Naruto: Sukuna's Jinchuriki, I am Uchiha

Chapter 73: Cause and Effect

Blood fell like rain.

Lifeless bodies of Mist shinobi were pierced by twisted wooden spikes, forming a gruesome field of thorns.

Standing amidst the carnage was a figure shrouded in white Zetsu's living armor. Only a pair of crimson Mangekyō Sharingan eyes gleamed from the mask-like covering.

Kakashi stood frozen, his eyes vacant and lifeless as he stared at the figure approaching him.

"Kagami… or Obito?"

Are you here from the Pure Land to pass judgment on me?

Kakashi barely reacted. There was no fight left in his soul. The man standing there was nothing more than an empty husk, a scarecrow in name and form.

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"Kakashi…"

A hoarse voice came from behind the white mask.

"People who wish to live are killed. People who wish to save are the ones forced to kill..."

"What a twisted world."

"There is no hope. No light. Only despair repeating itself, again and again…"

"Such a world… does not deserve to exist."

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Obito's words dripped with bitterness, his tears thick as blood, streaking down his face.

He understood now.

The world was fundamentally flawed, and its systems were broken. Allowing it to persist would only breed more tragedies.

"I will reshape it."

"In the new world, there will be Rin. There will be you, too, Kakashi."

A thorn-like wooden spike began to extend from Obito's palm, aimed at Kakashi's chest.

Kakashi didn't flinch or move. His head hung low as he stared at his blood-stained hands.

Perhaps there are things so unbearable… that only death can escape them.

"Father… I'm sorry."

Obito took shaky steps forward. At first hesitant, his stride grew stronger as he closed the distance.

"Kakashi… I will release you."

As the wooden spike neared Kakashi's heart—

Clang!

A blinding white flash tore through the battlefield.

The wooden spike shattered mid-strike, half of it flung far into the distance.

A tall figure appeared, his back shielding Kakashi. Silver hair flowed gently in the wind.

"I'm sorry, Kakashi… I was late."

Kakashi's body finally collapsed forward, unconscious.

"Father…"

The man who stood between Kakashi and Obito was none other than Sakumo Hatake—Konoha's famed "White Fang."

He stood tall, gripping his short blade, his gaze sharp as he examined the situation.

"That technique… Wood Release? And the Sharingan… who are you?"

Sakumo's instincts screamed danger as he watched the masked figure's unnatural abilities.

Years spent on the run and in constant battles had honed his perception. He knew of Danzo's experiments—unspeakable horrors using the Uchiha as test subjects for Wood Release.

But this… this was beyond what he had imagined.

White Zetsu's voice sounded in Obito's ears, sharp and cautious.

"Sakumo Hatake… this is trouble."

Obito ignored the warning, his palm bursting forth with another volley of wooden spikes.

"I will save Kakashi. I will save everyone… in my world."

Sakumo met him head-on, his White Fang blade gleaming as it sliced through the air.

Slash!

The blade passed clean through Obito's body, phasing through him harmlessly.

Sakumo's eyes narrowed.

"Intangibility… but only when you're not attacking."

Obito reappeared behind Sakumo, lunging toward the unconscious Kakashi with a deadly strike.

"Stop!"

With lightning speed, Sakumo intercepted him, letting the wooden spike pierce through his shoulder as his blade swung back.

Crack!

The mask-like armor covering Obito's face shattered partially, revealing his features.

"You're… Obito?"

Sakumo's eyes widened with shock as recognition struck him.

The face beneath the mask was that of Obito Uchiha, a boy he had known—thought to have perished in the Third Great War.

Obito's expression remained cold.

"You don't need to know."

His Mangekyō Sharingan spun again, space beginning to distort.

Suddenly, Obito winced. A stabbing pain surged through his left eye.

"Obito!" Zetsu shouted. "Stop! Your body hasn't fully adjusted to the Mangekyō yet!"

"I… can't let him leave," Obito growled, ignoring the warning.

"He knows too much."

Zetsu's voice grew sharper, sensing danger.

"Listen to me! Uchiha Kagami isn't far from here. If you waste time and draw him here, you're finished!"

At the mention of Kagami, Obito hesitated.

Zetsu knew exactly what to say to stop him.

Facing Kagami now would be suicide.

"Even you need time, Obito," Zetsu pressed. "When the time is right, we'll strike."

Obito's fists clenched, his gaze lingering on Sakumo.

Slowly, he walked toward Rin's lifeless body, lifting her gently into his arms.

As the space around him distorted, Obito turned to look at Kakashi one final time.

"Live, Kakashi… and carry the weight of your sins."

And with that, he disappeared, leaving only silence and the lingering scent of blood.

Sakumo sighed deeply, pressing his hand against his bleeding shoulder.

He glanced back at the unconscious Kakashi and the bodies strewn around them.

"Danzo… this madness ends now."

Hoisting Kakashi onto his back, Sakumo leaped into the forest, his direction clear.

He would go to Kagami.

In his mind, only one thought resounded:

Danzo must not live.

End of Chapter

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