"Kamui."
A spatial distortion twisted into existence in Obito Uchiha's right eye. From within it, a huge war fan materialized—a generational weapon of the Uchiha clan—which he snatched from the air.
The Sharingan in his eyes bored into Emiya Shirou, radiating confidence. He had awakened the Kamui Mangekyo, the source of his audacity to challenge the Rinnegan.
"A nice eye," Emiya Shirou complimented, almost conversationally.
As it happened, Shirou also possessed the Kamui ability. Back in the ancient era, after recovering the Sage of Six Paths' remains, he'd awakened his own Eternal Mangekyo. His mindset at the time, a profound desire to not remain in this world, had unlocked Kamui. The only difference was, he'd never told a soul.
"Hehehehe... but..." Black Zetsu eyed Obito, thoroughly unimpressed with his "strange" Kamui. "Even with that freaky eye, you think you can challenge Lord Wei Yuan? Your ancestor Indra was never his opponent!"
That Indra... what a monumental waste of my time, luring him back then!
In the end, he wasn't even as good as this Shirou fellow, whom I never paid any mind!
Every time Black Zetsu remembered choosing Indra over Shirou, he wanted to kick himself. That, coupled with a thousand years of failure, was precisely why he harbored such a deep-seated dissatisfaction with the entire Uchiha clan.
"Enough nonsense!" Obito snapped, pointing a finger at Shirou. He coldly stated the terms of his victory: "If you lose, go back to being that wandering medical ninja. Don't interfere with this plan anymore!" Without waiting for a reply, he charged, war fan held high.
"Step back," Shirou softly instructed Black Zetsu, who promptly submerged back into the ground.
"Don't be careless..." Zetsu's voice echoed faintly.
Itachi Uchiha also retreated, his own Sharingan flaring to life as he watched the two combatants. This was going to be a grand show, and a prime opportunity to gather intel.
He knew Obito could become intangible, seemingly impervious to any attack. So... how would Shirou, with his Rinnegan, counter that?
Shirou, however, seemed to ignore the charging Obito entirely. With a blank expression, he tossed the pen he used for writing scrolls into the air.
Huh?
Itachi was baffled by the move.
The next moment, as Obito was about to reach him, Shirou raised his palm. A massive repulsive force erupted from his body, blasting towards Obito.
"Shinra Tensei!" (Almighty Push!)
The force instantly obliterated everything in its path—everything except Obito. His body, seemingly non-existent in this plane of reality, passed through the attack without a scratch. He emerged from the cloud of dust completely untouched. This was the power of Kamui's intangibility.
With absolute confidence, Obito closed the distance, a cold smirk playing on his lips. He had anticipated this.
He knew the Rinnegan's abilities, knew the cooldown period of Shinra Tensei. By goading Shirou into using it first, he'd created the perfect opening.
"You think you can beat me with just that? The power of your Shinra Tensei is pathetic. It seems the Rinnegan made you arrogant..."
As he sneered, he swung the war fan, aiming to smash it down on Shirou's shoulder. He could already picture the reanimated body shattering. Just as the fan was about to connect, he released his intangibility, his body solidifying to deliver the final blow.
"Was he careless?" White Zetsu watched nervously. It looked like a one-move victory.
Black Zetsu also felt a flicker of unease. In its mind, Shirou was invincible. Had he underestimated this strange ability and been defeated so easily?
How embarrassing.
"The winner is about to be decided," Itachi thought, marveling at the strangeness of Obito's power. He never expected the Rinnegan-wielding Shirou to be so vulnerable.
But then, his Sharingan caught it: the pen.
The pen Shirou had thrown into the air had just landed, right behind Obito. It was an ordinary-looking pen, save for the cute slug image printed on it.
Bang!
Just as Obito released his intangibility, swinging his fan, Shirou's figure vanished.
"This is..." Obito's pupils widened. Before he could react, a searing pain shot through his waist, and a spray of blood erupted.
"Flying Thunder God Technique..." he gasped, collapsing to the ground. He'd been defeated by the same jutsu that had bested him eight years ago, during the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha. The same mistake, all over again.
The green chakra scalpel in Shirou's hand retracted as he caught the falling pen. He turned, his expression calm, and looked down at the fallen Obito.
"You lost," he declared, his voice unperturbed. "Your eye is very interesting, but it seems you can't truly bring out its power."
The battle was over in a single exchange, so fast that it was hard to even register who had won. The boasting, the grand challenge, it all came crashing down in an instant.
One moment, White Zetsu was lamenting Shirou's arrogance; the next, the truly careless Obito was defeated.
Itachi's expression became strange. If he didn't know how bizarre Obito's ability was, he'd have thought the man's defeat was just plain ugly. His grand declaration hadn't even finished echoing before he was taken down.
"I have learned to conceal and deceive," Shirou said, looking down at Obito with indifference. "The last time I was brought back with Edo Tensei, I learned many things from the ninjas of this era."
"Things like Tobirama Senju's cunning, and the Flying Thunder God Technique he developed. After all, after being polluted by your era's ninjas, it's a difficult thing to maintain one's original heart. I had already designed two tactics to defeat you before this battle even began."
He glanced at the slug mark on his pen. "Although I am a figure from the ancient era, I don't just rely on pretty eyes."
"You!" Obito gritted his teeth, trying to push himself up with his war fan.
Itachi narrowed his eyes, absorbing every bit of information. It seemed a lot had happened in the era of the Second Hokage.
"Judging from this battle," Shirou continued coldly, "you are indeed not a suitable person to be in charge of the plan. A person who can't even endure pain, who starts a fight over a matter of power... it's hard for me to believe your true intention is to achieve eternal peace."
"Of course," he added, noticing Obito's wound already healing, "you represent Madara. I won't truly let you leave the plan."
He glanced meaningfully at the pondering Itachi. "From today on, honestly manage the newcomer you brought. Don't harbor any extravagant hopes of regaining control."
Obito punched the ground in frustration.
A red light flashed in Itachi's eyes. This clansman, Obito, seemed to have completely lost his power. Perhaps he could use this to his advantage. But in truth, Itachi felt Shirou was far more suited to lead their plan. At least he wouldn't harm his younger brother.
"You are always too tolerant," Black Zetsu's voice hissed. "You should learn from Tobirama's attitude. Kill him to avoid future trouble."
"Let's go," Shirou said, turning to leave. "After all, he is Madara's person. I promised Madara I would let him control the Project Tsuki no Me."
His real thoughts, of course, were on the brand-new, glowing request on his mission panel. He hadn't seen a light this bright since the ancient era.
[SSSSS-Rank Request: Tell the whole world, and make the whole world believe, that the mysterious masked man is Obito Uchiha!]
Where in the world did an SSSSS-rank request come from?
Shirou could feel a strong, palpable resentment in the words. He never expected such a simple mission to reach such a high level.
"But," he said to Black Zetsu, as if his only concern was protecting Madara's reputation, "he shouldn't be allowed to continue borrowing Madara's name."
He accepted the mission on the spot. "Let Obito Uchiha recognize his true identity. Perhaps he has been playing Madara for too long and thinks he truly possesses everything Madara has. Let him give up these unrealistic ideas."