Aizen said coolly, "To rescue Yahiko and Nagato, the key still lies with Seiki Shimaseki. Only by luring him away can we find an opportunity to save them!"
"That may be true," Konan frowned, "but Seiki Shimaseki is the Alliance leader. He usually remains stationed at the Alliance headquarters. Even if we manage to lure him out, with his [Flying Thunder God] and [Light Release] techniques, he could traverse the entire [shinobi no sekai] within minutes!"
"This world indeed behaves that way, but what about another world?" Aizen smiled.
"Another world?" Konan gasped.
The others couldn't help but turn to look as well, clearly curious about this "other world" Aizen mentioned.
"To be precise, a Parallel World!" Aizen explained, "I obtained some intriguing memories from the Queen of Loulan, the legendary desert kingdom. Seiki Shimaseki encountered someone from a parallel world nine years ago!"
"Parallel World!" Although Aizen's words sounded fantastical, Konan didn't doubt them in the least, exclaiming instead, "How amazing!"
"The time flow differs between these two worlds," Aizen mused, "According to the memories from the Queen, time in that world flows much slower than ours. Staying there for even a short time might equate to several years passing in our world!"
"If we can lure Seiki Shimaseki into that world, there's no way he could return in a short time!" Konan suddenly understood, then hesitated, "But how can we get Seiki Shimaseki to go to this parallel world?"
Smiling, Aizen explained, "Earlier, I deliberately caused chaos in Konoha, so they're definitely wary of me now. If news suddenly broke about me heading into the parallel world, Seiki Shimaseki wouldn't likely allow me to disrupt that world! After all, that world probably has its own [Ten-Tails] (the mythical ten-tailed beast)!"
Konan clenched her fist, "Going to another world sounds extremely dangerous! We should think of safer methods!"
Aizen shook his head slightly, "If my only goal was rescuing Nagato and Yahiko, I actually have some confidence doing it alone. But would that really work? They'd never escape Seiki Shimaseki's pursuit! The only permanent solution is to trap him in that world forever!"
Upon hearing this, Konan hesitated.
Although their positions were opposed, they still retained the original kindness in their hearts.
Seiki Shimaseki himself was the same. With the true strength he'd displayed, even the [Ten-Tails] couldn't resist him, yet he still agreed to Nagato's request, allowing them a chance to escape.
Under these circumstances, would exiling him to that other world be going too far?
"Perhaps we, who have no place in this world, are the ones who truly should remain in that world?"
Coming to a decision, Konan spoke firmly, "Uncle, let me go with you!"
Aizen raised an eyebrow in mild surprise, "You're not planning to stay in this world and take this opportunity to rescue Yahiko and Nagato?"
Konan pursed her lips, "I've thought it through. Even with the entire Alliance's strength, without Seiki Shimaseki here, rescuing them would still be difficult. Rather than wasting time in this world, searching for an opportunity in another world seems better!"
Aizen hesitated for a moment. "Since you've made your decision, I won't stop you. Just try to prepare well in the next few days!"
...
The next day, in Konoha.
"What's... going on with me?" Rin opened her eyes groggily. A sharp pain pierced her head as memories from before her slumber gradually resurfaced.
Hearing Rin's soft murmur, the two people guarding the ice coffin felt like they were hearing heavenly music. They rushed forward excitedly, completely disregarding the coldness of the coffin as they pressed themselves against its wall.
"Rin, you're finally awake!"
"Thank goodness, thank goodness!"
Hearing voices that sounded strangely familiar, Rin suddenly recalled the last thing she'd seen. She blurted out, "Kakashi, run quickly!"
Kakashi felt a warmth in his heart and hurriedly comforted her, "Don't worry. It's all over. Everything is finished!"
Obito's expression darkened.
Though bitterness surged within him, his feeling was mostly guilt—"If it hadn't been for me, Rin could've awoken four years ago. Maybe I should just quietly leave!"
Just then, a soft, tender voice pulled him back from his self-reproach.
Rin asked in disbelief, "You... you're Obito?"
Obito nodded repeatedly in ecstatic joy, instantly forgetting his earlier resolution, "Yes! Yes, it's me!"
"Obito, it's so good to see you. Unfortunately, it's a reunion in Yomi (the underworld)!" Rin sighed.
Kakashi couldn't help but laugh, "No, we're not in Yomi. All of us are still alive!"
"All of us are alive!" Rin exclaimed in surprise, then finally noticed something strange.
"Where am I? It's so cold! And you guys, why do you seem so much older?"
"Feeling cold?" Obito hurriedly said. "Come out first, Rin. This is upperclassman's Ice Release!"
Rin moved her stiff body and sat up, only now realizing she had been lying in a coffin.
Looking around, she saw her upperclassman and the others standing nearby watching her, and they looked quite different too.
"What... what exactly is going on?" Rin's mind felt dizzy.
"Rin, you must stay calm after hearing this." Kakashi took a deep breath. "Actually, you've been in a deep coma for eight years!"
Then, Kakashi explained some of the major events that had happened over these years.
Rin opened her mouth in astonishment, "So much... actually happened!"
"The evil organization that tried to destroy the world... and how the upperclassman formed an Alliance to defeat it and even led the Alliance... each of these events truly feels like a dream!"
Looking somewhat worried, Obito asked, "Rin, are you okay?"
"What could be wrong with me? Just being alive is already very lucky..." Rin said, then shook her head. "Actually, rather than lucky, I should be thanking everyone for what you've done for me!"
"Really, thank you all so much!"
Seeing that Rin wasn't disheartened by her eight-year slumber or unfamiliar with the world, everyone finally relaxed and laughed joyfully.
"Rin, welcome back to the team!"
"Haha, we can all be together again from now on!"
Smiling brightly, Rin nodded firmly, "Yes yes, we'll never separate again!"
Obito's smile faded. "Sorry, Rin... I might have to break my promise this time."
Rin tilted her head in confusion. "Obito, what's wrong with you?"
Although Kakashi had mentioned many important events, he never brought up anything related to Obito.
Therefore, she had no idea what Obito was about to face.
Obito didn't answer. He just shook his head slightly and walked toward Seiki with a relaxed smile. "Senior, I have no regrets now. Go ahead and take me for trial!"
"Trial?" Rin couldn't help but ask. "What exactly is going on?"
With shame evident in his posture, Obito lowered his head. "That organization out to destroy the world... I was the one who set it all in motion!"
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