northernbook Chapter 508 The Truth of That Year
Chapter 508 The Truth of That Year
Kakashi finally saw the two people he had longed to see again, people he thought he would never see again; his feet seemed to be nailed to the spot, unable to move.
"Obito... Rin..." The two names escaped from his throat.
Rin Nohara stood not far away, exactly as he remembered her. A thirteen-year-old girl with neat short hair, the image Kakashi knew best. She remained frozen in the last moment of her life, frozen in that instant when she chose to crash into his Lightning Blade for the sake of the village, to prevent the Tailed Beasts from running rampant in Konoha.
But when Kakashi's gaze shifted to another person, he froze. The face was familiar; he recognized it at a glance—it was Obito.
But that wasn't the Obito he knew.
It wasn't that boy who was always late, always smiling, and followed behind him shouting "Kakashi, you bastard!" Standing there was a man about his age, an adult version of Obito, with even that deep indentation on his face—a mark left from being hit by a boulder during the Battle of Kannabi Bridge.
But his demeanor was completely different; he was no longer that hot-blooded fool, but rather carried the vicissitudes of life that came with having experienced so much.
Kakashi didn't understand what was going on.
His father had told him that in the Pure Land, apart from the elderly who die of old age and return to their healthiest state before death, everyone else remains in the state they were in at the last moment of their lives.
Rin remained at the age of thirteen, but what about Obito? Shouldn't he have been thirteen when he died?
Looking at Kakashi's face, which showed a mix of realization, excitement, guilt, and uncertainty, Rin felt a surge of pity and remorse.
She never imagined she would see Kakashi again. That scene from years ago, when she crashed into his Lightning Blade, ending her life that way—she knew what it would leave Kakashi with. It was an indelible shadow, the pain of killing a comrade with his own hands, a curse that would haunt him for life, even if it wasn't his fault.
She felt very sorry for Kakashi.
Even if she did it willingly, even if it was to protect the village and prevent the tailed beasts from going berserk, harm is still harm. The scar she left on Kakashi must be very, very deep.
Now, looking at that once spirited, aloof genius boy, who has now become a weathered middle-aged man, with his face half-covered by a mask and his one exposed eye filled with complex emotions that tug at the heartstrings—Lin felt a mix of emotions, wanting to laugh and crying at the same time.
"Obito".
She turned to look at Obito beside her, her voice gentle yet firm. "Go, let Kakashi know the truth."
Obito paused for a moment, then slowly nodded. He took a step and walked towards Kakashi.
The two men looked at each other from a distance of about ten steps.
Kakashi watched the figure slowly approach, that familiar yet unfamiliar face, "Obito... is it really... you?"
His voice trembled slightly.
"Yes, that's right." Obito spoke, his voice low and hoarse, "But things have turned out this way, and it's all my fault."
"I...I'm sorry...I didn't..."
Kakashi spoke almost without thinking. All the emotions that had been building up for so long, all the guilt that had tormented him for countless nights, surged into his heart at this moment. He didn't even have time to think about why Obito had become like this, didn't have time to ask what had happened all those years ago, he only wanted to do one thing—apologize for what happened to Rin.
If it were the old Obito, the hot-blooded and impulsive thirteen-year-old boy, or the Obito shrouded in darkness, upon hearing Kakashi's words, he would have immediately uttered those devastating and hurtful remarks, as if it were all because of him, because he had stood by Rin in her time of need, which led to all of this.
Obito had imagined those words countless times on countless nights, but now, Rin was right behind him. Those gentle eyes were looking at him.
"Let's skip those words for now, Kakashi," Obito said, interrupting Kakashi's painful words.
"I didn't expect you to still not have improved at all. Your personality is much worse than it was back then." His tone carried a hint of deliberate relaxation, as if he was trying to make the atmosphere less heavy.
But Kakashi didn't laugh.
"Hmm..." He lowered his head, his voice even softer, "Back then, I lost you, then I lost Lin, and finally I lost my teacher and his wife... I can't forget those days. So... if I had realized this sooner... maybe things wouldn't have been like that..."
Obito remained silent, gazing at the weathered man before him, the man he had once hated, resented, yet could never truly let go of his comrades. He knew what Kakashi was about to say: an apology, self-reproach, and to take all the tragedies of those years upon himself.
but--
"Kushina-sensei".
Obito suddenly spoke, interrupting Kakashi.
"That day, I killed her."
Kakashi's eyes widened suddenly in that instant.
"And then he even caused Minato's death," Obito continued, each word crystal clear.
Kakashi stared at him blankly, his face filled with disbelief. The words that had just reached his lips, the guilt and self-blame that had been building up for so long, all froze in his throat.
He looked at Obito, at that weathered face that resembled his own, at those once innocent eyes that were now unfathomable.
He could hear his heart pounding violently in his chest.
He heard Rin sigh softly behind him, and he heard Obito's last words echoing repeatedly in his mind.
"it's me."
Obito said.
"I was the one who caused the Nine-Tails' rampage."