The rain in the Land of Rain had always been gloomy and cold, but at this moment, it seemed even colder.
Raindrops struck Uchiha Obito's head, sliding down his face, soaking the brown cloak he wore outside of his Akatsuki robe.
Sasuke looked at the two streaks beneath Obito's tightly shut eyes and couldn't help but think of Itachi's tear tracks.
For some reason, he asked, "Just now, were you crying?"
Obito came back to his senses and murmured, "You clearly know, we're in the Land of Rain. The one crying isn't me, but this country long ravaged by war."
Sasuke looked at the street where Rin and Kakashi had disappeared, "Since that's the case, should we go after them? Maybe we can find traces of you from childhood."
Obito was silent for a moment. After a while, he said, "Then let's go take a look."
Sasuke suddenly had a feeling that this Obito, who seemed already disillusioned with the entire ninja world and showed no joy or sorrow, was, at this moment, inexplicably downcast.
He clicked his tongue in surprise, "So you can feel sad?"
Obito quickly returned to normal, "What, you're allowed to be sad, but I'm not?"
Uchiha Sasuke suddenly felt that Obito might still be saved. By that, he meant, perhaps Obito could be persuaded to help him deal with Konoha.
So, he went for it.
"It was Konoha that caused you so much pain and ultimately made you lose faith in the entire ninja world, right?"
"Why don't we join forces and take revenge together?"
Obito looked up, letting the rain blur his face, "It's meaningless."
"The problem isn't Konoha alone, it's the entire shinobi system, the imbalance of power, the constant warfare, the mistrust between people."
"The downfall of the Uchiha can also be attributed to this. As long as the Uchiha possessed abnormal power, Konoha's higher-ups could never completely let go of their suspicion. One day, the emotions repressed between both sides would erupt, and someone would have to make a sacrifice."
"This is an irreversible, predestined outcome. In the ninja world, there are many clans like the Uchiha who have been destroyed. Only by destroying and being reborn can we create a new world where everything moves on the right track."
Uchiha Sasuke's expression wavered, "But the lives of others. What do they have to do with us? All I know is, it was Konoha that destroyed the Uchiha. So we take revenge on Konoha. That's all."
Obito replied blandly, "Then go take your revenge. Either way, in my plan, I still need the Tailed Beasts, and Uzumaki Naruto, the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, is a key obstacle to your revenge. In a way, our interests align."
"Sasuke, the truth is, I had many chances to strike at Naruto. But in the end, I left him for you. Maybe it's one of my few amusements."
"But can you really strike Naruto at a critical moment?"
A flicker of struggle flashed in Sasuke's eyes, but in the end, his gaze hardened again.
"Why not? I can sever friendship and gain great power through it."
"Rather, it's you. Even though you keep claiming you have no attachments to this world, Kakashi is one of your obstacles to acquiring the Nine-Tails. Why haven't you killed him?"
Obito's heart was thrown into chaos for a moment.
Yeah… why hadn't he killed Kakashi? Even when he saw Rin die at Kakashi's hands with his own eyes, burning with rage, he still couldn't bring himself to strike at Kakashi.
Was it because he still cherished this dear friend?
But can he really say for sure? In many ways, he truly no longer cared about this world.
Otherwise, why would he have so decisively killed his former teacher and teacher's wife, the Fourth Hokage couple?
Seeing Obito remain silent for a long time, Sasuke had a smug smile on his face.
"So, you can be shaken by my words."
But Obito shook his head, dismissive, "You? Really?"
"I just met an old friend and felt a little sentimental, that's all."
"Enough. Since you spotted their traces, I'm sure you've also memorized their chakra signatures. Go after them. I still need you to temporarily act as my eyes."
Sasuke snorted.
But for some reason, he suddenly felt that Obito right now seemed kind of pitiful. Just like Naruto, pitiful.
In the end, he simply said, "Then follow me closely."
The two figures walked together toward the alley where Rin and Kakashi had vanished.
———
On the other side, Rin and Kakashi were indeed walking together under an umbrella, chatting idly as they walked.
Kakashi was holding a limited edition Icha-Icha Paradise. This was the main reason Rin had been smiling so brightly earlier.
Rin sighed, "Kakashi, you really went and bought that book?"
Kakashi's expression couldn't be seen clearly due to his mask.
But his dead-fish eyes rolled up slightly, revealing a trace of embarrassment.
He explained, "I figured… someone like me wouldn't be attracted by a mere po*n book. Maybe there's some hidden truth inside."
"Anyway, the shopkeeper was too enthusiastic just now, kept pushing it on me, and I didn't want to reject him too harshly, so I bought it to take a look."
Rin chuckled and shook her head. Why didn't the shopkeeper try to sell it to her and only pushed it on Kakashi?
Probably because he saw Kakashi's eager expression and knew he might succeed if he pushed it on him.
She whispered, "Kakashi, you probably don't want Obito to find out about this, right? Otherwise, he could mock you for a hundred years."
Kakashi rolled his dead-fish eyes upward again and couldn't help but retort, "Rin, after being with that guy, you've gone bad too."
"If he mocks me, so be it. I'm already used to it."
Rin smiled sweetly, "Really? Then I'll go back and tell Obito, okay?"
Kakashi finally deflated and couldn't help but say, "Alright, whatever you want, I'll agree to it."
Rin said, "Then cook us some fish to eat. Obito's been craving your fish dishes lately."
Kakashi snorted, "So he wants to eat fish, huh? Seriously, Rin, you're just spoiling him, been that way since childhood."
Rin's cheeks flushed slightly, "I don't spoil him. It's just that he's been distracted lately, seems like he's been fiddling with some experimental equipment, even forgetting to eat on time. If this keeps up, it's not good."
Kakashi rolled his eyes helplessly, sighing inwardly, "So I've really become a tool man now?"
"Speaking of which… what's it like to really date a girlfriend and be in a sweet relationship?"
In Kakashi's mind, images of various girls he'd seen floated by.
One of them was the pretty girl Mei Terumī he met during the Chūnin Exams.
But…
Kakashi couldn't help turning his head to glance at Rin again, then back at the Icha-Icha Paradise in his hand.
'Maybe… books are better than people.'
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