Rabbit Princess [Gaara] [2]

☾ 77 ☽

Kakashi and Obito both pushed themselves forward, rushing toward the three teenagers before the Chakra-absorbing rods could reach them. Obito used his eyes and sent one of the rods off to his Kamui dimension while the other one hit him in his abdomen.

"Obito!" Kakashi exclaimed. "You!"

"Kakashi..." Obito responded as his old teammate, Tsukiko, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke all stared at him in shock. "You stay here a little while longer. Don't you rush to follow us!"

"Why?" Kakashi asked, taken aback by what had happened. "I thought we had both resolved to..."

"Your power is still needed here!" Obito told him.

"We need to rebuild Chakra again," said the Black Zetsu. "Mother, let's teleport to the Root Time-Space... you'll recover faster there, too,"

"Why would you do this for someone useless like me?" Kakashi demanded.

"Never mind that, Kakashi, be wary of the enemy," Obito said and Tsukiko, Naruto and Sasuke got back to their feet with Tsukiko and Naruto trying to heal Obito.

"It's totally useless, Tsukiko and Naruto," jeered Black Zetsu from Kaguya's sleeve. "He's a goner. He'll rot away like trash and die,"

"Enough, Naruto, Tsukiko," Obito agreed. "He's right. Don't waste your Chakra,"

"Why do you two sympathise with him?" asked the Black Zetsu. "He was originally your enemy, right? Then again, he's a traitor to us now. A loser on both sides. Hated and resented by friend and foe alike, with no one to call comrade or family... he's alone, with nothing left. He's lost everyone precious to him, and he can't realise his dreams. And after being used up, he's helpless at the end... he's a fool, filled with nothing but mistakes..."

"You've done nothing but –!" Naruto shouted.

"You're right..." Obito interjected. "It's an end worthy of the criminal that I am,"

All of a sudden, Sasuke rushed toward Kaguya with his Chidori but she completely dodged him, flying high up into the air as the dimension around them changed yet again – this time, they were in Kaguya's mountainous core dimension which linked all her dimensions together.

"We've been here before!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Did she change worlds again?!" Kakashi asked.

"Naruto! Tsukiko!" Sasuke called out as he activated his Susanoo. "Naruto, Tsukiko, I'll handle the diversions this time. He's beyond help. Come with me," Tsukiko and Naruto did not respond. "I'm going on ahead!"

"Damn it!" Naruto cursed. "Damn it! Damn it!"

"That's enough," Obito replied. "Thank you, Naruto, and you, Tsukiko. After fighting you, I feel like I've woken up. It was as if I saw my past self when I looked at you. And I regret what I am now. But for some reason, it also made me happy. As a kid, I would imagine myself as Hokage so often, with a strong Will of Fire. That indescribable feeling of exhilaration and anxiety...

"I think you brought that all back for me. Maybe it's because it's the end, I find myself rambling all of a sudden. A lot more suffering likely awaits you, Naruto, Tsukiko. But don't ever change and hang on to your Ninja Way. You once told me that never going back on your word is your Ninja Way, right?"

"Yeah..." Naruto replied.

"Naruto... you better... become Hokage!" Obito told him. "And you, Tsukiko, I hope you never let go of your Will of Fire. And keep an eye on your Sensei for me, right?"

"Yeah!" agreed both Tsukiko and Naruto.

Kakashi fell to his knees as he watched end of his friend that he believed to have lost years ago, and Tsukiko looked away as Obito disappeared into dust.