Naruto, born from the world of his parents.

Obito Uchiha was standing under a bright ray of sunshine.

Although the sun was setting and had turned a yellowish-orange, and the temperature was no longer as scorching as at midday, the streets bustling with people were still incredibly warm.

Despite the warmth, Obito felt an inexplicable dampness.

The warmth between Rin and Kakashi made him feel like a rat in a sewer, peering through iron bars at a happiness that didn't belong to him.

That indescribable bitterness made Obito feel waves of pain in his heart, but he ultimately did not step forward, but simply waited quietly for this torture called happiness to end.

After all, he missed that opportunity.

Obito's eyes were vacant, as if he had returned to the village outside that year.

That year, Rin was kidnapped by a group of Hidden Mist Villagers. Upon learning the news, Obito disregarded his previous injuries and forcibly escaped from the hospital to rescue her.

On the way to the rescue, he happened to encounter Kakashi, who was leading a team to pursue Kirigakure.

Thinking of this, a trace of pain flashed in Obito's eyes. It was the most regrettable experience of his life, even more so than the near-death experience he had with Kannabe.

On that occasion, driven by passion and disregarding the consequences, he ultimately paid the heaviest price in his life for his recklessness.

He lost Lin completely.

Although the teacher appeared just in time to seal the Three-Tails inside Rin just as she was about to go berserk, making Rin the Three-Tails' jinchūriki, this crisis was successfully turned into an opportunity.

However, Obito still couldn't forgive himself, so he chose to quit, not only because of his feelings for Rin, but also because of his ninja career.

After that incident, Obito chose to give up his ninja career and return to the Ninja Academy.

At school, the children's enthusiasm gradually rekindled his despondency. Just as he mustered the courage to reappear by Rin's side, he saw Rin holding Kakashi's hand.

Thinking of this, Obito felt even more pained, but looking at the light of happiness in Rin's eyes not far away, he still sighed deeply in his heart.

After so many years of getting used to it, Obito had gradually accepted this fact, but he had only accepted it, not moved on from it.

Countless times in the dead of night, he longed to return to that moment, to wish he hadn't been so reckless, to wish he had made the right decision.

If, if, this is truly the cruelest word ever invented by humankind. It is not an incredibly vivid expression of pain, nor can it directly provide the sensory experience of words like pain, cruelty, or heart-wrenching.

But it's like a gentle whirlpool, repeatedly bringing your soul back to the moment of your deepest regret, only to then tell you with the cruelest reality that you can't do anything about it.

"Want that girl? It's simple, just..."

"Shut up."

Upon hearing that strange voice ring out in his ears again, Obito Uchiha's eyes suddenly turned as cold as knives.

When his gaze swept over Lin Zheng's eyes, that coldness instantly transformed into a deep tenderness and happiness.

"Obito, are you laughing at us?"

Listening to the girl's coquettish voice, 27-year-old Obito felt as if he had returned to the year when he was seven.

He flashed his signature goofy grin, scratched the back of his head, and chuckled as he replied, "No, it just feels good to see that you two still have such a good relationship."

"Hmph, who would want to be friends with someone who reads such disreputable books all day!"

Lin snorted and turned her head away: "Hey, have you booked the barbecue restaurant yet?"

Upon hearing Rin's question, Kakashi quickly replied, "Of course, of course, after all, Rin already mentioned it yesterday."

"That's more like it, hurry up and go!"

Lin raised her fist and shouted, "Class 7 reunion, go go go!"

As a Jinchūriki and a direct disciple of Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, Rin still retains a childlike innocence.

Of course, this naiveté is only shown to those most familiar with her.

"Okay, go go go."

Kakashi, somewhat helplessly, mimicked Rin's actions and repeated what she said.

After saying that, the two of them looked at Obito at the same time.

Looking into his old friend's eyes, Obito smiled with utmost sincerity, raised his fist high, and shouted almost like a roar, "Go go go! For friendship!!!"

The shout startled the people on the street, including Kakashi and Rin. They froze for a moment, then grabbed Obito and ran away as if fleeing.

Looking at Kakashi clinging to his arm, and Rin standing awkwardly beside Kakashi, Obito laughed with immense joy.

He thought to himself with immense joy.

"Yes, that's it. As long as it's like this, that's enough."

In the Hokage's office, in a scroll at the very back of the desk.

The shadowy figure, sealed away for over a decade, now displayed undisguised rage.

Thinking of that stupid Uchiha's cold "Shut up" just now.

Black Zetsu was even more furious.

Ever since he was sealed away by that damned Minato Namikaze more than a decade ago, he has never stopped striving for freedom.

For the sake of his own plans, he mostly targeted the Uchiha clan.

but.

Black Zetsu could never have imagined that the Uchiha clan, who used to be so easy to fool, would become so difficult to deal with now!

As the head of the Uchiha clan, it's one thing for him to be a dog who only wants to become the Hokage, but why is that child whose talent might not be inferior to Madara's also like that?

The thought of seeing those two people's unwavering respect for Minato Namikaze, that bastard, in the office occasionally filled Black Zetsu with an indescribable nausea.

Is this still the Uchiha clan? Where did the Uchiha's inherited madness and arrogance go?

Besides these two, Black Zetsu also had no interest in the other talented Uchiha.

If these two still possessed some of the spirit of the Uchiha clan, then the man named Shisui was practically a carbon copy of Minato Namikaze.

With the same disgusting smile and the same mastery of space-time ninjutsu, Black Zetsu had no interest in this Uchiha who was essentially the second Minato.

From beginning to end, his only target was Obito, a guy who not only awakened the Uchiha's potential but was also incredibly foolish. In Black Zetsu's eyes, Obito was the perfect executor of his plan.

But now, this idiot has actually rejected me?!

Black Zetsu had never encountered such a situation in over a thousand years. He could clearly see that Obito liked Rin and knew that Obito wanted to have Rin, but he just couldn't understand why Obito would reject him.

Moreover, unlike the ambiguous rejections of the past, this was a rare and extremely firm rejection.

This attitude made Jue Yi hesitate to take action for a while.

He was genuinely afraid that this Uchiha might impulsively go to see a doctor and reveal his secret.

If that horrible bastard Minato Namikaze finds out, he will lose this last bit of freedom that allows him to transmit his consciousness.

Thinking of this, Black Jue's already dark complexion darkened even further.

"Damn it! How on earth did Minato Namikaze even notice me???"