"Sasuke, please wait a moment."
Obito's voice cut through the celebratory atmosphere like a blade, his words carrying an urgency that immediately drew everyone's attention. The masked shinobi's interruption of Sasuke's intent to destroy the Rinnegan created a sudden tension that hadn't existed moments before.
All eyes turned toward him with varying degrees of suspicion and concern. Tsunade and Mei Terumi, both seasoned leaders who had spent years navigating the treacherous waters of village politics, felt their diplomatic instincts immediately activate. Despite witnessing Obito's cooperation during the final battle, their wariness was deeply ingrained—shaped by years of experience with betrayal and hidden agendas.
The slight frowns that crossed their faces spoke to a lifetime of hard-learned lessons about trust and its limitations. Even allies could harbor secret motivations, and powerful artifacts like the Rinnegan had a way of corrupting even the most well-intentioned individuals.
Only Minato's family seemed genuinely puzzled by the sudden shift in atmosphere. They had witnessed Obito's genuine remorse and heroic actions during their desperate battle, making his current expression—equal parts determined and sorrowful—difficult to interpret.
"Can you transplant one of those Rinnegan into me?" Obito asked quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.
The request hit the group like a thunderclap. Sasuke's expression immediately hardened, his Sharingan activating instinctively as his body shifted into a defensive stance. Mei Terumi's hand moved subtly toward her weapon pouch, while Tsunade's chakra began gathering in her fists with practiced efficiency.
The reaction was immediate and visceral—here was someone who had already caused immeasurable destruction asking for access to even greater power.
"Obito, are you trying to—" Minato's voice carried alarm as he stepped forward, his protective instincts overriding everything else.
In a single fluid motion, he positioned himself between Obito and the others, his body language screaming of a teacher preparing to defend his students from a former pupil who might have relapsed into darkness.
But Obito's response cut through the tension with unexpected gentleness. He raised his gaze to the massive celestial body taking shape above them—the sealed form of Kaguya and the Ten-Tails, slowly gathering mass as it ascended toward its destined position in the sky.
"This war is finally over," he said, his voice carrying the weight of someone who had lived through too much conflict.
His eyes lowered, and a bitter smile crossed his visible features—an expression that spoke to years of self-recrimination and guilt. "Black Zetsu, Madara, and Kaguya have all paid the price for their ambitions."
The admission hung in the air like a confession. "And even if I died a hundred times over, it wouldn't be enough to erase what I've done."
The stark honesty of his words created a different kind of tension—not the sharp alertness of expecting betrayal, but the heavy sadness that came from witnessing someone's complete surrender to their own guilt.
Obito's crimes were indeed extensive and undeniable. He had orchestrated the Nine-Tails attack on Konoha, directly causing countless civilian deaths and destroying countless families. He had captured the Six-Tails and Seven-Tails jinchuriki, subjecting innocent people to unspeakable suffering. His actions had enabled Madara to become the Ten-Tails jinchuriki, which in turn had made Kaguya's resurrection possible.
While it was true that Black Zetsu had manipulated and guided many of his decisions, the fundamental choice to embrace darkness had been his own. No amount of external influence could completely absolve him of responsibility for the consequences of his actions.
"Although I was influenced and manipulated by others," he continued, his voice steady despite the emotional weight of his words, "the choice to attack Konoha, to cause so much death and suffering—that was mine. No one forced my hand at the critical moments."
Minato's expression grew increasingly pained as he listened to his former student's confession. As much as he wanted to offer comfort or absolution, he couldn't deny the truth of Obito's assessment. The crimes were real, the victims numerous, and the damage lasting.
Obito slowly raised his head to meet Minato's gaze directly, and for a moment, the mask of the infamous criminal fell away completely. What remained was something much simpler and more tragic—a young man who had lost his way and was now desperately seeking a path to redemption.
"But instead of simply ending my life here and now," he said, his voice gaining strength and purpose, "I want to use it to make amends for at least some of my mistakes."
The determination in his eyes was unmistakable—not the desperate determination of someone clinging to life, but the resolute acceptance of someone who had found peace with their decision.
"The Rinne Rebirth technique," he explained, his words deliberate and clear. "I want to use my life to offset some of my sins, to bring back at least some of those who died because of my actions."
His voice cracked slightly with emotion as he continued. "At least this way, when I finally see Rin in the afterlife, I can hold my head high and tell her that I tried to make things right."
"No!" Kushina's voice rang out with surprising force, cutting through Obito's explanation like a physical blow.
Her reaction was immediate and visceral, born from the maternal instincts that had been awakened by years of caring for Naruto and the protective feelings she had developed toward all of Minato's students. Regardless of Obito's crimes, she couldn't bear the thought of watching another young person sacrifice their life.
The outburst left Mei Terumi, Naruto, and Sasuke in visible confusion. While they understood the emotional dynamics at play, the technical aspects of what Obito was proposing remained unclear.
"The Rinne Rebirth technique—what exactly is that?" Sasuke asked, turning to Minato for clarification.
Despite possessing the Rinnegan himself, Sasuke's recent awakening to its power meant that many of its capabilities remained mysterious to him. The eyes were ancient and complex, containing techniques that required both understanding and tremendous sacrifice to employ.
Minato's explanation was measured and grave. "The Rinne Rebirth is considered the ultimate forbidden technique, accessible only to those who possess the Rinnegan. It has the power to restore life to those who have died within a certain timeframe—but the cost is absolute."
His voice grew heavier as he continued. "The technique requires the operator to sacrifice their own life force completely. There is no survival, no recovery—it is a one-way exchange of life for life."
"Such a technique actually exists?" Mei Terumi breathed, her expression reflecting a mixture of awe and horror.
The concept challenged everything they understood about the natural order. Death had always been absolute, final—the one boundary that even the most powerful shinobi couldn't cross. Yet here was evidence that even that ultimate law could be circumvented, given sufficient power and sacrifice.
"The Rinnegan truly are the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths," Tsunade murmured, her medical knowledge allowing her to appreciate the magnitude of what such a technique represented. "Their power transcends normal understanding of life and death."
As the full implications of Obito's proposal became clear, the expressions of everyone present began to shift. The initial suspicion and alarm gave way to something more complex—a recognition of the profound sacrifice being offered.
When someone was willing to pay for their mistakes with the most precious thing they possessed—their own life—it transformed the nature of their crimes without erasing them. The sins remained, but the willingness to make such an ultimate sacrifice demanded a different kind of respect.
"Please don't try to stop me," Obito said, his gaze moving between Kushina and Minato with gentle firmness. "This may be the best decision I've ever made in my entire life."
He turned specifically to Kushina, whose protective instincts were clearly warring with her understanding of the situation. "I know you and Minato-sensei are thinking of me, trying to protect me even now. But I need you to understand something."
His voice grew more intense, carrying the weight of absolute conviction. "I have tried to kill both of you multiple times. I have been directly responsible for the deaths of countless innocent shinobi and civilians who never did anything to deserve such a fate."
The honesty was brutal and uncompromising. "People like me don't deserve forgiveness—not the kind of forgiveness that lets us continue living while our victims remain dead."
His determination was absolute, radiating from every aspect of his posture and expression. Even if Kushina wanted to protect him out of maternal affection or misplaced sympathy, the mathematical reality of his crimes couldn't be ignored or explained away.
Kushina's hands clenched into fists at her sides, her eyes growing red with barely contained emotion. She understood Obito's reasoning on an intellectual level—could even acknowledge its validity—but her heart rebelled against the cold logic of it.
When she looked at the masked figure before them, she couldn't help but see echoes of the boy who had once been careless and clumsy, who had declared his dream of becoming Hokage with such innocent enthusiasm. The contrast between that memory and the broken man seeking death was almost too painful to bear.
Minato placed a comforting hand on her trembling shoulder, his own emotions a complex mixture of pride and grief. The exchange of gazes between teacher and student carried the weight of years of shared history—moments of training and growth, followed by tragedy and separation, and now this final attempt at redemption.
Sasuke observed the emotional dynamics playing out before him with understanding born from his own experience with guilt and the desire for atonement. Without further discussion, he nodded to Obito in acceptance of his decision.
Moving with deliberate care, he extracted the two Rinnegan from Black Zetsu's helpless form and placed them in a cylindrical container filled with specialized preservation fluid. The liquid was designed not only for healing but also for maintaining the viability of transplanted organs—a necessity given the complex nature of dojutsu transplantation.
The sight of the legendary eyes floating in their protective medium created an almost surreal atmosphere. These artifacts represented power that had shaped the course of history, yet now they were simply tools for one man's attempt at redemption.
With the Rinnegan secured, Sasuke turned his attention to Black Zetsu. Using his Susanoo's strength, he lifted the creature from its position pinned to the ground by Naruto's Truth-Seeking Balls.
"Damn you little insects!" Black Zetsu roared, its voice filled with impotent rage and disbelief. "You're nothing but pawns in the grand design I created over centuries! You're all just part of the history I shaped!"
The entity's fury was genuine and overwhelming—the reaction of someone whose fundamental worldview had been shattered. For over a millennium, it had operated under the assumption that mortals were merely pieces to be moved around its cosmic chess board.
Minato met its gaze with steady calm, his voice carrying the authority of someone who had looked beyond the surface of events to understand their deeper meaning.
"Even though you may have planned and manipulated events for thousands of years," he said quietly, "history was never truly created or controlled by you alone."
His words carried the weight of philosophical truth. "It's precisely because you ignored this fundamental principle that you experienced failure after failure, despite all your careful planning."
The lesson was broader than their specific conflict—a reminder that individual will and collective choice could never be completely suppressed, no matter how powerful the forces trying to control them.
"No one person or entity can decide the course of history," Minato concluded. "It emerges from the choices of countless individuals, each acting according to their own principles and desires."
As his words faded, Sasuke's Rinnegan began to pulse with energy. The repulsive force that emanated from his palm was perfectly controlled, sending Black Zetsu flying through the air with tremendous velocity.
BANG!
The parasitic entity's body struck the growing celestial mass above them with tremendous force. The impact was immediately followed by an avalanche of rock and debris that buried its form completely, ensuring that its millennia of manipulation and scheming had finally reached their end.
"Now we need to address our most immediate concern," Sasuke said, turning back to the group with practical focus. "How do we return to the ninja world?"
The question highlighted their current predicament. They were stranded in an alien dimension with no obvious means of return. Minato's Flying Thunder God technique, powerful as it was, couldn't bridge the vast distances between dimensional spaces.
"For everyone here, only Obito's Kamui offers a viable path home," Sasuke continued, his analytical mind working through their limited options.
Obito nodded in understanding, his resolve strengthened by the recognition that even in his final act, he could provide something valuable to his former companions.
"Let me try," he said simply.
The pattern in his right eye began to rotate with increasing speed, the familiar spiral distortion of his Kamui technique building in intensity. This wasn't a normal application of his power—he was attempting to breach the barriers between multiple dimensional spaces simultaneously, requiring every ounce of his remaining strength.
Suddenly, the alien landscape around them began to fade and shift. The red ground beneath their feet dissolved, replaced by something far more familiar and welcome.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
In the ninja world, multiple figures materialized simultaneously on an enormous summoning circle. The intricate pattern carved into the ground suggested preparation and planning far beyond normal techniques.
Minato was the first to orient himself, his enhanced awareness immediately cataloging their new surroundings. His gaze quickly found the elderly figure floating serenely in the air at the center of the summoning formation—the unmistakable form of the Sage of Six Paths himself.
Standing beside the legendary figure was another familiar presence: the Second Hokage, his distinctive armor and stern expression unchanged by the passage of time. His presence here, rather than trapped in the Infinite Tsukuyomi, was explained by his status as one reanimated through the Edo Tensei technique.
"Sage-sama?" Naruto and Sasuke spoke simultaneously, their voices carrying both recognition and respect.
The others were still processing their sudden change in environment, but when they fully absorbed their surroundings, the shock was visible on every face. They had returned to their own world—but more than that, they were in the presence of a figure who existed only in legend.
"We're back?" someone whispered in amazement.
Minato stepped forward and offered a respectful bow to the Sage of Six Paths, his smile reflecting both gratitude and understanding.
"Thank you, Sage-sama," he said warmly. "We owe our return to your intervention."
Only now did the full scope of the Sage's planning become clear. The chakra he had extracted from Minato during their earlier encounter hadn't been taken for analysis or safekeeping—it had been the key component in a massive summoning technique designed to retrieve them from Kaguya's dimensional prison.
Kushina, Tsunade, and the others stared at the floating figure with expressions of wonder and curiosity. The Sage of Six Paths was a mythical figure, someone whose existence had been relegated to ancient stories and religious texts. Yet here he was, as real and present as any of them.
The fact that Minato, Naruto, and Sasuke not only knew him but had apparently worked with him directly added yet another layer of surreal amazement to their already incredible day.
"I am the one who should be expressing gratitude," the Sage replied, his ancient eyes filled with warmth as he looked at Minato.
His voice carried the weight of eons, yet also possessed a quality of profound relief—the sound of someone whose greatest fears had finally been laid to rest.
"You truly didn't disappoint me," he continued, his gaze encompassing the entire group but focusing particularly on the Fourth Hokage. "You have successfully saved not just the ninja world, but all of reality itself."
"You really didn't let me down and successfully saved the entire ninja world."