A Different Path (Obito Uchiha x Reader)

Chapter 72 - The Ones We Love

"Don't." My voice cracked like thunder. "Don't talk to me."

He fell silent.

I tried to lift Obito onto my back, grunting through the strain. But my knees buckled and pain ripped through my hip and leg. My body had nothing left to give.

Kakashi moved again.

"Fine," I spat, not looking at him. "Just—carry him. Don't talk to me. Don't even look at me."

Kakashi nodded, solemn. He gently lifted Obito onto his back, securing him with practiced hands. His expression was unreadable behind his mask.

I scooped Tobi into my arms. He clung to me tightly, burying his face into my neck.

The three of us made our way out of that cursed hideout.

Each step toward the sunlight felt heavier than the last, but the nightmare was over.

Or so I prayed.

I didn't look back.

Because the man I loved was still alive—and that was all that mattered.

---

The quiet in the hospital room wasn't peaceful.

It was heavy. Like the air itself was pressing down on my chest.

Like every breath I took came with the weight of everything I might still lose.

I sat frozen on the hospital bed, arms wrapped around my belly, staring at the sterile floor tiles like they could offer me answers. They didn't. All they gave me were more questions. More fear. More suffocating silence.

Is the baby okay?

Is Obito alive?

How do I ever look Kakashi in the eyes again?

The moment replayed over and over—Kakashi's Chidori, the way Obito's eyes locked with mine as he whispered I love you, just before the electricity tore through them both. That sound—of power and pain—was carved into my bones now.

And I couldn't stop hearing it.

My chest ached. My throat burned. My heart... felt shattered beyond recognition.

I loved them both. That was the worst part.

Obito, the man who'd given me his soul. And Kakashi, who'd stood by my side through everything.

I loved them both... and one had nearly killed the other.

The door creaked open, and my head snapped up. A doctor stepped in, clipboard in hand, face unreadable. Cold panic tightened my body like a vice.

"Please," I whispered before he could speak. "Just tell me."

His pause was too long. My lungs stopped working.

Then... he nodded.

"The baby is fine," he said calmly. "Heartbeat strong. No signs of distress or damage. You're both in the clear."

I didn't breathe—I gasped. Like I'd been drowning this whole time and just now broke the surface.

My hands flew to my stomach and I let out a sob, raw and uncontrollable. "Oh, my god..." My fingers trembled as they pressed gently to the small swell of my belly. "Thank you... thank you..."

Tears streamed down my cheeks—hot, messy, unfiltered relief. In the middle of all this chaos, something—someone—was still safe.

But before I could fully breathe, the doctor spoke again.