After Obito fled in disgrace, Kakashi and the others breathed a sigh of relief. With their current strength, continuing to fight Obito would only let him pick them off one by one, leaving them with no way out.
Itachi recalled what Kakashi and Youhu had said and asked in confusion:
"Captain Kakashi, what exactly is going on? How could the Masked Man be Obito? Didn't he sacrifice himself on the battlefield at Kannabi Bridge?"
"I don't know either. I remember seeing Obito get crushed beneath the boulders with my own eyes..."
Kakashi gently shook his head. He had no idea why Obito had become the Masked Man, or why he had later attacked the village and even killed Teacher Minato and Lady Kushina.
Lady Kushina had clearly doted on Obito the most.
At that moment, Kakashi seemed to remember something. He looked thoughtfully at Youhu beside him.
Kakashi remembered that Youhu had said that very morning that Obito and Rin would both come back to life.
At the time, he had known that was impossible. He had witnessed Obito being struck by the boulder with his own eyes, and had personally killed Rin after she became the Three-Tails Jinchuriki.
He had also told Youhu that there was no Ninjutsu in the world that could bring the dead back to life, though he still held on to a sliver of hope.
But now, he had seen the dead Obito appear alive before him with his own eyes.
This meant that the Ninja World possessed a Ninjutsu capable of bringing people back to life. And for a Ninjutsu to be activated, there had to be a Ninja casting it.
Obito had most likely not become the Masked Man of his own free will.
Thinking of this, Kakashi told his subordinates what he believed.
"Itachi, Youhu, I thought it over just now. The Masked Man may really be Obito."
"However, attacking the village may not have been Obito's Original Intention. He was probably used by someone after being resurrected. The Ninja who used Obito is the true mastermind behind everything."
"Brother Obito was used?"
A hint of light returned to Youhu's eyes, and he hurriedly said, "I knew Brother Obito couldn't possibly attack the village. He must have been used!"
"Captain Kakashi, we can still bring Brother Obito back later, right?"
"Mm..."
Kakashi nodded slightly. He also hoped to reunite with his best friend, but he was somewhat afraid to face Obito. Back then, he had promised Obito that he would protect Rin well, but in the end, he had let Rin die by his own hand.
Fate was always so bizarre and unpredictable.
At that moment, the Third Hokage finally arrived with a large group of Anbu.
After glancing at the terrain damaged by Ninjutsu and sensing the Chakra lingering in the air, the Third Hokage could basically confirm that the Masked Man who had attacked the village this time was the same Masked Man who had attacked it back then.
Five years later, the Masked Man had planned to target the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and recreate the Nine-Tails' Rampage.
Fortunately, Kakashi Squad had taken the initiative to hold the Masked Man back this time, and Naruto had been protected safely. The Third Hokage had no idea how serious Kakashi and the others' injuries were.
Just as the Third Hokage was considering how to encourage Kakashi Squad, Youhu was the first to appear before him. With a guilty look, he said, "Hokage, please punish us. We failed to keep Brother Obito here and let him escape."
"The Masked Man is extremely powerful. Even I had no confidence that I could keep him here. You did very well..."
"Wait..."
The Third Hokage noticed something amiss. After carefully replaying Youhu's words in his mind, he finally realized what Youhu had said, and his thoughts began racing.
Youhu, are you saying that you not only drove the Masked Man back, but also discovered his true identity?
He's a Ninja named Obito.
This Ninja called Obito sounds vaguely familiar. Didn't I issue Obito a Forehead Protector back then?
"Kakashi, report to me. What exactly happened?"
Since Youhu had spread rumors about him before, the Third Hokage did not entirely trust Youhu's words and directly called Kakashi over.
"That's what happened..."
Kakashi recounted everything that had happened that night.
After hearing Kakashi's report, the Third Hokage's mouth twitched. He rubbed his forehead with a headache.
Why did Naruto run to the Back Mountain to fish again? And then encounter a wild boar there, only to be rescued by Youhu?
Youhu doesn't follow the Anbu Rules either.
How can an Anbu Ninja eat and drink during a mission, and even sit down for a meal with such a sensitive figure as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?
It's only because I, the Hokage, am willing to trust you.
If it were another Uchiha approaching the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, I would have to put on armor and consider whether the Uchiha would immediately launch a coup.
Still, the final outcome was good.
If Youhu and Kakashi had not stayed beside Naruto the entire time, the Masked Man's plan might really have succeeded.
Itachi had also secretly approached the Masked Man as a member of the Uchiha and gathered intelligence on him. If he had not happened to encounter Kakashi and Youhu, he might truly have infiltrated the enemy's ranks...
During the battle with the Masked Man, Youhu had also displayed Combat Intuition far beyond that of ordinary people.
He had actually thought of a way to counter Space-Time Ninjutsu. That Combat Intuition was no weaker than Namikaze Minato's in his prime.
Unfortunately, Youhu's overall strength was still lacking. Combat Intuition alone could not make up for the gap in raw power.
The final piece of intelligence was also the one the Third Hokage found hardest to believe.
It was the Masked Man's true identity.
If Kakashi, Youhu, and the others had not witnessed it with their own eyes, who would have imagined that the Masked Man who created the Nine-Tails' Rampage would be the bright and cheerful Obito?
However, this also indirectly proved that the Uchiha had indeed been involved in the Nine-Tails' Rampage back then.
The Uchiha truly possessed the power to threaten all of Konoha. Should the village's policy toward the Uchiha be changed slightly?
Or could the Nine-Tails' Rampage have been staged by the Uchiha themselves?
For a moment, countless speculations surged through the Third Hokage's mind.
At that moment, Kakashi seemed to make up his mind. He turned to the Third Hokage and said, "Third Lord, I want to temporarily leave the Anbu and go find Obito. I want to ask him what he really thinks."
The Third Hokage fell silent for several seconds, hesitating over whether he should agree.
He knew about the bond between Kakashi and Obito, but Kakashi's strength should not be enough to deal with the Masked Man.
At that moment, Youhu also stepped forward and said resolutely:
"Hokage, I want to go with Captain Kakashi too."
"Kakashi has Brother Obito's Sharingan, so it'll be convenient for us to track Brother Obito down. Even if we have to break both his arms and legs, or even beat him to death, I'll still forcefully bring Brother Obito back."
Isn't killing him outright and bringing back his corpse a little too much...
Where did you get such resentment toward Uchiha Obito? Are you two really that close?
However, Youhu had reminded the Third Hokage of something. Kakashi possessed Obito's other Sharingan. If Obito's Space-Time Ninjutsu came from the Mangekyō, then Kakashi should possess a similar ability as well.
From that perspective, Kakashi truly was the best choice for capturing Obito.
After pondering for a moment, the Third Hokage had reached his own conclusion. He spoke, "There's no need for you to leave the Anbu. In my name as Hokage, I'm issuing your squad an order to pursue the Masked Man."
"You must capture the Masked Man. At the very least, you must drive him out of Konoha."
"Yamato won't be joining this mission. Your task is to protect the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."
Before you continue