"..."
The figure wearing the three-tomoe mask suddenly appeared behind Kakashi Hatake.
Familiar chakra had already begun gathering around the black-gloved hand.
Kakashi's heart jolted.
Reacting instantly, he concentrated chakra into his legs and kicked off the ground with explosive force.
Using the recoil, he rapidly widened the distance between himself and the masked man who had suddenly appeared.
"You are..."
Kakashi looked at Obito Uchiha, whose body was gradually emerging completely from space, with lingering fear.
His exposed Sharingan was filled with vigilance.
If his reaction had been even a fraction slower just now...
The outcome certainly wouldn't have been pleasant.
"Hmph."
Obito snorted coldly.
Toward Kakashi Hatake, he felt only hatred and melancholy.
"In that case... we'll have to settle this through battle."
Kakashi drew his ninja sword and a kunai, his expression becoming serious as he faced the ninja radiating overwhelming pressure.
If he knew that beneath that mask stood his old friend—the former dead last of the class—he wondered how he would feel.
Back then, Obito Uchiha had been the class failure.
He had ranked near the bottom in everything.
Even on the battlefield, he had merely been a Chunin who followed Kakashi's commands.
Even at the moment of his supposed death, the most valuable thing he possessed had been the Sharingan he left behind.
But now...
The gap between him and Kakashi was far greater than it had been when they parted.
Although Kakashi was significantly stronger than in the original timeline, Obito had already reached the threshold of Kage-level strength during the Nine-Tails incident.
And now, he had even begun approaching the peak of Kage level.
It could be said that aside from Minato Namikaze, Madara Uchiha, Ning Feng, and Hashirama Senju, he was among the strongest people alive today.
Whoosh!
Another shuriken sliced across Obito's mask.
Kakashi stared at him in shock.
At present, he knew very little about Obito's abilities.
However...
It seemed as though Obito could ignore all physical attacks entirely.
Not reduce the damage.
Completely ignore them.
None of Kakashi's probing attacks had inflicted the slightest injury.
"Finished?"
The corners of Obito's mouth curved upward beneath his mask.
After all, he was still only a teenager.
He lacked the calm maturity he would possess years later during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Now, seeing Kakashi Hatake—the person who had always overshadowed him as a child—stunned by his abilities brought him immense satisfaction.
Being praised by ordinary ninja meant little.
But astonishing someone he had once looked up to felt entirely different.
Huff...
Kakashi's face beneath the mask grew slightly pale.
The shuriken he had thrown were all infused with considerable Lightning Release chakra.
Each one was powerful enough to pierce solid rock.
Meanwhile, Obito had no intention of wasting time with Kakashi.
If this dragged on too long and Madara noticed, things would become complicated.
He needed to retrieve his Sharingan immediately.
Not a second could be wasted.
"You haven't been using your full power, have you?"
Kakashi suddenly spoke while regulating his breathing.
Obito paused briefly but said nothing.
As expected of Konoha's famed Copy Ninja, Kakashi's analytical abilities were superior to those of ordinary shinobi.
"However... your technique that lets you evade attacks definitely isn't invincible. Every jutsu must have a weakness!"
As he spoke, the red glow in Kakashi's Sharingan intensified.
At the same time, a figure suddenly emerged from the ground behind Obito!
Obito turned his head.
It was another Kakashi Hatake!
During those earlier probing attacks, Kakashi had secretly formed the hand seals for a Shadow Clone.
Before Obito could think further, both Kakashis suddenly drew large numbers of shuriken from their pouches.
After coating them with Lightning Release chakra, they hurled them simultaneously at Obito in the center!
"This is...?"
Obito's eyes narrowed slightly.
Kamui activated repeatedly.
His body was continuously pierced by one Lightning Release shuriken after another.
Despite the dense barrage, there wasn't a trace of panic on his face beneath the mask.
At this level of attack density...
Kakashi's chakra reserves wouldn't last long.
Meanwhile, Kamui could remain active for a full five minutes!
At the rate Kakashi was expending chakra, even a jinchūriki would run dry within five minutes.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The shuriken flew endlessly from both sides, passing through Obito's body and colliding in the center, creating showers of sparks!
The ground was covered with scorched marks left by lightning.
Cracks spread everywhere, making the battlefield look utterly devastated.
"Kakashi... are you really going to keep this up?"
After a while, Obito remained completely unharmed.
Through his mask, he addressed Kakashi from afar.
Meanwhile, Kakashi could feel his chakra draining rapidly.
His expression became increasingly grim.
He was certain this attack-evading ability had some sort of flaw.
But relying on himself alone wasn't enough.
He couldn't uncover even the slightest piece of information.
How had Feng and Teacher Minato dealt with this monster before?
As he thought about it, the intensity of his Lightning Release shuriken barrage decreased slightly.
Tiny gaps began appearing in the previously airtight assault.
With veteran instincts, Obito immediately seized the opportunity.
In one move, he broke through Kakashi's encirclement.
At the same time, he formed hand seals and launched a Great Fireball directly at the Kakashi who had emerged from underground!
Kakashi was exceptionally skilled at deception.
Years in the ANBU had only made his temperament steadier.
Therefore, Obito's first suspicion was that the later-appearing Kakashi—the one who seemed like a shadow clone—was actually the real body.
However, to his surprise, after the fireball engulfed that Kakashi, only traces of lightning remained.
"A Lightning Clone?"
Obito looked teasingly toward the other Kakashi, who was already panting heavily.
In that condition...
He could capture him and drag him into Kamui with his eyes closed.
"Urgh..."
Watching the masked man gradually approach, Kakashi revealed a bitter smile.
Then, before Obito's hand could reach him, Kakashi transformed into a flash of lightning once more!
"Hm?"
Obito reacted instantly, shifting his hand into the Kamui dimension!
The lightning passed harmlessly through his body.
"That was close."
Obito felt a chill run down his spine.
That had been another Lightning Clone.
If he had been paralyzed by the clone's electrical discharge...
And Kakashi had attacked a vital point while he was immobilized...
At the very least, he would have suffered serious injuries.
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