Naruto: The Otsutsuki Naruto

With Obito begging for mercy, Naruto ceased his incantation and lowered his left hand from its seal formation. The Binding Words Halo vanished from above Obito's head.

Thud!

Obito collapsed backward onto the ground, lying flat as fragments of his body continued to flake off.

Naruto let out a long sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from his face with the back of his hand. He walked over to stand before Obito.

Obito's unfocused eyes gradually regained some clarity. "You've won, Naruto," he murmured.

Naruto adjusted his robe and sat down leisurely. "What about Tōma?" he asked calmly.

"You don't need to worry about him," Obito replied with a hollow tone. "When Tōma returns, I'll order him to stand down. He is my will incarnate; he will obey me unconditionally."

Naruto fell silent, contemplating.

"Does my change in attitude feel abrupt to you?" Obito admitted candidly. "Let me tell you the truth: just now, I saw Rin. She kept questioning me—over and over—why I had fallen so far. Her expression... it was unfamiliar, and it terrified me."

"I've had similar dreams before, but never one this vivid. Perhaps, deep down, I've already begun to waver."

"You once told me that the Infinite Tsukuyomi was a lie, a conspiracy orchestrated by Black Zetsu to resurrect Kaguya. The series of facts you laid out left me with no room to refute. But I chose to avoid reality."

"This world, in my eyes, is filthy. The Infinite Tsukuyomi was the only way to cleanse it. If even the Infinite Tsukuyomi itself was a lie, then what hope does this world have? I couldn't bring myself to accept that reality, so I chose to escape—and to make one final gamble!"

"But that gamble... failed. I failed completely and utterly."

Obito's expression was a mix of desolation and resignation.

Naruto's heart stirred. "You still have Rin's body, don't you? I might have a way to bring her back."

Obito, however, chuckled faintly. "If I'd wanted to do that, I would've acted long ago. Rather than bringing her back to this filthy world, I'd rather let her rest in peace in the Pure Land."

Obito's descent into darkness had not been solely caused by Rin's death. Rather, her death had shattered the beliefs he had clung to for so long, leading him to direct his anger toward the world itself.

His despair toward the world could not simply be undone by resurrecting Rin.

A love so deep and unwavering had ultimately transformed into an obsession so dark and consuming.

Similarly, disproving the Infinite Tsukuyomi alone wasn't enough to bring Obito to Naruto's side.

Admitting defeat was merely an act of self-denial, not an acknowledgment of Naruto's perspective.

At this moment, the confusion in Obito's eyes revealed his desire to retreat as a defeated man, not to rise again with newfound resolve.

Naruto understood this clearly. He recalled the memories he had seen during their tug-of-war in the past, memories of Madara's words to Obito:

"Face reality! This world will never go as you wish. The longer you live, the more you'll understand. Reality is filled with nothing but pain, suffering, and futility."

"Where there is light, there will always be shadow. As long as the concept of winners exists, there will also be losers. Even the desire to maintain peace is a selfish ambition that leads to war!"

"It is because you wish to protect love that hatred arises. They are interconnected, bound by cause and effect. The only way to sever this cycle is through the Infinite Tsukuyomi!"

Obito had treated Madara's words as gospel, and they later became the foundation of the ideology he used to manipulate Nagato.

But Naruto was determined to dismantle this ideology.

After some thought, he spoke in a calm and composed tone.

"Reality doesn't always go as you wish—that's precisely why people yearn for their dreams to come true. That's what makes effort meaningful."

"Yes, reality can be filled with pain, suffering, and emptiness. But life is a blend of all flavors—sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, and salty."

"Where there is light, there will be shadow. Light brings warmth, while shadows offer a place to rest."

"For every winner, there is indeed a loser. But winners aren't always oppressors—they can be protectors. And losers don't always stay defeated—they can reflect on their failures and grow stronger."

"Peace may be selfish, but selfishness doesn't inherently mean harming others. To love oneself is to have the capacity to love others."

"It is true that a desire to protect love can give rise to hatred. But there is no sin in wanting to protect, no sin in love itself. Hatred, too, is not inherently sinful—it becomes sinful when it consumes and corrupts. The true evil lies with those who seek to plunder love—the true originators of sin!"

"I say hatred isn't inherently sinful because it can drive the wronged to stand up and resist, becoming a force that counteracts the original sin. But hatred becomes sinful when it devours the kind-hearted, turning them into plunderers themselves."

"If there were no plunderers, there would be no one consumed by hatred. That's why I say the true sin lies with the originators of plunder!"

"Yet just as there is original sin, there is also original love. Those who embody original love will never lose themselves to hatred. They remain steadfast in their beliefs, protecting what they hold dear!"

"You don't want to bring Rin back to this filthy world. But it's precisely because of people like Rin, who are kind and pure, that the world has its moments of beauty."

"Think about it carefully. This world may not be as beautiful as you once imagined in your youth, but it's not as irredeemably filthy as you see it now. A black-and-white worldview only lets you see darkness. In truth, the world is gray."

"Everything in this world is interconnected by cause and effect. You tried to use the Infinite Tsukuyomi to sever these connections, but you overlooked the fact that even your attempt to sever cause and effect is itself part of this cycle."

"In the end, no one can truly escape cause and effect. All we can do is change it. Sow seeds of kindness, and you'll reap fruits of kindness."

Naruto's words struck deep, each one piercing Obito's heart with unerring precision.

Obito's expression twisted with inner conflict and pain. "But what about the evil fruits I've already sown? I've become one of those originators of sin you speak of. Other than facing judgment, what else can I do?"

Naruto smiled gently. "You're not an originator of sin. You're someone who was wronged by those originators, someone who lost himself in hatred after losing love. You're a protector who momentarily lost his way. That's why you can be forgiven. As for the evil fruits you've sown—find a way to make amends."

Obito let out a bitter laugh. "Make amends? I've committed atrocities beyond redemption. Once I've convinced Tōma to stand down, you can use the Human Path to extract my soul and let me atone with my death!"

Naruto's smile faded, replaced by a serious expression. "You've already escaped reality once. Do you plan to run away again?"

Obito's eyes narrowed. "Run away?"

"That's right. There's a mission that only you can accomplish—a mission that only you can undertake!"

Obito snorted. "A mission only I can accomplish? With your power, what task wouldn't be a walk in the park for you? Go ahead, tell me."

Naruto's gaze sharpened. "That mission is... to take down the true originators of sin!"

If Obito wasn't the originator of sin, then who was?

Was it Madara? No, Madara had been manipulated by Black Zetsu.

Was it Black Zetsu? No, Black Zetsu was merely Kaguya's will.

Was it Kaguya? Even Kaguya had acted out of fear of her cold and ruthless clan.

Yes, the Ōtsutsuki clan—they were the true originators of sin!

But if one were to trace the root cause even further...

Why had Naruto's past life failed to prevent the destruction of the Shinobi World? If the shinobi had been strong enough, how could the Ōtsutsuki have succeeded?

Weakness itself was the ultimate sin!

Naruto extended his fist toward Obito.

"Obito, we didn't get to clash fists before. But now we can. Let me show you—the true originators of sin can only be defeated if we stand united!"

Boom!

Suddenly, a fierce wind swept through as Madara Uchiha made his grand entrance. "Oh? It seems everything's wrapped up here. Naruto, let me have a go at you!"

Naruto paid him no mind, smiling instead at Obito. "Clash fists with me, and you'll understand everything."

With doubt and curiosity swirling in his heart, Obito extended his fist.

"Hmph, still as arrogant as ever!" Madara sneered coldly, charging forward.

But before he could reach them, Minato Namikaze and Konan blocked his path.

Minato smiled politely. "My son is having a heart-to-heart with my student. Madara, could I trouble you not to interrupt?"

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