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Kagaya's hands trembled. In his previous life, watching Obito hadn't felt like much, but facing him now, knowing everything about him, filled Kagaya with raw, visceral fear—the fear of death.
"Who are you?" Kakashi asked first, his voice steady.
Obito looked at Kakashi, the pupil beneath his mask narrowing slightly. That moment flashed in his mind again—the blinding lightning and the blood dripping from Rin's lips.
He didn't respond, instead shifting his gaze to the three behind Kakashi. He was here because he'd heard Kakashi had become an instructor. Unable to resist, he wanted to see for himself. Lately, he'd been slipping in and out of the Uchiha compound, studying the clan's stone tablet, so he was active around Konoha. Tracking Kakashi's mission wasn't difficult.
Saito Daisuke, seeing the masked man's silence, spoke up scornfully. "Hmph! You took care of our mission target without permission? Damn it! Hey, what village are you from? You're not wearing a Konoha headband—are you a spy from another village?"
The masked man remained silent.
Daisuke grew irritated. "Why aren't you answering? Are you a coward? You don't run, you don't fight, you don't even talk—what's your deal? If you don't say something, I'm coming for you! You'll see how great I, Saito Daisuke, am!"
In his mind, the masked man thought, So similar. So much like the old me.
Truthfully, if Kakashi had become an instructor later, when Obito was no longer lingering near Konoha, he wouldn't have cared what Kakashi did. He'd long since deemed this world fake—nothing mattered. But Kakashi's timing was just a bit too early, and curiosity drew him to see Kakashi's team. He wanted to know: was Kakashi treating his students the way Minato did?
Like Minato, who couldn't save anyone?
Suzuki Genji grabbed Daisuke, shaking her head. "Daisuke, don't be reckless. This guy's not simple."
Kagaya could only manage a bitter smile. Daisuke's ignorance was fearless. Kagaya knew no one here could stand against Obito—not even Kakashi. The current Kakashi would need time to activate his Mangekyo Sharingan, while Obito could do so effortlessly, wielding that cheat-like Kamui ability. Joking aside, ever since Rin's death, Obito had become a boss-level figure.
Kakashi shook his head, keeping his eyes locked on the masked man while addressing his team. "You three, leave. It's not safe here. I'll handle him."
Though Kakashi couldn't gauge the man's full strength, he had a suspicion. Someone had been repeatedly breaching Konoha's barrier lately, slipping in and out undetected. Could it be this person? Anyone capable of that was no ordinary foe. For safety, Kakashi needed Kagaya's team to retreat first.
Daisuke was indignant, about to protest, but Kagaya grabbed him, his voice cold and sharp. "Let's go, Daisuke! Now's not the time for pride. Move!"
Daisuke opened his mouth but, seeing Kagaya's chillingly stern expression, relented and followed without a word.
Genji, more perceptive, didn't need convincing and retreated with them.
The masked man drew the sword at his waist. 'Kakashi... I'll show you how useless Minato-sensei was—and how useless you are! You can't protect anything or anyone! I'll teach you that lesson!'
Seeing the sword, Kakashi's pupils contracted. He formed hand signs rapidly. "Chidori!"
He could sense this was a formidable enemy.
---
In Konoha, in the Anbu headquarters, Itachi found Shisui and led him to a secluded spot. "Shisui, you know Kagaya's out on his first C-rank mission today, right?"
Shisui nodded. "Of course. What's wrong? Did something happen?"
Itachi leaned closer, whispering, "You know about someone repeatedly breaching Konoha's barrier, right? I've found evidence it's a mysterious masked man. I noticed him before but didn't report it to the village higher-ups. He's strong—very strong. I felt it. Making an enemy of him now isn't a good choice. But that's not what I'm here to say. Just now, I detected signs of the barrier being breached again, likely by that masked man. The thing is, the breach happened in the direction of Kagaya's mission."
Shisui shook his head, chuckling lightly. "No way, Itachi. Why would someone like that target a genin like Kagaya?"
Itachi gripped Shisui's shoulders tightly. "Shisui! That man kills without blinking. Do you know how I awakened my Sharingan? I encountered him, and my entire squad was wiped out. If Kagaya runs into him, what do you think will happen? Do you want him to go through what I did?"
Shisui's face darkened instantly. "No! I promised Kagaya he'd never awaken those demonic eyes! Where is it?"
"Just outside the main gate, in a dense forest nearby. Follow me."
The two vanished in a flicker, leaving no trace.
---
Kakashi stared at his Chidori, eyes wide. 'It passed through?'
'Wait!'
He spun around, facing the masked man behind him. He didn't know why his attack phased through without causing damage, but no matter what, he had to keep this man here to let Kagaya's team escape.
The masked man didn't turn. For the first time since their encounter, he spoke, his voice cold and commanding—not Obito's natural tone, but one mimicking Uchiha Madara's, enhanced by White Zetsu. "Who can you protect?"
He stepped toward Kagaya's retreating team. "You can only kill them."
Was he condemning Kakashi for endangering Kagaya's team, or was there another meaning?
"Stop!" Kakashi roared as the masked man moved toward his students.
Memories of past tragedies surged. Though he knew the man might not understand, Kakashi raised his Chidori, face burning with rage. "I'm not the same Kakashi as before! I'm a jonin now, a teacher—like Minato-sensei! This time, I'll protect my comrades!"
He charged at the masked man with Chidori blazing. "You may not understand me, but know this: you won't take a single one of my students' lives while I'm here!"
The masked man's voice carried a mocking edge. "Is that so, Hatake Kakashi? Should I call you Copy Ninja Kakashi or Kakashi the comrade-killer?"
Chidori passed through him again.
The masked man sneered. "Powerless. Weak. Oh, and those kids? They've run far by now. Too far for you to catch up quickly, right? Heh."
With that, a vortex swirled, and he vanished.
Realizing what the man's words and strange disappearance implied, Kakashi sprinted frantically after Kagaya's team.
Farther ahead, a vortex reappeared, and the masked man blocked Kagaya's group's path.
Kagaya knew Obito was tangible when entering or exiting his Kamui dimension—during the vortex—but did he have the ability to strike? Against Obito, Kagaya knew he stood no chance, so he didn't dare act rashly.
Maybe he should've stayed with Kakashi? But with Kamui, Obito could ignore Kakashi's attacks and still come after them.
"Mister, do we have a grudge?" Kagaya spoke first, cutting off the reckless Daisuke to prevent him from escalating things.
Kagaya was baffled. Why did Obito harbor such intense killing intent toward them? They'd fled so far, yet he still pursued. Given Obito's disillusionment with the world, he should've ignored Kakashi and left after being stalled. If Kakashi weren't there, Obito casually killing them wouldn't be surprising—just a passing whim, not true killing intent.
But chasing them after being delayed by Kakashi? That was blatant, undeniable killing intent.
Obito wanted them dead!
The masked man pointed his sword at Kagaya. "Do you talk to the dead?"