In the forest near the Uchiha Clan.
Swish, swish, swish!
Uchiha Fugaku executed the Body Flicker Technique, weaving through the trees at high speed.
His movement was so fast that afterimages appeared.
Although there was still a gap compared to Uchiha Shisui, he was undoubtedly one of the fastest in Konoha.
"Who's there?"
Suddenly, Uchiha Fugaku came to a halt, his gaze coldly fixed in one direction.
Snap!
A figure leaped down from a tree, landing lightly on the forest floor, where dried leaves and fallen branches covered the ground.
The figure wore a black cloak with red clouds and a spiral-patterned mask.
It was Uchiha Obito.
"Such keen perception… No wonder the White Zetsu clones keep failing against you."
"I didn't expect that among the younger generations of my Uchiha clan, there would be someone like you."
Uchiha Obito spoke calmly, adopting a lofty tone.
At this moment, he had fully stepped into his Uchiha Madara persona, trying to imitate the legendary figure.
"Shut up. Stop pretending to be an elder in front of me."
Uchiha Fugaku's expression darkened.
Others might not know the truth about Uchiha Obito, but he did.
He knew exactly who Obito was.
So seeing a junior pretend to be an elder was disgusting.
"Uchiha Fugaku, do you realize who you're speaking to?"
Uchiha Obito let out a cold snort, his aura intensifying, and his gaze became frosty.
"And who might that be?"
Uchiha Fugaku smirked.
"I am Uchiha Madara. Show some respect, junior."
Uchiha Obito declared, using a deep, authoritative tone to mimic the legendary Madara Uchiha.
"Drop the act. You might fool others, but trying to fool me is laughable."
Uchiha Fugaku scoffed.
"You insolent—"
Uchiha Obito was about to respond, but before he could finish, a sharp projectile cut through the air.
Whoosh—!
A cone of ice formed before Uchiha Fugaku and shot forward with blazing speed, aiming directly at Uchiha Obito.
The ice spear passed through Obito's body as if he was made of air.
It impacted a tree behind him, piercing straight through, leaving a gaping hole.
"Enough nonsense. Why are you here?"
Uchiha Fugaku demanded.
He knew he couldn't harm Obito in his intangible state, nor did he intend to.
The attack was merely to shut him up.
"I came to settle a score."
Realizing that continuing his Madara act was pointless, Uchiha Obito dropped the pretense and spoke in his normal tone.
"What score?"
Uchiha Fugaku remained calm, though his mind processed the situation carefully.
"You impersonated me and caused all kinds of trouble. Do you really think I'd forget?"
Uchiha Obito sneered.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Uchiha Fugaku expected this confrontation.
But he didn't let his expression waver.
"Don't bother denying it. Your Mangekyō Sharingan allows you to obtain other people's Kekkei Genkai. You used it to gain Wood Release and impersonated me."
Uchiha Obito declared with certainty.
"A good theory, but unfortunately incorrect. I don't have Wood Release."
Uchiha Fugaku replied evenly.
"Denial is useless. Let's settle this now."
Uchiha Obito's voice turned cold.
"Wood Release: Hell's Chaos!"
All around them, large thorn-covered trees erupted from the ground.
The spiked branches twisted and extended like serpents, surging toward Uchiha Fugaku.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Three roaring fire dragons shot from Uchiha Fugaku's mouth, incinerating the approaching wooden thorns.
Under the intense heat, the wooden spikes quickly burned to ash.
"Real Illusion."
A pattern flickered in Uchiha Fugaku's right eye, spinning rapidly.
"Intangibility."
Uchiha Obito immediately activated Kamui, rendering himself untouchable.
His intangible state could nullify all attacks.
As expected, he felt no effect from Uchiha Fugaku's technique.
"Your illusion is useless against me!"
Swoosh—!
In a flash, Uchiha Obito appeared in front of Fugaku, slashing at his chest with a kunai.
Being intangible, he couldn't be harmed, but he could still attack.
Kamui made him invincible.
Swoosh—!
Just as the kunai was about to pierce him, Uchiha Fugaku suddenly vanished.
When he reappeared, he was dozens of meters away.
"You know Space-Time Ninjutsu?!"
Uchiha Obito's voice was filled with shock.
Space-Time Ninjutsu was his specialty, yet Uchiha Fugaku had just used something similar.
"Hmph…"
Instead of answering, Uchiha Fugaku smirked in contempt.
He hadn't actually used Space-Time Ninjutsu.
The truth was—Obito had already fallen into his Real Illusion.
Obito's Kamui intangibility was fast, but Fugaku's illusion activation was even faster.
With his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, Fugaku's illusion speed surpassed Obito's intangibility.
Moreover, his Real Illusion no longer required eye contact—a trait inherited from Uchiha Shisui's Kotoamatsukami.
Obito thought he had avoided the illusion.
But in reality, he had already been trapped.
"Earth Style: Earth Spear!"
Sharp rock spikes burst from the ground, rushing toward Uchiha Fugaku.
Swoosh—!
Using his illusion-enhanced teleportation, Uchiha Fugaku appeared far beyond the attack's range.
At the same time, Uchiha Obito lunged, kunai in hand, aiming for Fugaku's throat.
This was a setup.
The Earth Style attack was just a distraction.
The real move was the ambush.
Obito had predicted where Fugaku would teleport to.
Swoosh—!
But before Obito's kunai could land, Uchiha Fugaku disappeared again.
"Such fast activation speed!"
Obito's face beneath the mask was filled with shock.
Uchiha Fugaku's movement was nearly as fast as his Kamui teleportation.
Before he could process his shock, a chilling sensation crawled up his spine.
Because—Uchiha Fugaku had reappeared directly behind him.
And this time, a kunai was heading straight for Obito's back.
(End of this chapter)