A dim, damp underground space.
The massive Demonic Statue stood silently, radiating an aura of deathly stillness. A figure sat atop one of the statue's fingers, his tiger-patterned mask appearing exceptionally eerie in the darkness.
"Everything is ready." Black Zetsu emerged from the shadows behind him, his voice rasping. "Kakashi Hatake and the Anbu under Minato's direct command are all concentrated at that delivery room."
The man beneath the mask said nothing, seemingly indifferent to the news.
"Aren't you going?" Black Zetsu asked, sounding somewhat puzzled. "This is a trap your dear teacher painstakingly prepared for you. If you don't go see it, wouldn't you be wasting all the effort he put in?"
The man finally moved.
He stood up slowly, his gaze piercing through the endless darkness as if seeing another scene in a distant village.
"A boring trick." His voice was ice-cold, devoid of any emotion. "Sensei is still so naive, thinking he can trap me with a simple bait."
He reached out his hand, and the air in front of him began to warp violently, forming a swirling vortex. On the other side of the vortex, a heavily guarded barrier was faintly visible.
...
Night fell deeply, shrouding the valley on the southern outskirts of Konoha.
Kakashi Hatake crouched behind a giant rock at the valley entrance, concealing his form. He had perfectly masked his presence, blending into the surrounding rocks and vegetation; without a deliberate attempt to sense him, he was virtually undetectable.
This was his third hour on watch.
Inside the valley, a wooden hut built specifically for the mission was lit. A powerful Four Violet Flames Formation enveloped the entire area, its purple chakra walls standing out prominently in the night, sealing the interior from the outside world.
Kakashi focused his senses.
The fact that his teacher had entrusted him with such an important mission allowed his six months of suppressed self-doubt to finally find an outlet. He was no longer the failure who could only repent before the Memorial Stone; he was the Fourth Hokage's most trusted subordinate and student.
His gaze swept across the surroundings. His Anbu comrades were hidden in their respective defensive positions, completely locking down the area.
Everything was perfect.
Yet, a sense of inexplicable strangeness lingered in Kakashi's heart.
'Lord Third... why isn't he here?'
The birth of a Jinchuriki's child was a major event that could shake the very foundations of the village. Lord Third should have been here personally to oversee the operation, just in case.
However, in the orders he received, the strongest defenders were himself and these dozen or so Anbu.
'Did Sensei make other arrangements? Or is this... a trap?'
Kakashi shook his head, pushing the stray thought aside. His mission was to guard, not to speculate. Obeying orders was a shinobi's duty.
Time passed minute by minute.
Just as his concentration reached its peak, nearly merging with the night, an extremely discordant sensation suddenly surfaced in his perception. Although there was no movement around him, he simply felt something was wrong, and even his eye began to throb with a faint ache.
Kakashi's intuition was correct.
On the open ground not far in front of him, the air warped without warning, forming a silently rotating vortex. Not a single alarm-triggering technique was tripped!
Kakashi's pupils constricted instantly. His muscles tensed as chakra flooded his system. He remained hidden. Without knowing the enemy's abilities, any reckless move could result in total defeat.
A figure stepped out of the swirling vortex, standing under the moonlight. He wore a long black robe and an orange, single-holed mask, radiating an unsettling aura.
Kakashi's heart sank.
'Space-Time Ninjutsu!'
Being able to infiltrate in such a manner meant all the outer defenses had been rendered useless. The intruder was exactly the person they had been waiting for.
After the masked man appeared, he didn't act immediately. He simply stood there, slowly lifting his head. His gaze crossed the dozens of meters between them, landing precisely on the spot where Kakashi was hidden.
Through the hole in the mask, that single eye stared at him calmly.
Kakashi knew he had been discovered, yet he continued the standoff. He was evaluating, searching for a flaw. Who was this man? Why did he possess such a bizarre technique? What was his goal?
Meanwhile, beneath the mask, Uchiha Obito's heart was anything but calm.
He saw Kakashi.
His former best friend, the comrade to whom he had entrusted his eye, was lurking right there. Kakashi had assumed a standard Anbu combat stance, his body taut and his eyes sharp, radiating nothing but vigilance and killing intent.
It was the gaze one reserved for an "enemy."
'You didn't ask.'
'You didn't realize.'
'You didn't even... try to recognize me.'
In that moment, a sharp pang of pain shot through Obito's heart.
'How ridiculous. Truly pathetic.'
I'm back, Kakashi. I'm standing right in front of you, yet you don't recognize me.
The disappointment surging from the depths of his soul rapidly transformed into an icy, absolute rage.
So... that's how it is? Is this the look you give the person who killed Rin? Is this how you stand to protect this world that made us lose everything? You've even forgotten who I am. What right do you have? What right do you have to stand here and put on the face of a protector?!
A bone-chilling killing intent radiated from Obito, piercing through the night and striking Kakashi directly.
Kakashi's body jerked. That pure, unmasked malice made his hair stand on end. He knew the standoff was over. He prepared to launch an attack and signal the others.
But the masked man's next move completely defied his expectations.
The man didn't rush toward him. Instead, he turned around and began walking toward the purple wall of fire formed by the Four Violet Flames Formation, step by step.
'What is he doing? Trying to force his way through the barrier?'
That didn't make sense. This barrier was supposed to have a certain degree of Space-Time suppression. Even if the opponent had Space-Time Ninjutsu...
The thought flashed through Kakashi's mind, but in the next second, he witnessed a scene he would never forget.
The man's body passed directly through that wall of purple flame—a barrier capable of repelling attacks from several Kage-level powerhouses—without causing a single ripple. The barrier was completely ineffective against him.
Kakashi's mind went blank.
He could only watch as the black-clad figure vanished into the depths of the barrier, heading toward the wooden hut.
The Anbu outside, the strict defensive lines, and even he—the "protector" who thought he had been entrusted with a heavy responsibility—none of it mattered.
'Bait? A trap?'
No... all of us were the ones being toyed with.
A freezing chill rose from Kakashi's spine, instantly spreading through his entire body. He had lost. Before the battle had even begun, he had lost completely.