The scene felt hauntingly familiar.
Watching Naruto and Sasuke, Orochimaru saw a reflection of himself and Jiraiya in their youth. He had been the calm, rational one, just like Sasuke. And Jiraiya... that idiot had been just as impulsive as Naruto.
But this time, the outcome would be different. Back then, they had Tsunade. Her strength, her kindness, her unshakable will—she was always the one who bridged the gap between him and Jiraiya.
"Let Naruto go!" Sasuke yelled, lunging at the masked man.
Obito, however, barely gave him a glance, utterly dismissive of the bond between the two brats.
But that was careless.
For a kid his age, Sasuke's taijutsu was surprisingly sharp—far more polished than his teammate's. The sharp point of his kunai sliced toward Obito's neck.
Obito casually deflected Sasuke's wrist, only for Sasuke to spin the kunai in his grip and drive it fiercely toward his abdomen.
This kid...
Instinctively, Obito activated his Kamui, becoming intangible.
This guy...
Sasuke watched in shock as his kunai passed through Obito's abdomen without resistance, like it was slicing through empty air. Before he could process what happened, a swift kick from Obito sent him flying.
"Sasuke!" Naruto cried, seizing the opening to scramble to his feet.
But Obito gave him no quarter. He spun around and caught Naruto with a kick to the neck, sending him sprawling.
"Ugh..." Naruto clutched his throat as he struggled to stand, his eyes frantically searching for his teammate. "Sasuke, are you okay?!"
Of course, he wasn't.
The moment Sasuke pushed himself up, his eyes locked on Obito and the pattern swirling within his Sharingan—it was a Mangekyo.
"How... is this possible?"
A look of disbelief flashed across Sasuke's face. He never thought he'd see another Mangekyo Sharingan.
On the night of the massacre, he had seen the difference between a normal Sharingan and the Mangekyo with his own eyes. He knew without a doubt what he was looking at.
And that meant... the man had to be an Uchiha.
Only someone with Uchiha blood could activate and deactivate their Sharingan at will. Their own squad leader, Kakashi, had a Sharingan, but since he wasn't an Uchiha, he couldn't deactivate it. It constantly drained his chakra, leaving him exhausted.
"You're... an Uchiha..." Sasuke's voice trembled.
"Hah," Obito sneered. "Finally figured it out?"
He pulled off his mask, revealing a face deeply scarred and twisted into a sinister expression. With his mask gone, he made no effort to hide who he was. "No point in keeping secrets now."
"You're Uchiha Obito!" Sasuke gritted his teeth.
After the massacre, he had devoured every rumor and piece of information he could find about the Uchiha clan. He knew the name.
News had recently resurfaced in Konoha about the missing-nin Uchiha Obito, especially after Orochimaru's recent scheme nearly unleashed the Nine-Tails again. Obito's name was tied to the original disaster.
"What!" Naruto's mind went blank.
He knew parts of the truth.
His father's chakra remnant had told him what happened. Jiraiya had filled in the rest. He knew this man, Uchiha Obito, was the one who unleashed the Nine-Tails twelve years ago. The one who killed his parents.
This murderer... was standing right in front of him.
"It was you!" Naruto's face twisted in pure rage. "You killed my mother and father!"
He glared at Obito, his fists clenched so tight his knuckles were white. The Nine-Tails' chakra erupted from within him, wrapping his body in a crimson cloak as a single, translucent red tail lashed out behind him.
"A minor detail," Obito said, his face devoid of remorse. He even sounded mocking. "I should have killed you back then, too."
Killing Minato and Kushina... it was nothing to him.
He really did have the chance to kill Naruto that night. During the attack, he'd even placed an explosive tag on the newborn to threaten Minato and Kushina. To achieve his goals, Obito was cold and ruthless.
He didn't care.
The moment he committed to the Eye of the Moon plan, he had cast aside all his old attachments—his respected sensei Minato, Kushina, and their son, Naruto.
None of them mattered anymore.
"AAAAAAGH!"
Naruto let out a primal scream and lunged at Obito, his eyes glowing red with chakra, moving like a wild beast intent on tearing its prey apart.
"Hmph," Obito scoffed, not even bothering to hide his contempt. "Trying to fight me with the Nine-Tails' chakra?"
He could suppress the complete Nine-Tails with ease. A fraction of its power was nothing.
"NARUTO!" Sasuke yelled, moving to intercept him, but it was too late. Naruto was already gone. Sasuke had no choice but to follow. If he couldn't stop him, he would fight alongside him.
But Sasuke barely took a step before Orochimaru appeared in his path, a predatory smile on his face.
"Well now," Orochimaru said, strolling forward with that same chilling smile. "It seems our little experiment can finally begin."
He hadn't forgotten his objective. Two S-rank missing-nin, Orochimaru and Uchiha Obito, were now facing Naruto and Sasuke.
The outcome was obvious.
The fight was over before it began. Obito dispatched Naruto quickly, knocking him unconscious.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru dealt with Sasuke personally, ending the fight with a triumphant grin as he bit down on Sasuke's neck, leaving behind a cursed seal.
"I am Orochimaru," he hissed, watching as Sasuke's vision blurred. "Consider this curse mark a gift. Let's see if you can survive it."
With that, his figure vanished into the trees.
"We need to go," Obito's voice drifted on the wind. "I can already sense Kakashi's chakra."
Once they were gone, the paralysis of fear finally broke for Sakura. She scrambled over to Sasuke's side, her face a mask of terror.
"Sasuke-kun!"
"Don't worry about me," Sasuke rasped, clutching the burning mark on his neck. He weakly waved a hand toward Naruto. "Hurry... check on... that idiot Naruto..."
Fortunately, the Nine-Tails was too important. Obito hadn't killed Naruto.
But now, both of Team 7's main fighters were down for the count, their fate in the Forest of Death uncertain. And this forest was anything but peaceful.
A terrified Sakura stood guard over her two fallen teammates, her eyes darting nervously at every rustle of leaves in the wind.
However, not everyone in the forest was an enemy.
Nearby, Nagato and his group had witnessed the entire ordeal. They now stood watch from the shadows, silently guarding Team 7.
Our job is just to make sure they stay safe.
Jiraiya-sensei's students...
...aren't so fragile.