It was a trap.
That was the only thought running through the masked man's mind. The little brat had recklessly spammed his Shadow Clone Jutsu, baiting him into a taijutsu fight. As a result, he had absorbed one of the shadow clones into his Kamui dimension.
Now, he was stuck in his phasing mode. To become intangible, he had to temporarily shift his body into the Kamui dimension. But he couldn't fully enter it or move around, because Naruto's clone was waiting for him inside. This left him in a completely vulnerable position.
A grimace twisted the masked man's features. His only way out was to fully materialize back in the real world, use Kamui to absorb his entire body into the dimension, and then defeat the shadow clone waiting there.
The problem was the Tailed Beast Bomb continuously bombarding his position from the outside. If he materialized, he'd be severely injured, at best.
What an insidious little brat.
The masked man began to suspect the worst. Did the kid somehow know about the Kamui dimension and deliberately set a trap for him? Now that the plan had succeeded, the boy was calmly blasting away with Tailed Beast Bombs, all his earlier recklessness gone.
But how could that intelligence have been leaked?
Unfortunately, this wasn't the time to ponder that question. If he didn't leave the Kamui dimension, his body would be at the mercy of the shadow clone inside. That was a death sentence.
"Hmph... The Fourth Hokage's son. How insidious."
The masked man snorted coldly and deactivated his phasing. The moment his body returned to the outside world, he was struck head-on by a Tailed Beast Bomb.
BOOM!
The hit was devastating. He had been too confident before and hadn't even considered dodging. The masked man was sent flying like a ragdoll. The mask on his face shattered completely, revealing a hideous, scarred face beneath. His Akatsuki cloak was shredded, leaving only tatters hanging from his body.
The Kamui he was so proud of had been broken so easily.
Luckily for him, Naruto's Tailed Beast Bomb was formed hastily and didn't contain much chakra. It lacked the true power of a proper Tailed Beast Bomb. Otherwise, he probably wouldn't even have the strength to move.
The most important thing now wasn't to counterattack. He had to get back into the Kamui dimension and get rid of that shadow clone.
Just as the masked man's Mangekyo activated again, preparing to pull his body into the dimension, his eyes widened. A faint blue light had appeared in Naruto's palm.
"You little..."
The masked man could only roll across the ground to dodge the incoming chakra attack. When he used Kamui to absorb himself, his body became rigid and open to attack.
He was met with a relentless bombardment of ninjutsu.
Spiral Shockwave!
Spiral Wheel!
Rasenshuriken!
How was he supposed to activate Kamui like this? This brat was even more cunning than he had imagined, unleashing a storm of ninjutsu fueled by the Nine-Tails. Was his chakra free?
"Uchiha Flame Formation!"
A crimson barrier flared to life. The masked man planned to use the defensive jutsu to buy himself a moment to escape. He knew its power; it was strong enough to withstand even a fully formed Tailed Beast Bomb.
However, two massive golden chakra hands shot out from Naruto.
"Sealing Jutsu: Devour!"
One chakra hand covered the Flame Formation. With a low shout from Naruto, it drained all the chakra from the barrier, causing it to collapse.
The other chakra hand smashed directly toward the masked man.
What now? He could only leap away to dodge the attack. This brat had too many tricks.
"Fire Style: Blast Wave Wild Dance!"
Flames erupted in an instant. The B-rank Fire Style jutsu, amplified by the gale flowing from his own Kamui vortex, expanded wildly and quickly engulfed the giant chakra hand.
But the golden hand simply expanded, grabbing and extinguishing the flames before lunging for him again.
A black rod appeared in the masked man's hand. He leaped into the air and used the Yin-Yang Release rod to pin the chakra hand to the ground. Restricted by the technique, the chakra in the golden hand stopped flowing and dissipated instantly.
"Phew..."
Disregarding his broken mask and exposed face, the man took a ragged breath, grateful to have escaped death.
But his enemy wasn't about to give him a moment's rest.
Naruto appeared in front of him in a flash. "Ah, intern," he said with a light laugh. "Still trying to betray me?"
"..."
If he weren't covered in injuries, he would have fought Naruto to the death right then and there.
What did he mean, betrayal? He spoke as if he was his subordinate! This brat's attacks were merciless, and so was his mouth. He really wanted to chain that mouth shut.
Unfortunately, when you can't win, you can't win.
"Tobi, get me out of here!" the masked man suddenly shouted.
The White Zetsu that had been hiding nearby quickly emerged from the ground and attached itself to him. The peculiar Zetsu couldn't help but let out a giggle. "Hee hee, you're in a real mess today..."
Laughing was one thing, but helping was another. With Tobi's assistance, the masked man's injuries began to heal rapidly. He pushed off the treetops with his feet and fled into the distance.
Naruto didn't pursue. He just shouted at the retreating figure, "Hey, intern, you have a new mission! After you escape, go take care of the daimyo of the Land of Waterfalls!"
"..."
The masked man wanted to curse again. Did this kid really think he was his dog?
Naruto watched the figure recede. He had seen the man's face clearly: Uchiha Obito, the one who had faked his own death. So this was the mastermind trying to subvert the ninja world. Now that the mystery was gone, he didn't seem particularly special.
He lacked the imposing air of a leader and the cunning of a true mastermind. Who would have thought that this person would start the Fourth Great Ninja War and nearly destroy the world?
Of course, his backstory was even harder to understand. How could a boy who was once so innocent and simple come up with such a crazy idea like the Eye of the Moon plan?
Inside the seal space, the Nine-Tails bared its sharp teeth. Sensing its jinchuriki's thoughts, it spoke. "Naruto, if you were to fall completely into darkness, you would be far more terrifying than that Uchiha Obito fellow."
They had both seen the world of the Limited Tsukuyomi. They had met the young man named Menma Namikaze and witnessed firsthand what a Naruto who had fallen to darkness was capable of—a Naruto who tried to destroy the world and nearly succeeded. The Wheel Ring that Naruto now mastered was even inspired by that.
The nine tails behind Kurama swayed. He grinned. "Alright, stop thinking about him. Whatever his reasons, when a person does something wrong, they have to pay the price. What we need to deal with now is the Seven-Tails, Chomei!"
-----
Bonus:
Naruto: Turning to the dark side is so scary...
Nine-Tails: Have you forgotten what you look like when you go dark?
Naruto: That was... alright...
Nine-Tails: The you right now is already halfway there.
Naruto: No way, I'm a sunny person!
Nine-Tails: For crying out loud, you've been Hokage for a hundred years. You still think you're bright and righteous?
Naruto: ...