Obito… hang in there, we're almost back to Konoha!

?

Obito felt completely disoriented and only half-conscious, but the familiar voice brought him an incredible sense of peace.

He struggled to open his eyes. In his blurry vision, the scene looked like Konoha's village gate, a place he was extremely familiar with.

We made it back to the village…

He fell back into darkness again. When he regained consciousness, he found himself lying in a hospital.

Obito, whose injuries had rendered nearly half his body useless, was suffering immense pain. His wounds were too severe for him to continue as a ninja, and his dream of becoming Hokage seemed further away than ever.

Don't worry, Obito. Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin, is the greatest medical ninja in the world. I'll definitely find her and ask her to heal you!

Kakashi stood beside the hospital bed, patting his chest as he made his promise. A glimmer of hope reignited in Obito's heart.

Even if Kakashi can't find her, I'll work hard to become a better medical ninja and heal you!

Rin also made a promise, and then proved through her actions that her words weren't empty.

Kakashi brought back Tsunade, who had been away from the village for many years, and asked her to treat the severely injured Obito. The treatment was a success. Although he couldn't completely return to his healthiest state, Obito was given another chance to continue being a ninja.

Rin also studied medical ninjutsu diligently, constantly seeking ways to help Obito fully recover.

Time passed year after year. The three of them went through countless experiences. After enduring hardships and overcoming many challenges, Obito eventually became not only an outstanding ninja of Konoha but also the next Hokage…

I finally achieved my dream!

Wearing the Hokage's robe and the hat with the 'Fire' character, Obito stood with Rin and Kakashi by his side, looking at the happy villagers of Konoha, and revealed a satisfied smile…

No!

Obito suddenly felt a strange sense of dissonance, as if he were caught in a genjutsu.

Could this be… an illusion?

What's wrong?

The villagers are waiting for your speech. Don't space out now!

Rin and Kakashi's voices echoed beside him. Though familiar, they felt distant and hollow, like they were coming from far away.

His remaining Sharingan suddenly shifted. Obito activated his Mangekyo Sharingan under everyone's shocked gaze, and his chakra surged wildly. The next moment, the scene around him twisted and vanished, but Rin and Kakashi's voices lingered.

Isn't this what you wanted?

No! This isn't what I want!

As if something had shattered, Obito, now surrounded by darkness and void, saw light return around him. But instead of relaxing, he grew even more alert. The enemy's genjutsu was terrifying—strong enough to trap even someone with a Mangekyo Sharingan.

Who… who was I fighting? Why can't I remember? Am I still trapped in the illusion?

With that thought, a chill ran through him, and cold sweat poured from his forehead. Only then did he notice he was still wearing the Hokage's robe and holding the hat.

…

With a frustrated growl, Obito flung the hat aside and tried to calm his thoughts. He kept scanning the surroundings. Although the area had brightened, thick mist still hung around, making it impossible to clearly see his surroundings.

Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!

He unleashed a powerful gust of wind from his mouth. This jutsu would blow away the mist and potentially eliminate hidden threats.

But when the mist finally cleared, Obito stood frozen in disbelief.

How is this possible?

A giant stood towering between the heavens and the earth. What shocked him even more was that he was standing on the palm of this being.

Nothing is impossible...

The voice came from all directions. Though the giant didn't move its mouth, Obito instinctively knew it was the one speaking.

You think such a ridiculous genjutsu can defeat me? As an Uchiha, how could I possibly be taken down by genjutsu?

Truly arrogant and ignorant.

With a gentle flip of its hand, the giant sent Obito tumbling downward. He tried to use chakra to cling to the surface, but it had no effect—like chakra didn't exist at all.

Falling endlessly, Obito found himself passing through one hellish scene after another.

And these weren't mere glimpses. He had to experience each hell firsthand before being dragged into the next—each one a different torment, with no end in sight…

After the masked man finished his arrogant speech, he dropped to his knees just one second later. Jiraiya, who was nearby, was stunned by the sudden change. What's going on? You were just spouting tough talk, and now you're kneeling and begging for mercy?

But he quickly realized something was off. The man's strange, ragged breathing clearly showed he was in excruciating pain. This was clearly the result of being caught in a genjutsu.

Why would you provoke this monster?

For a moment, Jiraiya even felt a bit of sympathy for the poor fool.

However, after seeing his clothing, Jiraiya's fleeting sympathy vanished. That iconic mask was exactly as described by Minato and Itachi. This was the person behind the Nine-Tails attack and the Uchiha massacre—the one who claimed to be Madara Uchiha.

Looking at him now, so utterly pathetic… could he really be the legendary Madara?

Jiraiya wasn't sure anymore. Now that Ethan no longer needed to hide his power, it had become so easy for him to handle anyone. It was basically impossible to judge an enemy's strength based on how they fared against Ethan. Or rather, in Ethan's eyes—as someone standing at the level of a god—the so-called powerhouses of the shinobi world were like ants. Even the real Madara might end up the same: instantly defeated.

At this moment, Ethan was looking at Obito with a scornful gaze. The man's mind had been severely damaged, and Ethan mocked him coldly.

"What happens when you look directly into the Sharingan?"

…

Obito's breathing betrayed how weak he was. Although he had no visible injuries, the mental trauma he had just experienced far exceeded the effects of Tsukuyomi on Kakashi in the original timeline.

Kakashi had only endured being stabbed for three days in a Tsukuyomi illusion. Obito, however, had thoroughly and repeatedly experienced every level of Naraka Path hell.

If Ethan hadn't held back a little, that move could've resulted in total mental collapse—or even soul annihilation.

Don't show off in front of someone when you don't even know their background. You'll end up looking like a fool.

He glanced in the direction of Amegakure and added with amusement,

But don't worry, you won't be the only one embarrassed today. Someone else is about to join you.

…

Obito couldn't feel happy at all. From that extremely brief encounter just now, he had already realized a lot of bad news: the gap between his strength and this man's was overwhelming, and worse, the other party seemed to know his true identity. Otherwise, those illusions couldn't be explained.

As Obito was trying to figure out how to recover from this situation, a figure appeared in Ethan and Jiraiya's line of sight and finally came to a stop not far ahead.

Pain stood there, first glancing at Ethan and Jiraiya, then turning his gaze to 'Tobi'. He could tell the man was in a terrible state. Could it be that in just the short time it took him to get here, 'Tobi' had already been defeated? Was Jiraiya really that strong? He knew how strange and difficult Tobi's ability was to deal with.

Seeing Tobi injured, Pain's first assumption was that Jiraiya had done it. As for Ethan? He didn't think much of him at all.

While Pain was observing the others, Jiraiya was in shock. The person who had appeared looked very familiar—like someone he had once taken in and taught in Amegakure.

Yahiko?

Jiraiya studied the man's features carefully, but the 'Yahiko' across from him showed no reaction.

As the distance closed, Jiraiya saw it clearly. The man had the Rinnegan.

That's odd…

Nagato was the one who had the Rinnegan. So why was it now in someone who looked just like Yahiko? Had something happened to Nagato?

He had heard something had happened to the children back then, but never knew the details. And in all these years since, he'd heard no further news about them. He never expected they'd meet again under such circumstances. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

This certainly wasn't going to be… a happy reunion.

Yes, Jiraiya-sensei. This definitely won't be a happy reunion.

Ethan didn't interrupt. He simply stood to the side, watching the two 'reconnect'. He figured Jiraiya wouldn't want him to interfere either. There were too many questions Jiraiya wanted answered right now, and Ethan didn't mind quietly watching this altered version of the original story unfold.

Though the setting was different, the conversation between Jiraiya and Pain was largely similar to the original.

Jiraiya learned that it was Yahiko who had died back then, and that the one who survived was Nagato.

But why did the Rinnegan appear in someone who looked exactly like Yahiko? Was it a Transformation Jutsu?

Though there were still many questions he wanted answered, there was one thing Jiraiya was very clear about.

Ethan, I hope you won't interfere. Let me handle this.

(To be continued.)

◇◇◇

◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.

◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves

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