The Promise in the After Live
Obitos pov:
„Save the Uchiha and do it as Madara Uchiha.“
Obito thought he had to misheard Madara. But it made sense. Madara could not do this on his own, but would not trust Obito as himself to fulfill this task. Nothing changed.
„l didn’t mean it like this.“ Madara nearly whispered. „I want you to be yourself, I just don’t want me to be remembered as myself.“
Does that make sense? Maybe Madara found his own explanation lacking or he just realized that his student was not a genius. But at least he seemed willing to explain.
„Uchiha Obito died as a hero, everything you stand for will be remembered. If you reveled yourself you will tarnish your legacy and have to built it back up to what it was. While this is a noble act and I understand why you would want that. It is not necessarily needed. Nobody except Kakashi will be able to judge you and you can tell him in private if you wish.
But my Name is an idea. The idea of hating the Uchiha and Konoha and wanting to destroy everything. It is the truth and I myself am to blame for this. But I wish I could go back and make a new lagacy. One I could be proud of. You already used my name at the Time you are going. So I am asking. No. Begging you don’t reveal yourself to the masses. Stay your own person, don’t act like me and make everyone believe Madara was like you are. If you save the Uchiha as Madara in your own way, I will not go down in history as the worst traitor ever. I know I ask a lot off you, making me a hero you know I was not. But …“ Madara stopped. His voice was shaking and while no tears were visible, it was clear how much this meant to him.
„I always wanted to be the one to save everyone. In the end I only destroyed. I needed to be the one to cast tsukuyomi, because I needed this feeling. That I did something good, that I was right all along. I know now i was wrong. I killed everyone for a monster, wanting his horrible mother and as long as I know that, I can not be happy. Unlike you, I have nothing I can be proud of. So please, let use both be remembered as heroes.“
We can be both remembered as Heroes! Uchiha Obito had a legacy already! Was that true?
Madara is not wrong. If I reveal myself as a missing nin, I would tarnish my Legacy, while as Madara nothing would happen. The only one who would care that Obito was back would be Kakashi. Except was that true? Kakashi had met his new self and was horrified. He saw Obito not as a Person anymore. How could he after all that Time.
The Name Obito was like Madara, an idea. It meant a crybaby, emotional ninja who would always be there for his friends, be late fore everything and wants to be Hogake. His current self did not want to be this way. He accepted his old self back and that he had to stop being someone he was not. But wouldn’t Kakashi ask this from him, if he returned to the past. Would he really be okay with Obito being a missing nin and doing his own things for world peace. Or would he break under the task of trying to bring back a fantasy which never truly existed?
Even back than Kakashi never understood the real him. He had told Kakashi he would kill those who hurt his friends and that he would never leave his friends behind. Yet Kakashi quoted him, but never understood his meaning. Kakashi left Naruto as a child, would have killed sasuke for the sake of the village and never talked back to the village or tried to change the system. He even was late, not because he adopted obitos helping act. He was just late, because he remembered that Obito was late. Kakashi was a broken man, who would not take strength out of the knowledge that what he believed in was a lie and that his fantasy’s were never true. Constant rejection would break him and Obito would not fake being someone he was not. Not again.
He would make sure Kakashi got a happy ending with friends like gai and students like Naruto around. Maybe he could teach Kakashi about the true meaning of standing up for your friends against the system and see how Kakashi would fair. Than he could still decide if Kakashi should know. What everyone else thought of Obito was unimportant anyway.
So if there was no good reason to play the idea of Obito. Should he not start a new live? Be his own person, with no past and no restriction of how he was allowed to act. Except Madara allowed him that. He didn’t want him to act, but be himself. Nobody was alive to tell what madaras past was and how his character honestly acted. That is why he even got away with the Tobi persona. The only difference would be, that the Name would have an already existing meaning. The Question was, Should he really spent his time redeeming the evil out of Madaras name?
Madara did not deserve that someone else cleared his name.
Except Obito was part of the problem Madaras name was tainted. He used the old mans name while committing atrocities. Was it not fair that he would try to fix what he made. Nobody would know about his actions during the fourth war. Even further, most people would never know about his already accomplished past actions. He would get off Scot free of all his crimes, if he took a new persona or became Obito, while Madara would have no chance to redeem himself of his own or Tobis crimes, even if he helped Obito get back. So tecnically he owed him to at least try.
„Ok. If you help me get back I will pretend to be you. I will take responsibility for my crimes and yours, as Exchange for what I did in the past. I will try to clear your name and hopefully end my live with both our names in good graces. will not act like you would and I will ask those who know me as myself to not reveal anything. The idea of Madara is death and replaced with an actually person, while the idea of Obito will live on throw Kakashi. This will have consequences, either good or bad and you will never be able to change your mind about this. Whatever happens, I Promise this will be your new lagacy. Do you trust me with it?“
Obito locked at Madara who only smiled gratefully at him.
„Thank you. This is all I want.“
„Than I think it is time for some training. Show me how your eye and the susanoo works and than we will talk with the Akatsuki about what I have to tell their past selfs, so they will stay at my side without trying to kill me.“