The space between them was silent, but heavy.

Facing Obito directly, Kakashi felt a strange stillness in his heart—deceptively calm, almost detached. He had spoken words meant to sway Obito, to lure him into trust. Yet even as he manipulated the conversation, a bitter part of him wondered:

Was it truly deceit… if part of me believes it, too?

The man before him—his former teammate—was no longer the Obito he once knew. He had become a soul eroded by hatred, twisted by loss. But Kakashi also knew: the boy who gave him his eye still existed within that storm.

And that part of Obito… might still be reached.

He gave a faint, dry chuckle.

I speak like I'm manipulating him… but why does it feel so natural?

"Obito…"

He met his eye directly. No fear. No anger.

"Take my Sharingan."

Obito's eyes widened beneath the mask. His breath hitched.

"Kakashi…" he whispered, voice rough with disbelief. "Do you… really understand me?"

His body trembled with something close to fear—not of Kakashi, but of hope. Hope that perhaps, after all this time, he had been seen.

Kakashi didn't hesitate.

"Of course I do."

The words hit like sunlight. For a moment, the void around them seemed to soften.

Kakashi stepped closer, not with weapons or jutsu, but with something more dangerous: trust.

"I've always believed in you, Obito. And if you want to create a world with Rin, where no one has to suffer again… then maybe you're the only one who can do it."

Obito's mask seemed to lower, if not physically, then emotionally. Something melted in his chest.

He believes in me…? Still?

The warmth of those words filled a space in Obito that had been cold for years.

Kakashi—the only person left who shared his past—was still offering his hand.

"If you truly believe in that world," Kakashi said softly, "then my Sharingan will serve that dream. Take it."

But suddenly—Obito stepped back.

"No."

The word rang sharp and desperate.

"I can't take it. Not from you… Kakashi, you're the only bond I have left in this world. If I take your eye… it's like I'm severing that connection completely."

He looked down, shaking his head as if rejecting a cruel fate.

"Let's… create that world together."

Kakashi hesitated. The weight of Obito's words landed hard.

But the mission required that he stay close. That he guide Obito's madness before it spiraled. So, he gave a quiet nod.

"Alright."

And just like that, a thin crack opened in Obito's hardened heart. He smiled—not the cruel smirk of a masked villain—but something distant and boyish. A smile Kakashi hadn't seen since they were Genin.

The air grew lighter.

The pain Obito had carried for years, the guilt and grief, loosened its grip. For the first time, he was able to say it aloud:

"Rin's death… wasn't your fault, Kakashi."

Kakashi looked up in surprise, but Obito's voice was steady now.

"It was the Shinobi World. All of it. The way we're forced to live, to sacrifice, to betray… That's what killed her."

He clenched his fist. "That world must be destroyed. Only then can a true one be born."

Kakashi listened without flinching.

Then Obito reached into his cloak and pulled out a small glass vial.

Inside—glowing faintly under the cold, gray light—was a single crimson eye.

"Uchiha Gen's Mangekyō Sharingan," he said, holding it out carefully.

Kakashi's brow furrowed. "You're giving it to me?"

Obito nodded, voice quiet but firm.

"This eye will be crucial. Too important to carry openly. If it stays with me, it could be stolen… manipulated… But in your hands, I know it's safe."

Kakashi studied the vial. Even inert, the Mangekyō's chakra pulsed like a heartbeat. Raw, dangerous. Alive.

Why does this feel… familiar?

He didn't answer immediately. He only stared at it, before gently taking the bottle and slipping it into his pouch.

"I'll guard it with my life."

Obito's shoulders eased slightly, a soft relief passing over him.

Obito took a deep breath and confessed to Kakashi, "Kakashi, the organization I was in before was called Akatsuki Organization..."

As Obito slowly revealed the truth about the Akatsuki Organization, Kakashi's expression gradually became solemn.

From Nagato, the leader with the Rinnegan, to Uchiha Itachi, and even the will of Uchiha Madara hidden in the shadows...

Obito's eyes flickered as he continued, "The Akatsuki Organization is determined to save the Ninja World, but I have already broken away from them."

Kakashi frowned and asked, "So, what do you plan to do next?"

Seeing Obito's somewhat bewildered look, Kakashi then proposed a suggestion that he himself dared not imagine.

"Obito, go find Orochimaru and cooperate with him."

"Orochimaru?"

Kakashi analyzed at this point, "You mentioned that Orochimaru in the organization has always had a great obsession and ambition for the Rinnegan and Sharingan."

"His wild ambition, for us, might also be an excellent chess piece."

Obito listened to Kakashi's analysis, and his mind suddenly opened up.

"If we can control Orochimaru, it would be even better; his Edo Tensei can add a lot of combat power."

The two stood there in understanding.

"We'll need to keep up appearances," Obito said, voice regaining its usual steel. "Once we leave Kamui, we go back to being enemies. No one can suspect anything."

Kakashi nodded. "I was thinking the same."

"For now… let the world think we're still at odds. It'll buy us the time we need."

Obito smirked faintly, glancing sideways. "You sure you can act? You're not exactly the expressive type."

Kakashi returned the look flatly. "I'm not stupid."

"Could've fooled me," Obito teased, then chuckled.

For a fleeting moment, they were just two boys again, stuck in the folds of a dark plan, trying to find light.

And somewhere in Kakashi's heart, the manipulation began to blur with something more dangerous: empathy.

If this dream of Obito's could truly end the cycle… would it really be so bad to help him shape it?

He shoved the thought aside, but not far.

Obito's voice broke through again, softer this time.

"Kakashi… I'm glad you're still here."

Kakashi looked at him. "I'll always be with you."

Obito laughed, a dry, genuine sound.

"When did you get so sentimental?"

Kakashi didn't answer. He didn't need to.

The two stood in silence, Sharingan eyes linked by memory and fate, by grief and guilt.

And by a future neither of them truly understood yet.

Finally, they turned toward the void's edge—where reality shimmered beyond the dimensional veil.

Kakashi adjusted his headband. Obito straightened his cloak.

"You ready?"

Obito inhaled slowly. "Anytime."

With a single synchronized step, the two vanished—leaving the dark world of Kamui behind, and returning to the chaos of the shinobi world… now as enemies in name, but allies in secret.