Obito stands before the graveyard, his gaze fixed on the recently built tombstone marking his grandmother's final resting place.

While the others are mourning the deaths of the whole Shimura clan, Obito is mourning alone in front of his grandma’s tombstone. The whole Shimura Clan getting slaughtered is a big deal, incomparably so to the sudden murder of Obito’s grandma. Though the truth cannot be more terrifying, Obito still chooses to mourn for his fake parent’s death.

Obito has a lot to thank Fugaki for the discreetness of his so-called grandma’s burial, also keeping the secret the said grandma is a very realistic clone of Madara Uchiha in disguise.

Lost in his sorrow, Obito feels the weight of loneliness until Rin quietly approaches, her hand reaching out to clasp his. "You're not alone, Obito," she whispers softly, offering him a semblance of solace in their shared sorrow.

Feeling the touch of the one person he thinks is the reason why he has received memories of the future, Obito feels all sorts of conflicting emotions considering his recent altercations with Tobi, his split personality…

As Obito turns to acknowledge Rin's presence, Kakashi sneaks beside him, his solemn expression mirroring Obito's grief. "We're here for you," Kakashi says quietly, his voice carrying the weight of their shared loss.

Obito's heart aches at the sight of his friends standing beside him, offering silent support amidst the sea of mourning. He kind of expects Kakashi to appear as a show of support, but to think the stoic white-haired shinobi has spoken ‘kind’ words to him means a lot.

Though Obito has a lifetime worth of decades of memories in his head, he remains the pure child he is—

“Can you please give me some time alone with my grandma,” He kindly requests to his two friends.

“Sure,” Rin clasps his palm stronger. “If you need someone to talk to, then don’t hesitate to talk to us.”

“…” Kakashi simply stares at Obito.

“What?” Obito watches as Rin and Kakashi exchange a silent glance, understanding passing between them. Obito knows what they're thinking—that he needs some time alone. And truth be told, he does. With a bitter smile, he nods at them, acknowledging their unspoken understanding.

"Thanks, guys," he murmurs, his voice barely audible over the hushed whispers of the mourners surrounding them. "I'll be okay."

Rin squeezes his hand one last time before letting go, her eyes reflecting a mixture of sympathy and concern. Kakashi offers a brief nod before turning to leave, his posture still rigid with sympathetic grief, perhaps memories of his father resonating with Obito’s situation.

Alone now, Obito settles himself cross-legged in front of the tombstone, his thoughts swirling like a turbulent storm. Memories of his grandmother—of the fake Madara—flood his mind, each one a sharp pang in his heart.

He closes his eyes, trying to find solace in the quiet of the graveyard, but the weight of his grief is heavy, suffocating. He feels the presence of Tobi, his other self, lurking in the depths of his mind, a constant reminder of his fractured identity.

But amidst the turmoil, there's a flicker of gratitude for Rin and Kakashi, for their unwavering support in his darkest moments. They may not understand the full extent of his pain, but their presence alone is enough to ease the ache in his heart, if only for a moment.

And then Obito opens his eyes—

He gazes upon piles of dead bodies in a monochrome world, and sitting upon the cold corpses is Tobi as if he is on a throne, no, like a shrine. “Who do we have here?”

Immediately, Obito understands he is inside his very own mental world.

Obito recalls falling from up high the Hokage Rock after Tobi took control, seemingly attempting to kill himself. And then there is the very recent Shimura massacre, and now the unresponsiveness of his Mangekyou. Obito feels betrayed as he realizes the inconsistencies in his memories do not fit what he knows of Tobi like the different and mysterious techniques.

Meanwhile, Tobi is just sitting there on his improvised throne of corpses unperturbed despite feeling Obito’s emotions. They are currently in a mental world where their consciousness is as close as ever to each other.

Obito's gaze hardens as he meets Tobi's mask. "What game are you playing now, Tobi?" he demands, his voice laced with bitterness and betrayal.

Tobi tilts his head, the single Sharingan eye glinting behind his mask. "Ah, Obito. Always so quick to jump to conclusions. Have you finally come to terms with who you truly are?"

Obito grits his teeth, memories of his fall from grace flooding his mind. "I know who I am, and it's not the monster you've made me out to be."

Tobi chuckles darkly, a sound that sends shivers down Obito's spine. "Is that so? And yet, here we are, surrounded by the remnants of your past. Listen here, I may look like this, but I am not the ‘Tobi’ you know— I am not the pet Madara has left for your emotional support. I am different and you know it. I am you."

Obito clenches his fists, his anger boiling over. "Enough with the riddles, Tobi! I want answers. Why can't I access my Mangekyou? Why are my memories so fragmented? What have you done to me? Where did that second Mangekyou come from? What is the doujutsu transmutation technique you did? How did you deduce grandma has been a fake along? Why did you decimate the Shimura Clan now of all times that the Third Shinobi War is coming!? Tell me why!"

Tobi's mask betrays no emotion, but Obito can sense the satisfaction emanating from him. "Oh, Obito. You have always been a pawn in a much larger game. But fear not, for I have guided you every step of the way. That’s what you only amount after all."

Obito's eyes narrow, his mind racing with thoughts of Tobi's betrayal and deceit. "And what has come of the promise for our happy ending!?"

Tobi rises from his makeshift throne of corpses, his presence looming over Obito like a shadow. "Happy ending? Do you hear yourself? Fragmented memories? You truly are deluding yourself, so willingly excising the disgusting parts and forcing them at me… I am your side of rational insanity, one capable of logic! And you!? You are just one demented shadow of an ideal of what you wished to be!"

What do you mean? Obito begs the question, but he cannot utter them.

“We have done terrible things, glossing them with the idea of a better world, and we have been childish for a long time. I thought this part of us has changed since traveling back in time, but you are as insane as I remember.”

Tobi's laughter echoes through the empty expanse of Obito's mind, a sound that fuels his determination. "Obito! We are mad! And there is no helping us! When Madara Uchiha broke us, it was not because we had been enlightened, it was because we succumbed to the darkness. The Uchiha are the most edgy and emo clan to exist, but we!? We have taken it too far!"

Obito doesn’t understand.

“Remember, Obito!” Tobi’s voice shakes the mental space. “You might remember the tragedy, and the pain you have caused, but the emotions embedded in them have been so easily abandoned. You may know the pictures, but never the motions that have to go through it—”

“But,” Obito cannot offer any rebuke as Tobi pushes more.

“Do you remember Itachi? Do you think he wanted to destroy his own clan? Fuck Danzo and Hiruzen, you have been the main motivator behind it. Don’t even get me started with Madara. How about the Wooden Style and your uncanny mastery over the Sharingan? Fuck the Uchiha, Madara, Indra, and even Hagaromo— you might have suppressed the parts that don’t matter, but I remember— you’ve experimented with the Ashura and Indra aspects so much, you can derive other Bloodline Limit Techniques of the Mangekyou Sharingan! You’ve left rivers of blood, not even feeling a thing about the evil you had done. Remember that one time when you used a Limited Tsukuyomi to use on Naruto Uzumaki, and Sakura Haruno sent them to an alternate reality and you watched it like some voyeur piece of shit ultimately failing to capture the Nine Tails even then! You really enjoy having an ego trip, huh? No wonder you are introducing yourself as Madara! And fuck no, I don’t care about it being some elaborate plan for fearmongering! It is a fact you actually enjoyed it, and I knew because I share your fucking memories you arrogant prick!”

“Are you done, Tobi?” Obito sighs, his shoulders slumping down.

“No! I am not fucking done you dimwit! I still want to criticize you! But I cannot think of more hurtful words to hurt you. I am only thankful your level has been capped and you failed to awaken a Second Mangekyou ability back then, or else you might have fucked the planet badly enough the power of friendship will be unable to recover from it. But still— fuck! You just have to ruin my plans! My beautiful master plan!”

Obito stares at Tobi, his expression a mix of frustration and confusion. "Enough of your rambling, Tobi. What are you trying to achieve? What plans do you speak of?"

Tobi's silhouette flickers before solidifying once more, his gaze piercing through Obito like a blade. "Plans, Obito? Oh, you have no idea. My plans are grand, far beyond your comprehension. But alas, you were always too blinded by your own idealism to see the bigger picture."

Obito clenches his fists, his patience wearing thin. "Cut the cryptic nonsense, Tobi. I won't play your games anymore. Tell me what you want."

“You stone-cold killer!” Tobi's mask twists into an unusual smirk with its eye-hole forming into a crescent imitating a smile, a chilling sight in the darkness of Obito's mind. "What I want, Obito, is not just a happy ending, but a perfect happy ending, one where we don’t exist."

Obito's eyes narrow, his mind racing with a flurry of thoughts and emotions. "And that is why you made a trap like that? To drop me from a mountain with so little chakra and no access to Kamui?"

Tobi's laughter fills the space between them, echoing off the walls of Obito's mind. "YES! BECAUSE THE MOMENT I KILLED DANZO, I HAD ALREADY CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY! MOREOVER, I LEFT SOMETHING SPECIAL IN DANZO’S MIND— THE REAL MADARA UCHIHA’S FUCKING LOCATION! IT IS CHECKMATE MOTHERFUKER, LONG LIVE KONOHA! I LOVE YOU RIN!"

No matter how philosophical or sane Tobi sounds, it is a fact that he is mentally deranged and unstable to the extreme.

So what if Madara is destined to die now with Tobi’s manipulation?

There is still Black Zetsu.

Obito sighs.

Personally, while Obito admits that he is delusional, Tobi is on another level at the far extremes of delusional he doesn’t even realize it. Obito sighs for the second time.

Tobi yells, “I SHIP KAKASHI AND RIN! THEY BETTER NAME THEIR ELDEST SON TOBI AND YOUNGER SON OBITO! THE OBITO MUST BE A GIRL AND THEN THE CHILDREN WILL LOVE EACH OTHER LIKE WOOHOO~!”

Somehow, in the mental world, Tobi can summon a pair of shadow clone who then uses transformation jutsu to change into very realistic versions of naked adolescent Kakashi and Rin.

“What the f—”

Before even Obito can cuss, Tobi kicks the Kakashi clone in the nut and proclaims. “I DON’T MIND SHARING RIN AFTER I DIE, BUT NOT YET!!”

“What are you doing?” Obito is on the verge of losing his remaining sanity.

“I am practicing,” Tobi calmly responds. “So that when we die, I can easily let go of Rin, and pass away. I can’t have it that I become a ghost and end up haunting her… I am not like you. I am not obsessed, I know how to move on.”

“…”

[Tobi! You are the one who is fucking haunting me!]

Alfir

How much is Tobi telling us truths? Lies? Or maybe his every word is the truth, just that it has to be seen from a different perspective.