[NTU] [ARC-26] Chapter : 346

A flicker of distorted light rippled through the edge of the void.

The dimly lit Kamui space welcomed a new arrival—its third guest since Tōshirō and Nagato.

Kneeling on one knee, Kakashi looked up at the masked figure before him. Though weariness clung to his features, his voice was calm and steady, filled with quiet conviction.

“Obito… there’s no need for these illusion tests anymore.”

His words echoed softly through the eerie silence of the realm.

“And you shouldn't be siding with the Akatsuki.”
Kakashi’s eyes narrowed beneath his headband. “Have you ever stopped to think about how Rin would feel if she saw what you’ve become?”

It was the only card left to play. At this point, Rin was the only name Kakashi could invoke that might stir something human in the broken man before him.

But the moment her name passed his lips, Obito froze.

“Don’t you dare mention Rin to me!”

His voice was sharp and cold, the usual indifference gone. Behind the swirling orange mask, his expression was unreadable—but unmistakably strained.

“It was because of you… because of all you ninja… that Rin died.”

His voice shook with bitterness.
Then, more quietly, with a trace of accusation:
“Why did you bring me here, Kakashi? To imprison me?”

Kakashi tilted his head slightly, puzzled by the question.

“You should know this space can’t hold me.”

Obito gave a faint, bitter laugh.

“Exactly. You’re the one person I can’t trap here… because you have the same eyes.”
He gestured toward Kakashi’s face. “I can imprison anyone… anyone but you.”

Kakashi’s fingers drifted up to his left eye, and his expression softened, a mix of sadness and regret shadowing his features.

“Thank you for the gift,” he said quietly.

It was surreal, facing Obito like this—face to face, eye to eye. Who would’ve thought their reunion would come on the battlefield, surrounded by illusions and broken ideals?

Obito’s eye narrowed beneath the mask.

“Gift?”

His gaze lingered on Kakashi’s Sharingan.

“I didn’t expect you to awaken the Mangekyō…”
His voice was low, thoughtful. “But I suppose it makes sense. Our eyes… they should’ve awakened together, on that day.”

The moment passed. Obito’s tone turned resolute.

“But today, I’ve come to take back that ‘gift’ you earned when you became a Jōnin.”

Kakashi’s eyes widened, not with fear, but with quiet surprise.

Obito’s help—indirect as it was—had played a role in awakening his Mangekyō. When Tōshirō had first told Kakashi that Obito was still alive, the emotional shock had disrupted his Sharingan’s chakra. Tōshirō, anticipating the reaction, had guided him through the awakening process. It had changed everything.

And now… Obito wanted the eye back.

Kakashi lowered his gaze briefly, thoughtful.

“You want to take back the Sharingan?”
He spoke without resentment. If it were the Obito he once knew—Rin’s Obito—he might have given it up willingly. After all, the eye was never truly his to begin with. Obito had entrusted it to him to protect Rin. That was its purpose.

But this Obito… this wasn’t the same person.

Still, Kakashi asked calmly:

“Can I at least know what you plan to do… once you have both Mangekyō?”

If Obito truly sought redemption, Kakashi could live with returning the eye.
But if his goal was destruction—if it was tied to that twisted Moon’s Eye Plan—then no. He couldn’t allow it.

“Isn’t it obvious?”
Obito’s voice cracked with emotion, but his conviction was unwavering.

“To create a new world… a world where Rin is still alive.”

His eye glinted darkly.

Nagato had sidelined him. His influence over the Moon’s Eye Project had diminished. But Obito wasn’t done—not while his dream remained unfulfilled.

Not while a world without Rin continued to exist.

How could Obito—who had been thoroughly indoctrinated by Madara and obsessed with creating a perfect world with Rin—possibly accept rejection?

To reclaim control over the Eye of the Moon Plan, he would have to bypass Nagato, the one immovable obstacle standing in his way.

But with his identity exposed and only a single eye at his disposal, Obito stood no chance against Nagato’s Rinnegan.

After weighing every possibility, Obito came to one grim conclusion: the only path forward was to reclaim the Mangekyō he had given to Kakashi. With both eyes, he could level the playing field—and perhaps even tip it in his favor.

But such a move would be like pulling chestnuts from the fire—risky, delicate, and demanding flawless execution.

"If that’s your plan… then my answer is no."

Kakashi’s voice cut clean through the silence, firm and unwavering.

"And I won’t stand by and watch you sink any deeper into this darkness, Obito."

With slow, deliberate movement, Kakashi raised his hand to his chest—forming a seal Obito knew all too well.

“The Confrontation Seal…?”

Obito paused, one eyebrow raised beneath his mask. A mocking smirk touched his lips. He had dismissed such gestures as childish relics of the past.

But seeing the determined expression on Kakashi’s face, something stirred. Without a word, Obito mirrored the seal.

"Go."

The word came simultaneously from both their mouths—quiet, yet thunderous in intent.

Their clash erupted instantly.

Whoosh!

In one fluid motion, Kakashi hooked his fingers and drew a kunai from the pouch strapped to his thigh. With a quick spin, it sliced through the air, arcing toward Obito’s neck.

Obito didn’t flinch.

With a flick of his wrist, a nine-section steel whip unraveled in his hand, coiling and clashing against the kunai.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Sparks flew in all directions as their weapons collided with lethal precision. Neither held back—every strike was aimed at vital points, honed by years of familiarity and shared training.

For a fleeting moment, two ghostly figures seemed to stand behind them… shadows of who they used to be, silently watching their former selves battle to the death.

Clink!

Kakashi thrust his kunai toward Obito’s heart, but Obito anticipated it. With practiced ease, he deflected the strike, sending the blade spinning into the air.

Just as Obito prepared to press the advantage, Kakashi flipped backward, caught up with the airborne kunai, and—using a burst of chakra from his right leg—delivered a powerful kick to the handle.

Swoosh!

The kunai screamed through the air, forcing Obito to halt his advance and dodge. Kakashi landed smoothly, already drawing another blade.

“You’re able to keep up with my rhythm… Thanks to the eye I gave you,” Obito said, steadying his breath. His Sharingan glowed with crimson intensity.
“Without it, this fight would’ve ended already.”

His tone was confident, but his intent was deadly. He had to reclaim that eye—today.

“Is that so?” Kakashi replied, his voice calm, but tinged with something more complicated.

He couldn’t deny the Sharingan’s power. It had elevated his abilities far beyond their natural limits. But it came at a steep cost.

He was no Uchiha—his body wasn’t built to sustain the eye’s constant chakra drain. Every battle left him weaker.

Still, Kakashi’s gaze hardened.

“That eye was a gift from the Obito I knew.”

“Not from you—not the man hiding behind a mask and running from who he used to be.”

His voice rang with clarity and purpose.

Then, without hesitation, Kakashi lunged—taking the offensive.