Chapter Text
“Are you ready to go?”
Rin smiled at him like not even a single day had passed since their childhood in Konoha. She was stretching out her hand, waiting for Obito to move on with her. She had patiently waited for him all these years, watching him stray away from his path to the point of almost absolute destruction. Upon seeing her, he had almost immediately burst into tears, ridden with guilt. He had made a mess of the shinobi world and here Rin was, saying that she wasn’t disappointed in him and had been looking forward to meeting him again. She knew that the both of them had been pawns in a game much bigger than them. Even he knew that now.
Obito’s quest of creating the perfect dream world had never been his own to begin with, so he should've expected as much.
Obito sighed softly, noticing how light his movements felt, now that he was no longer bound to his earthly body. He took Rin’s hand, tears welling up in his eyes again. He had just come back from saying his goodbye to Kakashi, lending him the full ability of his Sharingan for a short time to help defeat Kaguya Otsutsuki.
Him and Kakashi had always had a difficult relationship, but in the end, it had felt like they had been best friends their whole life. They had fought side by side once more and Obito had no doubt that Kakashi and his former students would manage to defeat Kaguya and save the shinobi world. He felt bad for leaving his friend behind, but ultimately he knew that it was better this way. Obito had no place in a saved world. He was much better off moving onto the afterlife with Rin.
“I’m ready. Let’s go, Rin.” He finally answered, following her towards the light. He wondered who else he would see again in the afterlife.
Would their Sensei be there?
And Kushina?
Obito dreaded seeing her again, but he knew he would have to face that particular sin eventually.
Taking a deep breath, the light came closer, shining on the two, engulfing them in pure warmth.
The brighter it got, the more the worries washed away. Obito knew that at last everything was going to be alright.
But suddenly Rin’s hand slipped away from him. He felt like he had just walked into a wall that he simply couldn’t get past.
“Obito?” Rin turned around in confusion upon feeling his absence.
Obito clutched his chest, groaning in pain. “What is happening, Rin?” He coughed out, looking at his childhood friend with wide eyes, before shutting them in agony. He had been through his fair share of pain in his, admittedly still relatively young, life, but this was pure, immobilising agony. Unfortunately this particular pain wasn’t unfamiliar to him. It felt just like Kaguya’s attack piercing through him once more, only now it was piercing its way from the inside out. When he felt Rin’s hands on his cheeks, he was finally able to take another breath again. She was still there. He could still feel her touch. He had trouble opening his eyes to see her, his face contorting in pain.
Obito wondered if maybe this was some sort of punishment for his sins, but he figured that as long as he had Rin, he would be able to endure it. “Obito…” Rin sighed, a sad smile gracing her lips. Obito blinked heavily, only seeing a blurred version of Rin before him. “I’m sorry, Obito.” She apologised, a nervous giggle escaping her throat, completely unfitting for this situation. “F-for what…?” He groaned softly, the pain subsiding a little for now. “I know I promised we’d go on together, but it seems your time has not quite come.” She explained vaguely, leaving the Uchiha more confused than before. “What… what do you mean?” He asked, blinking a few more times to clear his vision. The smile tugging at her lips was pure sadness and Obito could see a few small tears in the corners of her eyes.
“I guess someone is not ready to let you go just yet.” Rin took Obito’s hands into hers, confusing him further with her cryptic explanation. “I don’t… understand.” Obito coughed again, tasting blood in his mouth. “You’re going back.” She spilled, Obito’s eyes widening in shock. “No!” He yelled out, grasping her hands tightly. “I can’t! I can’t go back, Rin. Please don’t do this to me! I want to leave with you.” Obito sobbed, hot tears streaming down his face. Rin sniffled softly, unable to hold back her own tears. “I know, I know. But you’re still needed, Obito.” She explained, watching him shake his head violently.
“Yes, you are! Promise me you’ll take this chance, yes? Make things right. I’ll be waiting for you. I have already waited all these years, what’s a little longer?” A sad chuckle left Rin’s mouth.
“Please don’t do this to me, Rin.” Obito was not ready to accept what she was saying.
“I’m not the one doing this, but Kakashi still needs you. Please promise me you’ll make the most of it, Obito. Do it for me. And for him. I’ll be here waiting.” Those were the last words Obito could hear out of Rin’s mouth before she was ripped away from him once more and everything went black around him.