Haruki suddenly looked up at the sky.
The noon sun wasn't harsh—it exuded a gentle warmth.
Kumogakure perched atop a mountain range.
Despite being ninja, the rugged terrain still slowed their progress.
If it had just been Haruki alone, such concerns wouldn't have mattered.
But among the three battalions of ninja, many low-ranking Genin lacked adequate strength.
"Sakumo, we'll rest here for a moment."
Haruki turned his head and gave the order.
"Understood."
Hatake Sakumo hesitated briefly before quickly issuing commands for everyone to rest and eat lunch.
"I need to leave for a moment," Haruki informed Sakumo. Without waiting for any questions, he vanished.
Strange—what could be so urgent that Haruki had to rush off like that?
Sakumo remained puzzled.
As the Flying Thunder God Technique activated,
Haruki arrived at this perpetually raining country.
A cacophony flooded his ears—beyond the rain, explosions and violent clashes rang out.
His eyes darted around the battlefield.
Tsunade was dominating Madara Uchiha.
Looking at her body, he noted she bore no injuries whatsoever.
Jiraiya, Nagato, and Konan were battling Hanzo, gaining the upper hand.
Gamabunta and Sanshouo clashed in a brutal, mud-soaked duel.
Finally, Haruki focused on Rin Nohara and Obito.
He had come because the Diamond Kunai attached to Rin had been triggered.
Right now, Rin was trapped beneath layers of Earth Release jutsu.
Even protected by her reinforced inner armor, her limbs and head had suffered severe attacks.
Obito had been knocked down by Sanshouo Shinda.
Moments later, he struggled back to his feet.
Haruki immediately took action.
He produced a pre-prepared clone, mimicking similar wounds using chakra,
and instantly switched places with it.
With his current strength, White Zetsu wouldn't have detected anything.
Obito reached the edge of the deep crater, seeing Rin's lifeless body.
It felt like a lightning strike had hit him.
"No! Impossible! Impossible! Rin!"
Obito jumped down urgently, clutching Rin tightly, his trembling fingers reached for her nose.
There was no breath, no warmth.
She was dead.
That single thought pierced his mind.
His body trembled violently.
A chilling, intangible aura erupted outward.
The crimson patterns within his eyes began to swirl.
Madara Uchiha, locked in battle with Tsunade, immediately noticed.
That familiar sensation.
Mangekyo Sharingan!
He hadn't anticipated Obito delivering such a revelation.
Initially, he thought Rin's death might not trigger his evolution directly, even preparing a backup plan.
But now, that was unnecessary.
Madara immediately used Substitution Jutsu to escape the battlefield. Not even Tsunade could pursue him under these circumstances.
He reappeared at the crater's edge.
Obito, overwhelmed by grief and completely blindsided by Madara's silent approach, didn't react at all.
Madara struck Obito sharply with a karate chop, knocking him out cold.
"Don't move!"
Tsunade immediately shouted upon witnessing the scene. But Madara Uchiha suddenly burst forth with such overwhelming speed that he vanished in an instant.
Sanshouo Shinda, controlled by White Zetsu, rushed forward to stall him at all costs. Tsunade swiftly dispatched him, only to find no trace of Madara Uchiha left.
Her expression hardened as she looked toward Rin Nohara. This was going to be a problem.
Obito had been captured, and Rin Nohara was believed dead. "How should I explain this to Haruki?" Tsunade murmured to herself.
"There's no need for explanations." A sudden voice startled her. "...And as for you, Kakashi—this person isn't even dead yet."
Haruki glanced at the devastated Kakashi and said. He gently lowered Rin Nohara to the ground.
"Haruki?" Tsunade's face lit up in immediate surprise and relief. If not for the current setting, she'd have rushed over and hugged him already.
"You... Ah! The Diamond Kunai!" She realized the reason and couldn't help but sigh in relief.
She hadn't used the Diamond Kunai in seven or eight years—they'd almost slipped her mind entirely.
Nearby, Kakashi hastily wiped his eyes. He had almost let his tears fall.
Kakashi looked from the Rin standing beside Haruki to the other Rin unconscious in the crater below—his head spun with confusion. Still, he had more pressing concerns.
"Teacher, what about Obito?"
"Don't rush, Kakashi," Tsunade said calmly, speaking for Haruki who was still healing. "Since your teacher arrived in time, he won't let Obito come to harm. He must have his reasons."
Haruki glanced at Tsunade and smiled. *Hm, good. She trusts me that much.*
He lowered his hands. Rin Nohara gradually began to stir awake.
"Rin, are you alright?" Kakashi crouched beside her and asked urgently.
"I'm fine." Rin shook her head. Right now, she felt warm all over, without even a hint of discomfort.
"I'll explain everything about Obito later, but not right now." Haruki stood and spoke. "For now, keep Rin's survival a secret. Alright, you two go take Amegakure Village. I'll go find Obito."
He gave Tsunade's cheek a gentle pinch and disappeared into the rain.
Madara Uchiha returned to the underground base with Obito in tow.
Before the massive Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, White Zetsu emerged. Of course, he didn't dare linger.
"Lord Madara, that final surge of power just now—it should have originated from the Sharingan, right?" White Zetsu looked at the sleeping Obito, recalling the eerie presence that had filled the deep crater earlier.
"Mm. Correct. Judging by its strength, it should be Mangekyo Sharingan..." Madara released Katsugen no Jutsu, returning to his frail elderly form.
Successfully completing this plan had been incredibly risky. His heart, long accustomed to calm, had pounded violently during the encounter. But fortunately, everything had settled down now, and he'd achieved his intended goal.
"A twelve-year-old awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan..." White Zetsu expressed both amazement and admiration. "Lord Madara, your judgment truly knows no equal."
Madara fell into brief contemplation. Obito's talent shouldn't have reached such heights.
It must have been that his body matured ahead of schedule.
Madara Uchiha thought of Haruki.
As a Medical Ninja, his role in accelerating Obito's growth was undeniably crucial.
Compared to the original story where he was twelve years old, both Obito's Sharingan and chakra reserves were significantly stronger now.
Perhaps this was why merely witnessing Rin's death had been enough to activate his awakening,
instead of needing to witness Kakashi killing Rin.
Madara couldn't suppress a sneer.
No matter how talented you are, Haruki, you'll end up falling straight into my plans, Madara mused.
"Let him rest—for now."
Madara did not forcefully wake Obito.
Giving him time to adapt to the transformation in his eyes would be wise.
He was simply slightly curious about the ability of those eyes.
"Lord Madara, what about the Xia Organization?"
White Zetsu gave a nod, then quickly interjected.
According to their original plan, besides Obito, they also needed to kill either Konan or Yahiko to push Nagato toward extremism, making him easier to manipulate.
But now, with Amegakure surely set to be destroyed,
their strength would grow even stronger by aligning with Konoha—making their plans increasingly difficult to carry out.
"Don't concern yourself with them for now."
After a brief pause, Madara replied. "If Obito turns out well, we can let him join the Akatsuki to handle this issue."
Time passed.
A pounding headache.
When Obito first woke up, his immediate reaction was to rub the back of his head.
It felt like someone had snuck up and cracked him over the skull with a hammer.
Looking around at the dark cave, he felt momentarily confused.
What happened?
"Why am I here? Wasn't I in the Land of Rain... Rin!"
Obito shot straight up, recalling the last scene before he lost consciousness.
"Where is Rin?! Damn it! Where am I?!"
Frantically, he searched for an exit when he turned and beheld the colossal, grotesque form of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
"What is... this thing?"
"The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path."
Madara answered coldly from behind.
"Who said that?"
Following the voice, Obito looked and saw the aged Madara impaled by nutrient tubes beneath the statue.
"Who are you? Did you bring me here? How do I get out? Rin is still down there! I need to save her!"
"Calm down, little one."
Hearing the barrage of questions fired at him like bullets, Madara shook his head and replied slowly.
...
Had it not been for the lessons in respecting elders from school, Obito really would've tried grabbing him for answers already.
Still, Madara helped cool off his overheated mind somewhat.
He sat cross-legged on the ground and took a deep breath.
His overwhelming concern for Rin caused him to overlook a critical issue.
She had carried a Diamond Kunai on her.
So did he.
That Diamond Kunai was given to them by Teacher Haruki when they joined Xia Organization.
He recalled clearly what his teacher had once told him: that the Flying Thunder God Technique was sealed within the Diamond Kunai and would activate automatically in times of danger.
Yet what he witnessed was Rin without any breath left.
That shouldn't have been possible.
Given Haruki-sensei's godlike mastery and the power of the Flying Thunder God Technique, there was no reason Rin wouldn't be saved.
Had something unexpected occurred? Or was it intentional?
In that moment, Obito achieved a rare height of mental clarity.
The key factor was his trust in Haruki.
If he wanted to harm them, there was no need for such a complicated scheme.
Besides, he wasn't stupid—he'd just let love cloud his judgment.
The education he'd received over the years made it impossible for him to follow a dark path like in the original story.
Obito recalled what had happened during his recent time with the Akatsuki Organization.
Because he was Haruki's apprentice, Jiraiya, Nagato, and others hadn't hesitated to discuss things in front of him.
He already knew about the recent leak regarding the Akatsuki's movements.
After Tsunade arrived, she brought information from Haruki.
It wasn't that there was a traitor within the Akatsuki, but rather a mysterious ninja who had given Hanzo the intelligence.
And he had seen this ninja during a previous battle.
Using only a Fire Release technique, the ninja was able to fight evenly against Tsunade's Wood Release.
His strength definitely ranked among the top in the ninja world.
At the same time, another question arose in Obito's mind.
Who had such incredible power to take him away under Tsunade's very nose?
And more importantly, why would someone go through the trouble of taking him?
Madara Uchiha looked at Obito in mild surprise.
He hadn't expected him to actually calm down so quickly.
He couldn't help but raise his evaluation of the boy slightly.
"I am Madara Uchiha."
He cut straight to the chase.
"Huh?"
Upon hearing the name, Obito immediately lost composure.
He stared wide-eyed at the elderly man who seemed like he could pass away any second.
It was hard to connect this frail old man with the image he had of Madara Uchiha.
The legendary warrior who had ended the age of chaos alongside Hashirama Senju, only to eventually fall into conflict and end up as bitter enemies fighting for life and death.
"That's impossible. Lord Madara Uchiha was killed by Hashirama Senju. That was the God of Shinobi himself—how could anyone possibly escape or deceive him?"
"Under normal circumstances, that would indeed be impossible."
Madara Uchiha didn't seem angry. He rarely spoke of past events.
"Have you ever heard of Izanagi?"
"No."
Though Obito was Haruki's apprentice, Izanagi was an ultimate Dojutsu with a tremendous cost. As merely a Chunin, he hadn't reached a level where he could access the secrets of the Uchiha Clan.
"It is a powerful forbidden jutsu used by those who possess the Sharingan. Its effect allows one to turn all negative outcomes into dreams, including death itself."
Madara raised his head and revealed his Sharingan.
"I implanted Izanagi into my right eye before fighting Hashirama. I truly died—but because of this Dojutsu, I returned from death."
Obito opened and closed his mouth wordlessly.
There was actually such a terrifying ocular technique?
It was essentially resurrection.
If what this old man claimed was true, then judging by the timeline, maybe he really was Madara Uchiha.
Thinking for a moment, he asked, "Even if you are the ancestor of the Uchiha Clan, why bring me here?"
"This is exactly what I'm going to explain next. There's a lot to say—listen carefully."
Madara grew serious.
He started from his feud with Hashirama Senju, continued to the stone tablet at Naka Shrine, and finally explained the Moon's Eye Plan.
After hearing that, Obito's mind buzzed with confusion.
He was utterly bewildered.
It felt like he was hearing a myth.
Obito was hearing many things for the first time, but the part about the Sharingan matched what he already knew.
The evolution from Three-Tomoe to Mangekyou—
he already knew that.
After all, he knew Mikoto.
But everything else seemed utterly unbelievable.
Suddenly, Madara Uchiha's mention of a vision of peace struck a strangely familiar chord.
Didn't he discuss that very idea with an old woman before?
To him, that old woman had been too extreme. Her loved ones had died tragically in war, so she came to despise it altogether and wanted to create a world without conflict.
And this so-called Moon's Eye Plan—plunging everyone into Genjutsu—by that logic, war would indeed cease.
But what was the point of such an illusionary world?
Besides, the current Konoha wasn't all that bad either.
"My time is nearly up."
Madara looked at Obito, lost in thought, and spoke slowly. "I hope you will take my place and carry out the Moon's Eye Plan. What do you think?"
"Is Rin already dead?"
Obito suddenly lifted his head and asked.
Seeing this, Madara let out a sigh.
Yet inside, joy surged through him.
Looks like Obito had taken the bait after all.
It was worth all that effort convincing him Infinite Tsukuyomi could resurrect all his loved ones.
"You didn't see it yourself?"
"..."
Obito suddenly sank down onto the ground.
His expression turned extremely heavy and sorrowful.
At this moment, he seemed possessed by Haruki, delivering the peak of his acting skills.
He deeply realized the Moon's Eye Plan was a massive and dangerous scheme.
It posed a tremendous threat not only to Konoha, but to the entire ninja world.
Haruki and others were undoubtedly powerful.
But facing the legendary Madara Uchiha and the Rinnegan, the outcome was hard to predict.
Within just a few minutes of contemplation, he conceived a bold plan.
Pretend to support Madara, go along with him—and ultimately destroy them both.
This would surely outshine Kakashi's achievements, wouldn't it?