Before the memorial stone of Konohagakure, a sudden voice broke the silence, piercing through the quiet reverence that had enveloped Hatake Kakashi. Startled, Kakashi, who had been silently gazing at the engraved names, instantly vanished—his body reacting on instinct honed through years of life-and-death missions.
"Don't be so tense. I come without malice—what do you think?"
The same voice drifted toward him once more—from behind again. Kakashi's single visible eye narrowed as his pupils constricted sharply. But after a brief pause, he reappeared and turned slowly.
"Uchiha Yue… What is it you want?"
Facing the young Uchiha whose name had recently shaken the entire village, Kakashi's tone was grim, his posture taut with vigilance.
At this point in time, Kakashi was still part of the Anbu Black Ops, not yet released from duty to mentor Team 7. He had been directly involved when the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, led an elite Anbu unit to confront Uchiha Yue, only to fail spectacularly. Kakashi, as part of that operation, had witnessed Yue's unthinkable Mangekyō powers—illusions that blurred reality, and chakra so dense it crushed weaker minds.
So now, with such a dangerous figure standing before him alone, it was only natural that every nerve in his body remained coiled.
"Haha… am I really that terrifying to you?"
Yue chuckled lightly, walking past him to glance at the black stone slab ahead. "You're mourning Uchiha Obito again… or is it Nohara Rin this time? Or perhaps your sensei… and his wife?"
The mention of their names was like a blade twisting through old scars. Minato Namikaze—Konoha's Yellow Flash—and Kushina Uzumaki had died during the Nine-Tails' attack. Rin Nohara had perished at Kakashi's own hand, forced into an impossible decision. And Obito… his death during the Kannabi Bridge mission was a memory Kakashi never stopped reliving.
Despite Yue's casual tone, there was no detectable hostility. Still, Kakashi kept his silence, eyes sharp, scanning Yue's every subtle movement.
"Alright, I see you're not in the mood for riddles," Yue finally sighed and dropped the pretense of small talk, his gaze sharpening. "Then let me ask you outright: What if I told you Obito is still alive—and that he was the one who summoned the Nine-Tails that night, resulting in your sensei and Kushina's deaths?"
The words struck like thunder.
Kakashi's stoic mask cracked as his visible eye widened in disbelief and outrage. Rage flooded his chakra like fire surging through oil.
"Uchiha Yue… You might be strong—strong enough that not even the Hokage could subdue you—but that gives you no right to insult my teammates with fabrications."
If Kakashi were any less pragmatic, he might have attacked right then.
"Loyalty… I can respect that," Yue said without offense, hands in his sleeves. "But if you could meet him—Obito—alive and in the flesh, would you still call it a lie?"
That question hit deeper than any genjutsu.
Kakashi froze.
Despite everything—his instincts, his logic—he couldn't ignore how serious Yue's expression was. There was no hint of mockery, no deception in his chakra signature. And Yue, of all people, didn't need lies to hurt him. If this were a trap, Kakashi would have been dead already.
When the impossible is eliminated, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.
"Follow me."
Yue turned his back, beginning to walk away without waiting for agreement.
Kakashi hesitated. For a heartbeat, he debated turning away. But the thought of never knowing… of regretting that choice for the rest of his life… was far worse.
He followed.
Neither spoke during the walk. The air between them was heavy—thick with the weight of old ghosts.
Eventually, they arrived at a secluded, heavily sealed underground holding cell deep within the former Uchiha district—a place untouched since the massacre. Yue undid the barrier with ease and led Kakashi inside.
There, illuminated by flickering torchlight, was a man seated against the wall.
Half of his face was grotesquely scarred—gnarled flesh from fire and stone—but the other half, though aged and hollow, held the unmistakable features of someone Kakashi had once called comrade.
Kakashi's composure shattered in an instant. He stared in shock, breath catching in his throat. The weight of Yue's earlier words came crashing down.
"…This feeling… Kakashi?"
Obito's voice rasped through the shadows. His eyes were blind—ruined from the Mangekyō—but his senses remained keen. "It's been a while. Surprised I'm still alive? Is it too much to process?"
Kakashi's hands trembled. "Obito… It's really you?"
"Hmph. What, can't believe your own eyes—or your own guilt?" Obito's body trembled, but his tone was cold. "You haven't changed. Still confused. Still apologizing."
"No… Obito, I just—"
"Save it!"
Obito cut him off with a snarl. "Rin died by your hand—right in front of me. Since that moment, we've had nothing left to say."
Then, turning his anger on Yue, Obito barked, "And you! Uchiha Yue, why bring him here? To gloat? To laugh at how far we've fallen? There's nothing left between me and him!"
Yue didn't flinch. Instead, he sneered with calm venom.
"Uchiha Obito, your mouth says one thing, but your actions say another."
He stepped forward.
"Tell me—how could you witness Kakashi killing Rin with your own eyes, then go on to murder Minato-sensei and Kushina Uzumaki without hesitation? Did they mistreat you? Or is this all just you running from your own weakness?"
That question stabbed deeper than any kunai.
Obito froze. His expression contorted. Words caught in his throat, but none came out. Color drained from his face.
Kakashi stepped forward instinctively, lips parting to speak… but he too faltered, lost for words.
A heavy silence blanketed the prison, more suffocating than any genjutsu.
No one spoke.
The truth had been unearthed, and no one was ready for it.