"Are you trying to keep me here?"
Obito wore an amused smile.
After hearing what Youhu had said to Itachi, even Obito could tell that Konoha had laid a trap for him.
Itachi might have reported what he knew about Obito long ago. The Hokage had also noticed his recent activity around Konohagakure, so he'd specifically sent Itachi to get close to him before dispatching elite Ninja to hunt him down.
But had the Third Hokage underestimated him? He hadn't even come in person, sending only a squad of Anbu instead.
Ever since Teacher Minato's death, no one in the entire Ninja World could threaten his life—not even the famed Five Kage or Nagato, wielder of the Rinnegan.
The thought brought out Obito's mischievous streak. He decided to teach these few ignorant Ninja a lesson they'd never forget.
Especially Kakashi, the man who had killed Rin with his own hands.
Obito reached into the Kamui Space and drew out a chain-linked Scythe Sword. Then he charged straight at Kakashi, swinging the blade in a relentless flurry.
Kakashi drew the long sword from his back and rushed to meet him.
Itachi followed close behind, drawing his own sword and attacking Obito from another direction alongside Kakashi.
Kakashi was a Jonin who had made a name for himself years ago. His Taijutsu and swordsmanship were exceptionally solid, allowing him to hold his own even against the High Officials of the great Ninja villages. He took on Obito head-on.
Itachi had awakened the Three Tomoe Sharingan. Though he was only a Chunin in Root Ninja, his strength had long since reached Jonin level.
As he laid nearly invisible traps among the trees with Shuriken and Steel Wire, he also used Illusion Technique to disrupt the flow of Obito's Chakra.
But against Obito's Mangekyō, Itachi's Illusion Technique was completely useless.
Illusion Technique worked by disrupting Chakra to control the senses. Itachi's attacks were like scratching through a boot to itch a foot: they did something, but not much.
Kakashi's Taijutsu, however, was enough to keep Obito evenly matched.
Under the Sharingan's keen perception, both of their movements seemed to slow to a crawl. As they traded blows, Kakashi sensed something strangely familiar about the Masked Man.
It felt as though he had fought the Masked Man before, but he couldn't say who the man was.
Youhu kept to the edge of the battlefield. Other than tossing a few Kunai now and then, he didn't interfere in the fight between Obito, Kakashi, and Itachi.
As the first Anbu to discover the Masked Man's whereabouts and report them to the Hokage, Youhu's main goal wasn't to help Konoha eliminate the Masked Man. Konoha couldn't hope to capture Obito, who had mastered Space-Time Ninjutsu and still had Izanagi as a last resort.
And Youhu had no urgent personal grudge against Obito, either.
His goal was to muddy the waters in Konoha and the Ninja World, stirring up trouble among the various factions. That way, he could maneuver between them, exploit his information advantage to earn Deception Points, and grow stronger.
In other words, he only had one job: cause as much trouble as possible.
It was all for the future of the Ninja World. You had to understand his good intentions.
Youhu took a few Smoke Bombs from his Ninja Tool Pouch and spent one hundred Deception Points to modify them into Paralyzing Smoke Bombs. He also conjured up the corresponding antidote.
The Paralyzing Bombs weren't difficult to make, and they wouldn't provide much of an advantage on a battlefield.
Any enemy with a Wind Style Ninja could easily disperse them. But they were perfect for dealing with Obito's Kamui. As long as Obito didn't notice the toxins in the smoke, he'd fall for them easily.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Technique!"
Youhu formed Hand Seals. A resonant dragon's roar rang out as he exhaled Fire Style Chakra, which quickly coalesced into a snarling, clawing fire dragon.
The dragon hovered in the air, lighting up the small grove around them.
Then it locked onto Obito and streaked through the night like an arrow. Before Obito could react, the fire dragon was already right in front of him.
"Just a Fire Dragon Technique!"
Obito scoffed at the incoming dragon. With a thought, his body appeared in Kamui Space, and the Fire Dragon Technique struck the ground beneath him.
The flames scorched the earth, leaving blackened marks behind.
Unscathed, Obito returned to the Ninja World. Itachi and Kakashi attacked from both sides, but he didn't dodge. He simply stood where he was.
Clang! Clang!
Itachi's and Kakashi's weapons collided. They crossed paths, then looked at each other in disbelief.
Kakashi's face was grave. This wasn't ordinary Space-Time Ninjutsu. It was nothing like the Flying Thunder God Technique that Teacher Minato had mastered.
The Flying Thunder God Technique crossed space, teleporting from point A to point B.
But the Masked Man's ability took him out of the Ninja World entirely, phasing his body into another dimension.
If the Masked Man didn't solidify, they'd never be able to hurt him. Kakashi couldn't even fathom how Teacher Minato had beaten the man back then.
"So this is the power of the Mangekyō?"
Itachi's brows furrowed. He had seen a Mangekyō Sharingan wielder before: Brother Shisui possessed Kotoamatsukami, which could rewrite another person's will. But that was a Mangekyo Dojutsu involving Illusion Technique, not Space-Time.
He had no idea how they could possibly defeat the Masked Man.
Even if the Third Hokage came here in person, he probably wouldn't be able to drive the Masked Man off.
If this man wasn't Uchiha Madara himself, his strength was still nearly on par with Madara's. What had been his reason for approaching Itachi? Had it really just been for fun?
Youhu wasn't worried. He had mixed Paralyzing Smoke Bombs into his Fire Dragon Technique.
As he quietly waited for the paralysis to take effect, Youhu went over to Kakashi and Itachi and said with concern:
"Captain Kakashi, the Masked Man is too strong. What should we do now?"
"Are we just going to stand by and let him cause another Nine-Tails' Rampage?"
Kakashi looked troubled, but he steeled himself and said, "I'll hold the Masked Man off. You and Itachi go find the Hokage. This time, I have to protect everyone."
Saying he'd protect everyone right in front of Obito was practically making him see red.
Youhu grumbled to himself.
Itachi shook his head slightly and said with firm resolve, "We can't leave Captain Kakashi here to die alone. The village should already have gotten the message. We only need to hold out a little longer."
"If we're going to die, then we'll die together."
"Then I'll head out first..."
Youhu didn't even look at Kakashi or Itachi's expressions. He gathered Chakra in his feet, used the Body Flicker Technique, and raced toward the Hokage Building.
He was giving Obito a chance to launch a sneak attack.
Kakashi and Itachi, left behind, stared at each other.
At a moment of life and death like this, shouldn't they have taken turns refusing to leave, then stayed together to face the enemy? What was with Youhu leaving first?
And they'd been talking loudly enough for the Masked Man to hear them, too.
Running away alone with his back turned to the enemy—wasn't that asking to die?
Obito thought so, too.
He hadn't planned to kill anyone, but when he heard Kakashi say he'd protect everyone, Obito's anger had already reached its limit. He would make Kakashi understand that he couldn't protect anyone.
Now Youhu had chosen to run, giving Obito an obvious target.
Youhu wasn't Kakashi. Obito had sworn to make Kakashi live with guilt and self-reproach for the rest of his life.
And Youhu wasn't Itachi, either. Obito valued Itachi and had already added him to his list of recruits. Once Itachi became a rogue Ninja, Obito would have another pawn to carry out the Moon Eye Plan.
Youhu had stepped forward of his own accord. For an Anbu with neither strength nor influence, death was only natural.
Thinking this, Obito drew closer to Youhu, raising his Scythe Sword high. In another instant, he could bring it down and send this utterly unremarkable Anbu to meet the Sage of Six Paths.
But the next moment, everything changed.
Youhu suddenly turned to face Obito. Obito saw the White Mask on Youhu's face. Its design looked a little like the Rinnegan, and Obito froze for a moment.
What kind of mask was that? Why did it look so much like the Rinnegan?
When he came to his senses, Obito realized he could barely move. His body was stiff, as if he'd just awakened after sleeping for years. A gleaming blade was already right in front of him, slamming into him head-on.
"You finally fell for it. This was my real attack all along."
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