The Mysterious Person is Obito

"Kurama, it has been a long time!" Shi Xiu's lips curled into a faint smile as he looked at the Nine-Tails with a calm expression.

However, the moment the Nine-Tails saw Shi Xiu, it reacted like a startled bird; every hair on its body stood on end, as if it had been struck by lightning.

"Shi Xiu! You... how could you possibly still be alive!" The Nine-Tails widened its eyes, letting out a cry of disbelief, its voice filled with terror and shock.

It remembered its past with Shi Xiu all too clearly; those harrowing experiences haunted its mind like a nightmare.

Hearing the Nine-Tails, Shi Xiu merely chuckled before walking with a composed gait toward the massive stone gate that sealed the beast away.

Shi Xiu extended his right hand, his slender fingers gently brushing against the stone gate, seemingly indifferent to the Nine-Tails' panicked reaction.

Seeing this, the Nine-Tails' pupils constricted sharply, as if it were looking at the most terrifying thing in the world. It scrambled backward desperately, trying to distance itself from Shi Xiu's touch.

"You... what exactly are you trying to do?" The Nine-Tails kept its gaze locked on Shi Xiu, not daring to relax for even a second.

Its massive body trembled uncontrollably from extreme fear, and its once majestic and awe-inspiring image was completely gone.

One must understand that to the Nine-Tails, Shi Xiu was a presence even more terrifying than Hashirama Senju or Madara Uchiha.

After all, no matter how powerful Hashirama and Madara were, they had never used a technique like Susanoo-clad Great Buddha to beat it into submission.

Although the Nine-Tails was filled with confusion, wondering how Shi Xiu had miraculously survived to this day, the familiar fluctuations of chakra left no doubt that the person before it was indeed the very same Shi Xiu who had once made its life a misery.

"Kurama, don't be so distant; we're old acquaintances, after all. Since it's been so long, I specifically came over to catch up and reconnect," Shi Xiu said, a smile still lingering on his face as he tried to ease the atmosphere.

However, the Nine-Tails wasn't buying it. It turned its head to the side and let out a heavy snort, showing its disdain.

Seeing this, the smile on Shi Xiu's face vanished instantly, replaced by a chilling coldness.

Shi Xiu narrowed his eyes, staring coldly at the Nine-Tails as he warned, "If you dare give me attitude again, do you believe I won't summon the Great Buddha and give you a sound thrashing right now?"

!!!

The Nine-Tails shuddered in fright, immediately sitting upright, its eyes filled with vigilance as it looked at Shi Xiu with extreme caution.

Its nine tails flicked about uneasily, terrified of Shi Xiu.

Seeing this, the playful, irreverent expression on Shi Xiu's face vanished without a trace, replaced by a look of gravity.

"Alright, Kurama, that's enough out of you. I have serious business to attend to now!" Shi Xiu said sternly.

Hearing this, a sense of confusion and dissatisfaction welled up in the Nine-Tails. It widened its eyes, looking at Shi Xiu with surprise, muttering to itself: This guy traveled all this way just to find me, and now he says he has nothing for me to do? What kind of game is he playing?

But out of fear for Shi Xiu's strength, the Nine-Tails chose to remain silent for the time being.

Shi Xiu's figure flickered as he arrived at the seal. He raised his right hand and pressed it against the seal without hesitation.

In an instant, with a crisp "click," the previously calm Eight Trigrams Seal began to rotate slowly. As the speed of the seal's rotation increased, a powerful wave of energy began to emanate from it.

However, at the critical moment just before the seal was about to be completely undone, a powerful hand suddenly appeared out of thin air and grabbed Shi Xiu's arm.

Immediately following this, a blinding golden light erupted, illuminating the entire space as bright as day.

Shi Xiu narrowed his eyes slightly. Once he adjusted to the glare, he discovered that he was no longer where he had been, but in an entirely unfamiliar space.

Standing before Shi Xiu was a young man with yellow hair. The youth looked at Shi Xiu with equal surprise, seemingly baffled by his sudden appearance.

After a long moment, the yellow-haired youth finally regained his composure and asked with a slight stutter, "Shi... Lord Shi Xiu? Why are you here?"

"Minato, I have serious business to discuss with you this time," Shi Xiu said, looking at Minato with a grave expression that suggested the matter at hand was of great importance.

Seeing this, Minato felt a bit awkward. He subconsciously scratched his hair, forced a smile, and asked, "Um... is this about the mysterious person who controlled the Nine-Tails?"

However, Shi Xiu shook his head without hesitation, denying it. "No! I already know the true identity of that mysterious person, but what I need to tell you now is even more important than that."

Hearing this, Minato was stunned, his heart filled with confusion.

Minato widened his eyes and said in disbelief, "What? Lord Shi Xiu, you already know? Could it be that this mysterious person is truly the legendary Madara Uchiha?"

Shi Xiu felt a mix of amusement and frustration upon hearing this. He covered his face in resignation and sighed, "Oh my, Minato, you are so sharp and intelligent during battle, so why do you become so naive in everyday life?"

Thinking of this, Shi Xiu couldn't help but size up the Minato before him once more.

Shi Xiu pondered to himself that Minato's personality was truly quite similar to Hashirama's. Whether in the heat of intense battle or facing complex situations, they could always display extraordinary wisdom and strategy; yet, once they returned to daily life, that inadvertent display of innocence—even a bit of foolishness—was truly hard not to find amusing.

Could this be what they call "great wisdom appearing as folly"?

Shi Xiu frowned slightly, a look of helplessness crossing his face as he slowly began to speak. "That mysterious person is actually Obito. That's right, Uchiha Obito! It's just that..." His words cut off abruptly, as if there were still some vital information he had yet to reveal.

However, at that very moment, Minato's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief as he couldn't help but interrupt. "How could it be Obito! Obito clearly sacrificed himself heroically during the Battle of Kannabi Bridge! Lord Shi Xiu, could you be mistaken?" Minato's voice trembled slightly with agitation, as if he could not accept such a shocking fact.

Seeing this, Shi Xiu quickly raised his hand, signaling Minato not to press further. His expression turned exceptionally grave, his gaze locked onto Minato as he said solemnly, "Minato, I am absolutely not joking with you. You must realize that in your current state as a chakra manifestation, you cannot last for very long. So, please calm your mind and listen carefully as I explain everything that follows."

Hearing this, Minato was startled for a moment, but he soon nodded in agreement. He took a deep breath, struggling to calm his emotions, and his expression became exceptionally serious and focused as he waited for Shi Xiu to reveal the truth.

Shi Xiu let out a sigh of relief, paused for a moment, and then slowly continued, "The true identity of that mysterious person is indeed Obito, it's just that Obito was brainwashed by Madara..."

When Minato heard that Obito had actually been brainwashed by Madara Uchiha, his confusion only deepened.

Minato's lips trembled slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he did not ask.

"However, Madara is already dead, and Obito is merely using Madara's name to continue his operations. Now, Obito's goal is to gather all nine Tailed Beasts. As of now, Obito has already successfully used genjutsu to control the Three-Tails Jinchuriki, the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura."

As soon as he finished speaking, a look of horror appeared on Minato's face. He stared straight at Shi Xiu, unable to contain his inner shock and skepticism, and couldn't help but shout.

"How is that possible!"

Shi Xiu glanced at Minato indifferently and then patiently explained, "Because Obito's right side was crushed by a giant boulder, and his entire right side was completely destroyed. Later, Madara transplanted White Zetsu cells into Obito's damaged areas, replacing his right half."

Shi Xiu paused for a moment, seemingly lost in recollection. There was no helping it; having transmigrated for so long, he found his memory of the original events in Naruto to be somewhat hazy.

"Furthermore, the White Zetsu that Obito had transplanted were cultivated by Madara using Hashirama's cells. Beyond that, those ninjas from the ancient era who had their chakra drained dry by the God Tree were also transformed into White Zetsu."

Upon hearing this, Minato's eyes, already wide, froze in place, as if he were completely submerged in a state of profound shock, unable to recover for a long time.

Minato then looked at Shi Xiu and asked, "But why would Obito turn out like this? That child, Obito, he was clearly..."