Kamui!
"Old… I… sor…"
Within the swirling vortex of space-time ninjutsu, Obito's figure was dragged into the otherworldly dimension. His voice came in broken fragments, but faintly—enough for only Minato to understand.
The boy who had once been endlessly late because he was always helping others… for a moment, it felt as if he had returned.
But this sudden "awakening," this apology, was nothing more than the illusion born from Shisui's ultimate genjutsu: Kotoamatsukami.
Its planted seed carried the command "surrender." Was that why Obito's heart had wavered so suddenly?
"Lord Hokage! My chakra link is being cut!"
Shisui's alarmed voice rang out.
Minato's face instantly hardened. "Kakashi—now!"
The vortex shrank, threatening to consume everything. Kakashi leapt with all his strength.
Kamui!
A second space-time vortex appeared, engulfing both Shisui and Kakashi, dragging them into the alternate dimension.
Back in the cave, Minato exchanged a sharp glance with Fugaku. The two men simultaneously extended their sensory perception, carefully monitoring every flicker of space around them.
Inside the other dimension, blood trickled from Shisui's left eye. Kakashi collapsed heavily beside him, drained.
"The chakra connection's severed," Shisui said quickly. "Take a soldier pill and restore your energy. I'll handle him."
He turned toward the masked man standing across from them, his suspicion of the enemy's true identity growing heavier by the second.
The Fourth Hokage had already dissected the man's abilities in detail. They knew Kakashi's Mangekyō Sharingan could counter him. And yet… Minato had never once revealed who the enemy was.
That silence said everything.
The enemy's powers were nearly identical to Kakashi's eye—space-time abilities, one offensive, one defensive.
And Kakashi was no Uchiha. Without the Uchiha bloodline, it was impossible for him to evolve the Sharingan from three tomoe into the Mangekyō.
Which meant… when this eye had awakened, it was the other eye that had truly evolved.
Connecting the clues, the answer stood plainly before Shisui.
This masked man could only be—Uchiha Obito.
Minato's disciple. Kakashi's comrade. The hero who was supposed to have died in the Third Great War.
Obito's breath came in ragged gasps. His body carried Hashirama's cells, so it wasn't exhaustion that shook him. It was fear.
Shisui—this Uchiha who was his contemporary—possessed a terrifying, unstoppable power.
Obito's single Mangekyō gleamed warily, fixed not on Shisui's eyes but his legs, avoiding any chance of genjutsu.
"The Mangekyō Sharingan's illusions… controlling a man from the depths of his own heart," Obito muttered, his gaze rising only slightly. He dared not make true eye contact. "But even such power has limits. This separate dimension has severed your chakra flow, breaking your 'unavoidable' genjutsu."
He smirked under the mask. "Shunshin Shisui, the phantom who carved his name into the Third War with his instantaneous movement and illusions. You of all people should understand this world's pain. Its endless crimes, its wars. Tell me, my junior—will you betray me as well?"
Without warning, Obito's figure flickered, appearing beside Kakashi, his hand reaching straight for Kakashi's left eye.
But in the next heartbeat—
BOOM!
A green chakra erupted, encasing a skeletal ribcage around Kakashi.
Blood-red pupils with a cross-shaped pattern spun violently within Shisui's eyes. The chakra skeleton surged upward, its giant green arm slamming down toward Obito.
CRASH!!
The floating stone masses within Kamui's space shattered violently.
Obito blurred away with Kamui's intangibility, his eye narrowing. "Susanoo… you've already reached this stage?"
Blood streamed from both of Shisui's eyes. The strain of the Mangekyō was pushing his limits.
The skeletal Susanoo dissolved, fading into nothing. The cross-patterned Mangekyō dimmed, retreating back to its three-tomoe state. Shisui drew his standard-issue ninja blade, steadying himself.
In truth, he hadn't wanted to reveal Susanoo at all. It had only been a last-ditch response.
From the information gathered, Obito's Mangekyō ability was already countered. With the Hokage and Fugaku guarding the real world, and him and Kakashi anchoring Obito inside Kamui, they had created a perfect pincer.
If Obito tried to escape back to reality, Minato's Flying Thunder God markers littered the land. The moment he emerged, the Yellow Flash would be there.
Here in this confined space, victory depended only on endurance.
"Clang!"
Obito pulled free a massive iron chain. "You can't protect him, Uchiha brat. I'll show you the power I gained from Hashirama himself!"
Wood Release: Advent of a World of Trees!
From the stone masses sprouted countless wooden branches, surging forward to engulf Shisui.
Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!
Shisui spat flames, burning away the oncoming roots, then seized Kakashi and leapt. Flicker after flicker carried them between boulders until they landed on a relatively stable perch.
"Whshhhk!"
The chain lashed again, weighted with spiked projectiles, while a storm of branches surged once more.
"How long can you keep dodging?" Obito sneered. "Hashirama's power can last forever."
Shisui wove through the chaos, Kakashi still on his back, until Kakashi finally opened his right eye.
"Without Uchiha blood, going from Mangekyō back to three tomoe is nearly impossible. Put me down. From here, it's your fight."
Shisui kept moving, voice calm despite the storm. "Are you sure? We'll need you again when we return."
Kakashi gave a small nod. "Don't worry. I can defend myself. And remember—he's afraid of me. If I land even one Kamui, he's done. Hard to close it off, but firing once? That I can manage."
Moments later, Shisui set Kakashi down gently, tapped his temple as a signal, then launched himself at Obito.
The dimension was a storm of fire and wood. Shisui's body flickered ceaselessly, weaving through destruction, blade clashing with chain. His illusions had no opening to take root—but his movements never faltered.
His right eye's Kotoamatsukami had been broken. His left had already been used at its awakening. All that remained was his speed and his sword, moving in perfect harmony with his flicker techniques.
CLANG!
Steel met chain, sparks bursting. Roots surged again, threatening to engulf him—
But across the battlefield, Kakashi tore his headband upward.
Kamui!!
Obito froze, instincts screaming. He abandoned his attack on Shisui and blurred away desperately. He knew all too well—being sucked into Kakashi's Kamui meant annihilation.
If he stayed in this dimension, perhaps he could still contend. But the instant he returned to reality—into a world crawling with Minato's Flying Thunder God seals—death would be certain.
"Shhhhhnk!"
The crimson cross-pattern flared in Shisui's eyes once more. The Mangekyō's genjutsu locked onto Obito as he barely escaped Kakashi's pull.
"Shunshin no Jutsu!"
And the space between them vanished.