For the majority of Naruto, Obito Uchiha was a name shrouded in mystery and tragedy. Masashi Kishimoto had shared little about his tale beyond the fact that he was a member of Team Minato alongside Kakashi and Rin, and his presumed death in the Third Shinobi World War. The later stages of the story brought Obito's character to the fore of Naruto, with the reveal of him having masqueraded as both Tobi and Madara Uchiha, manipulating the Akatsuki from the shadows in the aftermath of Pain's defeat. He began to play a central part in sparking the Fourth Shinobi World War, orchestrating Sasuke's fights with Danzo and the Five Kage, while also making preparations to battle the Allied Shinobi Forces for control of the tailed beasts. However, to truly understand Obito's motives, it is vital to comprehend how his story began and what misfortunes he suffered along the way.
Obito's story has many parallels to Naruto's own, and in certain ways, he embodies what could have gone wrong in the journey of the series' protagonist. Despite the fact that Obito may have been a victim of his fate, it is also important to note that he did what he did of his own volition, even if he was being manipulated by the real Madara from beyond the grave. The Obito that was introduced at the time of the Fourth Shinobi World War was a jaded, broken shell of the person he once was, and it was only Naruto's own intervention that reminded him of his dream and forced him to redeem himself by finally rejecting the hatred that had been projected on to him. Thus, Obito's journey was always one of finding the person he once was — caring, loyal, and courageous, even in the face of all the suffering he had endured.
The Boy Who Wanted To Be Hokage
Even from an early age, Obito harbored dreams of becoming Hokage to gain the approval of the people of Konoha, as he had grown up without knowing his parents, like Naruto himself, and his relationship with Team Minato echoed many of the dynamics within Team 7. The young Uchiha was helplessly in love with his teammate Rin, and saw a rival in the stern yet apathetic prodigy that Kakashi was in his youth.
Sadly for him, Rin herself had feelings for Kakashi, and Obito was often left to play second fiddle to him, as he progressed much faster than his peers, attaining the rank of jonin in the Third Shinobi World War. When sent on a mission to Kannabi Bridge, both Minato and Rin gave Kakashi gifts for his promotion, as Obito reluctantly admitted that he had forgotten, adding fuel to their already tense relationship. As Minato was later called to the front lines, this became a source of friction between the two, when Kakashi had to lead the team and complete their mission.
A Horrific Twist Of Fate
Unfortunately for the trio, Rin was captured by shinobi from Iwagakure, and Kakashi elected to leave her behind to complete the mission, to Obito's dismay. Refusing to accept Kakashi's order, Obito proceeded to rescue her on his own, but would have been killed if not for the intervention of Kakashi, who saw the value in protecting his comrades, but lost his eye while defending Obito. The latter awakened his Sharingan in the process and managed to help Kakashi defeat the remaining enemy ninja, before finding the kidnapped Rin held inside a cave.
Once inside, the duo managed to eliminate their opponents and save Rin, but one of the Iwagakura ninja triggered the cave's collapse, and the falling rubble struck Kakashi. Seeing his friend in danger, Obito rushed in and pushed Kakashi away from an incoming boulder, only to be crushed by it himself. With his dying words, Obito accepted his fate and bequeathed his left Sharingan to Kakashi, who used it to defeat the remaining Iwagakure shinobi and get Rin to safety.
Although presumed dead, Obito was actually saved by White Zetsu who was acting on the orders of an elderly Madara Uchiha. Having been taken back to Mountains' Graveyard, Obito was nursed by Madara who replaced the damaged parts of his body with Hashirama Senju's cells. Obito then began a lengthy recovery process, as he sought to return to the battle and assist his teammates. Meanwhile, Madara explained the horrors of the world and the tragedy of war to him, but this fell on deaf ears, as Obito was still the young idealist he had grown up as. Sadly, this would not last for long.
The Final Nail In The Coffin
Having acclimated to his new body, Obito set out towards Konoha, to aid in the war effort, thanking Madara and bidding him a final goodbye, as he told the young shinobi that he would return for certain. When informed by White Zetsu of Kakashi and Rin being in grave danger, Obito encased himself in the Zetsu Tobi, and ran towards the battlefield to find Kakashi stabbing Rin through the heart with his Chidori.
This image caused him and Kakashi to awaken their Mangekyo Sharingan. Obito then flew into a blind rage and slaughtered all the Kirigakure ninja gathered there with Tobi's Wood Release and his newly developed Kamui, before cradling Rin's body in his arms next to an unconscious Kakashi. Little did he know that Rin was forced to become the Three-Tails' jinchuriki, and she begged Kakashi to kill her instead of serving as a ticking time bomb. Later on in the story, this was all revealed to be Madara's doing, as he sought an heir to continue his Eye of the Moon Plan.
Obito returned to Madara and pledged his life to him, finally seeing the latter's jaded worldview. He then took on Madara's mantle in bringing about the Infinite Tsukuyomi after the elder Uchiha's death, and also began to control the Akatsuki for this very purpose. This disastrous sequence of events paved the way for Obito to become the dejected person that he was at the time of the Fourth Shinobi World War in Naruto, seeing no value in the real world after losing all that he held dear.