Rain lashed the steel spires of Amegakure, a relentless curtain shrouding the village in gloom as Naruto, Nagato, and Konan materialized atop the high platform with a buzz of Flying Thunder God. The air thrummed with tension, the echo of Naruto's shadow clone's demise still reverberating in his mind. His boots struck the wet metal, and his gaze snapped forward—there, perched where Tendo Pain once stood, sat the masked man, his silhouette stark against the storm, a single Mangekyō Sharingan glinting through the darkness.
Naruto's lips curved into a sharp grin as he strode toward the bird, voice cutting through the downpour. "Hey! What's your deal, huh? Barging into someone's home, smashing their shadow clone without a word—got any manners, masked guy?"
The figure turned slowly, his lone eye narrowing, the crimson wheel of his Mangekyō spinning as it locked onto Naruto. Silence stretched, heavy and deliberate, before his voice rasped out, laced with doubt. "Naruto?"
Hands on hips, Naruto tilted his head, unyielding. "Yeah, it's me. What's it to you?"
The masked man rose, his cloak swirling as he pointed at Nagato, still atop the bird's launcher, and barked, "Nagato! Why've you gone dark on me? Akatsuki's got a new mission—don't tell me you've forgotten your place!"
Nagato's Rinnegan stared back, cold and impassive, offering no response. The masked man's shoulders tensed, a flicker of unease breaking his composure. Konan stepped forward, her paper wings rustling, voice firm as steel. "Madara—starting today, we're done with Akatsuki. These robes? They're history. Amegakure answers to the Heavenly Organization now. Understand that."
A harsh laugh escaped the mask, bitter and mocking. "Heavenly Organization? Ha! What's this—a child's game?" His sneer sliced through the rain, goading her.
Konan's eyes flashed, anger simmering. To mock Heaven was to mock Naruto, her junior brother, and that she wouldn't abide. Nagato's response was wordless—Six Paths Pain surged forward, a silent storm of intent. The masked man's tone darkened, a growl rumbling beneath his words. "What's this? You've grown bold—think you can challenge me?"
Naruto raised a hand, his smile deceptively light. "Hold up, Senior Brother, Senior Sister. Rain's pouring—head inside. I'll handle this guy solo." Nagato hesitated, his frail form tensing, Rinnegan glinting with concern. He'd seen this man's power—space-time jutsu, unyielding will—and feared for Naruto.
"It's fine," Naruto insisted, meeting his gaze with steady resolve. "Some things I need to say alone." Nagato relented with a nod, guiding the bird into the platform's shelter. Konan lingered, casting a final glance at Naruto before following, her paper trailing like a whisper of trust.
The masked man's voice slithered through the quiet, sharp and probing. "You've got no Sharingan—no genjutsu in your arsenal, far as I know." He circled Naruto, rain dripping from his cloak, his eye boring into him. "Only one power bends minds so cleanly—Uchiha Shisui's Distinguished Heavenly Gods. That's how you turned Nagato and Konan, isn't it? Made them ditch Akatsuki."
Naruto's smile didn't waver, offering no confirmation. The masked man pressed on, voice low with suspicion. "And I'd bet Itachi handed you that eye. But here's what I can't figure—you, the kid obsessed with being Hokage, a traitor now? Using Shisui's genjutsu not on Sasuke, but on them? Building this 'Heaven' nonsense? What's your angle, Naruto?"
His curiosity burned, a thirst for answers gleaming in that lone eye. Naruto's grin turned cold, edged with disdain. "Me, confusing? That's rich." He spread his hands, voice dropping to a biting drawl. "What's really confusing is a guy—loved by his master, cherished by his wife—sneaking into Konoha the night she gave birth. Using their newborn as leverage, snatching her away, unleashing the Nine Tails."
Each word landed like a hammer, the masked man's stance stiffening, his breath catching beneath the mask. Naruto's voice rose, unrelenting. "If Minato hadn't shown up, that bastard might've turned Kurama on him—killed the man who raised him like a son! Tell me, Obito—after all they did for you, how do you justify that?"
"Enough!" The masked man's roar split the air, his finger jabbing at Naruto, trembling with fury. "What do you know? This world—its hypocrisy, its hatred—you've got no idea how it festers!"
Naruto cut him off, voice thundering over the rain. "And what's that got to do with them? Minato and Kushina—how'd they wrong you? Treated you like family, and you repay them by slapping explosive tags on their baby the day he's born? That's human to you? Talk!"
The masked man faltered, stumbling back, his bravado crumbling under Naruto's onslaught. "You… how do you…" he stammered, voice a fractured whisper, his eye wide with shock. Naruto's sneer deepened—hit the heart, break the man. He'd outmaneuvered Obito's pain once; he'd do it again.
Seals flashed—"Transformation Jutsu!"—and with a bang, Naruto shifted, his form melting into a young woman's. Long brown hair framed a gentle face, her eyes soft yet piercing. The masked man recoiled, breath hitching, finger shaking as he pointed. "You… you…"
"What's wrong, Obito?" Naruto-as-Lin asked, voice calm but cutting. "Why'd you betray Minato and Kushina? And me—did you forget your promise? You said you'd be Hokage—where'd that dream go?"
Obito's eye widened, the Mangekyō flickering as Lin's image seared into him. Her words—her soul-wrenching question—dragged up the past: her faith in him, her vow to watch him rise. Pain clawed at his chest, raw and unbearable, memories of her death flooding back. "No…" he choked, staggering. Naruto's gambit struck true—too true. With a swirl of space-time, Obito fled, vanishing into the vortex, leaving only rain in his wake.
Naruto exhaled, reverting to himself as the downpour soaked his cloak. The platform stood silent, victory bitter on his tongue. He'd driven Obito off, exposed his cracks, but the cost lingered—Minato's trust, Kushina's love, twisted into weapons. Above, Nagato and Konan emerged, sensing the shift. "He's gone?" Konan asked, her voice steady.
"For now," Naruto replied, gaze distant. "But he'll be back." The Heavenly Organization stood stronger, yet the war loomed larger, shadows of the past tightening their grip.
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