"No way! The Obito I know would never be like that!" Rin exclaimed in disbelief, shaking her head. Then, her voice filled with hope, she asked, "It must be someone framing you, right?"
Obito kept his head lowered, unable to face her. The more trust Rin placed in him, the more ashamed he felt.
"No one framed me. I really am an awful, despicable scum!"
"Don't say that," Kakashi tried to reason. "You were just a pawn deceived and manipulated by Madara Uchiha. You're stupid, not evil!"
Obito's lips twitched. Somehow Kakashi's words felt more like an insult.
"Even though I was used by him, every decision was ultimately mine! Including controlling the Mist Village, escalating the war, and taking revenge on Minato-sensei's family—it was all my own doing!"
Rin couldn't help but interrupt, "Wait, why would you want to revenge Minato-sensei?"
"Because... because Minato-sensei couldn't save you, yet he still became Hokage..." Obito's voice grew softer until it was barely audible.
Rin couldn't believe her ears. She had thought her time asleep was nothing more than a simple nap.
She thought everyone was still the same as she remembered, except they looked a little different. So why had everything turned out like this?
The silent pressure was almost crushing Obito. Quietly, he lifted his head and looked pleadingly at Seiki.
"Senpai, let's leave quickly!"
Seiki gave a slight nod and started walking out. "Come with me."
Rin, however, stayed rooted in place.
"Kakashi, could you tell me everything that happened during the time I was asleep?"
Kakashi sighed and nodded. "Then let me start from when you 'died' and Senpai led us to pursue the Third Mizukage..."
After leaving the basement like refugees, Obito let out a sigh of relief. "Finally out!"
Seiki looked at him. "You always wanted to resurrect Rin, and now that she's awake, why are you afraid to talk to her?"
Obito opened his mouth, started to speak, then paused, and finally sighed. "Actually, I shouldn't have come. It would have been better if the name Obito remained in Rin's memory!"
"What are you thinking?" Guy patted his shoulder. "Even if you didn't come, Rin would eventually learn about your misdeeds from others!"
Obito couldn't help feeling disheartened. "Guess that's true."
Then, looking hopefully at Seiki, Obito said, "Senpai, quickly pass judgment on me!"
At this point, he only wished for a swift death before Rin's impression of him was completely shattered.
After all, in the shinobi no sekai, forgiveness often follows death.
"If he dies, maybe Rin's memory of me can remain as it once was?"
"Justice must follow order!" Seiki slightly shook his head. "Come on, first we need to gather everyone in the grand hall!"
...
New Cloud Village.
Dodai said solemnly, "Raikage-sama, we must be wary of Konoha permanently holding onto leadership. We must prepare ourselves in advance!"
A rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I don't think so. I believe Seiki is not that kind of person!"
Dodai sighed. "Of course I believe in Leader-sama's character, but who knows what Konoha's folks are thinking. We joined the Alliance because of Leader-sama—not Konoha!"
A paused in thought. "Then what do you think we should do?"
Dodai analyzed, "First, confirm that Leader-sama's status stands above all the great ninja villages. Based on that, persuade the Leader to resign from being Hokage, thereby separating the Leader from Hidden Leaf. Then, propose that the position of the second be openly elected..."
At that moment, a Jonin rushed in urgently. "Raikage-sama, Leader-sama has invited you to attend the Alliance's first official meeting!"
Dodai took a deep breath. "Raikage-sama, this meeting is most likely called by Leader-sama to establish the foundation of the Alliance—it's also our opportunity!"
...
New Iwagakure Village.
"The Alliance's first official meeting? The trials of those war criminals will probably be held during this meeting too, right?" Kitsuchi said, his voice sharp with anger. "We must make sure those bastards from the Akatsuki are all sentenced to death!"
Onoki, however, had a calm expression. "Let things take their natural course. Whatever judgment they receive no longer concerns us."
"How can it not concern us?" Kitsuchi widened his eyes. "Those bastards caused our Iwagakure to suffer two devastating defeats!"
Onoki shook his head slightly. "Regardless of that, Aizen was planning to save people. What if they die because of our attitude, and their allies come seeking revenge on us?"
Kitsuchi waved his hand dismissively. "With Leader-sama around, would any rogue like him dare come in?"
Onoki sighed deeply. "What if he harbors ill intentions toward us as well?"
Kitsuchi let out an 'Ah!' sound, asking uncertainly. "You mean, Leader-sama doesn't want them to die?"
"Who knows?" Onoki said gravely. "But those three members of the Akatsuki all have either direct or indirect connections with him. If we truly offend him because of this, do you think he might deliberately delay for a second or two when enemies attack?"
Kitsuchi felt a chill run through him. Indeed, a one or two-second delay wouldn't be unreasonable, but for them, that difference of a second could mean total disaster!
Onoki concluded, "In any case, Mist's hatred for the Akatsuki isn't smaller than ours. Let them take revenge!"
...
New Kiri Village.
Mei Terumi said solemnly, "Leave revenge to Iwa. They've always been rough around the edges anyway."
Ao voiced concern. "But what if Iwa also chooses to stay out of it?"
Mei Terumi glared, then sighed. "Then everyone just keeps quiet and believes that Leader-sama will give us an explanation!"
...
New Sunagakure Village.
"The stance at the meeting?" Rasa gave a meaningful glance. "Do I even need to say it? What our stance was before, that's what it remains now!"
The Jonin instantly understood—they had to stay firmly by Leader-sama's side, no matter what.
...
Not long after, the leaders from each village gathered in the grand hall.
The number of participants invited to this meeting was enormous, with at least ten seats allocated to each ninja village.
Six to seven hundred people filled the conference hall, their overlapping voices creating a noisy, chaotic atmosphere.
"I heard Leader-sama intends to finalize the Alliance's structure in this meeting!"
"I heard the meeting is mainly about the trials for war criminals?"
"Maybe both. This is, after all, the first official Alliance meeting since the war ended!"
"Sigh, I wonder if Small Ninja Villages like ours will have any say in this?"
Soon, the voices quieted down.
It was Seiki who stepped onto the stage. "Everyone, I won't waste time with formalities. Let's get straight to the point. Today's conference is mainly about determining several key directions!"
"Firstly, the leadership structure of the Alliance. My proposal is to establish a Ten-Elder Council beneath Leader-sama, with each Elder selected by their respective village. But each ninja village may only contribute one Elder!"
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
Want to read the subsequent content in advance?
Please follow my Patreon:patreon/Tansnovel
Tans Novel - The Fastest-Updating Naruto Fanfiction Account
Read 100+ chapters in advance, with at least 3 new chapters updated every day! More free chapters! 20+ Naruto fanfictions!
Just three steps:
1. Download and open the "Patreon" app
2. Search for "Tans Novel"
3. Click on the collection and enjoy to your heart's content
<><><><><><><><>