The moment Obito rushed toward the recording shinobi, three record scrolls sank into the ground simultaneously outside the courtyard.
Yamada Naoto led men backward, and the sealing plates under their feet flipped up, sending the people into the secret passage of the side courtyard.
Obito lunged and hit nothing.
Fugaku's blade light pursued him to his back, Kakashi's Lightning Blade sealed his front, and Neji's Gentle Fist sliced toward his right shoulder's Chakra sinking point.
Obito phased through the three of them, and the moment he materialized, Sasuke was already waiting on his left side.
The Kusanagi Sword grazed past the crack in the mask.
Clack.
A corner of the tiger-stripe mask was sliced off.
The fragment fell to the ground, revealing half a face bearing an old scar.
Kakashi saw that half-face, and his entire body was nailed in place.
"Obito..."
Obito raised a hand to cover the crack, the murderous intent in his right eye burning close to scorching through the mask.
Sasuke did not pursue, instead bending down to pick up that mask fragment and stuffing it into an evidence bag.
"Facial fragment, bearing the subject's Chakra. Yamada, register it."
The side courtyard's secret passage opening cracked a sliver, and Yamada Naoto reached out to take it. "Understood!"
Obito's gaze shifted away from Kakashi's face and fell back onto Sasuke.
"You never intended to kill me from the very beginning."
"Killing you isn't cost-effective."
Sasuke sheathed his sword, raising a hand to wipe away the blood on the sword ridge. "A living Obito Uchiha can make the Akatsuki wary. A public Obito Uchiha can make the Five Great Nations rake up old accounts. A running Obito Uchiha can help me prove that the Konoha barrier has a fatal vulnerability."
Obito gritted his teeth. "You treat me like