CHAPTER 3

Obito stared at a lifeless body. It was covered in nothing but white cloth. He ensured to stick to the protocol; maintaining the dead must be properly handled and not to be tampered with. The older the body, the more fragile it would get.

He used his Sharingan to monitor any damage.

So far, there was none.

He thanked the Gods that he was blessed with the space-time jutsu – the ability to teleport to wherever and whenever he pleases. In this dimension, time did not flow well. Hence why he stored this body – along with the others – here. The dimension itself has helped to delay the decomposition and maintained its freshness.

He moved closer and gently touched its cheek with his fingertip. He did nothing more.

What were the odds? he wondered.

This project of his should have been completed by now. Unfortunately, it did not go as what he had planned. Too many of his pawns both defeated and killed in action – one after another. Deidara was the first to go; defeated by an unworthy act of self-inflicted suicide bomb that did not manage to kill anyone but himself. Uchiha Itachi was next. He was a talented shinobi, whose life was conflicted between choosing the village or the Uchiha clan. His choice was, undebatable, the most interesting one. The tragic act of annihilating his own clan costed him to be pursued and killed by his own brother – Sasuke.

Yet, there was an ulterior motive behind this, and Obito knew it all too well. Helping with the massacre was no issue as he was able to harvest hundreds of Sharingan that night. However, Itachi's allegiance to the village instead of his own blood clan told him enough that the shinobi was a spy for Konoha. Meaning, the village knew about his existence and threats. Having an Uchiha in the Akatsuki was troublesome but having a village to monitor his whereabouts was a pain in the ass. He had to be careful and calculative in his every move; always on the edge in every decision so that it did not get in the way of his plan.

Then, there was Nagato – his most powerful puppet whom he had high expectation of. The gift of Rinnegan and his pain were enough to defeat his enemy in a snap of the fingers. Yet instead of collecting the nine-tailed beast, that idiot used the Gedō: Rinne Tensei no Jutsu to revive the people of Konoha – a technique that was meant for his plan. He could have revived these bodies if it was not for that talkative blond shinobi.

A betrayal could only mean one thing – a change of heart.

His eyes lingered on the body again.

It will be soon, he promised before activating his jutsu to return to what he believed was a fake reality.

He sensed someone in his studies; someone of pink hair with features of stubbornness and rage in her green eyes. He grinned at the thoughts of her glares; amused by the anger she was giving him. The girl believed that she could defeat him. More reason for him to mess her around as much as he did on Sasuke. Unfortunately, there was fine line he would not rather cross.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the basement now?" he asked as he collected his gloves from his desk, unmindful by her silent threats.

"He summons for you," she informed.

"That's not the reason you're here. He could've sent Zetsu up. Instead, you will yourself to climb several floors and waste your energy just to inform me this. Speak now, or it forever holds you in regret."

"You don't trust him."

Here it is, yet again, he smirked at the idea that the pink-headed kunoichi believed that she could manipulate and break down his walls.

"Of course, I don't trust him," he agreed, "he is my backstabbing ally."

"Allies don't backstab their comrades," she countered.

"On the contrary, my dear, they actually do. People will do many such things in the name of their desires. What of Nagato or your precious Sasuke?" He lifted her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. "And what of you? Do I have to remind you that you're the one who turned your back on Konoha and the Shinobi Alliance five years ago?"

"I did it to protect them," she furiously claimed.

"Call it whatever you want, but a betrayal is still a betrayal – doesn't matter what form it takes. In this world of shinobi, greed is absolute. It defines who we truly are. Betrayal is an expectation; only fools fail to see what is coming for them."

He wiped off a single teardrop on her cheek with his index finger.

"Did my words hurt you so?"

She did not answer and chose to walk away instead. He gripped her arm and pulled her back.

"I'm not finished with you. Who is them? Konoha? The Shinobi Alliance? I don't believe a single crap about you wanting to protect them or care about them. No, I know you well enough that you're here because of those two boys you've left behind. Maybe it's that young Uchiha Sasuke." He paused for a while to study that cold and contempt expression of hers. "You know of his truth and suffering – especially about his brother. Do you know that he has the rights to destroy Konoha?"

"He wouldn't…"

He caught a moment of pain in her whispered voice – probably guilt.

"Yet he could. The only thing that stops Sasuke from destroying Konoha is because of his brother's will and love for the village over his clan. Remove that and he could destroy everything – the people, the Will of Fire, and even that Jinchuriki named Naruto. It's just a moment of time until he snaps."

"I refuse to believe in your crap too. I doubt the reason you're doing all of these for us. It's never about wanting to control and save the entire world, isn't it? It's not about us because you don't give a damn about us," she fearlessly countered despite her eyes filled with raging tears. "No, it's about Rin. You're willing to throw everything that is good in this world for her. You're willing to change the course of time to an alternate one so that she can live. It's not the world that you want to save. It's her; it'll always be about her. That's your true intention, isn't it?"

"Don't talk as if you know her."

"Then don't talk as if you know about me, Naruto or Sasuke-kun!" she spatted. "Look at yourself before you judge others. You and I, we have something in common. We both did what we believed is right. We betrayed our village and pursued our greed for the cause of our dear ones. So, let that sink in before you find fault on others."

There were moments when he tempted to put her down with his genjutsu. This was one of them. Yet such attempt would be useless because genjutsu would not work on her.

"You're an interesting creature, my dear." He palmed her cheeks, his gloved fingers caressing her smooth skin. She dared him to stare into her eyes again; eyes that were so green one could confuse its earthly with turquoise colour. "Why do like to torment yourself just to challenge me? Is this your way of getting something out of me? Perhaps this is your guilty pleasure, no? For far too long, I am without a woman. If this is your habit, then you're my entertainment."

In an instant, the pink-headed kunoichi slapped his face. He let her because he truly deserved it. There was a fine line he was not willing to cross.

"A typical naïve of you, but my thoughts of pleasuring a woman is limited for one; and she's not in this world."

He smiled a devilish smile, leaving her dumbfounded and lost at her own words.

"I – I'll never understand you. Even in her death, how could you love her still? This undying love for her… I don't understand it. You and your puzzle words."

He walked out of his study room and through the poorly lit hallway. She followed closely behind.

"There isn't need to…" he paused and turned to face her again. "There comes a time in every life when one reaches a crossroad; one must answer from the heart's desire and choose between these two paths. Where words may have failed you, your actions will define you because they speak from the heart – loud and clear. And when you finally answer that question in your heart, are you willing to do anything to bring back the one who will be designated to die?"

"Designated?"

He moved closer and whispered in her ear.

"The moment you answered your heart and made your decision, it will be all too late. He will have your precious killed. Death is inevitable for those who betray him. By now, you should know that the question is never about why or what; it's about who matters most to you – Uchiha Sasuke or…"

His words lingered.

"… Uzumaki Naruto."