Back in Konoha, Kakashi was curled up on his sofa, devouring Icha Icha Paradise. Half an hour had passed without any word from the village, so he took advantage of the rare downtime to turn a few more pages.
Suddenly, his expression changed. Before he could move, a mass of unnervingly white stuff sprouted from his body, swelling in an instant to engulf him and drain every last drop of his chakra.
This was White Zetsu's Spore Technique. Black Zetsu had planted it on Kakashi long ago, waiting for this very moment.
What he wanted was Kakashi's Sharingan. Obito would be at his strongest with both Sharingan, and with Hashirama cells added to the mix, there would be no problem at all.
But Obito's feelings toward Kakashi had always been tangled, leaving him unable to do it himself. That was why Black Zetsu had stepped in.
Kakashi was startled, but he kept his composure. Staring at Black Zetsu, who had suddenly appeared, he asked, "Who are you?"
Black Zetsu waved a hand. "I'm not wasting my breath on you. That guy has a Shadow Clone in Konoha. Stick around too long, and he'll notice."
He walked straight up, tore off Kakashi's mask, and gouged out his Sharingan.
"Aaargh!"
Kakashi screamed, instantly realizing that his attacker had come for his Sharingan.
Black Zetsu had barely tucked the Sharingan away when his entire body stiffened. He turned and burrowed into the ground.
"Tch, he noticed pretty fast. That guy really is something. Still..."
Once Black Zetsu had vanished completely, a clone landed with a thud.
This was the Shadow Clone Uchiha Yi had left in Konoha. Its usual strength was nothing special, and its perception was weaker than the original's. It had only detected Black Zetsu because of the disturbance in Kakashi's