Outside the cave, the Masked Man immediately dropped his exaggerated act.
Of course, he'd been acting.
A faint smile appeared beneath his orange mask.
Getting Konoha's Fox Ghost Mask to fight Akatsuki's Chen Xiaoxi had just been a spur-of-the-moment idea.
He hadn't expected it to come together so easily.
It was as if fortune itself was on his side...
This way, he could eliminate an enemy of Konoha and investigate that brat Chen Xiaoxi's true capabilities again—a perfect two-for-one.
As for the Fox Ghost once he was released from that other dimension,
the Masked Man wasn't worried in the slightest that he wouldn't be able to beat him.
After all, this was Amegakure,
the headquarters of Akatsuki.
And it wasn't just Chen Xiaoxi. Nagato, Konan, Orochimaru, and the others were all bona fide Kage Level shinobi.
Nagato especially. With the Six Paths of Pain under his control, he'd already surpassed an ordinary Kage by a wide margin. He was practically Akatsuki's strongest fighter, bar none.
Even if Chen Xiaoxi lost, he could take over.
The Masked Man wasn't worried at all.
Besides, even if the Fox Ghost might reveal that "the Masked Man is Madara Uchiha,"
he'd already come up with the perfect cover story. There was no need to worry about being exposed.
As he thought this, the Masked Man stopped and raised his hand in front of his right eye.
Then, he chuckled low and muttered to himself:
"Well, then,"
"let's see for ourselves—"
"who's stronger, Konoha's Fox Ghost or Akatsuki's Dojutsu Master..."
"Kamui!"
The moment the words left his mouth, his Mangekyō Sharingan activated!
A colorless spatial vortex appeared in front of the Masked Man's right eye,
and immediately began twisting his body, pulling him entirely into the other dimension.
If he wanted to bring out the Fox Ghost, he'd have to go in and touch him himself.
But—
Just a moment later,
the Masked Man had barely arrived in the other dimension when the smile on his face froze completely.
The instant he saw what lay before him,
his thoughts were severed like a blade had sliced through them. His mind went blank in an instant!
He was stunned!
The other dimension contained nothing but empty ground and towering walls!
There wasn't another soul in sight!
Even—
the rectangular containers where he'd stored the Sharingan were all gone...
The Masked Man's eyes flew wide, and his heart clenched.
Wait!
What was going on?
Where was the Konoha Fox Ghost I'd sucked in with Kamui?
Why wasn't he here?
And— I clearly put all the Sharingan I'd collected here!
Why were they gone too?
N-no... That's impossible...
W-what on earth was going on—?
For the first time, Obito Uchiha's thoughts crumbled beneath his mask.
His pupils contracted, his breathing nearly stopped, and a chill crept down his back.
Because at that moment,
he suddenly realized a terrifying possibility—
Perhaps
Konoha's Fox Ghost had deliberately let himself be absorbed by Kamui from the very beginning!
His true goal had been to enter the other dimension and steal the Sharingan he'd collected!
But...
H-how could that be possible?
Was there someone besides me who could freely leave the Kamui Dimension?
A bead of sweat began to form on Obito's forehead.
He gritted his teeth.
His mind raced.
He'd never thought this hard in his life.
"What... exactly happened?"
"Who else besides me has the ability to open the Kamui Dimension...?"
"Could that Fox Ghost have had another accomplice...?"
"Hmm?
Wait a minute—"
A flash of inspiration suddenly cut through Obito's mind.
An accomplice?
Right...
Shimura Danzō was always so crafty.
If he'd ordered Root to steal the Sharingan and silence the witnesses, how could he have sent only one person?
Perhaps, besides the one wearing the Fox Ghost Mask, other members had been helping in secret!
And the Fox Ghost's disappearance had to be connected to those accomplices!
At that thought, Obito narrowed his eyes. A familiar name came to mind—
Hatake Kakashi!
That's right, Kakashi, the son of the famous Konoha's White Fang!
Back during the Battle of Kannabi Bridge,
Obito had thought he was about to die, so he'd given one of his Sharingan to Kakashi as a present.
That had indirectly led to Kakashi later being known as "Sharingan Kakashi."
Now, if there was anyone in all of Konoha who could open the Kamui Space,
there was only one possibility—
Kakashi!
After all, he was the only one who had the exact same Sharingan as Obito.
In theory, if he'd awakened the Mangekyō too, he might well be able to do it...
Could Kakashi really have joined Danzō's plan?
Tsk... Damn it!
The plan had already come this far, only for those people to outsmart me...
No,
I had to find an opportunity—
I had to return to Konoha and take the Sharingan back from Shimura Danzō!
The Masked Man's eyes glinted as he quietly made up his mind.
Then,
he left the Kamui Dimension, deeply unwilling to go.
The battle between the Fox Ghost and Chen Xiaoxi that he'd been looking forward to was clearly off the table now.
But compared to that,
the theft of all the Sharingan hurt far more!
From now on,
it seemed he'd have to be even more cautious...
Until he had enough Sharingan to use Izanagi.
Just as the Masked Man was thinking this, a voice suddenly came from behind him, interrupting his thoughts.
"Hey!"
"Hey, Tobi."
"What's up? You've been gone ages. Did you fall asleep while looking for someone?"
"..."
Hearing that familiar voice, the Masked Man immediately turned around.
Just as he'd expected, the person standing at the cave entrance was Chen Xiaoxi, smiling.
His smile was still easygoing. Leaning against the cave wall, he said with a faint grin:
"Oh, you weren't asleep?"
"Then come on, where's the person you said injured Itachi Uchiha?"
"Where are they?"
"Bring them out. I'll take them down in a second."
"..."
You're going to take him down in a second?
The Masked Man had already been in a foul mood, and hearing that left him stunned.
Take him down in a second? As if!
That guy had already escaped the Kamui Dimension, okay?
And weren't you a little too confident in your own strength...?
That guy had beaten Itachi Uchiha without a scratch!
You're way too arrogant...
The Masked Man was thoroughly irritated and badly wanted to snap at him.
But, of course, he still remembered that he was supposed to be playing the role of a rookie.
So, after a long silence, he once again did his best to put on Tobi's goofy act and spoke in an affected voice:
"Uh..."
"I think I accidentally let that person get away, Senior Chen Xiaoxi..."
"Looks like today won't work out."
"How about this? If I run into him again, I'll let you fight him next time, Senior."
The Masked Man tried to steer the conversation.
At that, Chen Xiaoxi's smile grew even wider. He nodded, understanding without saying it outright.
"Sure. Anytime."
"But I should warn you first—"
Chen Xiaoxi paused, then walked over to the Masked Man and smiled.
"If you really do get to see the two of us fight,"
"don't be too surprised."
"Got it?
Rookie."
As he spoke,
Chen Xiaoxi reached out and patted the Masked Man on the shoulder with a smile.
"Come on. Let's go inside."
Then, without waiting for a reply, Chen Xiaoxi turned and ambled toward the cave behind him, hands in his pockets.
His steps remained unhurried, as though he were taking a leisurely stroll.
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