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JST Chapter 209: Bloodstained Diary
🕑 Added 2025-03-07 23:33:43 +0000 UTCBattlefield against Iwagakure.
Obito trembled as he opened the blood-soaked diary.
The bloodstains that had seeped through the pages and the gash in the center of the diary constantly reminded him of whose relic this was... and how Rin had died.
But the words written on it completely captured his attention.
Forcing himself to calm down, Obito focused his gaze on the blood-stained characters, reading them one by one.
These were the last words that Rin left for him...
The diary began with little anecdotes about her secret love, recorded by Black Zetsu.
"So it was true... Before I loved her, Rin already loved me..."
Obito felt like he was short of breath. The girl who had saved him when they first met was his destiny, his only choice.
Then came memories of their life together: the first time they cooked, their first outing, the first time she bought him clothes...
Mundane things, of no apparent importance, but which absorbed him completely.
Through those words, Obito felt himself back in the small home of the Uchiha clan in Konoha, by the fireplace, curled up with Rin on the couch, chatting about trivialities in peace and harmony.
With extreme delicacy, he turned the pages.
"Tell me, Zetsu... Do you think that right now, if someone were to stab Obito, he would even notice?"
Kazuki smiled as he looked at Obito, sitting cross-legged on the floor.
"I don't know..." Black Zetsu muttered under his breath, not taking his eyes off Obito, caught in a storm of emotions.
For him, this was an extraordinarily complex and new sensation.
For a thousand years, Black Zetsu had worked tirelessly to revive his mother, Kaguya. No matter how many obstacles or failures he faced, he never stopped.
He had never complained, because he knew that was his destiny.
But now, a thousand years later, Black Zetsu had become the 'Kaguya' in the heart of another.
This change of identity, from a devoted servant to a revered being, was something he found extremely difficult to process.
On the one hand, he wanted Obito to obtain supreme power to help him revive his mother. But on the other, Obito's devotion and ardent feelings made him feel strangely moved, to the point of worrying about his mental stability.
Obito's growing attachment to him led him to desire a real body...
Because he was Uchiha Rin!
She hadn't died!
But with a monstrous body, how could he stand next to Uchiha Obito?
Worse still, there was a terrifying madman pulling the strings from the shadows. A son more rebellious than the Sage of Six Paths, a brother he would never acknowledge in this life.
Uchiha Kazuki, a madman who controlled everything from the shadows.
Realizing the truth, Black Zetsu felt an immense invisible net engulf the shinobi world, trapping everyone in an inescapable fate that devoured their lives and their hopes.
Even Kaguya, on the distant Moon, was no exception.
Black Zetsu couldn't help but feel an intense sense of danger.
Being targeted by that man meant the end was already written.
At this point, Black Zetsu no longer doubted Kaguya's return. If Kazuki wished for it, it would happen. But how much of her original power would Kaguya return with, and could the remaining chakra in the shinobi world really be taken by her?
Black Zetsu was pessimistic about it.
After his confrontation with Kazuki, he discovered, with a mixture of joy and despair, that his mission had completely changed...
He had to protect Kaguya from Kazuki's hands!
And at that moment...
Obito read the lines written by Kazuki.
"...Going to the Naka River with Obito, the most beautiful place..."
"...Someone is celebrating a wedding..."
"...War is scary, but if Obito is there, there is nothing to fear..."
"...Obito is the best..."
"...If it's Obito, he will bring peace to the shinobi world. He is my hero..."
Each word was a knife, a knife that mercilessly tore into Obito's already lacerated heart.
The pain was so immense that he became numb. A wave of remorse enveloped him and dragged him down relentlessly.
Once upon a time, there was a girl who loved him and trusted him...
But he failed to protect her.
And she died before his eyes.
Obito had a heart, but it was already empty.
Black Zetsu, on the other hand, did not have a heart... but seeing Obito so devastated, he felt something he had never felt before: a throbbing of pain.
As Obito was immersed in the torment of Kazuki's words...
[From the target Uchiha Obito: You have obtained dojutsu, Kamui (Left Eye)!]
The tomoe on Kazuki's left eye began to slowly spin.
Alarmed, Black Zetsu looked up and saw Kazuki smiling. His left eye, which had not yet awakened the Mangekyo, at that moment formed the pattern of the Mangekyo Sharingan and was identical to Obito's.
“…Bind the target, absorb their emotional turmoil, and in the end, plunder their soul…”
Kazuki’s words about his dojutsu echoed in Black Zetsu’s mind.
Obito hadn't even realized it, but Kazuki had just completely plundered his Kamui.
Would his soul be the next target?
As for plundering the soul, Kazuki was referring to the final link where he would obtain everything from the target.
But Black Zetsu didn't know that. He only knew that his brother would show no mercy, even Kaguya was in his calculations. How could he have mercy on a mere Uchiha Obito?
He couldn't allow it.
He had to protect Obito from Kazuki!
Protecting the ignorant Uchiha Obito from Kazuki's hands is the only hope for the entire shinobi world, the hope of reviving mother Kaguya without Kazuki's manipulations!
Black Zetsu roared in his mind, like a shonen protagonist shouting about bonds, friendship, etc., and was about to launch a final duel with Kazuki. He was ready to burn in the fire of determination...
But when Kazuki looked into his eyes, all his resolve crumbled.
He couldn't do it...
Black Zetsu was shocked to find that he seemed to be really afraid of Kazuki.
And what terrified him most was what he saw next...
Obito slowly walked towards Uchiha Rin’s corpse. He saw the mark of the Flying Thunder God imprinted on her arm by Kazuki. His expression changed, his voice became firmer: “Kazuki…?”
Black Zetsu closed his eyes in despair and screamed in his mind: Run, foolish boy! Run!
That guy is not a good person...
Obito stared at the mark etched into Rin's arm.
At first he found it strange, even disturbing, as if some unpleasant and incomprehensible situation had occurred.
But when Obito looked more closely, he noticed his own name engraved on the mark...
"In the time I was trapped by Uchiha Madara, it seems that many things have happened..." Obito pondered the situation heavily, muttering to himself. "Kazuki must have heard of my death, and that's why he came from the battlefield in Kirigakure..."
"He carved the mark on Rin's arm and made it using my name as a pattern..."
Obito felt a warmth in his chest, albeit with a bitter edge.
Kazuki wanted to make sure Rin would never forget him.
She wanted to never forget the man who gave his life for her. Using an indelible mark, he carved his name into Rin's skin, creating a scene that had a twisted beauty.
Cruel, yes... but very much in keeping with the image Obito had of Kazuki.
From his perspective, Kazuki and Rin had never had any relationship outside of the one he himself had fostered.
And then, Obito couldn't help but think...
If he had really died, if Madara hadn't saved him...
Would he want Rin to always remember him? Or would he prefer her to move on with her life and find happiness with another man?
Just imagining it caused his Mangekyō Sharingan to ignite with a fierce, bloodthirsty glow, exuding uncontrollable killing intent.
From a rational standpoint, if he were no longer around, I would rather Rin move on and stop clinging to his memory.
But from an emotional standpoint... if someone dared to approach Rin after his death, even if he had to be reincarnated, he would come to kill that person!
Rin could only belong to him. He would never allow himself to share her with anyone else.
The fact that Kazuki had carved his name into Rin's arm wasn't exactly an act of respect towards her... but it fit perfectly with Obito's darkest and most twisted thoughts.
He could only say... well done, Kazuki!
Thinking of this, Obito couldn't help but recall how in the past he had doubted Kazuki's thoughts towards Nohara Rin. In this deserted and bloody land, he couldn't help but feel a strong sense of guilt from the bottom of his heart.
"How could I be such an idiot...?"
Kazuki, such a good brother... and he had doubted him with such vile thoughts!
