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Chapter 83: Regretful Reflection
Normal P.O.V.
Hearts raced as everyone watched the large chakra Nine-Tailed Beast, with purple armor, form. The end of this war was drawing near. The feeling was so strong that it shook everyone to their very core. Most watched their friends and loved ones die before their eyes. Thoughts of how they would break the tragic news to their families filled their heads. One would think that these would be the last thoughts. Others would also assume that, since this was a part of the shinobi world, a world where children are recruited for acts of war from as little as 5 years old, would be used to these types of feelings. Unfortunately, those same people would be wrong in their assumptions.
Although all the occurrences are correct, the assumptions about the shinobi's feelings are not. Just because one has seen or participated in war crimes or acts of violence from a young age does not mean that they would not feel emotions of sorrow, depression, anxiety, etc. Some can accept that this is life and try to numb themselves through addictions. Others allow the tragedies of this world to consume them, effectively awakening their inner villain. And then some people never lose hope. These people are the rarest shinobis in a crowd of many.
Shinobis like Naruto, his friends, and anyone who he inspired are the ones who will make the change in this world. That is what this war was about, not one side versus the other or good verse evil: it's about peace. Each side wants to bring peace into a harsh world of death, destruction, corruption, tragedy, etc.
Each person on the battlefield knows that their world is imperfect. Some can see more flaws than most. However, this is where another comes in: how does one bring about peace? The answer is not simple, but that is why they are here. And that is why they fight. The end goal may be the same, but the idea of how to go about it is what differentiates them from each other. As Obito and Madara stated, the only way to bring true peace is to obliterate this world and begin anew. Naruto, Sasuke, all the Kages, and the rest of the Allied Shinobi Forces want to strive to make peace from their mistakes. In the end, either side is perfect, the same as this world. And, what started off as a war for peace, turned into a fight to save their lives. With the pressure of success on their minds, Naruto, Sasuke, Madara, and Obito knew that everything must come to an end… before it is too late.
Out of the corner of his eyes, Naruto could see the slight rise and fall of Sasuke's chest. Like him, hair stuck to the side of Sasuke's forehead. Sweat ran down the sides of his face, neck, and into his shirt. His mouth was slightly opened as he panted. To anyone else, Sasuke looked tired from his continuous efforts during the battle. But Naruto knew better.
Like most alphas, Naruto Uzumaki knew his mate like every inch of his body. With careful eyes, he examined Sasuke's rigid form. Black pointed ears were held back, dark hair with blue highlights seemed to stick out more than usual, long fingers flexed as he clenched and unclenched his fists, his back was hunched, his knees and stance were locked (almost as he was afraid to move), and his puffed-out tail was wrapped around his body while the end nervously flicked. These were all signs of a highly anxious Sasuke Uchiha. Normally, Naruto would carefully move closer and comfort his mate, but distance and his alpha's soothing voice were the best courses of action when Sasuke gets this.
"Hey, Sasuke," Naruto loudly whispered.
"What is it, dobe?"
"Are you alright?"
This caught Sasuke off guard. Slowly, he stood up, slightly relaxed his body, and gave a sideways glance, "Of course I am. What kind of question is that? Are you ok?"
"Not when I feel how anxious this battle is making you," Naruto calmly answered.
This caught Sasuke off again. Without thinking, Sasuke suddenly looked down and saw his posture. Embarrassed, he groaned and straightened himself out until his tail was no longer puffed out and curled around his leg, his back was straight, and his left hand was on his hip.
"Sorry," he quietly whispered.
"There's nothing to be sorry about. I told you before, it's natural for you to feel emotions like this, right? So never apologize for what or how you're feeling, especially if I'm right here," Naruto smirked.
A slight blush appeared on pale cheeks as he returned his own smirk, "Thanks. Now, are you ready to finish this bastard off?"
"Only if you are,"
"Try to keep up, dobe,"
"Whatever you're thinking of trying, I want you to know that it is too late. Nothing you try will change anything. The hole to hell is wide open. I will fill it with the moon's dreams. The time has finally come to bring about peace to this world: through its destruction," he smirked as he looked up to the blood-red moon. Then, after a moment or two, he looked back down and gestured to the sword in his hand, "Pay close attention, you two, so you can see what was it that brought the end of your demise. This is the divine blade of the Sage and the Six Paths: the Nunoboko. With this weapon, you will never defeat me!"
As he talked, Naruto used his chakra link with everyone to call his friends: the remaining Konoha 12 and Sai, towards them.
"Do you guys hear that?" Shikamaru asked as everyone looked around.
"That's Naruto-Kun! He's calling us to him." Hinata gasped.
"Yeah, he's saying he wants us to go inside of his tails?" Kiba said in confusion.
"There's no time to question! Do as he said and follow me!" Sakura commanded as she led them towards her teammates.
Everyone did as they were told and followed Sakura. When they arrived, each one jumped into the chakra tails. Sakura and Lee and Ino and Sai jumped into two of the tails together since there were 11 but only 9 tails. As they entered, Naruto's red chakra disappeared as yellow chakra cloaks appeared and Rasengans appeared.
"Listen closely, everyone. Inside every tail is a Sage Chakra Rasengan. Use these to break apart his shield!"
"Right!"
Without hesitation, each Konoha 12 member grabbed their Rasengan and jumped towards Obito.
The attack worked. As Obito thrust his shield and sword forward, the Rasengans created an opening for Naruto and Sasuke to pierce it with their flaming sword. However, as their swords collided, something strange happened.
Suddenly, Obito saw images of what his future would have been like if he had returned to the Leaf Village instead of teaming up with Madara. By his side, the current Kakashi and Obito, dressed in Konoha shinobi uniforms, stood over and cried a headstone. With wide eyes, he looked down and saw that it had Rin's name on it. Even stranger, tears fell from his eyes. Subconsciously, Obito reached up and touched them. To his surprise, the tears were warm. To his left, Kakashi gave him a sad smile with his uncovered eye closed. And, as he turned around, he saw his old friends and classmates standing behind him with the same expressions.
Above them and towards the back of the Hidden Leaf Village, Obito could see the Hokage Monument… with his face carved into it. More waves of surprise washed over him as he looked down and saw that he was dressed in Hokage attire. Everything he ever wanted, except Rin being dead, was what he saw. His dream of being Hokage, his friends, his sensei, and teammates, his old life; almost everything he had given up on flashed before his eyes… and it scared him.
"What's happening? Why… why am I seeing these images now?"
As the visions faded, Obito came back to the site of his sword being shattered. However, it was too late to save himself. Naruto and Sasuke's flaming, purple sword completely destroyed the Nunoboko and sliced through his side. Then, out of his back, the 7 Tailed-Beasts' spirits he collected were free.
"Well done, Kit. Just as I thought,"
"What just happened?" Naruto asked.
"When you sliced through him, the chakra you received from my siblings reacted to the chakra he absorbed; thus, allowing you to pull it out in one shot!"
"Alright! That means that we can still win this battle!" Naruto cheered.
"Don't get cocky, brat. Keep your guard up; we still have that damn tree to worry about,"
"Right!"
Naruto used his chakra to control his tails as they reached for the Tailed-Beasts' spirits. While Naruto handled them, the rest of the Allied Shinobi Forces continued their fight. Finally, however, Hiruzen observed what was happening and realized something.
"What is it, Lord Third?" Minato asked.
"If Naruto was able to pull the Tailed-Breasts' spirits out of Obito, then that means he's lost control over the tree. That will make things easier,"
"Ha! Don't underestimate the strength of the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki! I am the equivalent to the Six Path himself!" Obito shouted as he struggled to regain control.
Seeing Naruto in trouble, Killer B (in his Eight-Tails form) and Gaara rushed to his aid. Gaara's sand and B's tentacles helped Naruto gain more control over the Tailed-Beasts' spirits. However, Obito continued to struggle as he fought off against the two current and one former Jinchūriki. To add more assistance, Sasuke extended his chakra and formed a giant hand. Suddenly, all Allied Shinobi arrived to offer their help.
Minato, who reactivated his Nine-Tails' Chakra Mode, led the group, "Everyone! Grab ahold of my chakra!" he commanded as he extended it outwards towards everyone.
Naruto waited until everyone did as they were told before giving another command, "Alright, everyone! We do this together as one!"
Obito gasped as he watched everyone work together against him. Suddenly, visions of all Allied Shinobi appeared before him, with Naruto as their brave leader. The longer he stared, the more images appeared. Then, as he turned to look behind him, Obito noticed that no one, not even Madara was not by his side. This made him feel emotions he had not felt in years. He felt anger, frustration, and maybe even… regret?
"No! That's impossible! There's no way I could feel regret!" he quietly screamed with his fists clenched.
"You're the one who told me… that you were nothing, right?" Naruto spoke. Obito gasped as he looked up and saw his own vision in front of the young, blond fox, "But, that was wrong, wasn't it? You wanted to become Hokage, like me, right?"
Obito closed and opened his mouth several times until he finally gave up, sighed, and looked off to the side, "You're not wrong. I wanted to become the first Uchiha Hokage and make my clan and team proud of me when I was younger. But that dream ended years ago. So I threw my naïve self away~."
"Then why can I see this too?!" Naruto shouted, causing Obito to turn towards him with wide eyes again. "If that were true… then why can I see into your heart. Deep down inside, you still wanted a life like this, no? You still wanted to become Hokage. But, because of your choices, you felt that you had to give up on everything to start this war. Tell me, Obito, was it worth it? Was it worth it to cause more suffering and completely contradict your idea of peace? Or to give up on your dreams because you were tricked into believing that there was no other way? You've lied to yourself and hid the fact that you are full of regrets," When Obito didn't speak, Naruto continued, "You were Kakashi-sensei's friend, my father's subordinate, an Uchiha like Sasuke, and a Hidden Leaf shinobi with the same dream as mine. Before you chose this Path, you were all those things. You used to be somebody. But now, you're "nobody" with regrets when you don't have to,"
"What do you want with me, brat?!" Obito screamed.
Without hesitation, Naruto lifted his finger and pointed to Obito's face with a glare, "I told you already. I want to rip that mask off!"
This caused Obito to chuckle to himself, "Who is this guy?" he asked before returning his glare to Naruto, "You speak nonsense, boy. I am the person who will guide this world into its next stage. Can you not see what I am? I possess the same body as the Six Path himself. I am literally his reincarnation,"
"The only person I see before I am Obito Uchiha, former Hidden Leaf shinobi and one of the remaining members of the Uchiha Clan. When we touched earlier, our chakras mashed together, and I saw your visions and past. I know who you really are, not this persona you faked. And, from what I saw, we are no different from each other,"
"Oh yeah? And how do you figure, Naruto Uzumaki?" Obito mocked, causing Naruto's glare to intensify.
"Neither of us grew up with or knew too much of who our parents were. We both have lost people important to us. The reason both of us wanted to become Hokage was the same: to be recognized and praised by our fellow villagers and shinobi. The only thing that differs between you and me is that you can't see how contradictory you are.
You go around and spout this nonsense of peace and how chaotic this world is, but what have you done about it? Nothing. You've done nothing. You say that by ending the world, you will save it from itself. But you're wrong. You aren't saving anything, nor are you doing it for others. You're a selfish coward who is only thinking of himself. You could have become Hokage and made a difference yourself,"
Obito allowed Naruto's words to sit with him for a while before he spoke, "Naruto Uzumaki… you're right… about everything… When I saw Kakashi pierce the girl I loved: Rin, in the chest, was the day my resentment started. As you've said, although I was an Uchiha, I was seen as weak by my clan. I was an outcast. They never told me who my parents were, but they never said anything positive about them either. This led me to think that they were failures too. I was pathetic. I was the only Uchiha that needed goggles to see because my eyesight was terrible as a child. And no matter how hard I studied or trained, I was never acknowledged as an Uchiha. But when I met Kakashi, Rin, and Minato-Sensei, it changed me.
With them, I felt I had a family. I felt as if someone had given a damn about me. Even Kakashi, who was the coolest guy in my graduating class at the Academy, showed me compassion and friendship in his own way. He pushed me to become better, and in a way, I did the same for him. Unfortunately, as I fell in love with Rin, she fell in love with Kakashi. I was so angry at him. I felt that he had taken the one person I wanted away from me. I also hated how cool he used to act around her. It drew her in more, and I was left in the dirt again. That was when I decided to become Hokage.
If I was Hokage, the Uchiha Clan and Rin would have to accept and acknowledge me. I would be the strongest shinobi in the Hidden Leaf. I would be respected, cherished, and loved. I could change things for the better. But, after my accident, I let Madara fill my head with hatred and lies that I started to do to myself. I let tell you one thing though, I actually dreamed of meeting you,"
"Me? Why me?" Naruto asked.
"Because you would have been like a little brother to me. Sasuke too, and Sakura would have been like my little sister. You see, your Otousan and Okassan were like Kakashi and my parents. They helped mentor and raise us. So, naturally, I wanted to meet my little brother. Still, by the time I found out about your Okassan becoming pregnant, I had already been corrupted by Madara and plotted revenge. So, as you grew older and the Akatsuki planned to extract the Nine-Tails, I heard about the torment that you endured during your younger years.
It fueled my excitement and revenge on the Hidden Leaf. The fact that they could torment a child, especially that of the Fourth Hokage and his broad, was satisfying. I used to sneak into the village and watch your suffering. I watched almost everything they had done to you in hopes that you would be like me. In fact, I wanted you to be like me. I had planned to wait until you matured so that you would willingly come to us to exact your revenge on the Hidden Leaf. What great irony would that be?"
Naruto listened intensely with wide eyes and disbelief, "Why would you do that? What was the point? I was young and vulnerable. Hell, Kurama, the Nine-Tails, was in a physical form for the first few years of my life before he had to go back inside of me *(1). And even then, you still could have kidnapped me and done it then. Or while I was traveling with Pervy-Sage. I know he's powerful, but there was no way he could have taken all of you on with 12-year-old me at his side *(2). So what was the point of waiting until I was old enough to challenge you and win?"
"Don't you remember? Because I'm a selfish coward," Obito smirked and chuckled to himself with his hands on his hips, "As I said before, what delicious irony would it be to have the very Jinchūriki that was tormented come back to eradicate his own village willingly? But, more important than that… I wanted you to be proof that I didn't make a mistake. And, when you didn't willingly come to us, even after Sasuke left the village for Orochimaru, I became enraged. I thought to myself, how could this idiot have all these terrible things happen to him and still be this optimistic. I thought you were the biggest idiot alive for that. But I was the bigger idiot for blaming you for my mistakes,"
This time Naruto chuckled with his hands on his hips, "And you wouldn't have been the first. Hell, even Sasuke still calls me an idiot for the same reason. As I traveled with Pervy-Sage, there were times when I questioned if what I was doing was worth it. I called myself stupid, especially when I started to remember everything terrible that happened to me. For example, I recently found out I was supposed to be a dad a few years ago *(3). But I was too determined. I couldn't stop, not until I realized my dreams. Then, when I knew I was an alpha, I realized that there was more pressure on me to succeed than ever before. That's when I asked myself the tough questions.
How could I be a respected alpha if I didn't drag my stubborn mate kicking and screaming? How could I be a great leader if I didn't grow up and mature like a proper leader? Sure, I'm still the Hidden Leaf's Number One Knuckleheaded Ninja, but there is another side to me. A side where I am become a mature, strong, and determined alpha who still dreams of becoming Hokage. That's why I can't fail.
I must win the war for every shinobi who died and is still fighting. The Kages put their lives on the line daily, as they put themselves on the frontlines. I do it for my mate, our future children, and for the world of peace, we both want. We want the same thing: to keep others from suffering the way we did. I know I can't save everyone, but I would like this war to be the start of something new, something better, something that we both could be proud of. Please, won't you help me?"
Obito looked down at Naruto's outstretched hand before looking up at his bright smile. Suddenly, feelings of happiness and calm overwhelm him. Then, with a slow blink, Obito turned his back to a surprised blond-haired fox.
"So, you're to keep being a coward by abandoning everything and running away you jackass!" he angrily yelled with his fists clenched.
"Quite the opposite," Obito calmly answers with a look over his shoulder. "If you really think about it, what I'm doing is no different than a Kage's actions. In fact, I'm doing more than they ever could. With the amount of power I possess, I can give birth to our world of peace. I intend to use that power,"
"How do you plan to carry out your plan?"
As he tried to clear his mind of his past visions, Obito closed his eyes and breathed deeply, "There is no point of voluntarily treading a steep and unstable path without knowing what lies ahead. We can only be certain that we must step over the corpses of those we once cared for. But why should we do that when there is a shortcut with a fixed outcome? I intended to use my shortcut to bring about peace to this chaotic world,"
"That's the most loaded amount of bullshit I've ever heard! A true shinobi wouldn't care about shortcuts or other tricks to become powerful or successful. A true shinobi should want to learn how to navigate those challenging, uncertain paths. There will always be steep and rocky paths in our lives. What good does it do us if we take shortcuts along the way? And, if that is your line of logic, then riddle me this, how can one figure out which path is the hardest and which one is the easiest? Answer: you won't know until you walk that path yourself. Shortcuts do us more harm than good in the long run. As someone who wanted to become Hokage, you should know this!
A Hokage is someone who endures all the pain, suffering, losses, and other hardships. That's what makes them solid and great leaders! It's because of those hardships that a Hokage becomes both mentally and physically strong. That is why they are chosen as Hokage! Besides, everyone knows that there aren't shortcuts to becoming Hokage! Isn't that right, big brother?"
Those words made more visions appear in Obito's head. Suddenly, he remembered one of the last missions he had with his team. Minato took the three of them into an open field full of traps. They were supposed to be doing combat training. Instead, the goal was to work together to protect themselves and their teammates. Kakashi and guarded a defenseless Rin against a barrage of kunai and shurikens. By the time they were done, the back of Obito's hand was deeply sliced. He tried to hide it, but Rin scolded him as she bandaged his wound.
She encouraged him to follow his dreams of becoming Hokage and saving the world. She said she was always watching him and wanted to see him become the best Hokage who ever lived. So, when she died, he saw no point in pursuing that portion of his dream anymore. Thus, the day Rin died was his dream of becoming Hokage died too, another broken promise between them.
As he returned to reality, Obito continued to stare down at his hand, the same hand that Rin repeatedly bandaged during their time as teammates. More memories ran through his head as he continued to stare at his hand; all of them were of her showing him encouragement and kindness.
"Rin…" Obito inwardly whispered as he clenched his fist and willed the painful memories to disappear.
"Earlier, you told Kakashi-sensei that you would be willing to throw all of your memories and feelings about them away. But, as you became the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, you stopped that from happening, didn't you? Instead, before it could completely take you over, you wanted to preserve those memories in the end. So, you used them to give you the strength to control the beast. That's why they're still there, am I right?" Naruto waited a moment for Obito to respond. When he didn't, Naruto continued.
"I'm sorry, Obito, but I cannot allow you to continue dragging everyone down the path you chose. Despite how powerful you are, you cannot continue this path of destruction. I can promise you that it will not turn out the way you had envisioned. But what I can say is this… fight with us. Fight with us so we can stop the Infinite Tsukuyomi and Madara together. Deep down inside, there is still the old Obito Uchiha, who was the same knucklehead ninja, like me. I know he doesn't want this for our world. And, from where I'm standing, what's the point of having all this power when there's no one here to support you?
Is being alone really what you want? Or have you given up? Please, prove me and everyone else wrong. I want to bring you back to the Hidden Leaf. If you come back, I can possibly put in a good word for you with Granny Tsunade and the other Kages to lighten your punishment. You can atone for your sins and hopefully become a Hidden Leaf shinobi again. It'll make Kakashi-sensei happy, and I'd love to have an uncle for Sasuke and my children. And maybe you can show me what it's like to have an older brother? I'm sure that that is what this Rin person would want too. I'm going to ask you one more time," Naruto said as he held his hand out again, "So please, Obito Uchiha… don't run away. Join us, and we can create a world of peace together,"
Slowly, Obito reached for Naruto's outstretched hand but suddenly reached for his neck instead. Naruto gasped and gripped Obito's arm as he was choked.
"Bastard,"
"You naïve fool. I'm never siding with you," the white-haired feline glared as he tightened his grip. "You called my ideals bullshit, but you failed to hear your own bullshit, Naruto Uzumaki. You're wrong. I have no regrets about my path. I know what I chose, and you're not going to lecture me about it when you've been blind to your own!"
"I told you… I saw everything… So… don't…." Naruto glared before he balled his fist and punched Obito in the face, "keep imagining yourself as Hokage!" Naruto watched as Obito staggered backward before he continued his onslaught of punches. "The Obito that Rin wanted to watch over wasn't this pathetic excuse of a man. I may not have known her, but what I do know is that she would never look at the alpha you became with pride! Instead, she would look at you in shame!" the blond fox screamed as he emphasized his point with every punch.
While he was assaulted, more images came back to Obito's head. He watched as Rin pulled him along to meet up with Kakashi and Minato. But as they ran past him, more copies of his former teammates and sensei appeared. They called out and encouraged him to go with them. However, the voice of his younger self echoed louder. His younger self screamed at him everything that Naruto said.
"Rin wouldn't even look in my direction if she saw what I became. This isn't who she wanted me to be. She wanted me to become a proud Hokage and save the world. She believed in my dreams. She believed in me. She was proud of me. She cared for me before I became this monster,"
As these realizations formed in his head, his younger self called out to him again and grabbed his hand. But, when he looked down, he saw that it was Naruto who held his hand.
"Obito Uchiha quit wasting time and get over here!" he said as he pulled the elder feline back into reality.
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As they reentered reality, the last of the Tailed-Beast spirits were freed from Obito's body and manifested. At the same time, Obito returned to his original form and fell to the ground. Once he hit the ground and the dust cleared, all Obito could do was stare at his hand and imagine Rin's smile.
"Sorry, Rin, but I think I lost,"
With Obito defeated, Naruto and Sasuke released their current forms as they landed safely onto the ground too.
"We did it," Naruto panted with his hands on his knees.
"Good job, dobe. I knew you could do it," Sasuke smirked and panted.
"You doubted me? That's touching," Naruto teased.
"Now, I'm going to finish this bastard off,"
"Wait, Sasuke! Don't do that!" Naruto yelled as he chased after his determined mate.
Sasuke raced towards his cousin with his sword in hand. His plan was to kill Obito to also kill the Ten-Tails and be done with this war once and for all. However, before getting there, Kakashi used his Kamui jutsu to appear on top of Obito's body. This caused both boys to slide to a stop in surprise.
"Kakashi-sensei! What are you doing?!" Naruto yelled.
"I'm sorry, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. I haven't been a good teacher to any of you. I have committed too many sins and caused too much pain, including with you, Obito. Please, allow me to start atoning for them, here and now!"
"Kakashi… I'm sorry," Obito thought as he closed his eyes and breathed.
Everyone gasped as the silver wolf raised his kunai in the air before bringing it down. But, he was stopped by Minato right before he could land the killing blow.
"Sensei?" both men gasped as they looked at Minato.
"That's enough senselessness for one day, don't you think boys," the older fox male smiled. "Obito, I can tell that my sochi *(4) nagged and lectured you quite a lot. However, the person you really should be talking to is Kakashi,"
"But, sensei~."
"Kakashi, I know that you have spent a large portion of your life mourning the loss of your friends and myself. But, you should have used that time to heal instead. The same goes for both of you. However, it seems the gods have favored the three of us this day. Please, indulge me one last time as your sensei, and let's spend this time trying to heal what is broken. Naruto led everyone else to help Lord First seal Madara away as soon as possible! I will handle things here,"
"Right! Be careful!" Naruto yelled before he grabbed Sasuke's hand and turned his attention to the rest of their army.
As he watched the army head in another direction, Minato turned his two students with a look of sorrow and regret.
"Gods, thank you for gracing me with this chance to make things right again. I promise I won't leave things undone again,"
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Reference related to the beginning of the prequel, "Had It Not Been for You,"
Reference related to the ending of the prequel, "Had It Not Been for You,"
Reference Chapters 56 & 57, Naruto and Sasuke's conversation about Sasuke's abortion during the beginning part of his time with Orochimaru