The biggest troublemaker of this era was finally dealt with. Now, it was Uchiha Obito's turn.
At this moment, Obito was completely stunned. He never expected to hear so many secrets today.
"Hmm, what should I do with you? Sure, in the show, you eventually got redeemed, but… your identity is still a huge problem. How about I just kill you and be done with it?"
Ren Asakura squatted down in front of Obito, a smile of amusement on his face. Seeing that smile, Obito instinctively stepped back. Somehow, this man felt even more dangerous than Madara.
"I don't have Kotoamatsukami, so what should I do? Hmm… Maybe I should let Minato deal with you? Nah, forget it. Let's test out my gentle persuasion. If it doesn't work, well… then you'll just have to die."
Ren reached out his hand. Obito struggled, trying to avoid it. But Ren grabbed his head perfectly—as if it were meant to be in his grasp.
"Alright, let's go take a stroll in the Underworld."
In the Naruto world, the Underworld exists. The souls of the dead linger there. Through summoning rituals, one can call upon these souls—or even summon the Shinigami of the Underworld for battle. Techniques like Edo Tensei and Shiki Fūjin are based on this principle.
The Underworld is a sacred place for spirits—the living are forbidden from entering. Yet, Ren Asakura dragged Obito's soul straight into the Underworld.
Darkness surrounded them. A massive gate stood in the center. Ren walked toward it without hesitation. But just then—
A white-clad specter blocked their path. A sharp knife was clenched between its teeth.
"The living must not enter!"
Though the specter did not move its mouth, a hoarse, chilling voice echoed. This was the Shinigami of the Underworld.
"Good dogs don't block the road. Get lost."
SMACK.
Ren Asakura slapped the Shinigami away like a fly. Where did it land? Who cares—it's too dark to see anyway.
Stepping through the Underworld's gate, they entered the Pure Land.
Obito's nerves were on edge as he looked around.
"Where is this? Where are you taking me? Are you sending me to Hell to be tortured? What do I do? What do I do!?"
Ren Asakura rubbed his ears, annoyed.
"Shut up. You're so damn noisy. This is the Pure Land—the world of the dead. I brought you here so you could meet someone you've dreamed of seeing. If she can't talk sense into you, then you're staying here forever. That's my gentle persuasion—if it doesn't work, you die."
Beyond the gate, darkness still reigned. But through Ren's spiritual senses, nothing in the Pure Land could hide from him.
The River of Souls flowed slowly. The lingering spirits seemed to be waiting for something. Some of them had lost all sense of self, wandering like lost souls.
A voice echoed from the darkness.
"It's been a long time since I've seen a living person…"
A silhouette emerged.
"The Sage of Six Paths."
Ren Asakura recognized the newcomer—it was none other than the Sage of Six Paths, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo.
Hagoromo had two horns on his head, brown hair, and wore a white robe with six black tomoe markings on his chest. On his back was a red spiral symbol with nine tomoe arranged in a grid beneath it. Floating behind him were the Truth-Seeking Orbs, and in his hand, he held a black staff.
"It looks like you recognize me, outsider."
Ren wasn't surprised that his identity had been noticed—he had never tried to hide it.
"Old man, are you here to stop me?"
The Sage shook his head.
"Why would I? In fact, I'm here to help you. I have been watching you, and your actions do not conflict with my mission to protect the ninja world."
"Alright, alright, just bring out the girl this idiot has been secretly in love with. Let her talk some sense into him. Otherwise, he's staying here forever—he's too much of a problem alive."
Hagoromo sighed at Ren's bluntness but didn't argue.
"Follow me."
With the Sage leading the way, they soon found Rin.
Obito's eyes filled with emotion when he saw her face—it was just as he remembered before she died.
After all this time, he was finally seeing her again.
"Rin… is that you?"
His voice trembled as he took a shaky step toward the girl who had haunted his dreams.
Rin turned slightly, her soft voice confirming what his heart already knew.
"Obito?"
That familiar voice—it was real.
"Rin!"
Obito rushed forward and hugged her tightly.
Since he was in soul form, he had returned to the appearance of a 14-year-old boy, just as he was when she last saw him.
"Obito… does this mean you died too?"
Ren, watching the emotional reunion, rolled his eyes before cutting in.
"No, but he's about to. Because your dear friend here has been up to some real messed-up stuff. So, talk to him. If you can't change his mind, well… he might actually die for real."
Rin looked confused.
To her, Obito was still the kind, brave, and cheerful boy she once knew.
"Obito, what happened?"
Obito opened his mouth, but no words came out.
How was he supposed to tell her? That he had tried to kill his own teacher and his teacher's wife? That he had released the Nine-Tails to destroy Konoha?
There was no way he could say it.
"Oh, now you can't talk? But you had no problem doing all of it."
Ren stepped closer to Rin.
"And you are…?"
She looked at him curiously.
"Ren Asakura. A sage. Just call me Ren."
Rin gave a polite bow and smiled gently.
"I'm Rin. Well… I'm dead now."
"Yeah, yeah. Listen, girl, I've got things to do, so you handle this. Try to talk some sense into him. Oh, and while you're at it, let me show you just how much of a mess he's made."
Ren Asakura raised his hand and lightly tapped Rin's forehead with his fingertip.
In an instant, everything Obito had done in Konoha flooded into Rin's mind.
The images flashed before her eyes—everything he had done, everything he had destroyed.
Tears rolled down Rin's face.
This was her beloved Konoha, her home. The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, was her most respected teacher. The Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, Kushina Uzumaki, was her teacher's wife—someone who had always been kind to her.
More than that, Kushina had cared for Obito the most. She had adored him because he was always so full of life, always so dedicated to his comrades.
Rin still remembered the moment of her own death.
She had been carrying the Three-Tails inside her, and to prevent it from being unleashed in Konoha, she had chosen to end her own life—forcing herself into Kakashi's Raikiri.
Obito lowered his head, looking like a child who had been caught doing something terrible.
Rin, with tears in her eyes, slapped him.
"How could you? How could you do this? That was our teacher! And his child! Kushina cared about you so much! Don't you understand that a Jinchūriki dies when their Tailed Beast is extracted? Didn't you know that?"
She slapped him again.
Rin was furious.
At that moment, A voice broke through.
[Ding! Minato Namikaze has mentioned you in the chat group.]
Ren opened the chat and saw a message—it was a call for help.
He turned to Rin.
"This idiot is your problem now. If you can't change his mind, just leave him here forever. I've got things to do."
Without waiting for a response, Ren turned and vanished.
The Sage of Six Paths let out a sigh.
"To move freely between the living world and the afterlife… what a terrifying power."
Ren's eyes opened as he released his grip.
Obito's body was still breathing, but only barely—as if he were simply asleep.
If his soul never returned from the afterlife, he would remain a vegetable for the rest of his life.
°°°
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