The deathly silence was suddenly broken by the sound of coughing.
Kakashi and Rin both gasped for air almost at the same time, their chests rising and falling violently like drowning people finally breaking the surface.
They slowly opened their eyes in confusion.
The fatal wounds in their chests had completely vanished.
Only their torn clothing and the blood that had yet to dry proved that the overwhelming despair from moments ago had truly happened.
"Rin! Kakashi!"
Obito's hoarse cry cracked with emotion as he stumbled toward them, grabbing both of their arms so tightly that his fingertips turned white.
The overwhelming grief and the ecstasy of getting them back collided violently inside his chest, making his entire body tremble.
"This isn't a dream... It really isn't a dream! You're back... Lord Hokage! Teacher Minato! They're alive!"
He spoke incoherently as tears mixed with blood streamed down his face.
Kakashi's single visible eye contracted sharply.
In disbelief, he lowered his head to stare at his perfectly intact chest before looking up at the man standing ahead, his black robe fluttering as he stood there with the cold, godlike bearing of a deity.
He had clearly died just moments ago...
Could this really be some kind of resurrection technique?
It was already beyond everything he knew about ninjutsu. This was power that touched the taboo of life and death itself.
Rin instinctively covered her mouth.
The lingering terror and fear left her body trembling as she unconsciously moved closer to Obito and Kakashi.
Minato quickly knelt beside them, placing a hand on each of their necks to check their pulses.
Feeling the strong, steady heartbeat beneath his fingers, his blue eyes filled with indescribable shock.
He looked toward Chiya.
"Lord Hokage, this..."
"I merely returned what should never have been taken away."
Chiya's voice was calm, as though he had done nothing more than a trivial task.
Yet the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan slowly rotating within his eyes radiated an awe-inspiring pressure.
"Obito."
His gaze shifted to the emotional young man, his voice instantly turning sharp.
"Calm yourself. Tell me exactly what happened. Leave nothing out."
His words hit Obito like a bucket of ice water.
The commanding tone instantly suppressed the storm of emotions raging inside him.
Obito shuddered, wiped the blood and tears from his face, and forced himself to take a deep breath.
After glancing at Kakashi and Rin, who were still shaken, he began recounting everything as clearly as he could despite the lingering fear.
He started with the strange late-night summons, then the forged emergency mission scroll, the ambush by those bizarre white enemies at the edge of the forest, and finally being gravely wounded before losing consciousness.
Then came awakening inside that hopeless underground cavern.
"...That place was dark and freezing, like a gigantic tomb."
Obito's voice became heavy.
"There was an unbelievably old man sitting on a horrifying throne... It looked like it was made from tangled tree roots and corpses. His whole body was connected to countless white tubes.
He said... he said his name was Uchiha Madara. He told me everything we'd experienced... our pain, our bonds, even this entire world... was fake. That it was all nothing but a prison."
"Uchiha Madara?!"
Minato exclaimed in shock, his expression instantly becoming extremely grave.
That single name carried enough weight to suffocate anyone who knew history.
So it really was him.
"There was also another weird white guy who looked like a giant aloe plant. His name was Tobi. He talked nonstop and was unbelievably annoying. He kept asking me questions, testing me over and over.
Then all of a sudden he claimed he'd been moved by my 'bond with my teammates' and showed me a way to escape. I only wanted to find Rin and Kakashi, so I ran through that tunnel with everything I had... Then... then I saw..."
His voice caught again as he looked toward the place where Rin and Kakashi had fallen moments earlier, his eyes filled with lingering pain and fear.
"Obito. Kakashi. Rin."
The three of them instinctively turned toward Chiya.
The crimson glow in Chiya's eyes faded, returning them to their usual black.
His expression remained calm.
"Everything you experienced was nothing more than a carefully constructed prison. A cruel ritual designed to target both your heart and your eyes."
His icy voice made the surrounding air seem several degrees colder.
"From the very beginning, you were his target, Obito."
Obito's body stiffened.
"Your Sharingan, and your passionate but fragile heart. He needed unimaginable pain and despair to force those eyes to evolve. More importantly, he wanted to plant that despair deep inside you, turning you into nothing more than a puppet to carry out his ambitions."
Minato instantly understood just how terrifying the entire scheme had been.
A chill ran down his spine.
Using trust to manufacture tragedy.
Toying with people's hearts as though they were nothing.
It was unimaginably cruel.
"Madara..."
Kakashi clutched his chest, where phantom pain still lingered, his face filled with shock.
"Just to evolve my eyes, he wanted me to lose my teammates? That's unforgivable!"
Obito said angrily, completely unable to understand Madara's reasoning.
"So what if I gained more power?! Is there anything more important than your teammates being alive?!"
Rin's pale face remained tense as she tightly gripped Obito's arm.
"Obito, since the enemy already awakened your eyes, then use them. Power itself isn't good or evil. It all depends on the one who wields it. Those are your Sharingan. That power belongs to you."
Obito gradually calmed down.
Chiya looked directly into Obito's eyes.
"Obito... Your eyes."
His gaze settled upon the pair of eyes that had already become something entirely different.
"Feel them. Control them. Tell me what you see. Tell me what you feel."
Obito subconsciously focused on his eyes.
Immediately, searing pain shot through them, as though his eyeballs were being torn apart.
At the same time, the world before him subtly changed.
Every outline became sharper.
Even the structure of space itself seemed faintly visible.
Yet everything was covered by a thin crimson haze.
He groaned as a line of blood trickled from the corner of his eye.
"It hurts... Everything looks clearer... but also... distorted. I feel like... I can touch space itself. Like I can make things... disappear. Or send myself... or someone else... into a place... an entirely different space that only I can reach."
So it really was Kamui.
Chiya took a slow breath.
"Now use your Mangekyo ability. Send Kakashi and Rin into your space."
"Right now? But..."
Obito hesitated.
He was unfamiliar with this power and feared losing control.
"What do you mean, 'but'?"
Chiya's voice became even more commanding.
"Madara is still out there. We don't have time to hesitate. Your dimension is the only place that can absolutely guarantee their safety. Do it now."
Overwhelmed by Chiya's pressure and seeing the trust in Kakashi's and Rin's eyes despite their weakened state, Obito gritted his teeth.
"I... I'll try!"
Gathering every ounce of concentration, he endured the agonizing pain in his eyes as his Mangekyo Sharingan spun wildly.
His gaze locked onto Kakashi and Rin.
Buzz!
The space surrounding them instantly twisted violently, as though an invisible hand were kneading a painting.
Their figures stretched and blurred before being swallowed into an invisible vortex.
In the next instant, they disappeared.
"It worked..."
Obito panted heavily.
The pain in his eyes intensified, yet relief finally appeared on his face.
"Show us the way. Where's the entrance to that cave?"
Without wasting a second, Chiya asked.
"Over there! At the bottom of that steep cliff! It's hidden behind a lot of vines!"
Obito immediately pointed northeast.
"Minato."
"Understood."
Minato instantly grasped his intention.
One hand landed on Obito's shoulder while the other gripped several Flying Thunder God kunai.
Chiya's figure blurred into a streak of black lightning, charging ahead at incredible speed.
However, the moment the three of them set off—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Dozens of figures burst out without warning from beneath the ground and from the shadows of nearby trees.
Every one of them was a White Zetsu clone.
With twisted grins plastered across their faces, they rushed forward without fear of death, instantly blocking every possible path.
"They're everywhere!"
Obito roared as his Mangekyo prepared to activate again.
"Clear the path! Don't waste time fighting!"
Chiya's cold command rang out, murderous intent overflowing from his eyes.
"Minato, left flank. Obito, cover the right. I'll break through the front."
The instant those orders were given, the pattern in Chiya's eyes changed.
"Amaterasu!"
Pitch-black flames erupted from thin air across the seven or eight White Zetsu leading the charge.
Silent.
Inextinguishable.
Within seconds, they were reduced to ash.
Minato's figure flashed like a phantom as Flying Thunder God was pushed to its absolute limit.
Every golden flash ended with a special kunai piercing a White Zetsu's forehead or heart.
The next instant, Minato appeared beside it, the hum of the Rasengan accompanied by the dull sound of bodies being torn apart.
Efficient.
Cold.
Like a perfectly programmed killing machine.
Enduring the unbearable pain, Obito locked his right Mangekyo onto a White Zetsu attempting to circle around the black flames toward Minato's flank.
"Kamui!"
The space surrounding the White Zetsu's upper body violently twisted and collapsed.
It didn't even have time to scream before half its body was crushed, swallowed, and erased from existence.
The remaining lower half staggered forward before collapsing.
Individually, these White Zetsu weren't especially powerful.
But there were simply too many of them.
Completely ignoring casualties, they flooded forward using their bodies to block and delay.
Their objective was obvious.
Delay them at all costs.
"Get out of my way!"
Obito roared.
His left eye instinctively activated as he tried phasing part of his body to evade an incoming attack.
But the unbearable pain and his lack of control caused the phasing to flicker erratically.
One strike narrowly grazed his solid body.
Chiya's expression remained cold as his assault became even fiercer.
More black flames ignited.
At the same time, his hands flashed through seals.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
A massive dragon of fire roared across the battlefield, swallowing an entire wave of White Zetsu.
Yet the White Zetsu seemed endless.
The moment one wave was destroyed, another burst out from underground.
"They're buying time! Madara's escaping!"
Minato reappeared beside Chiya using Flying Thunder God, his voice urgent.
"I know."
Chiya's eyes remained icy.
He suddenly clasped his hands together as an overwhelming surge of chakra erupted skyward.
"Storm Release: Laser Circus!"
Countless brilliant beams exploded into existence behind him.
Like living weapons, they automatically tracked their targets, instantly piercing and vaporizing large groups of White Zetsu, clearing a temporary path.
Minato froze for a split second.
"Two Kekkei Genkai?"
Chiya gave no explanation.
"Move!"
Seizing the fleeting opening, all three of them accelerated to their maximum speed, ignoring the White Zetsu closing in behind them as they rushed toward the direction Obito had pointed.
The two-mile distance disappeared in moments.
Before them stood a steep cliff covered in moss and tangled vines.
"It's there!"
Obito pointed toward an almost invisible crack hidden beneath the cliff.
Without hesitation, Minato prepared to throw a Flying Thunder God kunai toward the entrance.
"Wait."
Chiya suddenly raised a hand to stop him.
His perception was far greater than either Minato's or Obito's.
"There's an enormous amount of chaotic chakra inside... More than one source... and it's rapidly fading. It's a trap... and abandoned bait."
A cold light flashed in his eyes as he instantly retreated dozens of yards.
"Fall back!"
Before his words had even finished, a terrifying wave of chakra erupted.
Dark crimson energy shot into the sky like a physical pillar.
"Susanoo!"
A gigantic skeletal frame instantly materialized.
Muscles and tendons formed.
Then the armor of the Heavenly Dog covered it, revealing a towering Perfect Susanoo that stood like a god of war.
The pressure alone made it difficult for both Minato and Obito to breathe.
The ground beneath their feet shattered.
Without any unnecessary movement, the Susanoo raised its colossal chakra blade.
Then it swung directly at the cliff and everything hidden beneath it.
Boom!
The deafening explosion seemed capable of tearing the heavens apart.
The earth shook violently.
The mountain crumbled like a child's toy.
Countless boulders and torrents of dirt blasted into the air before crashing back down.
But that was only the beginning.
The Susanoo became a merciless engine of destruction.
Its enormous sword fell again and again.
Boom!
Boom!!
It wasn't merely destroying.
It was erasing.
Every strike reached deep underground, pulverizing the bedrock and crushing every tunnel, chamber, and hidden structure that might still exist.
Terrifying waves of chakra spread outward, uprooting forests and grinding everything into dust.
Protected behind the Susanoo, Minato and Obito could only stare blankly at the disaster unfolding before them.
The absolute difference in power left nothing in their hearts but overwhelming shock.
Obito subconsciously covered his still-bleeding eyes.
Compared to this world-destroying power, even Kamui felt insignificant.
Standing within the crystal atop the Susanoo's forehead, Chiya's expression never changed.
He wasn't merely destroying the entrance.
He intended to flatten every underground structure within several hundred yards, leaving no room for traps, hidden passages, or any contingency Madara might have prepared.
The relentless bombardment continued for an entire minute.
Only after the entire area had been reduced to a massive crater dozens of yards deep, with every layer of rock repeatedly crushed and compacted until no hollow spaces remained, did Chiya finally stop.
Dust filled the sky like dense fog.
The Susanoo vanished.
Chiya landed quietly beside the crater, his sharp gaze sweeping across the ruins.
Minato and Obito immediately jumped down beside him.
Using Flying Thunder God, Minato rapidly searched several key locations while Obito activated his Sharingan despite the pain.
But apart from countless White Zetsu remains crushed into unrecognizable pulp and broken fragments of white tubes, they found nothing.
The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path was gone.
So was Uchiha Madara.
"He... still got away..."
Obito slammed his fist into a shattered rock, splitting his knuckles open.
A crushing sense of helplessness flooded his heart.
Minato's expression was equally grim.
"After destruction on this scale, nothing could have survived unless it escaped long before we arrived. He must have withdrawn while the White Zetsu were delaying us... perhaps even earlier."
He looked toward Chiya.
"Lord Hokage, what should we..."
Chiya didn't answer.
He crouched down and picked up a flattened fragment of one of the white tubes, quietly sensing the faint trace of chakra still lingering inside.
"A rat hiding even deeper underground."
He slowly stood up and crushed the fragment into powder.
His voice was so cold that the surrounding air itself seemed frozen.
"He won't get far."
"He won't be able to hide forever."
A thought suddenly crossed Chiya's mind.
In the original story, Madara was only alive at this point because the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path was sustaining him.
If...
If someone were to summon the Demonic Statue away...
Wouldn't that cut off Madara's remaining lifeline completely?
His gaze settled on Obito, especially the Mangekyo Sharingan that still bled with anger and frustration.
"We'll collect this debt with interest. But before that..."
His tone allowed no argument.
"Obito, you must become stronger. Learn to fully master these eyes. Once we return to the village, I'll personally train you."
"Yes!"
Chiya looked across the completely devastated wasteland.
It was as though his gaze pierced countless layers of earth and locked onto the old man fleeing in disgrace.
'Uchiha Madara... you won't escape.'
"Ding!"
[Mission Triggered: Accept Uchiha Obito as Your Disciple]
[Reward: One Random Mangekyo Sharingan Ability.]
"Ding!"
[Mission Triggered: Kill Uchiha Madara.]
[Reward: Asura Chakra.]