"But how could that be?!!"
Kakashi, who had just been resurrected, recalled their recent encounter with the masked man from Akatsuki. Back then, he never could have imagined that the man's true identity was none other than the hero who had been buried for eighteen years—Obito Uchiha!
This realization filled Kakashi with a deep sense of sorrow. It had been eighteen years since the Kannabi Bridge mission, and he could no longer imagine what Obito's face looked like now, beneath that mask.
"My left cheek is covered in twisted scars," the young Obito had told him. "It seems that when the boulder hit me, my Sharingan broke through its own consciousness. In that instant, it activated the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan and made the left side of my head intangible, pulling it into the Kamui Dimension of our Dōjutsu."
"With my head intact, I survived. Later, my body was discovered by the ancestor of this world, Madara Uchiha. After he repaired it with Hashirama's cells and White Zetsu components, he filled me with a strange set of philosophies. Then, as you've seen, I became a behind-the-scenes member of Akatsuki."
Hmm, that's right. The mastermind behind Akatsuki is also a member of Akatsuki, isn't he?
"Prepare yourself," Young Obito said. "The me of this world committed unforgivable sins. We're probably going to leave soon, so Minato-sensei hopes you'll oversee my atonement in this world."
Kakashi frowned. "Unforgivable sins... like what?"
"Sixteen years—"
Minato Namikaze interrupted, cutting Young Obito off. "You should ask this world's Obito about that."
With so many people around, Minato believed it would be best for Kakashi to decide for himself whether to share this information.
Young Obito nodded, understanding Minato-sensei's reasoning.
He glanced at the resurrected Minato-sensei beside him, feeling a strange sense of happiness for Naruto in this mission scroll world. Now, even if he, Kakashi, Rin, and Minato-sensei returned to their own time, Naruto wouldn't be alone.
But...
This world's Naruto...
He should have brought back Minato-sensei, Kushina-san, Fugaku-san, and Mikoto-san through Edo Tensei! How much better would it have been to revive everyone together?!
In this regard, Young Obito had truly misunderstood Adult Obito.
...
In reality, after Adult Obito left them, he went straight to Akatsuki's base...
A vortex appeared in the void, startling those who witnessed it.
"That's 'that guy's' ability."
Sasuke cut straight to the point. "We've captured the Eight-Tails. As per our agreement, my mission is complete."
The adult Obito Uchiha, who had just appeared, stood there in silence. "....."
Facing this formidable foe, Suigetsu felt uneasy. He half-hid behind Sasuke. "You... you're not going to back out now, are you?!!"
Adult Obito Uchiha was a bit bewildered.
He came from the world of the mission scrolls, where Sasuke Uchiha was still a brat of twelve or thirteen. His personality was as cocky as Kakashi's had been in his youth. In short, Itachi's younger brother was an annoying little kid.
Regardless, the Sasuke he remembered was the type to flare up at the slightest provocation, more prone to detonating explosive tags than using them. His nature wasn't inherently bad, though he'd been spoiled by his brother, developing a bit of a bratty temperament.
This sudden shift into such a dark, brooding persona felt distinctly unfamiliar to Adult Obito.
Seeing him remain silent, Sasuke Uchiha pressed further.
"You want to back out?"
"..." With no other choice, Adult Obito replied, "You've mistaken me for someone else."
Sasuke Uchiha: "..."
Slowly drawing his blade from its sheath, Sasuke said, "I don't appreciate such pointless games. You should know that, Madara."
"Tsk. I already said I'm not Madara. I'm Uchiha O—"
Before he could finish, another spiral vortex appeared behind Sasuke Uchiha.
"Who are you?!"
Adult Obito deliberately cut himself off at that moment, thinking to himself: How is this any different from not letting me say I'm Obito Uchiha?
The two masked men, wearing identical masks, stared at each other.
The members of Taka looked from one masked man to the other, genuinely flustered.
Suigetsu: "Same masks, same builds, same clothes... How are we supposed to tell them apart?"
Jūgo: "Doesn't seem like a clone technique. Could it be his Sharingan ability?"
"Karin!" Sasuke called out, signaling Karin to discern them through chakra.
Karin pushed her glasses up, exchanged a few awkwardly proud remarks with Sasuke, then activated her sensory abilities!
"Identical!!"
Karin sensed the two men wearing orange masks and declared, "The chakra feels exactly the same! Judging solely by chakra, these two are absolutely one and the same!!"
The masked man's brow furrowed deeply!
Adult Obito Uchiha stared at the red-haired girl before him.
He remembered that in his original world, this Kusagakure ninja had been confirmed as a member of the Uzumaki Clan and had returned to Konoha.
"Why aren't you staying put in Konoha? What are you doing tagging along with Sasuke?"
"Huh?" Suigetsu and Jūgo were both confused. Who was this masked man talking to?
Karin frowned. "Hey! Besides Sasuke, no one here was ever a Konoha ninja!!"
The 'masked man' behind her was more out of sorts than anyone else. When he returned, he discovered someone had already impersonated him and appeared before Sasuke and the others?!
Was it Black Zetsu or Madara?
The masked man hesitated for a moment. According to his understanding, Black Zetsu shouldn't have that kind of ability yet.
The masked man initially thought the other person was the real Madara Uchiha, resurrected prematurely for some reason. But when he tried to introduce himself earlier, it was clear he had meant to say Obito Uchiha?! And that voice was unmistakably his own!
Not returning to Konoha, just tagging along with Sasuke on some wild adventure? That comment could only be directed at his former self, the Konoha ninja...
Hmph, pointless. What could possibly be worth clinging to in that fake place called Konoha?!
"I'm talking to you, little girl."
Unfortunately, the Adult Obito paid no attention to his counterpart from this world.
Karin: "Huh?!"
Sasuke and Jūgo: "..."
Suigetsu tapped his sword and pointed toward Karin. "This woman isn't from Konoha. She used to be Orochimaru's subordinate."
"Exactly!" Karin pushed her glasses up. "Konoha? That place has nothing to do with me! But back then... During the Chūnin Exams, the first time I saw—Aww~~~"
"....." Suigetsu sighed, speechless. This woman was gushing over Sasuke again.
Adult Obito Uchiha: "You and Nagato are both Uzumaki. Why didn't you stay in Konoha and instead run off to start some nonsense, tagging along with Sasuke Uchiha?"
"!!!"
"!!!!"
The entire squad froze, especially Sasuke Uchiha. The moment the Uzumaki surname was mentioned, his first thought was naturally Naruto Uzumaki!
The 'Masked Man' of this world was equally stunned. He stared at the man before him, who looked exactly like himself. "You even know about Nagato?"
Karin pressed further, "Why did you say I'm a member of the Uzumaki Clan?! Why did you say I should stay in Konoha?" Hearing this masked man suddenly claim she was Uzumaki reminded Karin of her mother.
Sasuke: "Nonsense! I've never heard of a Uzumaki clan in the ninja world!"
"They were wiped out even before the Uchiha clan. Only a few remain. Because of their unique Kekkei Genkai, chakra, and Fūinjutsu, the ones who scattered—except for those protected in Konoha—have all gone into hiding under assumed names."
Special abilities...
Karin recalled her mother's tragic death and her own wretched fate.
"Don't listen to him," Sasuke reached out to stop Karin. "I know Uzumaki people—none possess abilities like yours."
"You're talking about Naruto Uzumaki, right? Aside from having a bit more chakra, he barely inherited Kushina Uzumaki's bloodline. Pure-blooded Uzumaki are all red-haired. Naruto inherited his blond hair and blue eyes from Minato-sensei."
Before Sasuke could even process the shock, the sheer amount of information packed into those few sentences overwhelmed him.
The masked man, who had been trying to figure out who this person was, couldn't hold back any longer. He drew his weapon, ready to fight the man before him! Once he fought, once he understood the other's strength, he would find a way to deal with him!
But Adult Obito was clearly one step ahead!
Adult Obito didn't draw his weapon.
Nor did he engage the masked man in combat.
The only action he took was...
—He pulled back his mask, revealing the left half of his face.
Seeing the face beneath, the masked man's right eye widened in shock.
The features were identical to his own!
But what was even more unbelievable was the Sharingan in the left eye!!
It wasn't the sickle-shaped windmill pattern! It was a Mangekyō Sharingan pattern he had never seen before!
A Mangekyō Sharingan?!!
Whose Mangekyō Sharingan is this?!!
"Kotoamatsukami... Activate!"