"Kid, what are you laughing at?"
A cold, murderous intent flashed in his eyes. Beneath the mask, Obito looked visibly annoyed.
What was he laughing at? Even Itachi was thrown off balance by Hakken's laughter. He didn't know just how formidable this troublesome enemy truly was. But what could possibly be the reason for laughing in a situation like this?
"You say you're Madara Uchiha."
Hakken shook his head, suddenly finding the whole thing rather dull. He took a swig from his bottle and casually patted Itachi on the shoulder.
"Come on, you tell him who Madara Uchiha is."
Who was Madara Uchiha? Upon hearing this, Obito snorted in apparent misunderstanding. Clearly, revealing Madara Uchiha's name to this bunch of kids was pointless; those who hadn't lived through that era couldn't possibly grasp what the name represented.
Unexpectedly, Itachi began his explanation right in front of him.
"Uchiha Madara, the clan head of the Uchiha during the Warring States Period."
"He united with the Senju to quell the chaos, one of the founders of Konoha."
"In the end, he defected from Konoha, clashed with the First Hokage at the Valley of the End, and was killed by Hashirama Senju."
"Heh, never thought anyone still remembered me."
Obito responded with a low chuckle, as if for a moment he truly embodied the Madara being described.
"Shh."
Hakken raised an index finger and softly shushed, shattering the other's fantasy.
"That's the Madara Uchiha he knows."
"Want to hear the one I know?"
"Like, Madara didn't actually die at the Valley of the End."
"Or that he's been pursuing seemingly foolish plans all along, supposedly for the sake of peace?"
What does this brat even know?
Obito stared coldly at Hakken Yoru; in that instant, his killing intent spiked.
"The Madara Uchiha I remember would never wear a mask and shout that he is Madara Uchiha."
"Such a man wouldn't need to sneak around. If you truly are Madara Uchiha..."
Raising his Zanpakutō, Hakken pointed it at Obito from a distance.
"Take off the mask. Let me see."
Take off the mask. Let me see!
The boy's booming voice made Obito tremble with rage. For the first time, someone had exposed him using Madara Uchiha's name—and the one who did it was just a brat. Just a cocky brat.
He must die.
It wasn't the exposure of the Madara name that unnerved him so much as the knowledge this boy possessed. It sent chills down Obito's spine. This was no ordinary brat.
Without another word, Obito lunged straight at Hakken. The Eye of the Moon Plan—that was top-secret. Even Nagato and the others didn't know its true contents. The fact that this boy knew something about it forced Obito to act.
Here we go?
Hakken drew a deep breath and gripped his Zanpakutō tightly, ready.
Infuriating Obito wasn't about showing off—there was no one around to witness that anyway. It was that Obito, parading around under the name Madara Uchiha and acting the part, rubbed him the wrong way. Especially this unprovoked attack—proof of how utterly mad Obito had become.
He hadn't provoked him, yet the assault came anyway.
Beyond defending against the attack, Hakken needed to test something. It was common knowledge that much of Obito's power came from his dōjutsu, Kamui. That space–time ninjutsu could completely avoid damage by concealing the body within Kamui's dimension before an attack struck—a truly troublesome ability.
What Hakken wanted to test was whether his attacks could actually harm Obito, who wielded that spatial ninjutsu.
This was crucial.
If successful, Obito would be wary of him in the future. If it failed, this man would only escalate his schemes against Hakken.
"You dare call yourself Madara Uchiha?"
The Zanpakutō pointed distantly at Obito, and Hakken suddenly roared.
Swish!
What good is talking? Only battle is the best way to understand an opponent's abilities. Seeing the killing intent radiating from Obito's single exposed Sharingan. What Hakken couldn't comprehend was this: You were the one who attacked me, yet now you're the one angry. What kind of logic is this?
Spiritual Pressure!
True to its name. Zaraki Kenpachi's most devastating attack—crushing opponents with the sheer force of his soul! Golden light descended upon Obito, a devastating pillar of light crashing from the heavens. Though a probing strike, the explosive release of spiritual pressure—an energy even more profound than chakra—carried terrifying destructive force. His enemy was Obito. Hakken Yoru held nothing back. Unlike Orochimaru, this was someone who truly sought to kill him!
The earth shook violently as the sword pressure slammed into the ground, leaving a gash several meters deep. Yet Obito's advancing form didn't falter an inch, seemingly unscathed. Spatial ninjutsu was indeed troublesome. Narrowing his eyes, Hakken charged forward, aiming a horizontal slash directly at Obito's head. Exactly as expected, the Zanpakutō sliced through nothing but emptiness where Obito's head should have been.
Swooping past Hakken's head, Obito's eyes gleamed with triumph. One hand was already pressed against Hakken's back.
"Die, brat."
"Die in this hypocritical world!"