Obito's breath hitched, the raw power surging through him from the Demonic Statue a dizzying contrast to the thrumming life force of Hashirama's clone tethered to my being. The ground trembled as the boulder, once an impassable barrier, fractured and crumbled under his will. Madara's voice, sharp and laced with an ancient power, cut through the dust. "Leaving so soon, young Uchiha?"

"Lord Madara," Obito managed, his voice still rough from the exertion. "Thank you... for saving my life."

A dismissive snort was his only reply. "You will thank me more sincerely later." His gaze held a weight, Obito couldn't fully comprehend, but he knew better than to linger.

White Zetsu's smooth voice echoed in his mind, ready to guide me. Obito pulled the dark cloak around himself, the familiar weight grounding slightly amidst the chaos. "Lead the way."

Each step was a desperate race against time. The updates filtering in painted a grim picture. No Minato-sensei, Obito thought. His grip tightened. The clone's voice, "Obito, I am stronger now. Allow me to fight in your stead."

"No," Obito retorted, "Kakashi... he has my other Sharingan. Our combined power will be greater."

"But think of the advantages, Obito," the clone persisted, a strange eagerness in its tone. "The Senju and Uchiha DNA... the enhanced abilities..."

A sudden downpour? No... the earth was erupting. Colossal geysers of water shot into the sky, the force of explosions rocking the very ground beneath his feet. Obito veered towards the source, his heart pounding in his chest. A flicker. A phantom image in his left eye socket. Rin... a hand, stained crimson, piercing her chest. Obito’s breath caught, a sharp, painful stab. Illusions. Just phantom pain, Obito told himself fiercely, pushing the image away. Obiti had to focus. Obito's friends needed him. But the flashes intensified, each one a brutal replay. Rin's smile, her laughter... then the horrifying crimson bloom. Obito squeezed his eyes shut for a fleeting moment, willing them to stop. Obiti bursts onto the battlefield, the air thick with smoke and the stench of blood. And then... time seemed to stop.

There he was. Kakashi. His hand... his hand was plunged through Rin's chest.

The phantom images weren't phantoms at all.

A strangled cry tore from Obito's throat, a raw, animalistic sound of disbelief and agony. His world shattered in that single, horrifying instant. Everything he had believed, everything he had been fighting for... it all dissolved into the crimson stain spreading across Rin's chest.

What... what just happened?