Within the Land of Fire.
A distorted vortex abruptly appeared. Immediately afterward, a cloaked figure wearing a spiral mask strolled out of it.
Clearly, the figure was Obito.
In fact, after the previous great battle in Kirigakure, Kakashi had already learned Obito's identity. On top of that, Madara Uchiha's "Edo Tensei Body" had appeared in the Ninja World, so he no longer needed to keep masquerading as Madara Uchiha.
It was simply that he had worn the mask for so long that he had grown accustomed to hiding beneath it. Or rather, he needed more than just a mask to conceal his face; he needed a certain kind of spiritual protection.
Because from the moment he awakened Kamui, he had become dependent on running away.
Only by putting on the mask could he forget that he was Uchiha Obito, the dead last, and immerse himself in the role of Akatsuki's hidden mastermind.
After landing, Obito gazed from afar in Konoha's direction.
At first, he had thought that the Six Paths of Pain under his control, combined with the previous-generation Kage in Edo Tensei Bodies controlled by Zetsu, would be enough to conquer Konoha and utterly raze the village that had once carried his hopes, only to give him despair.
He had never expected Naruto, Sasuke, and Neji, those three brats, to interfere and forcibly stabilize the Allied Shinobi Forces' losing position. Then the First Hokage, Second Hokage, and Fourth Hokage, reincarnated by Orochimaru through Impure World Reincarnation, had turned the tide.
"Hmph!"
Obito snorted and withdrew his gaze.
At present, aside from Yama, the leader of the God Organization, he no longer took anyone else seriously—not even the First Hokage, hailed as the "God of Shinobi." Having become the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki, he had already entered the "Six Paths level." Only