Itachi, You Wouldn't Betray the Village, Would You

"I told you, Rin's matter is my fault. It has nothing to do with Teacher and the others."

Kakashi felt a sense of helplessness. He had clearly put in the effort to explain things to Obito, yet Obito refused to listen, his emotions only becoming more extreme.

"Didn't you tell me to take my revenge on you? Then why are you dodging?"

Seeing Kakashi evade his attack, Obito shouted angrily.

If I don't dodge, wouldn't I just be dead?

Kakashi's expression stiffened, and he immediately explained, "If I just surrender now, it will only allow you to obtain a complete Mangekyo Sharingan and continue to threaten the village."

"I promise you, as long as you surrender, once this matter is over, I will leave myself to your disposal..."

After hearing this, Obito didn't calm down; instead, he laughed, his attacks against Kakashi becoming increasingly fierce, suppressing him until he couldn't even catch his breath.

Kakashi could only struggle to hold on while feeling out how to use the power of the Mangekyo. Since Obito was able to use Space-Time Ninjutsu, there was no reason why he, possessing the other Mangekyo, shouldn't be able to as well.

Soon, Kakashi figured out the method to use the Mangekyo.

Just as Obito was about to dodge his attack, he activated Kamui to enter the Kamui Space, striking Obito, who was using Phasing to hide within it.

"So this is the power of Kamui?"

Kakashi muttered to himself. He finally had a way to deal with Obito.

"Captain Kakashi, I'm here to assist you!"

While Kakashi and Obito were locked in a heated battle, Youhu had long been eager to join the fray. He rushed forward with his weapon, preparing to support Kakashi.

But by the time Youhu arrived, Kakashi and Obito had both vanished. The two had used Kamui to enter the Kamui Space, intending to settle things once and for all within that dimension.

"Damn it, why haven't I learned Space-Time Ninjutsu! I want to go over there and fight too!"

Missing his target, Youhu slammed his fist into the ground, his face filled with frustration.

"Brother Youhu, we have to trust Captain Kakashi."

Itachi saw Youhu's frustration and walked over to comfort him. He could understand how Youhu felt at this moment—watching his former idol, Obito, turn into the masked man who was the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails' Rampage.

Not everyone could handle such a sense of disillusionment.

And after finally finding Obito, Youhu still couldn't intervene in the battle between Kakashi and Obito.

Youhu nodded, acknowledging Itachi's sentiment. Then, out of the blue, he asked Itachi, "Senior Itachi, you won't betray the village like Brother Obito, will you?"

"Ah..."

The sudden question left Itachi stunned. Why was the topic suddenly shifting to him?

Itachi looked at Youhu with a face full of confusion, asking strangely, "Brother Youhu, of course I couldn't possibly betray the village. What are you thinking?"

Youhu nodded slightly, staring at Itachi with a face full of killing intent as he said:

"You had better not betray the village. Otherwise, no matter where you run, I will find you and kill you."

"..."

That line should be my line to you.

Looking at the murderous Youhu, Itachi was left speechless, not knowing how to respond.

When a person is speechless, they are truly speechless.

He had been a subordinate of Danzo in the Root for nearly half a year, and simply because he refused to leak Anbu intelligence, his own clan members had treated him as a traitor who had defected to the Hokage's faction.

Yet, you have only joined the Anbu for one day, and you are already standing wholeheartedly on the side of the Hokage.

And you actually suspect that he would betray the village?

However, beyond his speechlessness, Itachi began to consider whether he should make contact with Obito to understand the truth behind it all.

After all, if the Masked Man was Uchiha Madara, then Uchiha Madara attacking Konoha was understandable; the Battle of the Valley of the End had been caused by Uchiha Madara, after all.

But if the Masked Man was Obito, Itachi felt that Obito's actions must have had some unavoidable reason.

Perhaps it was disappointment in the clan, or perhaps it was disappointment in the entire village of Konohagakure.

And now, he held similar thoughts in his own heart. He truly could not understand why the vision of his clan members was so narrow, nor could he understand why his superior, Danzo, was so obsessed with dealing with the Uchiha.

The answers to everything might only be revealed once he saw Obito again.

Several minutes later, a disheveled figure emerged from a space vortex. This person was none other than Kakashi.

Seeing Kakashi, Youhu hurried over and asked, "Captain Kakashi, did you kill Brother Obito? We promised the Hokage that we must see the person if they are alive, or the corpse if they are dead."

Obito isn't your idol? Why are you always talking about killing him at every turn?

Is this what a blackened fan is? Wishing for a flawed idol to die as soon as possible.

Kakashi glanced at Youhu, then thought back to the battle he had just fought with Obito, and sighed, "I am no match for Obito. He managed to escape."

The actual situation was even more severe than what Kakashi had described.

Kakashi, possessing only a Mangekyo, was simply no match for Obito. Even without Obito using Wood Style, he had still defeated him by relying on his powerful recovery abilities.

If it weren't for the fact that Obito wanted to see him live on in the Ninja World like a dog, he would never have been able to obtain the means to step out of the Kamui Space.

This left Kakashi feeling a complex mix of emotions.

He knew that Obito was still the same toward him as he had always been, but Obito was no longer the Obito he once knew.

Itachi spoke up, asking, "So, our mission is a failure?"

"You could say that. Obito has already left, and we have no other leads..."

Kakashi nodded. Their mission to capture Obito could indeed be considered a failure.

With his Kamui, it would not be as easy for Obito to infiltrate Konoha as it had been in the past; Obito likely wouldn't return to Konoha for some time.

But where Obito would head after leaving Konoha, no one could know.

The secrets Obito carried were also impossible to dig up.

Youhu was not surprised that Kakashi had lost to Obito.

How could a disheartened Kakashi possibly defeat an Obito who had obtained Uchiha Madara's Inheritance and was filled with ideals? Especially since Obito had also fused with the body of a White Zetsu, granting him monstrous regenerative abilities.

The fact that Kakashi managed to keep his life was likely only because Obito was worried that Kakashi might destroy the Mangekyo.

However, the fact that Uchiha Obito's strength had increased so drastically could be put to use to promote the Izuna's Inheritance he had fabricated.

If Uchiha Obito could suddenly jump from Chunin-level strength to Kage-level strength because of Madara's Legacy, then as Uchiha Madara's younger brother, the inheritance left behind by Uchiha Izuna should also have the ability to turn an ordinary Uchiha into a Jonin, or even an Elite Jonin.

Regarding research into Wood Style, the two brothers surely must have shared their progress.

Thinking of this, Youhu broke the silence within the team and asked curiously, "Captain Kakashi, Senior Itachi, it's not like we don't have any leads at all. Do you remember that Pitcher Plant Monster?"

"It seemed to say 'Lord Madara' to Obito."

"What do you think? Could Brother Obito's sudden surge in strength be related to that legendary Uchiha Madara?"

"After Uchiha Madara was defeated back then, could he have left behind an inheritance somewhere, and Obito just happened to obtain Madara's Inheritance while also inheriting Madara's Will?"

"Looking at it this way, the one who was wrong was the First Lord. Who told him not to value Uchiha Madara back then?"

"If they had been a married couple, we wouldn't be having these troubles now."