The forests in the world of Naruto truly tower above everything—like primeval woodlands—but the presence of cameras reveals a strange fusion of ancient and modern. Beyond the forest edge, Kakashi and the team entered a small market town. Their mission—ordered personally by the Third Hokage—was to investigate the Hidden Rain Village.
For Tō (Tobi), Rain Village was a landmine: it had fallen under Lord Pain's control. He's not strong enough to face Pain. Danzo would inevitably intervene. Back when Tō and Kabuto first reported, Danzo already seemed distrustful.
Kakashi paused at the street entrance, glancing at Tō. The Third Hokage's message had warned: this mission is no joke—Danzo had supplied the intelligence, but Danzo was also meddlesome. If they suspected the task was compromised, they were ordered to abort. Now, sensing Tō's distant mood, Kakashi hesitated.
"Kakashi-sensei, what do you think? Should we gather info here first, or head straight in?" Gai asked.
Kakashi looked to Tō, who finally nodded. "We'll gather intelligence here first. And you two should change outfits—if others see your leaf headbands or your Anbu uniform, Konoha will be obvious."
Gai and Kakashi smiled ruefully; Tō removed his headband and used Transformation Jutsu to appear as a seventeen-year-old. Dressed in a white kimono and handsome, he blended right in.
He wandered the market with his disguise, half-wishing he could just be a normal person living peacefully—if only his mother wasn't in Konoha and if the Hokage would ever let him leave.
Suddenly, Tō saw a familiar figure—Konan, standing before a flower shop. She looked even more graceful than in the original Naruto storyline. She and the shopkeeper chatted, and then Konan left with a blue flower.
Tō's mind raced. He followed secretly, nudging Pikachu to follow her and observe where she went. Pikachu nodded and slipped into the crowd behind Konan, while Tō checked into a nearby inn.
Minutes later, while meditating, Tō snapped awake. He heard a commotion—shinobi running toward Kakashi's lodging. A Root squad was about to launch a stealth team against them. He smirked:
"Gai was right—this is revenge for our little showdown. And they're bringing me along as collateral."
Pikachu returned, looking guilty. It offered Tō the flower. Inside, Tō discovered a note:
"I don't know if you're a ninja or a civilian. If you have courage, meet me at the woods outside town."
Tō realized it was a trap—Konan was baiting him alone, but he decided to turn the tables. He quickly formed six Shadow Clones—one went toward the woods, two disguised as Kakashi and Gai to confront the approaching shinobi, and the rest were ready for a foliage battle.
Smirking, he vanished in a shunshin jutsu. Pikachu buzzed in excitement—the battle was about to begin.
Not long after, Root's ninja squad closed in on the inn, only to be ambushed. A flash of lightning struck one, while another collapsed under a taijutsu barrage.
Their leader, shocked, realized the attackers weren't Kakashi or Gai. The clones had mimicked their chakra and style perfectly. Root drew their swords, shouted "Pursue!" and charged into the night.