The Shattered Mask

"What the hell is going on?"

Inside Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi was leading a group of Anbu swiftly toward the scene of the incident, and Shimura Danzō was with them.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had not actually wanted to bring this old friend of his along, but with something like this happening, he had no time to worry about so much.

"Hmph, it looks like under your leadership, Konoha really has become quite a mess."

Shimura Danzō mocked him as they sped along, instantly making Hiruzen Sarutobi glare over in displeasure.

But Shimura Danzō did not back down. Even after his old friend had used the Anbu to surround Root and even taken his "Kō" away, he was not afraid now.

"Tell me, could it be that Jiraiya came back and brought some tails with him?"

"Jiraiya?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his brows. He did not ask how Danzō knew about Jiraiya, since this man was never honest anyway.

As for Jiraiya bringing tails...

With a shift of thought, he roughly guessed what his old friend was thinking, only there were some things he did not want to expose.

"Hmm?"

However, just as they were rushing forward at top speed, they suddenly spotted Jiraiya, Guy, and the visibly exhausted Kakashi coming this way not far ahead.

"Old man?"

When Jiraiya saw Hiruzen Sarutobi, he immediately called out.

"Why are you here too? Huh, Danzō?"

"I went to look for him tonight, but I didn't expect to run into something like this, so we came to take a look."

Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a direct explanation, then quickly came to Jiraiya's side and quietly asked while continuing forward.

"Who do you think it could be? Could there be tails?"

"Uh..."

Hearing the first half, Jiraiya had just been about to shake his head and say he had not been in Konoha for ages, but the second half made him raise his brows.

After mulling it over for a moment, he said in a low voice.

"We came back very quickly on the road, but they all know our identities, since Orochimaru and Itachi Uchiha were there, so I can't really judge."

"Is that so?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi muttered, while Jiraiya smiled and shook his head beside him.

"Old man, don't always think of the worst. What if it's just an accident?"

"You're not the Hokage, so you don't understand. From the Hokage's position, nothing can be left to chance."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was rather speechless at this disciple's "optimism." Even if Jiraiya wanted to comfort him a little, there was really no need.

For a Hokage, there truly was no such thing as a minor matter!

"Relax, relax. We'll hurry over and take a look."

Jiraiya did not want to argue about this either. He smiled and spoke.

"Maybe it really is an accid... hmm?"

However, before he could finish, his expression suddenly stiffened.

Not only him; everyone around seemed to have sensed something. Their expressions all changed at that instant!

"That's... the Nine-Tails' Chakra?!"

If the previous situation had only made them alert, worried that some villain had entered the village and started a battle.

Then the current situation could already be considered a crisis for Konoha!

"Why didn't the Anbu send information?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was livid. As he sped up, he could not help but shout the question, making an Anbu beside him lower his head.

"Hokage, earlier he... was with Lord Jiraiya and Captain Kakashi, so..."

"..."

Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Guy's faces instantly turned somewhat ugly. None of them had expected things to actually be like this!

Although Hiruzen Sarutobi understood what the Anbu meant—after all, Naruto following these people should have been fine, and who could have expected things to go wrong afterward—he still could not help glaring at Jiraiya before speeding up without looking back and speaking.

"Move faster. Nothing must happen!"

"Yes!"

Jiraiya also did not dare slack off in the slightest, and Guy even had the thought of putting Kakashi down and rushing over himself.

Fortunately, in the end he did not do that, and besides, they were already not far from the scene.

With everyone accelerating the whole way, it was not long before they arrived at the site!

What made them breathe a sigh of relief was that from afar, they saw Naruto currently together with Sasuke Uchiha, though the reddish Chakra on his body proved that his condition was not good.

On the other side, Kitagawa Gen was currently facing a black-clad man wearing a mask.

But in the next instant, all their eyes went wide!

"That is..."

"Just as I thought. You really should be like the Fourth Hokage and possess some kind of space-time technique ability."

Before Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others arrived, Kitagawa Gen looked at Obito Uchiha before him and suddenly spoke in a low voice.

"However, your space-time technique should be a transfer. Whether it's my attacks or you yourself, only the instant you make a move is your real body present, right?"

"...Very sharp, brat."

Obito Uchiha was silent for a moment before giving somewhat insincere praise.

At this moment, what filled his heart even more was shock. The last time someone had seen through the secret of his "Kamui" so quickly was ten years ago!

That time, he had faced Minato Namikaze, and that time, Minato Namikaze had beaten him miserably.

"But unfortunately, so what if you see through it? Do you have a way to handle it?"

"Maybe I don't, but I don't need to deal with you at all. I only need to hold you back."

Kitagawa Gen shook his head, trying his best to make Obito Uchiha lower his guard.

"And there's another interesting thing. You said just now that Teacher Kakashi was trash, which means you seem to know him, and the two of you should have some connection.

Maybe you have a grudge against each other. There's one more interesting thing too. Your Sharingan is in your right eye, while Kakashi's Sharingan is in his left eye. Could there be some connection here...?"

Hearing these words, even though Obito Uchiha was forcing himself to stay calm, he nearly could not hold it together.

Granted, he could say this was a coincidence, and the Uchiha had been exterminated, but it was hard to say no Sharingan had flowed out.

Especially since he really did seem to have cursed, "Kakashi is trash," just now. Whether or not there was any connection in this, it could lead Konoha to investigate in that direction.

He still needed to use the identity of "Madara Uchiha" to suppress Nagato, not the "nobody" Obito Uchiha!

"I can't let this brat keep spouting nonsense!"

Obito Uchiha's Sharingan turned slightly. In an instant, his figure twisted, but at that moment, he discovered Kitagawa Gen was actually moving even faster than him.

Bzzzt, bzzzt, bzzzt—

Almost at the instant he had lost focus just now, this kid had already turned into a streak of purple light and charged toward him.

The purple arcs of electricity covering his hand looked, at a glance, just like Chidori!

"Ignorant brat."

Obito Uchiha snorted coldly. He knew this brat seemed very good at seizing opportunities, and now he had also sensed that the people from Konoha were getting closer and closer.

However, he had no emotional fluctuation, because to him, Kitagawa Gen was also giving him an opportunity.

"You're the one who gave me this opening!"

Looking at Kitagawa Gen getting closer and closer, Obito Uchiha's figure paused slightly. He had already entered the Kamui Dimension.

Originally, he had only wanted to test things out, but now, he did not want this brat spouting nonsense anymore!

Bzzzt, bzzzt, bzzzt—

"Hmm?"

Obito Uchiha froze for a moment. How could he still hear such clear electrical crackling after entering the Kamui Dimension?

"I've been waiting for you for ages!"

Just then, Obito Uchiha suddenly heard a voice, and his Sharingan widened as well.

Inside his Kamui Dimension, at some point, another Kitagawa Gen had appeared, and this Kitagawa Gen seemed vastly different.

Surging Chakra coursed over his body, red eye shadow marked his face, and more importantly, that purple lightning was already attacking him!

"Damn it, I was tricked!"

In his panic, Obito Uchiha's first thought was to leave the Kamui Dimension, but outside, Kitagawa Gen had likewise brought Purple Lightning stabbing right toward his chest.

Under these circumstances, he naturally could not go out. He could only turn sideways to evade.

At the same time, his right hand reached forward, and sharp wooden spikes instantly stabbed out. Naturally, he had to eliminate the hidden danger inside Kamui!

Bang—

However, at the same time as his wooden spikes pierced through Kitagawa Gen's Shadow Clone inside Kamui, the purple lightning also slammed heavily into his face.