On the Sky Screen, Obito's Talk-no-Jutsu had indeed no effect on Kakashi. In fact, Kakashi tried to pull him back instead.
Kakashi used his Chidori to erase the illusions of Rin and young Obito—a flash of lightning, and the two illusions dissipated like smoke.
Then he turned and looked directly at Obito: "Rin is gone… but you, aren't you still alive?"
"Do you really think that something like this can fill that hole in your heart? Don't erase the memories of the real Rin!"
"Rin sacrificed herself to protect and save the village! You can try and fill that hole with delusions all you want... But that hole will never be filled!"
Then, the various Obitos watching the Sky Screen heard words that were deeply familiar.
"Those who break the rules are scum. But those who abandon their friends are worse than scum. And... those who don't cherish the memories of their friends... are even worse scum!"
The words came from Kakashi's mouth, word for word, with the exact same tone as the boy in goggles from back then.
In an instant, quite a few Obitos felt their defenses crack.
---
[Konoha, Year 45]
Team Minato was gathered together, watching the Sky Screen with mixed feelings.
Hearing those words, young Obito's mouth hung slightly open, his eyes wide beneath his goggles.
He hadn't expected that the future Kakashi would remember his words so clearly—and would say them in such a moment.
Rin stood beside him, watching the two on the screen, her eyes reddening slightly. She softly whispered, "Obito, look—Kakashi has always remembered your words."
Obito turned his head away and snorted. "Of course! How could anyone forget what I said?"
Meanwhile, on the screen.
After speaking, Kakashi's hand crackled with lightning again, the Chidori screaming. Seeing this, Obito understood Kakashi's choice.
Then their figures flickered and darted through the Kamui dimension. Walls and pillars shattered around them as a streak of light and a streak of shadow clashed against each other.
Each collision was accompanied by the dull thud of weapons striking.
And in the next moment, Kakashi's Chidori and Obito's Kunai pierced through each other's chests. Blood gushed from their wounds, spraying through the air like blooming red flowers.
Each droplet briefly magnified, reflecting their shared past.
---
[Konoha, Year 45.]
Sunlight streamed down on the faces of Team Minato.
Seeing the future Kakashi and Obito going for each other's lives, Minato sighed inwardly.
Rin, however, puffed up her cheeks in anger. "You two… even if I'm really gone in the future, you can't go around stabbing each other in the chest!"
"Especially you, Obito." She fixed her gaze on him.
Obito scoffed, hands behind his head, feigning indifference.
But inwardly: 'If Rin really died, then this world really wouldn't have any value left.'
Kakashi also stood to the side, hands in his pockets, watching the screen expressionlessly.
The image on the screen froze with the two pressed together, Kakashi's head resting on Obito's shoulder and Obito's chin resting on Kakashi's. To an unobservant eye, it might even look like an embrace.
For a moment, silence filled the Kamui dimension.
Then after a few seconds, Kakashi's voice rang out. "Obito... can we stop playing this game?"
"I'm already tired of it."
As his words fell, the two figures pressed together on the screen actually began to slowly vanish amidst flashes of lightning.
It was only then that the people of the Shinobi World watching realized with a shock that the battle just now had been a Genjutsu woven by Obito for Kakashi.
---
[Land of Rain, Amegakure]
A glint of understanding flickered through Nagato's eyes.
Obito's Genjutsu must have been activated in that very moment when his eyes first vibrated.
As expected of the Uchiha—whether it was Itachi or Obito—were all exceptionally skilled in Genjutsu.
Although the Mangekyō Sharingan probably couldn't match his Rinnegan, it was still quite troublesome.
And Obito's Dojutsu ability was equally vexing. Without Kakashi's eye, probably no one in the Shinobi World could even harm him.
---
"No more Genjutsu."
Inside the Kamui dimension, Obito and Kakashi stood several meters apart, facing each other.
The wounds from before were gone, and the blood had vanished.
"Looks like I can't find anything that will change you."
"Right now, all I can give you…" Kakashi said as he raised his left hand, "is death."
As he finished speaking, his hand was already forming the Seal of Confrontation—a duel invitation directed at Obito.
"Then… I shall do the same."
Obito didn't back down. He raised his right hand, forming the same seal, just as he had done as a boy.
His movements mirrored Kakashi's perfectly, even down to the angle of their thumbs. Across more than a decade of distance, across the boundary between space and time—their gestures were still synchronized.
Just then, a gentle melody began to play softly.
The next moment, the scene transitioned to the time of Team Minato.
There, young Obito and young Kakashi stood facing each other as well.
The difference was that between them stood Minato, acting as the referee, and behind him stood Rin, smiling as she watched the two spar.
"All right! Shinobi hand-to-hand Combat!"
"Begin!"
As Minato's voice fell, the two facing each other in the Kamui dimension seemed to receive a signal—their pupils dilated at the same moment, and they charged toward one another.
As before, they rushed at each other and threw punches. But each possessed one Sharingan—they could see each other's moves clearly, countering blow for blow.
Punch for punch, kick for kick, they fought using the purest Taijutsu.
The screen flickered between scenes—sometimes showing the young Obito and Kakashi, sometimes showing the two in the Kamui dimension.
For a time, all that remained on the screen was the two of them fighting relentlessly—from hand-to-hand, to ninja tools, and then to Ninjutsu.
Young Obito threw Shuriken, and young Kakashi deflected them with a Kunai. In the Kamui dimension, Obito blocked with a Kunai, and Kakashi answered with Chidori.
Their moves grew faster and fiercer, but neither truly went for the kill.
The battle had no epic scenes, no dizzying Ninjutsu—yet this raw, straightforward fight was what tugged at the heartstrings of those familiar with their past.
"Kakashi…"
"Obito…"
---
[Konoha, Year 50. Hokage Office]
Minato felt he had sighed more today than in his entire life combined.
"Minato." Kushina came over and gently took his hand. "Don't be too sad."
Minato shook his head. "I just think—if I had paid more attention to Obito back then, maybe he wouldn't have ended up like this."
"…It wasn't your fault."
"Mm… I know. But the responsibility of bringing Obito back can't be left to the future Kakashi. That's my duty as his sensei."
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Tazuna's house]
Unlike the emotional Naruto and Sakura, Sasuke was thinking about something else.
Combining the fleeting scenes from the Sky Screen's earlier comparison of his and Naruto's combat power, Naruto at this time had Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, making him at least stronger than the Sage Mode used during the battle with pain.
That meant Naruto was at least Super-Kage level… by extension, Obito, who fought him, was also at least a Super-Kage level powerhouse.
And this guy Kakashi… could go toe-to-toe with someone like that. That meant Kakashi was at the very least Kage-level—maybe even stronger.
It seemed that sticking with Kakashi wasn't a bad idea after all.
*****
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