"Mangekyō Sharingan?!"
In that instant, Sasuke also saw the Kotoamatsukami, but having never encountered Shisui Uchiha's eyes, he didn't recognize it as Kotoamatsukami. He also had no idea that this was Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan.
Adult Obito had no intention of explaining anything to him. Instead, he kept his gaze locked on the masked man across from him.
"Do what you must."
"What did you do to me?!"
Ever since he had abandoned the identity of Obito Uchiha and adopted that of Madara Uchiha, he hadn't experienced this feeling of helplessness—the sensation of losing control— in many years.
Suigetsu whispered, "These two look like they're about to fight. What should we do, Sasuke?"
Sasuke Uchiha remained silent, deep in thought.
Madara was undoubtedly untrustworthy. But the man who claimed Karin was part of the Uzumaki Clan, just like Naruto, seemed to know more and appeared more reliable. Still, whether he could be trusted... that remained uncertain.
Meanwhile, Adult Obito had already implanted his commands deep into the mind of this era's version of himself through the genjutsu of his Sharingan and Kotoamatsukami.
The masked man might have some idea of what Obito had done to him, but he could never have imagined that his consciousness had been altered.
"Who the hell are you?! What did you do to me?! Where did you get that Mangekyō Sharingan with that pattern?!!"
Three questions were fired in rapid succession. Even the members of Taka could sense that something was wrong with the masked man!
This wasn't surprising. Although the masked man had abandoned the identity of Obito Uchiha, it didn't erase the fact that he had once been Obito Uchiha. Now, someone else had come forward, claiming to be Obito Uchiha—something he simply couldn't accept.
Worse still, after spending so long under a different identity, when someone stood up and claimed to be Obito Uchiha—and could prove it in every way—the masked man began to feel a momentary confusion about his own identity...
"Who I am doesn't matter. Where I got that Mangekyō Sharingan doesn't matter either. What matters is that what I'm about to have you do will benefit you." Adult Obito snorted coldly. "Be grateful, fool."
His words went unheard. The masked man was already preparing to fight.
But unexpectedly, Adult Obito Uchiha showed no courtesy. The direction of his Mangekyō Sharingan shifted toward the four members of Taka!
"!!!!!!"
By the time they reacted, the members of Taka and the man claiming to be Obito Uchiha had vanished from sight!
A spiral vortex appeared in the void, and the masked man once again witnessed the exact same Mangekyō Sharingan ability as his own!!
Even if someone could mimic his appearance, the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan was exceptionally unique. Neither the Edo Tensei Reincarnation technique nor Izanagi could restore a Sharingan that had been destroyed or preserved through special means!
So, even if the left Mangekyō Sharingan wasn't his, the masked man couldn't help but wonder how the other was using his very own dōjutsu.
The ability to conceal oneself within the dōjutsu's space—the masked man could think of no other possibility besides his own eyes.
Which meant...
The right eye of the other party must be my own!
So that bastard Kakashi gave his own eye to someone else?!!
At this thought, the masked man's aura grew so oppressive it was downright terrifying!
His ghostly figure lunged toward the one before him—the one possessing his eye, the one daring to impersonate him.
Yet the youth, Adult Obito, swiftly leapt away, once more using his Dōjutsu before his eyes, vanishing from the spot. Apart from that initial line—"Go do what you must"—he left no other message!
Sasuke Uchiha, Karin, Jūgo, and Suigetsu were suddenly transported into the pitch-black void of Kamui's Dimension.
Even Sasuke struggled to remain composed. Only Jūgo seemed unfazed, as if anything unrelated to Sasuke or Kimimaro simply didn't register.
"Who the hell are you?" Sasuke demanded again.
Cracking his stiff neck, Adult Obito replied, "One of your few remaining kin."
"Cut the meaningless bullshit! If you're from Konoha, you're my enemy!"
Obito froze, then recalled that in this world, Sasuke had presumably already killed Itachi.
"You know about Itachi?"
"Didn't you tell me yourself?!!"
Just like back then, the mere mention of Itachi's name made Sasuke explode.
Only his mindset had changed. Before, he'd wanted to kill Itachi. Now, he wanted to destroy everything that had forced Itachi into that choice.
Everything.
Whether it was Konoha or the entire Ninja World.
Watching the enraged Sasuke Uchiha before him, Adult Obito couldn't help but ponder: If he, like this world's 'masked man,' had marched to the final step of waging war against the entire Ninja World only to discover it was all a deception, how would it end?
"Since you know everything now—that Itachi acted to protect the peace of this ninja world—why are you so stubbornly determined to destroy everything he sought to safeguard? Is it to avenge him?"
The question struck Sasuke like a blow to the chest. He couldn't even say whether it was revenge against Itachi or against Konoha.
"Come to think of it, you just need an outlet for your emotions. You've wasted all the effort Itachi put into arranging things."
"What happens between me and Itachi is none of your business! Who the hell are you?!!"
"That little girl from the Uzumaki Clan already said it. I am the same Masked Man you know, only from two different parallel worlds."
"You've got to be kidding me. This kind of—"
"Don't fool yourself. That's the Uchiha Clan's most common flaw." Adult Obito continued, "Besides the parallel world theory, what other explanation do you think could account for this situation?"
Sasuke Uchiha was speechless.
Jūgo leaned closer. "I believe he's telling the truth, and he's more trustworthy than the masked man in this world."
Suigetsu mustered his courage, feigning nonchalance. "To show your sincerity, how about removing your mask completely?"
"Mm-hmm!" Karin, unusually, agreed with Suigetsu.
Adult Obito Uchiha shrugged indifferently, pulling off his mask to reveal a face covered in scars.
Karin: "Ew! That scar is disgusting."
"....." Adult Obito: "How about being polite?!"
Karin paused, her words sounding like a muttered thought, or perhaps directed at Sasuke Uchiha, or maybe even a question. "Even though your chakra is the same as that other masked man's, the feeling it gives off is different."
The others turned to look at Karin.
Karin continued, "The masked man we saw before… his chakra was cold and terrifying. Just sensing it felt like falling into a vortex of hatred, filled with darkness."
Obito Uchiha raised an eyebrow. That was indeed the man he once was.
"But yours is different," Karin continued. "Your chakra feels brighter, like being bathed in the light of a forest..."
Obito Uchiha fell silent for a moment. "Is that so..."
Sasuke Uchiha and the others could see a hint of sadness in the man across from them.
Adult Obito's expression turned bitter. "What you sense... is probably the scent of Konoha. But as a Missing-nin of Konoha, burdened with multiple unavoidable grave crimes, I can never return to Konoha."
Sasuke, who currently hated Konoha intensely, frowned deeply.
"What exactly are you trying to say?!"
"What I mean is, you haven't committed any unforgivable sins yet. If you can return, do it sooner rather than later. Once Kakashi Hatake is revived, with his and Naruto Uzumaki's vouching for you, you and that little girl from the Uzumaki Clan should all return to live in Konoha."
"Kakashi Hatake revived? He's dead?!"
"It was Pain's doing. But I won't let him stay dead. If Pain can't revive him with the Rinnegan, then I'll have my counterpart in this world handle it."
With that, Adult Obito Uchiha opened his left eye, which had remained closed.
It was a stark white eyeball!
"Who the hell are you?! What does that eye mean?"
"It's Shisui Uchiha's eye. Its Mangekyō Sharingan ability is Kotoamatsukami. Using it once causes blindness for over ten years—a unique dōjutsu power."
Obito paused, then continued, "Before the me of this world takes on the tasks he must perform, we have a little time. We can chat a bit."
Sasuke Uchiha: "...."
"Where should I begin?" Obito Uchiha pondered. "Let's start with introductions. It'd be troublesome if you keep mistaking me for Madara Uchiha."
"So you really aren't the real Madara Uchiha!"
Obito: "Correct. You can probably tell by my age. I'm around the same age as Kakashi Hatake. We were both students of Sensei Minato Namikaze... the Fourth Hokage, as you know him."
Hearing this, Sasuke Uchiha recalled the first time he saw Kakashi Hatake's Sharingan during the Land of Waves mission. Kakashi had told him privately about the origin of that Sharingan!
'He was my hero.'
In Sasuke's memory, Kakashi had spoken those words with a sorrowful expression, yet still maintained a gentle smile.
"It was you!!!"
"The one who gave the Uchiha Clan's precious Sharingan to an outsider like Kakashi Hatake!"
"...."
While technically true, Obito couldn't help but find the accusation rather grating.
"My eyes? I give them to whomever I choose. Got a problem? Keep it to yourself."
Sasuke Uchiha couldn't be bothered to argue. "Weren't you dead?! I remember Kakashi Hatake saying your name was Obito Uchiha."
"Correct. Kakashi Hatake, Rin Nohara, and I were the original Team 7. Back then, it was wartime. During the Mission at Kannabi Bridge, I was declared dead after an attack by Iwa ninja."
"But I survived. Saved by someone even more unbelievable who was still alive..."
"Someone even more unbelievable who was still alive?"
"Madara Uchiha."
Sasuke Uchiha's eyes widened abruptly. "Madara Uchiha?!"
"That's right. The very same Madara Uchiha—the former leader of the Uchiha Clan—who was supposedly killed by the First Hokage-sama."