Obito Infiltrates the Hidden Stone Village—Trying to Steal My Nine-Tails?

Under the frantic coaxing of that thousand-year-old schemer, Black Zetsu.

Obito Uchiha, wearing an orange swirl-patterned mask, ultimately failed to restrain himself.

The air rippled like water.

Obito's body, like a phantom ghost, silently passed through the outermost sensory barrier of the Hidden Stone Village.

"What impenetrable defenses? Before my Kamui, they're nothing but paper."

Obito stood atop a secluded rooftop, contempt flashing through the lone eye behind his mask.

Black Zetsu had made that guy named Uchiha Yoru sound practically godlike, but Obito refused to believe it.

Could some unknown Uchiha genin really turn the world upside down?

Today, he would steal the Nine-Tails all by himself and slap that guy across the face.

Following the intelligence White Zetsu had delivered, Obito skillfully avoided the patrols and made his way to the mountain behind the ninja academy.

The special training grounds here were normally off-limits to unauthorized personnel.

The afternoon sunlight was just right, dappled shadows scattered beneath the trees.

Obito landed soundlessly beside a thick tree.

Under its shade, a little blond, hedgehog-haired brat lay sprawled on the grass.

The child slept soundly, a crystal-clear snot bubble hanging from the tip of his nose.

With each even breath, the snot bubble expanded and shrank.

It was none other than four-year-old Naruto Uzumaki.

"Their guard is this lax? Are the higher-ups of the Hidden Stone Village full of rocks?"

Obito sneered, suddenly finding this operation utterly dull.

He slowly walked over to Naruto and looked down at the Nine-Tails jinchuriki, who should have been suffering in the Leaf Village.

"Though I don't know how you people survived, the Nine-Tails' power can only belong to me."

Obito extended his black leather-gloved right hand toward Naruto's head.

The three tomoe in his right eye instantly connected into the pattern of the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Space began to distort.

In half a second, Kamui could suck the brat into another dimension.

Not even the gods could stop him!

Just as Obito's chakra began to circulate.

"Coming to steal a child in broad daylight? Your professional skills have really gone downhill."

A lazy, faintly teasing voice drifted down from directly above him without warning.

Obito's entire body stiffened.

His outstretched hand froze in midair.

How was that possible?!

He abruptly looked up, his lone eye contracting sharply in overwhelming shock.

He had clearly scanned the surroundings with his Sharingan just now. There had not even been an insect around!

When had this person gotten above his head?!

High in the canopy.

Uchiha Yoru stood steadily on a slender branch, arms folded across his chest.

He looked down, his dark eyes filled with the mocking amusement of someone watching a monkey show.

"Wearing that shabby mask, do you really think you're Madara Uchiha?"

Yoru yawned and casually plucked a leaf, tossing it down.

"Is pretending to be Madara fun? I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Cold sweat instantly soaked Obito's back.

He had been seen through!

This guy had not only noticed his infiltration, he had even exposed the disguise Obito had been so proud of!

"You're Uchiha Yoru?"

Obito forcibly suppressed the panic in his heart, deliberately lowering his voice and putting on an aged, profound manner.

"Youngster, since you know my name, you still dare spout nonsense in my presence?"

"Stop pretending. Hearing that voice of yours makes my throat hurt for you."

Yoru mercilessly exposed his act, a wicked sneer curling across his lips.

He tilted his head toward the dense shadows beside him.

"Brother Minato, the real deal has come knocking. Come meet your 'good student.'"

Brother Minato?

Obito's mind buzzed as though a massive hammer had smashed into it.

A tall figure slowly emerged from the canopy's shadow.

His golden hair was almost blinding beneath the sunlight, and he wore a pure white Hokage robe without any markings.

Minato Namikaze toyed with a specially made Flying Raijin kunai in his hand.

Those azure eyes, always so gentle, now carried an icy killing intent that sent chills down one's spine.

"It's been a long time, Masked Man."

Minato looked down at Obito, his voice as cold as Siberia's freezing wind.

Obito felt his legs go weak, all color draining from his face beneath the mask.

He's alive!

Minato Namikaze was actually alive!

He had watched Minato exhaust his life force sealing the Nine-Tails with his own eyes!

Even if he had not died, he should have been a half-crippled wreck!

Yet the Kage-level pressure now nearly solidifying around him was ten times more terrifying than it had been on the night of the Nine-Tails attack!

"Y-You... How can you still be alive?!"

Obito's voice completely lost its composure, and he even forgot to refer to himself as "this old man."

"Surprised?"

With a flick of Minato's fingers, the Flying Raijin kunai spun rapidly at his fingertips.

"That night, you nearly got Kushina killed, and you tried to pin the Nine-Tails' disaster on my village."

"I've been going over that debt again and again in my heart every day."

Minato took a step forward and leaped straight down from the canopy.

Golden chakra erupted in midair as he instantly entered a combat stance.

Obito's scalp went numb.

His Kamui might have been unbeatable now, but facing Minato Namikaze at his peak still made his heart pound.

Not to mention the unfathomable Uchiha Yoru standing nearby!

I've been set up!

That was the only thought left in Obito's mind.

The intelligence had all been wrong. This was not lax security at all—it was a dead-end trap dug specifically for him!

Retreat!

I have to retreat immediately!

Obito's right eye spun madly, watery distortion patterns appearing over his body.

As long as he could hide in the Kamui dimension, not even the gods could do anything to him.

"Trying to run?"

Yoru sneered, his figure vanishing from the branch in an instant.

"On my turf, your spatial cheat code expired long ago."

Just as Obito's body had phased halfway through, he suddenly felt as if the surrounding space had been filled with molten lead.

The spatial passage that had once flowed smoothly became as viscous as a swamp!

"What's going on?! Kamui has failed?!"

Obito was horrified. He desperately pushed his ocular power, and a line of bloody tears even streamed from his right eye.

"Don't waste your effort."

Yoru appeared behind Obito like a ghost, gently placing one hand on his shoulder.

"Now then, let's have a proper talk. Which leg are you planning to leave behind as your admission fee?"