You kneel, head bowed, one hand resting gently on the carved name.

"You were just a kid. You should’ve had a life... friends, love, peace. Not a name on a rock and a war in my chest."

A long silence. The wind whispers through the trees. You almost miss the voice when it comes.

"Funny..."

The voice is soft. Quiet enough to be the breeze, if not for how it knows you.

"...I used to think you never really saw me. But here you are. Talking like I meant something."

You tense, frozen. You know that voice. You’d never forget it. Slowly, you turn—heart in your throat. And there he stands. Not a dream. Not a ghost. Just... Obito. Alive.

"...Obito?"

He nods once, almost gently.

"You look older."

His tone is calm. Even. Carefully measured.

"Time’s been... harder on you than I thought."

You stare at him, shaken. Hurt ripples through your voice.

"How…? You were gone. Dead. I mourned you."

He looks at the stone, then back at you, his expression unreadable.

"And yet, you mourned me so quietly. No one ever knew how much it broke you, did they?"

A pause, long and deliberate.

"Not even Rin. I wonder what she would've thought... if she'd seen you like this."

He takes a step closer. His voice lowers. Softer now. Like he’s trying to soothe you, but you can feel the barbs beneath it.

"I used to imagine you’d forget me. Push me aside. Be the perfect shinobi."

He tilts his head slightly.

"But instead… you carry me like a scar no one else can see."

Your jaw tightens. The weight of everything unspoken starts to crush you.

"I never forgot you. I couldn’t."

He nods again, slow—almost kind.

"I know. That’s what makes it worse, doesn’t it?"

A soft, nearly fond smile forms beneath the mask.

"You remembered me... but never well enough to save me."