Acting Max

Uchiha Qingfeng slowly walked forward, while Obito beside him remained lost in thought and made no move to leave.

Seeing Tobi keep following him with no intention of leaving, was he planning to follow him home for a look?

Wouldn't that mean the two biological brothers would return to their old home for a one-on-one man's battle? Such a guaranteed losing situation absolutely could not happen.

He needed to think of a way to make him leave on his own.

Going straight to the Hokage Building definitely would not work, and going home was out of the question too. For now, he could only follow his usual routine and go to Ichiraku Ramen for dinner.

But staying silent the whole time was too strange. He should casually make some conversation.

"Tobi, what are you thinking about? Now that you've become a ninja, you shouldn't have that many troubles, right?"

Tobi beside him seemed to suddenly snap back to his senses and made an exaggerated expression.

"Ah, ah, sorry, I got a little too absorbed in my thoughts just now..."

Whether this was Obito testing him or not, Qingfeng treated it as deliberate. Don't ask why. He was afraid of dying.

Since Obito thought Qingfeng could not see through him, then he had to interact with him from the perspective of an ordinary person.

"After becoming a ninja, would someone so powerful still have troubles?"

"The number of troubles has nothing to do with strength. The older you get, the more troubles you have, so everyone has their own pain."

"Like how I'm still troubled because I'm not strong enough to carry out A-rank missions..."

Qingfeng silently listened to Tobi ramble on beside him, spouting all sorts of random ideas.

Tobi suddenly stopped walking, as though he had only just realized they had come this far.

"But Qingfeng, where are you going?"

"I'm going to Ichiraku Ramen for dinner. So, Tobi, do you want to come along?"

Qingfeng answered cleanly and decisively, because that had been his plan all along.

"Hmm, I remember there's a Dumpling Shop with pretty tasty dumplings. How about we go eat dumplings instead?"

Faced with Obito's suggestion to change locations, Qingfeng did not mind. They were on the same Commercial Street anyway. As long as they did not go somewhere deserted or return home, anywhere was fine.

"Sure. Then, Tobi, lead the way. I'll treat you to dumplings when we get there."

The two walked one after the other, chatting about harmless, trivial things.

Qingfeng always felt that every word from this Tobi was a test, as though he was constantly looking for an excuse to strike and personally finish off this younger brother, yet could never find the opportunity.

A moment later, Qingfeng had arrived at the Dumpling Shop, with Tobi waiting beside him.

"Six skewers of Three-Color Dumplings!"

"Alright. Little Qingfeng, why are you buying so many today? Have you gotten a bigger appetite?"

"No. I just met a new friend today, and I want him to try your cooking. I'm sure he'll fall in love with this flavor too."

Tobi heard Qingfeng's conversation with the shop owner clearly, and an expectant expression appeared on his face as well.

Tobi accepted the dumplings Qingfeng handed him, but showed no intention of eating them. The two slowly walked down the street like friends.

By the time Qingfeng finished his second skewer of dumplings, Tobi beside him said, "Uchiha Qingfeng, another Uchiha genius comparable to Shisui. At such a young age, you've already awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan."

The Three-Color Dumplings in his hand suddenly no longer tasted so good.

He turned his head in shock and looked at Tobi beside him.

Tobi had not thrown away the dumplings in his hand. He looked at Qingfeng with a smile at the corners of his mouth, carrying the air of someone saying, I'm done pretending. I'm laying all my cards on the table.

The two of them had clearly been competing in acting online together, yet suddenly one of them just said, I'm done acting. Do whatever you want.

Qingfeng forced himself to calm down. Everything Tobi had said was information most people in Konoha knew. He had not directly said, "Foolish little brother, I'm your beloved big brother, and I'm here to take your life."

He still had not admitted to being "Obito." After all, Obito's tombstone was standing there perfectly fine. So he was definitely just bluffing.

It was time to test his acting skills. He absolutely could not treat him as Obito, because Obito had long since been buried.

"So, what is your purpose in following me all this time? Rogue Ninja—or perhaps spy—Tobi, what exactly are you planning by infiltrating Konoha?"

"You're very smart. You should have guessed my identity back at the Cemetery. But why didn't you make any special moves along the way, such as calling the Security Force to arrest me? Were you afraid you would die first?"

Though he spoke threatening words, he still did not throw away the dumplings in his hand.

"Neither of us has made a move. Isn't it nice enough for us to remain at peace?"

After saying that, Qingfeng hurriedly took a bite of dumpling to calm his nerves.

"A very smart approach. Do you want to leave Konoha and achieve true peace in the Ninja World?"

Qingfeng had never expected to be invited to become a Rogue Ninja. If he went with him, it felt like he would definitely die. Aside from Orochimaru, had every remaining member of the Akatsuki Organization not died? He absolutely could not agree.

"I have no such intention. Like my brother, I'll risk my life to protect Leaf Village and the Uchiha. This is the place my brother protected with his life. I will never allow anyone to destroy it."

Tobi chuckled. "Then it's not up to you."

Qingfeng instantly threw away the unfinished dumplings in his hand and retreated at high speed, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan constantly watching Tobi's movements.

"You've already activated the Three Tomoe? It seems your feelings for that brother run deep."

Though he said that, he moved even faster than Qingfeng, rapidly closing the distance between them.

"This ends now! Kamui!!!"

Qingfeng only felt an enormous pulling force trying to drag him into an independent space. It seemed he truly did not plan to kill him right now?

When the civilians by the street encountered a battle between ninjas, they fled at once to take cover.

Fortunately, Obito had not grabbed him. Otherwise, he truly would not have been able to escape. Qingfeng's Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun madly as he relied on the strength of his body to resist being pulled in.

"Space ninjutsu? Who exactly are you?"

Even now, Qingfeng was still pretending he knew nothing.

When his attack failed, Tobi decisively retreated.

"Not bad. You can actually resist it with your physical strength. Qingfeng, you won't be so lucky the next time we meet. When that time comes, either come with me, or you can only die."

After saying that, Tobi directly sucked himself into Kamui Space and disappeared. Of course, he still had not put down the dumplings in his hand.

Qingfeng panted with lingering fear. Who knew what would happen if he truly entered Kamui Space? Fortunately, his body was strong, and Long-Range Casting greatly reduced its power. Most importantly, Obito seemed to have truly been moved by his acting and had not actually wanted to kill his only younger brother.

Konoha's Anbu, always a step too slow, only arrived belatedly after Obito had already vanished without a trace.

Obito sat in Kamui Space, returning to his original appearance. He removed his Mask, revealing a face covered in scars.

"Foolish little brother, you really gave me quite a surprise. The next time we meet, be prepared."

After saying that, he picked up the Three-Color Dumplings he had been unwilling to discard and ate one.

The same flavor, the same people, but unfortunately, everything could never return to how it had been.