Forced to sell misery

Pausing, Obito looked at Naruto, who was staring at him with scarlet beast-like pupils, and suddenly laughed.

That hateful look...

He actually belongs to the son of the Fourth Hokage Minato... How ridiculous!

"Be quiet. Although I intend to extract the Nine-Tails from your body, it will be very troublesome if the Nine-Tails is really released from the seal."

Obito formed a seal, and in an instant, wooden sticks extending from the ground wrapped around Naruto.

The Nine-Tails' chakra on the surface of his body was absorbed and Naruto fell into a coma.

The Nine-Tailed Fox has been captured...what an unexpected gain.

Obito picked up Naruto and was about to use Kamui to leave.

"Don't even think about it!"

Several kunai were shot over and pierced through Obito's hollow body again.

"Who is it again?" Kamui's transmission was interrupted again, and Obito became angry. He turned around and saw someone who surprised him, Zero.

"Uchiha, Sasuke?"

"Give Naruto back...!" Sasuke knelt on one knee on the ground to support his body, looking at Obito while panting.

Squinting his eyes at Sasuke who was having a hard time even getting up, Obito was a little curious, "Why are you so obsessed with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?"

"Because..." Sasuke lowered his head, supported the ground with trembling hands, and stood up shakily little by little.

"Because, Naruto... Naruto is mine..."

Sasuke raised his head, revealing a scarlet hexagram in his pupils—

"My most important...comrade!"

Those eyes——Mangekyo Sharingan? !

Obito was shocked.

"Are you kidding?" Obito suddenly burst into laughter.

One is Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki brat, and the other is Uchiha's genius...

The two had only ever met at school—companions? What idiotic talk?

"It seems that you are also a fool who has been brainwashed by those false lies--"

Seeing Obito suddenly appear in front of him, Sasuke's pupils trembled...

So fast!

The eyes can catch it, but the body...can't react at all!

"The so-called will of fire is all lies!" He punched Sasuke in the abdomen, and Obito's expression was terrifying.

——It was only because of the mask that it could not be seen, but the voice full of resentment was clearly audible——

“What companions, what bonds—such meaningless things should be severed!”

Just like... the past that I cut off...

"So what if you can activate the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan?"

Obito walked towards Sasuke, looking down at Sasuke who was struggling to stand up but still fell down.

"A brat like you... can't possibly use such a powerful force—"

Sasuke was hit hard in the abdomen again and flew backwards, falling to the ground.

At the same time, blood dripped onto the ground.

His fingers dug deep marks on the ground, and Sasuke struggled to get up again, but... his body had reached its limit... even the Mangekyō Sharingan that was forcibly activated...

Obito was right. His 7-year-old body was completely unable to control the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan...

But he still raised his head stubbornly——

Don't get in my way, or I'll really kill you.

This was the resolution Sasuke saw expressed in Obito's eyes.

Kamui activated, and gradually disappeared from the spot with Naruto. Obito took one last look at Sasuke.

"So, give up."

give up?

Sasuke relaxed his folded palms, and suddenly laughed. As he laughed, tears began to fall.

I have told myself to give up countless times to a guy who was too persistent!

but……

"I... I also had a past that I wanted to cut off, but... but,"

He raised his hands to cover his eyes, and in his blurred vision, he seemed to see the blond guy again -

Even though I haven't told you since then, the fact is that we are already... best friends!

When I'm with you, I often think that this is probably the kind of relationship between brothers...

If you can't even save a friend, you don't deserve to be Hokage!

Just like that, you became my goal, and I, who had nothing, have since then had a bond. It’s really great to meet you!

What do you mean by death? Don't think of ending it with death. If you choose to die, you might as well live and stay with me...

Why, why would you do this for me...

Because you are my hard-earned bond!

……

"If it could be cut off so easily...it wouldn't be..." Sasuke murmured, tears soaking his sleeves and flowing down his face, "it wouldn't be called a bond!"

Because of the wound in his abdomen, Sasuke coughed up blood in pain, but he still climbed up from the ground little by little -

In the past, you were always chasing me...

And now, it's my turn to protect you...

-

-

Immersed in the lake water, Jing Ye slowly opened his eyes——

Where am I?

The sunlight shines through the lake, and what you see is a gentle blue.

Jing Ye paddled his hands and feet and swam towards the surface of the water.

After breaking free from the water and floating on the surface, Jing Ye coughed up the remaining water in his lungs.

His vision gradually became clearer. Jing Ye stretched out his hand and caught some scattered blue light spots. The light spots flickered in his hand, and like snowflakes in winter, they melted in his palm and disappeared.

I always feel like I've lost something important...

what is it then?

Jing Ye fell into confusion.

He tried to recall, but his mind went blank...

Jing Ye swam towards the shore,

A pair of shoes stopped in front of him.

"What a naughty child you are, Uchiha Kagamiya."

Jing Ye raised his head in surprise and saw the person who appeared in front of him——

"Obito?"

"Don't call that name!" Obito said calmly, but Jing Ye could hear the murderous intent in his tone.

“…I’m sorry.” Jing Ye was silent for a moment. Giving up his own name was like giving up his past.

Obito looked at him and smiled with an ambiguous meaning.

"You always do things that surprise me."

Jing Ye was stunned for a moment. What did he do?

Why...he can't remember anything?

"Well, anyway, thanks to you, the Kyuubi has been captured."

"W-what?!" Jing Ye was shocked. He instantly felt like he was soaking in water and suddenly traveled through time inexplicably to the scene where Nagato commanded the Six Paths of Pain to attack Konoha...

There's a weird feeling of... time and space distortion.

Then, he saw what Obito was holding in his hand——

"Naruto?!"

Not the Naruto in the future, but the Naruto who is still a 7-year-old kid now.

It seems that he has fainted... There are no scars or signs of fighting on his body, but there are obvious traces of tears on his face... Naruto's brows are furrowed, as if he had dreamed of something very bad...

"You..." Jing Ye looked at Obito in surprise. Why did Obito capture Naruto? !

Konoha...those people didn't react?!

No, that's not right... Jing Ye held his head in pain, chaotic images flashing through his mind...

He really forgot something important...

What is it? What on earth is it?!

"It seems that you really don't remember." Obito looked at Jing Ye with a strange look.

That look made him inexplicably uneasy.

"It's okay. It's a good thing that you don't remember... For you..." Obito paused and said meaningfully, "In short, you helped me a lot."

"What do you mean?"

"Forget it if you don't remember. Let's go." Obito stretched out his hand to Jing Ye, as if he wanted to pull him out of the water -

Jing Ye hesitated...always feeling that he had missed something crucial.

what is it then?