Chapter 458: Letting Go
"Is the Infinite Tsukuyomi really a lie? I don't think so!"
Obito chuckled, glancing at the people wrapped in white cocoons around him.
Through his Sharingan, he could see the beautiful memories those people were experiencing.
"The only reason it's considered wrong is because I am a failure."
"In fact, this technique has already succeeded halfway. You can feel their happiness, can't you?"
Haneda could indeed sense it. He was all too aware of what the Infinite Tsukuyomi was—a jutsu that immerses people in beautiful illusions, ultimately stripping them of their souls and transforming them into the emotionless killing machines known as White Zetsu.
After locking eyes with Obito for a few seconds, Haneda turned his gaze aside and smiled.
With a sharp "slap," Haneda backhanded Obito across the face.
"Yes, you're a complete failure. You've always been one, Obito!"
"Even now, you seem to have not reflected on this!"
"Since our days at the ninja academy, you've been a complete loser. The person you admired liked someone else. Your so-called comrades, who you thought were just like you, were secretly working harder than you!"
"After graduation, it was the same—you faced enemies you couldn't defeat and could only lie on the ground, helpless."
"You could only pray that your teammates would defeat the enemy!"
"Even when you, Uchiha Obito, died, nothing had changed!"
"Then what? You took on a new identity, a new name, and thought you could succeed."
"You orchestrated plots, caused your teacher's death, betrayed your friends, and in the end, you yearned for everything you lost."
"Then, you pinned all your hopes on a dream, thinking you could drag everyone into it."
"You've seen it—even without the pressure of force, very few people are willing to follow you!"
"Including your teacher, your friends, and the person you loved!"
"From the start, you've been a failure—a complete clown!!!"
Obito was silent for a moment, then sneered:
"Yes, I'm a failure. I'm also the clown you speak of, but..."
"Why are you willing to say so much to a failure, a clown like me?"
"You say I lost my friends, but now it seems that's just nonsense."
"The best memories and feelings I once had were never lost from the beginning."
Obito's gaze swept over Haneda, Kakashi, Rin, and finally settled on his teacher, who had been quietly watching from behind. He fell silent once more.
He had realized that Haneda had been provoking him just now.
And Haneda had succeeded.
The people he cared about had never chosen to abandon him.
But...
He truly wanted to lead everyone out of their pain, not just himself...
Rain washed over Obito's face, falling in droplets onto the puddles and leaves around them.
When the world grew quiet, the surface of the puddles reflected the cloud-covered sky, rippling like the turmoil in his heart.
Suddenly, a raging torrent emerged from the ground, where the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion had cut through earlier.
The torrent surged forward, breaking through the uneven path and continuing with monstrous waves along the fissure.
Obito unconsciously looked toward the place where he had failed.
He remembered that it was where he had been controlled by Black Zetsu, and Haneda had tried to save him with the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion.
The clouds silently dissipated, the sky clearing up as dawn's light slowly rose from the east.
The rain in the Land of Rain abruptly stopped, a rare occurrence for this land of perpetual rain—a natural pause in the midst of war, unaltered by the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
A slightly aged voice reached Obito's ears.
"That Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion—besides saving you, its power was also channeled elsewhere."
"Starting from where I saved you, it cut through the nation known as the Land of Rain in this era, cleaving the mountains trapped by the rain, crossing the Land of Wind, and reaching the sea."
"Centuries have passed, and the geography of this era is vastly different from the ancient times I lived in."
"The issues left unresolved back then have not been settled with time but have instead formed several distinct nations."
"This country that never stops crying is trapped by the surrounding mountains, which lock in the rain. The leftover water flows into the Land of Rivers, forming continuous mountains and rivers."
"The winds from the sea are also trapped here. The water that should have flowed back to the Land of Wind ends up staying here."
"Thus, the original water cycle among these three nations became a deadlock."
"And that golden light broke this cycle."
"The water accumulated in the Land of Rain will flow back to the Land of Wind along this great river."
"The once barren and arid regions will gradually become fertile."
"The flooding disasters in the Land of Rivers will also gradually subside."
"This is a path I had never considered."
"Using destructive jutsu to bring light to the world."
Obito listened to the voice, watching the unceasing river and the rising sun, before turning to look at the old man speaking.
The old man wore a pristine white robe and sat cross-legged with six Truth-Seeking Orbs rotating around him.
An ancient image emerged in Obito's mind.
It was the legendary Sage of Six Paths!
The one who had inscribed the Infinite Tsukuyomi on the stone tablet!
"So, do you still think that, in this war, I only came to bring you back, Obito?"
Haneda, unbothered by the damp, muddy ground, plopped down next to Obito.
He pointed to the river that ran through the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind, reaching the sea, and said:
"I've been observing the Land of Rain for a long time. When I first came here at around ten years old, I wondered how to change this eternally weeping country."
"It was sparked by some acquaintances—three of them, whom you should know too."
"Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan."
"I sacrificed Nagato in this war, but I gave them private compensation."
"But that's far from enough."
"Why should the good be sacrificed?"
"Before the war began, I told Nagato about my plan. I intended to revive Yahiko as compensation for the Rinnegan."
"Additionally, transforming this crying country would serve as your penance for harming them—a kind of redemption."
"Of course, I have more reasons."
"For instance, uniting the Land of Wind, reducing its animosity towards the Land of Fire."
"This would show other nations my sincerity and determination to lead everyone towards a better future."
At this point, Haneda's eyes met Obito's.
Their complex gazes intersected.
Haneda's voice sounded again.
"Obito, you have your personal and your public intentions, just as I have mine."
"That's why we still empathize with each other to this day."
Haneda took Obito's hand, initially heavy, then gradually lightened.
By the time he felt no weight, Obito was already standing.
Kakashi's teasing voice reached them at that moment.
"Isn't your will supposed to be firm, Obito?"
Obito scoffed and sneered, "You're still as dumb as ever, Kakashi."
"We've wasted too much time here. If we keep delaying, this world will truly be beyond saving."
Kakashi smiled, "Isn't Haneda still here?"
However, Kakashi didn't say that aloud. Instead, he quickly caught up to walk alongside Haneda and Obito.
Rin, who also wanted to follow, was gently pulled back by Minato, who had been quietly observing:
"Rin, it's too dangerous there. Let's not distract them, okay?"
Rin hesitated, then thought about the terrifying power of Obito, Kakashi, and Haneda. She nodded lightly.
At this moment, Obito's voice, with a hint of joy and determination, echoed from ahead:
"Wait for me, Rin. This time, you'd better watch me carefully—I'll be a real hero."
...…