him. How was I supposed to remember to tell him all that?!"
Young Kakashi snorted angrily and dropped back into his chair.
He didn't know that, although Obito hadn't told the Masked Man…
But at this moment, the adult Obito inside Kamui's Dimension learned this earth-shattering secret because of him.
Infinite Tsukuyomi…
Was it fake?!
The Uchiha stone tablet had been tampered with by Black Zetsu?!
Did Madara know about this?!
Black Zetsu was supposed to be Madara's will. If Black Zetsu altered the stone tablet, then it should have been done under Madara's orders.
So why did his confidence suddenly collapse the moment he heard this information?
Especially after remembering how Rin had placed red bean cake in front of the Memorial Stone earlier.
The adult Obito Uchiha felt as if even the air he breathed had turned icy cold.
"The best approach right now is actually to wait for this world's Obito to appear on his own," Minato Namikaze said. "Of course, it's also possible that he's already here, somewhere very close to us."
"!!!!"
Both Team Kakashi and Team Minato were instantly shaken.
Young Kakashi reacted immediately.
"Obito! Is he here?!"
As expected of Minato-sensei…
Obito Uchiha thought to himself inside Kamui's Dimension.
"I'm only considering the possibility," Minato Namikaze continued. "One of his other abilities seems to be completely absorbing his body into a separate space. That space can block all chakra-sensing methods, so even I wouldn't be able to tell whether he's present or not."
The adult Obito, who had nearly been forced out, fell silent.
Alright. Even if Minato Namikaze really knew he was here, he still wouldn't step out right now.
He hadn't figured out how to face Rin yet.
"So does that mean we can't do anything to him at all?!" young Obito let out a hard breath, frustration churning inside him.
Minato Namikaze shifted the topic.
"Obito, your Mangekyō Sharingan can currently only make you intangible, correct?"
"That's right. If I could learn how to pull myself completely into that space too, I'd drag that bastard out myself!"
"You don't belong to the same world," Minato said. "The space-time within your dōjutsu may not be connected, but it's still worth trying."
"..."
The adult Obito remained expressionless, his emotions completely still.
Adult Kakashi tugged at the forehead protector covering his left eye.
If his eye was the same as Obito's, there was no reason only Obito's would awaken as a Mangekyō.
Minato placed a hand on adult Kakashi's shoulder.
"Kakashi, you'll train the Sharingan together with Obito from now on. But the main focus must be on Obito. You're not an Uchiha. Even Itachi Uchiha and Madara-sama couldn't escape the side effects of the Mangekyō Sharingan. You must not push yourself. Do you understand?"
"…I understand, Minato-sensei."
Minato shook his head helplessly. He knew full well that Kakashi's "understanding" meant he understood, but would still act on his own stubborn judgment.
On the surface, Kakashi had changed a lot, but deep down, he was still as obstinate as ever.
The only question was whether this world's Obito…
Whether that part of him that couldn't abandon people in trouble, that drive to help others even beyond his own limits, had truly changed.
"Dad, did you find my mission scroll?"
"There's news," Minato replied. "Kabuto Yakushi originated from Konoha, but later followed Orochimaru and became a spy planted inside the village. His current true affiliation is Otogakure."
"A spy?!" Naruto and Sasuke's expressions changed at once.
"And one sent by Orochimaru?!" Naruto blurted out. "Doesn't that make Kabuto a Missing-nin from Konoha too?!"
"But he's been participating in Konoha's Chūnin Exams for years," Sakura said in disbelief. "He was lying low in Konoha for that long?!"
Minato nodded.
"In the ninja world, there are cases where people are sent out as spies from a young age and never return to their village, either living out their lives or dying in battle. Kabuto was an orphan who appeared during the Second Shinobi World War. He later worked as a Medical-nin in Konoha, then followed Orochimaru and provided him with intelligence from within the village."
While investigating Kabuto's background, Minato also uncovered a related piece of information.
A legendary Konoha spy known as the "The Wandering Miko."
—Nonō Yakushi.
...
At that moment, Kabuto Yakushi was evading Konoha ANBU surveillance. He stuffed the mission scroll stolen from Naruto Uzumaki into the mouth of a silver-white snake.
After the snake slithered away, Kabuto panted heavily and slowly took another mission scroll out of his ninja pouch.
It looked almost identical to the one he had just fed to the snake.
He unrolled it.
Inside was a mission with shockingly little information.
[Mission Rank: SSS]
[Mission Content: Use the Edo Tensei technique to benefit the ninja world and host a Ninja Reunion Festival!]
...
The story of the reunion festival comes much later. Based on that world's timeline, this is merely setting up the premise in advance.
Publicly Available Information:
Naruto S-rank Mission: Lead the other examinees through the first exam. In addition to Kotoamatsukami, this caused Itachi Uchiha to receive a weakened version of the mission scroll.
Naruto S-rank Mission: Force Gaara to use the Feigning Sleep Technique. In addition to a Nine-Tails Chakra Mode experience card, this caused Kabuto Yakushi to receive a weakened version of the mission scroll.
Obito S-rank Mission: Awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan. In addition to obtaining Hashirama's cells, this caused the "Masked Man" to receive a weakened version of the mission scroll.