Kakashi struck with ruthless precision, his kunai stabbing straight toward the Masked Man's left eye socket—the one bearing the Rinnegan!
"Swish!!"
In a flash, the Masked Man lifted his head, staring directly into the gleaming edge of the kunai!
Naruto was waiting for him inside the Kamui space, so he couldn't use intangibility anymore. In that instant, he made his decision—twisting his body and snapping his head back!
"Shraa—"
Even though his reaction was incredibly fast, Kakashi's kunai still scraped across his mask!
With the force of his backward movement, the kunai sliced his white mask cleanly in half!
"Crack… crack…"
Two pieces fell, revealing the Masked Man's true face.
An extremely asymmetrical face.
The left side was smooth, even handsome.
But the right side… grotesquely twisted, covered in scars.
Kakashi froze the moment he saw it.
Even after all these years… even with a face nearly unrecognizable… Kakashi knew immediately who stood before him.
"Obito!!"
"You…"
Earlier, Shinju had told Kakashi that the Masked Man's chakra felt identical to his own Sharingan.
Back then, Kakashi had suspected the Masked Man's identity.
But he refused to believe it—that the companion who once dreamed of becoming Hokage would end up siding with Akatsuki…
Yet as his kunai cleaved open the mask, everything became painfully clear.
For a moment, Kakashi felt his throat clamp shut.
He had endured too much over the years.
As a child—his father died.
On a mission—two teammates, Obito and Rin, both died because of him.
Not long after—even his powerful teacher, Minato-sensei, died sealing the Nine-Tails…
At some unknown point… he had become completely alone.
Obito looked at Kakashi's increasingly conflicted expression and spoke in a flat tone, without joy or sorrow:
"Kakashi… long time no see."
The next moment—
"Whoosh—!!"
He activated his ocular power, opening a space vortex that released Naruto, Karin, and the others back out of the Kamui dimension!
Then, another vortex spiraled—pulling Kakashi inside!
Obito followed immediately, his figure vanishing.
Meanwhile, atop the Ten-Tails' head, Karin and the others were still trying to make sense of the situation.
Suigetsu: "We're finally out! Thank you, Mother Nature! ୧⍢⃝୨"
Karin: "What do you mean 'Mother Nature'? You should be thanking Shinju. If Shinju hadn't discovered the link between the two spaces and sent Naruto in, you—"
Suigetsu rolled his eyes at this Shinju fangirl, cutting her off:
"Yeah yeah yeah, say whatever you want. Point is—we're out. And I'm getting a proper meal! ૧(●´৺`●)૭"
He looked around…
ヽ( ຶ▮ ຶ)ﾉ!!!
"Where even are we?! What the heck are we standing on?! ◝₍ᴑ̑ДO͝₎◞"
"And all those tiny dots below—are those people?! ∑(✘Д✘๑)"
Naruto: "Didn't I already tell you? The Fourth Shinobi World War has already started—this is the battlefield!"
As he spoke, Naruto placed his hand on the three of them, instantly cloaking them in a blood-red chakra shroud.
"Here—have some chakra. Help me take down the monster! ❛‿˂̵✧"
...
At the same time.
Inside the Kamui dimension!
"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang—!"
The crisp sound of clashing metal echoed repeatedly!
Kakashi, regaining his composure as a seasoned shinobi, was now fully locked in battle with Obito.
Obito shouted as they fought:
"Too weak!! Too weak, Kakashi!!"
The moment his words fell—
"Swish!"
He slipped past Kakashi's sweeping kunai, landing a kick straight into Kakashi's stomach!
"Boom!!"
Kakashi went flying over ten meters before he managed to stop himself.
Eyes cold and sharp, Obito continued:
"Kakashi, is this all you've got?"
"Or are you hesitating because of the past?"
"Because you couldn't fulfill my last request? Because you couldn't protect Rin?"
"I…" Kakashi's voice faltered.
"Ridiculous!!" Obito snarled.
"I've always known Rin stepped into your Raikiri on purpose."
"Back then, she was captured by Kirigakure and forced to become the Three-Tails' jinchūriki. You rescued her… but that was exactly what they wanted."
"Kirigakure planned for her to return to Konoha and let the Three-Tails rampage inside the village. To fool you, they even sent fake pursuit squads after you…"
"Rin realized everything. So she used your Raikiri… to kill herself."
"To protect Konoha…"
"…"
"To me, Rin should never have died. The Rin who died at your hand was just a fake!"
"And you—who couldn't protect her—are also a fake!"
"The ones who created this hellish situation are the shinobi system, the villages, the shinobi themselves—this entire world!"
"I lost hope in this false reality!!"
"Kakashi, don't feel guilty. What I truly despise is this hell of a world."
"And you're no different—these years you've suffered, standing before my grave, before Rin's grave…"
"Let it go. Stop being tortured by the past. In the world of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, Rin and I… are just like we used to be."
"Abandon reality. Abandon everything in this world. Only then can you find happiness."
As Obito finished speaking, Kakashi suddenly saw—just for a moment—the smiling young Obito and the gentle Rin appearing at his side…
Kakashi wavered—but only for an instant.
His gaze hardened.
"Genjutsu—release!"
The illusions of the young Obito and Rin vanished.
Kakashi's eyes burned with unprecedented determination.
"Obito, in the shinobi world, those who break the rules are trash… but those who don't cherish their comrades are worse than trash!"
"And someone who abandons reality—who throws away the memories of his comrades—is even worse!"
The moment he finished speaking, Kakashi lunged, clashing with Obito once more!
This time, he was no longer passive—the two fought evenly!
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"
"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang—!!"
After a fierce exchange, the panting Kakashi coated his arm in Lightning Release chakra, using Raikiri as he charged straight toward Obito!!
Obito refused to yield—he swung a black rod forward, stabbing toward Kakashi!
In the blink of an eye, their bodies crossed—
"Splurt!!"
"Drip… drip…"
Blood spilled.
Kakashi's Raikiri pierced Obito's left chest.
At the same time, Obito's black rod stabbed into Kakashi's chest.
Kakashi's hand trembled faintly as he pulled his arm out of his former friend's body…
"Sorry, Obito. I have to stop you..."
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