In the middle section of the Death Forest, Team 7 leapt swiftly across thick branches, their movements light and sharp.
Suddenly, space rippled above a tree trunk ahead. A figure was spat out of a spiraling distortion and landed before them.
The three stopped instantly, kunai in hand, forming a defensive triangle.
"Who are you?" Naruto demanded, eyes narrowing.
Sasuke's expression hardened. "That chakra…"
Inside Naruto, the Yang Nine-Tails—who had been watching the show idly—froze for a moment, then recalled a certain night from long ago. Out of disgust for ever being controlled again, it muttered lazily, "Naruto, I'd advise you to run. Every one who escapes counts as a victory."
Its tone, however, carried no real urgency, still more like a spectator enjoying a play.
If the Yang Nine-Tails had known what Obito truly intended, it wouldn't have been so calm.
"That blond hair… it's just like—"
Before the thought finished, Obito moved. He lunged toward Naruto at lightning speed, unwilling to waste time.
Sakura and Sasuke reacted instantly, each hurling a kunai, one aimed for his heart, the other for his forehead. Naruto wasn't idle either; his kunai shot straight toward Obito's abdomen.
Three blades, three angles, nowhere to dodge.
But Obito didn't plan to dodge. His body flickered, and the kunai passed through him harmlessly as if he were smoke.
In the next instant, he was right before Naruto, reaching out to crush his throat.
But Naruto, as the reincarnation of Asura and trained under Kushina's strict watch was no longer the naive kid of the past. His left palm shot up, chakra swirling into a bright blue sphere that hummed with power.
A Rasengan.
If Obito kept pressing forward, his chest would take the full blow.
In raw endurance, Obito could have taken it. During the Nine-Tails' attack years ago, Minato's Rasengan had shattered his arm and ribs. By the time of the Great Ninja War, such a wound would've barely slowed him down.
But he didn't want to kill Naruto, only capture him alive and extract the Tailed Beast. There was no need to risk it.
Once again, Obito phased out. The Rasengan passed through empty air as both their bodies overlapped and slipped apart.
The bizarre sight left Naruto and Sakura stunned.
"Naruto, move!" Sasuke shouted, already flashing through hand seals.
Obito saw it clearly, it was the Grand Fireball Technique. Not a threat. He relaxed slightly, prepared to let his Wood Release block it.
But Sasuke—no, Uchiha Gen disguised as Sasuke—never intended to use a Fireball at all. The hand seals were a ruse, bait to lower Obito's guard.
Gen didn't even need seals anymore. A simple clap was enough to unleash his jutsu.
Sage Art: Dragon's Roar of the Nine Heavens!
ROAR!
A thunderous dragon's cry exploded through the Death Forest, echoing to its farthest edges. A golden wave of sound rippled out from Gen's mouth, sweeping through trees and beasts alike.
Every living thing it touched froze, their minds blank, bodies rigid. Even Naruto and Sakura stopped mid-motion.
Obito, caught at the epicenter, was completely immobilized.
Within the illusion's space, Obito stood upon a vast azure sea. A colossal five-clawed golden dragon coiled around him from head to toe, its eyes cold and ancient.
Sound-based Genjutsu was Kamui's silent weakness. Caught off guard, Obito had no chance to phase away. Normally, ordinary illusions could never bind someone with a Mangekyō, but Gen's power had long surpassed that level.
Before Obito could recover, Gen appeared in front of him in a flash. His right hand shot out two fingers glowing with blue-white lightning.
In one precise strike, they pierced through the spiral mask. The lightning vanished, and with a swift hook of his fingers, two bloody Sharingan eyes were plucked out.
Gen flipped his left hand; a vial popped open automatically. He dropped the eyes inside, the green preservation liquid bubbling faintly.
One bottle now contained the Kamui Mangekyō Sharingan. The other held a three-tomoe Sharingan used for Izanagi activation.
He sealed the bottles with a flick, and they vanished into his storage seal. Every movement was smooth, methodical, practiced, and merciless.
Obito's scream tore through the still air as the pain broke the illusion. Blood poured between his fingers as he clutched the ruined sockets.
"You're not… Sasuke. Who are you?" he hissed through clenched teeth.
"Don't you already know?"
With a puff of smoke, the transformation dispelled, revealing Uchiha Gen in full.
Hearing that familiar voice, Obito gritted his teeth. "So it is you… Uchiha Gen!"
Gen laughed lightly. "Haha, that's right. Been waiting for this day."
"You disguised yourself as Sasuke to ambush me," Obito spat. "There's a traitor inside Akatsuki!"
Gen smirked. "Think whatever you like."
"Then I'll at least die without showing you my true face!"
Before he finished, Obito flung three kunai with his right hand. His left arm suddenly stretched, twisting into a dark, root-like vine that shot toward the frozen Naruto.
If he could capture Naruto, maybe he could force Gen to hesitate buying himself a chance.
But Gen's voice cut through the chaos, calm and cold. "Your little tricks won't save you."
A white blur streaked from Gen's body, cutting through the air. A flash of light—slash!—and the vine was shredded before it could touch Naruto.
At the same time, a golden glow flew from Gen's body, half of his primordial spirit. It dove straight into Obito.
Obito's arm retracted, his whole body convulsing violently as their souls clashed for dominance.
Obito's will was strong... strong enough to resist even the Ten-Tails' malice. But compared to Gen's soul, now refined into pure Yang essence and tempered by both the Origin Initial Sutra and the Soul-Soul Fruit, it was like glass before steel.
No matter how fierce Obito's willpower burned, it couldn't bridge the gulf in soul quality.
For a brief moment, he fought desperately. Then the resistance broke. Control of his body slipped away.
Gen didn't destroy his soul, not out of mercy, but strategy. Obito's body still carried Madara's cursed seal, and likely Black Zetsu's control methods as well.
If Obito died too suddenly, Zetsu would sense something wrong.
And if Gen didn't use Obito's soul to maintain that connection, Zetsu might still notice.
That was unacceptable. Black Zetsu was every bit as dangerous as Madara, maybe worse. A schemer who had waited centuries for one opportunity.
If Zetsu escaped, it would be like letting a tiger back into the mountains.
Gen appeared before the trembling Obito, gripped his shoulder, and activated the Flying Thunder God Technique. Both vanished in an instant.
Moments later, Uchiha Gen reappeared beside Sasuke, who had been hidden safely outside the Genjutsu's reach.
Gen snapped his fingers. The entire forest shimmered. Every ninja and creature frozen by the Genjutsu suddenly regained movement, blinking in confusion.
By then, Uchiha Gen was gone, his chakra signature erased from the forest like he'd never been there at all.