Uchiha Madara really didn't expect it, despite having aged to this point, this distant descendant, Uchiha Obito, managed to recognize him...
At that moment, Obito's mind was spinning wildly, trying to recall the last fragments of his memory: clashing with the Third Tsuchikage, fleeing desperately, finally being sealed into the earth by Onoki...
That was the end of his memories.
Crushed as if he had been embedded in cement, he instantly lost consciousness due to the pressure.
Even if Onoki didn't use Dust Release, Obito would have died in a matter of minutes...
The body of a shinobi without special training or modifications remains fragile.
"A ghost who longs for peace?" Obito muttered in bewilderment, repeating Madara's words. He tried to sit up to speak better but soon realized that he only had one arm left and that he couldn't move the lower half of his body.
"What the...! How did I end up like this?" he exclaimed, his Sharingan instantly activating. Fear flashed in his eyes as he looked at Madara in desperation. "Tell me what happened!"
Madara nodded slightly and replied in a deep voice, "You are a lucky child. I picked you up from a battlefield in a broken state... you could say I saved your life."
"Thank you!" Obito hastily interrupted his words, alarmed. "What happened to the war? Tell me, did Konoha win?!"
There was another sentence that Obito wanted to say, but he couldn't ask Uchiha Madara.
Rin, is she still alive?
This question lingered in Obito's mind, making him unable to calm down for a long time...
Judging by the situation on the battlefield, Iwagakure had an overwhelming advantage over Konoha. The lack of elite shinobi left the village defenseless against Onoki, who even had time to find an ordinary ninja like himself...
"Many people died." Madara said concisely. "Wars are like that. This shinobi world is like that too. Even if some survive today, they will die tomorrow. In this endless cycle of hatred, no one can escape suffering."
Obito tried to get up but fell out of bed with a thud.
Without his limbs, he could only crawl with difficulty on the ground. "I have to go back! I have to save Rin!"
Underground, Black Zetsu watched this scene silently with a complicated look.
For some reason, a strange sense of déjà vu emerged in its heart...
Obito was like him. Both were willing to challenge everything to revive or save the person in their hearts, without considering their own strength or the obstacles ahead.
"With that state you're in, what could you possibly accomplish?" Madara watched him coldly as Obito crawled across the ground. "I saved your life, don't you think you should return the favor first?"
Obito raised his head to look at the legendary Uchiha. He nodded determinedly. "You saved me. I will find a way to reward you."
Madara stared at him and then let out a cold laugh.
In Obito's eyes he detected only superficial gratitude.
It was evident that, upon recognizing him, the young man had already developed a strong caution.
'He's like an ungrateful wolf... But I'm the hunter.' Madara instantly understood what kind of person Obito was.
"There's no need to thank me," Madara continued, sitting down in his chair before crossing his arms and staring at him. "I saved you because I saw in you the same stupidity and daring that I had when I still had naive fantasies about this shinobi world."
"Uchiha Obito, I have found a way to bring peace to the world. A method that will eliminate all wars and suffering. I want you to be my successor, my spokesperson. The savior of this world!"
Obito, still on the ground, was left dumbfounded.
He had heard a lot about the story of Uchiha Madara from Uchiha Setsuna, and knew that this was a decisive, cold and powerful ancestor, and was an Uchiha known as Shura...
But Uchiha Obito looked at Uchiha Madara at this moment and felt that this was just an old man who seemed to be demented and was daydreaming!
Was he made stupid by the first Hokage? That's why he hid in the cave and lived in seclusion. He was about to die and then he found a clansman to go crazy on?
'First, I have to play along... the most important thing is to survive.'
Obito adopted an attentive listening attitude, while Kazuki's image appeared in his mind.
If Kazuki was in his situation, what would he do?
After thinking of Kazuki, Obito felt inexplicably calmed down, and his mind began to work calmly.
If Madara had saved him and was talking about making him a savior, then there was no point in leaving him as a useless cripple, right?
The smart thing to do was to use his power to heal his body, regain his mobility, and then return to the village.
As absurd as the situation of meeting Madara was, Obito was certain that Kazuki would believe him.
After all, Kazuki was his best friend. They had been through difficult times together, overcome misunderstandings, and forged an unbreakable bond.
However, when he thought of Uchiha Rin—not even knowing if she was alive or dead—he felt a hollow in his chest.
If Rin had died, then... his eyes burned, as if they were about to explode, and a burning desire to destroy everything began to rise within him.
'No... Rin isn't dead. She can't be dead.' He kept telling himself, clinging to that idea.
If Rin was alive, then Obito didn't care about being a savior at all. He just wanted to hug her, lie on the couch with her, and talk about any nonsense. The rest of the world didn't matter to him.
"If I have to become the savior... I will." Obito nodded, although in his mind he couldn't disagree more with those words.
Madara scoffed. It wasn't hard for him to see through Obito's charade.
"First of all, you need to regain your ability as a ninja." Madara shook his head and continued, "You say you have valuable things in your life, right? But don't you realize that this cruel world will take it all away from you and burn it to ashes?"
"The longer I live, the more I realize that reality is nothing but suffering, pain and loneliness."
"Listen to me carefully, Obito. Everything in this world follows the same pattern: where there is light, there is darkness. Where there are winners, there are losers. Where there is love and protection, hatred is inevitably born."
"When you kill an enemy in the name of peace, the love you feel for your own generates hatred in those you have caused a loss. That hatred spreads, multiplies, turns into revenge, and when that revenge takes away what you love... the cycle begins again, even more intense."
"It's a spiral that can't be broken." Madara looked at him intently. "Tell me, Obito, do you have anyone important in your life?"
"I... I have it." Obito felt his mind cloud over at those words.
For a moment, Obito thought his words seemed reasonable. But as soon as he remembered Rin's smile, he immediately shook off those thoughts.
So what if he's right?
There are many other people who could be that 'savior'. Why would it have to be him?
Well... unless Rin wanted him to be. Then maybe...
"Tell me, if someone were to kill that person so important to you, would you forgive him?" Madara's tone turned cold. "No. You would seek revenge. You would do everything possible to finish him off in the cruelest way possible. Am I wrong?"
Obito couldn't help but imagine that scene.
If someone murdered Rin...
Even if Kazuki tried to stop him, he would do everything in his power to find and kill the person responsible.
Unconsciously, he nodded.
Madara sighed regretfully. "Everyone is the same. Don't underestimate the love of others..."
"From childhood, every shinobi village teaches how to kill. Precision and brutality are rewarded, and those who kill with the greatest skill are glorified. Where do you think this world is headed, if the only talent cultivated is the ability to kill?"
Madara looked at him coldly. "Look at yourself, a genius of the Uchiha. What else do you know how to do besides kill? What is your purpose in this world, if not to spread hatred and tear away the love of others?"
"That's the reality of the shinobi world."
Obito's heart skipped a beat. He knew that what Madara was saying was flawed, but... how could he refute it?
If Kazuki were here, he would surely find a way to shut the old man up.
Obito clenched his fists and still tried to refute him. "No. If I become strong enough, I can protect what I love."
Madara smirked. "So tell me, Obito... have you protected it?"
Madara stood up and slowly walked to Obito's side, looking down at him condescendingly. "I and Hashirama were the most powerful ninja of our time. But we couldn't even protect what we loved most."
"Tell me, what makes you think you'll make it?"
"Are you stronger than us? Or do you just think you'll be luckier?"
Obito looked away.
He had never seen Madara in his prime, but the mere presence of that old man made him feel an unbearable weight on his shoulders.
And the worst of all was that...
There was something in Madara's words that made him fear that Rin really was in danger.
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