Brother Obito, We Meet Again

With the support of the Third Hokage, Kakashi felt a weight lift from his heart.

Although he could have gone to search for Obito alone, it would have been inconvenient, and he lacked the confidence to persuade—let alone defeat—this former close friend.

With the help of Youhu and Itachi, he could at least breathe a little easier.

After all, the combination of Wood Style and the Sharingan was enough to make any ordinary ninja feel despair.

It was also thanks to Youhu's reminder that Kakashi realized he actually possessed a Mangekyo Sharingan of his own—the final gift once bestowed upon him by Obito.

It was just that he had yet to find a way to use the Mangekyo Sharingan.

"Captain Kakashi, where are we going to look for Brother Obito next?"

Faced with Kakashi's silence, Youhu grew impatient. His current identity was that of Obito's little fanboy, and he wanted to meet this idol who had fallen from grace as soon as possible.

If he could use lies to deceive Obito, that would be even better.

Itachi also nodded. He had learned tracking techniques from Shisui, but they were limited to ordinary ninjas; he had no clue how to track a space-time ninja.

Hearing this, Kakashi found himself in a bind. He didn't know how to find Obito either.

After thinking for a moment, Kakashi bit his finger and slammed his palm onto the ground. With the completion of the Summoning Jutsu, a goofy-looking ninja hound appeared before them.

"Pakkun, can you help me pick up Obito's scent?"

Pakkun scratched his nose, looked up at Kakashi, and gave him a look as if he were staring at an idiot. "Kakashi, hasn't Obito been dead for many years? You want me to sniff a dead person?"

Kakashi felt a bit awkward and hurriedly explained, "It seems Obito has been revived and has become the masked man who attacked the village..."

Pakkun didn't want to hear Kakashi's explanation. He raised a paw and said, "I'm not interested in your personal affairs. Give me something of Obito's, and I'll track his location."

"..."

Kakashi suddenly realized he didn't seem to have anything belonging to Obito. Searching for him by scent seemed impossible.

"Will a mask work?"

Youhu took out the tattered mask Obito had discarded and handed it to Pakkun.

Pakkun sniffed it intently and then nodded. "There's a bit of Obito's scent, but there's more of a smell of grass and wood. Did this guy turn into a vegetable?"

"..."

Regarding Pakkun's snarky comment, Youhu felt it actually made some sense.

Obito could perform Wood Style ninjutsu, so he was practically a vegetable. Though, saying it that way might be a bit disrespectful to the First Hokage.

Seeing Youhu take out the mask, Kakashi revealed a strange expression.

"Youhu, why on earth did you collect Obito's mask?"

Youhu tucked the mask away, saying with a serious face:

"Brother Obito is a hero in my heart. I'm studying the meaning behind the mask's pattern to see if I can understand Brother Obito's inner world."

"My intuition tells me that Brother Obito was definitely forced into instigating the Nine-Tails' Rampage."

"..."

Kakashi remained silent.

Compared to someone like Youhu who loved "Obito," Kakashi felt that the bond between him and Obito was incredibly fragile; at the very least, he had never once thought about walking into Obito's inner world.

On the contrary, it was Obito who had once scolded him into waking up from his "ninja tool" theory.

Itachi felt that Youhu's behavior was a bit exaggerated, but he could understand Youhu's mindset.

When his own life had fallen into confusion, it was Brother Shisui who saved him, telling him that life still had meaning and that a ray of hope still existed in Konoha.

Perhaps Obito's story served the same purpose for Youhu.

"Woof!"

Pakkun barked a few times, snapping Kakashi and Itachi out of their memories. Looking exhausted, he said, "Stop standing around. I've found Obito's location; he's in that direction!"

With that, Pakkun began to lead the way for the Kakashi Squad.

With Pakkun leading, the Kakashi Squad's tracking target suddenly became clear.

After crossing through the Konoha city area, the three people and one dog quickly arrived at a park on the other side of Konoha. This park was lush and green, and it bore another name familiar to Konoha ninjas: the Hero Cemetery.

"Obito's final scent is right here."

After arriving at the Hero Cemetery, Pakkun let out a yawn, then voluntarily dispelled the Summoning Technique and disappeared from the spot.

"Captain Kakashi, come over here quickly."

Youhu searched the Hero Cemetery for a circle and soon discovered that in front of one of the tombstones, there were a few bouquets of flowers placed, with the name Nohara Rin clearly written upon them.

And near Nohara Rin's tombstone stood the tombstone of Uchiha Obito.

This was Obito's cenotaph. After Nohara Rin died, Kakashi had specifically buried her beside Obito.

Hearing Youhu's call, Kakashi came before the tomb and picked up the bouquet. The flowers still held a lingering warmth; it was clear that Obito had been here not long ago and was currently staying nearby.

Kakashi placed the bouquet back down and issued an order:

"Obito is nearby. We will split up to search for his traces, but be careful not to stray too far. Once you find Obito, ignite the signal flare."

"Understood."

Youhu and Itachi nodded, and the three of them began their search in different directions.

Inside a tree trunk not far away.

Obito used his Phasing Ability to hide within, observing every move of Kakashi and his group.

Having been repelled by Youhu and the others just moments ago, Obito had not left Konoha. Instead, he had waited until he metabolized the paralytic toxin in his body before coming to the Hero Cemetery to clear his head.

Looking at the tombstones of Rin and himself, he could strengthen his resolve to implement the Moon Eye Plan.

Everything in the Ninja World was false; only the Infinite Tsukuyomi could bring eternal happiness to the world. In the world of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, everyone could have their wishes fulfilled, and there would no longer be any regrets.

However, he hadn't even been at the Hero Cemetery for five minutes before Kakashi followed his scent here.

Obito even suspected that Kakashi had a dog's nose... well, he forgot that this guy did have a hobby of keeping dogs. It was his own oversight.

However, it seemed that Kakashi and the others had already split up, and there was no sign of that Wood Style Ninja nearby.

Perhaps this was the best opportunity for him to strike.

Who should he target first?

Obito fell into a dilemma, though his gaze involuntarily drifted toward the position where Youhu was located.

This Uchiha youth, who called him Brother Obito, was the person who had hurt him the most today. If he hadn't managed to dodge that blade in time, he likely would have lost a Three Tomoe Sharingan.

Kamui!

Activating Kamui to reposition himself, Obito appeared on a branch directly above Youhu. He drew his scythe, hesitating over whether or not to strike at Youhu.

This guy looked like he was full of openings, but could it be a trap to lure him into acting?

Just as Obito was hesitating, Youhu below suddenly looked toward his position and said mysteriously:

"Brother Obito, I know you're nearby, looking to ambush me."

"I don't want to fight you; I want to have a chat."