Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Two Tomoe, A New Choice
"Alright… let's begin!"
Obito took a deep breath and cast a genjutsu on himself.
His consciousness was dragged into a vivid illusion, sealed within it.
He would be forced to witness everything that followed, unable to look away.
The scene unfolded.
A steep cliff loomed under a blood-red moon.
In the suffocating darkness of night, masked figures stood, their faces hidden but their intent clear.
They remained shrouded in the shadows, gripping sharp blades, their indifferent gazes fixed on two young figures before them.
It was as if they were looking at corpses.
"Swish!"
Blades were drawn with a chilling resonance.
Phantom-like figures lunged at the two youths.
"Zzzzing!"
A sharp, bird-like chirp rang out.
A silver-haired boy charged at one of the attackers, lightning crackling in his hand.
Yet the lightning did not strike the enemy as intended.
For reasons he could not comprehend, it pierced the chest of his companion instead.
Blood blossomed from the girl's chest like a sinister flower.
"Rin!"
The girl fell, a smile still gracing her face.
In that moment, it was as if flames ignited in the hearts of the two boys.
"AAAAHHHH!"
Back in reality, Obito let out a guttural, heart-wrenching growl.
Because right now, he was Obito.
He was the protagonist of this tragedy.
The girl he loved had been struck down by his closest friend, his trusted companion.
The overwhelming sense of immersion was something an outsider could never truly understand.
Pain and despair, anger and confusion…
All these negative emotions surged relentlessly from within, battering his soul and consciousness.
"Boom!"
The latent power in his mind stirred.
It erupted violently, surging into his eyes.
When Obito opened his eyes again, a blood-red Sharingan stared back at him in his reflection.
Two tomoe spun slowly within its depths.
"It worked…"
Obito muttered to himself, but there was no joy in his voice.
The genjutsu had amplified his emotions, leaving him still mired in the sorrow of Rin's "death."
After a long while, he exhaled deeply, shaking off the lingering shadow in his heart.
"Phew, finally awakened the two-tomoe Sharingan. Not bad."
"But this method will probably only work this once. If I hadn't already briefly activated the two tomoe before…"
"An illusion whose outcome I already know wouldn't have been intense enough to trigger such a response."
Obito wiped the sweat from his forehead, lying back on his small bed as a rare peace settled over him.
Before long, he drifted into a restful sleep.
The next morning, Obito woke up bursting with energy.
Being his usual cheerful self, he had already tossed the troubles of yesterday out the window.
"Hmm, Minato-sensei and the others probably won't be back today. What should I do?"
"Now that I think about it, I haven't set any new goals for myself recently."
With that thought, he tried asking hesitantly, "Hey, system, how about giving me a challenge?"
[System: Ding!]
[Option 1: Complete 100 D-rank missions within six months. Reward: +1 Patience.]
[Option 2: Defeat 20 Chūnin within six months. Reward: Taijutsu upgrade (Jōnin level).]
[Option 3: Complete 30 C-rank missions within six months. Reward: Labor is Glorious BGM.]
[Labor is Glorious BGM: With this as your background music, no one can out-grind you. When your stamina is exhausted, instantly recover 20% of your maximum stamina. (Effect can only be triggered once per day.)
"'+1 Patience'? What the heck is that?"
Obito immediately dismissed Option 1 and continued reading the other choices.
"Defeat 20 Chūnin, huh? Heh heh heh…" Obito chuckled darkly.
"If I take out half of my classmates, I'll already be halfway done with the mission."
"And if I do that, I'll be the only one left from my year. Let's see who dares mock me then!"
Of course, Obito was only joking.
There was no way he would harm those he cared about for such a small reward.
"I guess I'll go with Option 3."
"In a closely matched battle, this buff is basically like having an extra life."
"Plus, Option 3 is easier to complete than Option 2. Six months should be plenty of time."
Obito quickly made up his mind, spamming "33333" in his heart.
When Minato-sensei and the others returned, he'd tag along for as many missions as possible!
Some time later, Minato noticed a surprising change in his student, Obito.
It was as if the boy had transformed into a completely different person.
He was now actively pushing the team to take on more missions and always gave his all during them.
How should one put it?
A true grinder, but somehow, still a person.
Minato couldn't help but feel a sense of relief and pride at Obito's transformation.
Obito had finally matured.
All his patient teachings over the years had not been in vain.
Looking at Obito beside him, Minato gave a gentle smile.
"Obito, why don't you share your thoughts on the situation?"
The four of them were currently in the middle of a C-rank mission.
Their objective: to capture a fugitive from the Land of Fire and extract vital intel from him.
After tracking the fugitive for some time, they had finally pinpointed his location.
If everything went as expected, the target was hiding in the cave right before them.
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