After the earth-shattering tremors, Obito felt closer to death than ever before. He blinked his only functional Sharingan and, seeing Kakashi and Rin unharmed not far away, breathed a sigh of relief.
*Good, they're both alright. As for me… it seems this is the end.*
*I haven't defeated Kakashi yet. I haven't become Hokage.*
*After all this time, Kakashi finally praised me once. After all this time, our relationship was finally getting better.*
*There are so many things I still want to do. I'm so unwilling…*
*Gasp!*
Blood poured uncontrollably from Obito's mouth, staining his upper body.
*Drip, drip…*
"Obito! Obito!"
Kakashi, groggy, regained consciousness and roared in anguish as he saw Obito pinned by a giant boulder.
"Damn it! How could this happen! Get off me!"
Kakashi strained with all his might to move the boulder, but his chakra was depleted, leaving him with little strength. The massive rock didn't budge an inch.
"It's… no use, Kakashi. Cough!"
Obito coughed out more blood, his face growing paler. Half of his face had lost all sensation, becoming numb.
"The… other half is completely numb. Cough, Kakashi, it seems I haven't given you a gift yet…"
"Obito, you…"
A flicker of regret crossed Obito's vacant eyes. Not being able to personally give Kakashi a gift, *I really am a dead last.*
*If only I had listened to Teacher Lin Yu’s suggestion back then. It was just a kiss to Kakashi, right?*
*It surely would have been much better than this.*
*Teacher Lin Yu was right. A ninja’s life is so fragile. One moment of carelessness could lead to an eternal separation. Am I only to accompany Kakashi this far?*
"Kakashi, I want to give you my Sharingan as a gift for your promotion to Jonin."
Obito felt a pang of regret. If he could have had another chance, he would have followed Teacher Lin Yu’s advice… But it was too late. All he could do was give his remaining eye to Kakashi.
"No! Obito, hold on! Teacher Lin Yu will come save us! I don't want your eye!"
Kakashi weakly pounded the ground. He hated his own weakness, his carelessness. Tears streamed down his face. He didn't want to lose Obito!
Obito's eyes moved, looking at Rin Nohara. "Rin, you can perform this minor surgery, right?"
Rin’s eyes were already wet with tears. She trembled, "Obito, do you really want to do this? We can just wait for Teacher Lin Yu…"
"Cough, there’s no time…"
Obito looked up at the collapsing cave. Stones were already falling, and it wouldn't hold for more than a few minutes!
"Kakashi, you should know too, there’s no time. Take my eye, and see the sights I never got to see. See the world for me again."
"Damn it! Damn it!" Kakashi's hands were stained with blood, but he pounded the boulder as if feeling no pain.
*Obito:*…Kakashi, don't you know that force is reciprocal? You're hitting the rock, and the rock is crushing me. You probably want me dead sooner so you can inherit my eyes!
"Kakashi, promise me. Protect Rin, and protect… yourself. Go! Find Teacher Lin Yu!"
"Cough, cough!"
Kakashi slumped to the ground, completely oblivious to the fact that the precariously collapsing cave above had been shored up by branches.
"Rin, I’m counting on you."
Obito's eyes were open, seemingly resigned.
*There was once a beautiful choice before me, but I didn't cherish it. Only after losing it did I regret it deeply. There is no greater pain in the ninja world than this…*
*If the Sage of Six Paths could give me another chance, I, Uchiha Obito, would say those three words to Kakashi… Pfft! I would give him the most unique gift in the world!*
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Lin Yu, standing nearby, was somewhat exasperated. Was he being ignored? Couldn't they see a grown man standing right here?
Obito continued his musings: *If I had to add a count to this gift, I would wish for…*
Seeing Rin Nohara pull out medical instruments and about to scoop out Obito's eye, Lin Yu couldn't stand it anymore!
"Stop, stop, stop! Can't you see me, a living person standing here!"
Lin Yu's Mangekyo Sharingan hadn't even fully closed. He had just used the Undying Netherflame within Obito's body as a coordinate to teleport.
However, the positioning was off. He had teleported directly onto the giant boulder crushing Obito, resulting in him and the rock pinning Obito, which caused Obito to continuously spit blood.
*Ahem, Lin Yu would never admit to this!*
"Teacher Lin Yu! How did you get here? Quickly! Teacher Lin Yu, save Obito!"
Hearing Lin Yu's voice, Kakashi's despairing eyes suddenly lit up.
Lin Yu walked over to Kakashi and touched his bandaged left eye.
"Don't worry, I'm here. You'll all be alright!"
Lin Yu approached Obito and teased, "Yo! Isn't this my Obito-bro? What a mess you're in!"
Obito's excitement immediately soured. *At a time like this! Teacher Lin Yu still has the mood to tease me? I'm about to be crushed to death!*
*Hmph, you have my Undying Netherflame in your body. Even with two more boulders, you won't die!*
*It will just hurt much more, because the Undying Netherflame only preserves life, not pain!*
Lin Yu formed hand seals, and branches rapidly sprouted from the ground, easily lifting the giant boulder off Obito.
Lin Yu pulled Obito out and tutted, "You were almost squashed into a meat patty."
Despite his teasing words, Lin Yu's movements were swift. A soft glow covered Obito.
Lin Yu used palm ninjutsu in his left hand and Yang release in his right, simultaneously healing necrotic cells and promoting cell division to regenerate new ones.
Lin Yu then used his chakra scalpel to excise Obito's crushed flesh. The entire procedure was done without anesthesia, causing Obito to clench his teeth in pain at times, and then nearly groan in relief as the life force of the Yang release healed him.
Pain mixed with pleasure!
Kakashi and Rin Nohara watched Lin Yu's actions with wide eyes. A thought crossed their minds: *Obito looks even worse off now than before!*
Kakashi was now extremely grateful for Lin Yu's immense strength. Otherwise, he would never see Obito again. Unbeknownst to him, Obito had become an indispensable bond in his life.
Rin Nohara, witnessing Lin Yu's masterful medical ninjutsu, resolved to learn from Teacher Lin Yu!
*Lin Yu:* Little sister, you can't learn this from me, but I can recommend you to Tsunade for advanced studies!
After a while, a perfectly intact Obito reappeared before them.
However, Obito's expression was somewhat off, a look of bewilderment. *Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do?*