On one side, Naruto was planning how to kill Uchiha Obito.
On the other side, Uchiha Obito was also planning how to kill Naruto.
The two were fundamentally incompatible.
If Naruto wanted peace, he could not allow Obito to keep stirring up chaos.
And if Obito did not create chaos, he could never achieve his so-called ideal.
Obito would never abandon that ideal.
And to achieve it, he had to keep causing trouble.
Once Obito began acting, a clash with Naruto over Tailed Beast chakra was inevitable.
Add to that the grudges formed during their childhood—
And the fact that neither of them was weak in the ninja world—
It could be said without exaggeration:
If Naruto existed in this world, Obito could not.
And if Obito existed, Naruto could not.
However, with Zetsu's assistance, Obito was extremely difficult to track.
Naruto stood in the open.
Obito lurked in the shadows.
The initiative was firmly in Obito's hands.
Recently, Zetsu had obtained intelligence from an unknown source.
It was a method that allowed travel through time.
When Obito learned from Zetsu that the Dragon Vein could be used to traverse time and return to the past, he immediately became excited.
Because he knew very well—
He could not defeat Naruto.
Even if Uchiha Madara were revived, he would still be helpless against Naruto.
But what if it was Naruto from more than ten years ago?
At that time, Naruto would only possess Nine-Tails chakra.
Only be a Jinchūriki.
And most importantly—
He would still be an infant.
With absolutely no combat ability.
As for whether Obito could deal with the Nine-Tails?
There was no need to worry.
Even if Obito's personal strength was insufficient, the Sharingan was a natural bane of Tailed Beasts.
Back when Obito controlled the Nine-Tails, Naruto hadn't even been born yet.
So Zetsu brought Obito to the Dragon Vein.
Land of Wind.
Rōran Ruins.
Yellow sand filled the sky.
Collapsed buildings and broken walls were half-buried beneath the earth, forming a scene of utter desolation.
Two figures approached from the distance.
They were Obito and Zetsu.
"Are you really going to do this?" Zetsu asked. "If you interfere with time itself, unforeseen changes may occur."
Obito, wearing his mask, remained cold and indifferent.
"As long as I can achieve my ideal, nothing else matters," he said in a deep voice.
"The rest is irrelevant."
"As long as I enter the Dragon Vein and successfully travel through time, I will obtain the Nine-Tails' chakra."
Zetsu agreed.
No matter which era Obito traveled to—
As long as it wasn't the age of the Ōtsutsuki—
The Nine-Tails would exist somewhere in the ninja world.
And not just the Nine-Tails.
With the Dragon Vein allowing time travel, Obito would no longer need to clash with Naruto to collect Tailed Beast chakra.
Of course, Obito's primary goal was still the same—
To kill Naruto.
Naruto's threat was simply too great.
If Naruto remained alive, even obtaining the chakra of all the Tailed Beasts might not guarantee success.
Even Madara himself wouldn't dare claim he could defeat Naruto with certainty.
As these thoughts crossed their minds, hope ignited within both Obito and Zetsu.
Naruto's sudden rise had once left them completely at a loss.
He was like an insurmountable wall, blocking their path.
But now—
The Dragon Vein offered them a way forward.
They entered the Rōran Ruins and quickly found the sealed area.
The Dragon Vein lay before them.
Obito also noticed something else—
A Flying Thunder God mark Naruto had left behind.
The moment Obito saw it, his expression stiffened beneath the mask.
Realizing that he was instinctively afraid of an inanimate mark, Obito let out a self-mocking chuckle.
He never imagined that one day he would fear a junior this much.
But soon—
With the power of time travel—
This problem would be resolved.
Konoha Village — nine years after Naruto's birth.
During the reign of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
As a Jinchūriki, Naruto had very few friends.
Combined with his quiet personality, even fewer children were willing to approach him.
The setting sun cast long shadows across the street.
Naruto walked alone.
His lonely figure stretched endlessly behind him.
Whoosh—
A faint sound reached Naruto's ears.
But he didn't become alert.
After all, he wasn't a ninja yet.
He had no strength.
Yet, in a corner Naruto couldn't see—
A black-robed, masked man stood frozen, his arm still extended from throwing an iron chain.
A cold voice suddenly echoed behind him.
"Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death."
Behind Obito stood a woman with long, wavy hair, her hands forming seals.
It was Yūhi Kurenai, who had been secretly protecting Naruto.
Kurenai demanded, "Who are you? Why are you attacking the Jinchūriki?"
"Heh…" Obito laughed softly. "Using genjutsu on a member of the Uchiha Clan—
you really haven't improved in all these years."
The Uchiha Clan?
Several familiar faces flashed through Kurenai's mind—
Only to be rejected one by one.
Among the Uchiha she knew, only Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke were still alive.
"Are you Uchiha Itachi?" Kurenai asked coldly.
"Did you return to the village because of the Jinchūriki?"
Did he intend to make the Nine-Tails rampage again?
Suddenly—
Kurenai realized something was wrong.
Her Tree Binding Death had been broken.
And worse—
She herself was now trapped within the same illusion.
Obito sneered.
"Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is that I teach you a lesson."
"This technique is called Mirror Heaven and Earth Change."
"With your talent, you could learn it… but in Konoha, you'll never have access to such techniques."
"This is Konoha's darkness."
"No matter how talented you are, if you're not one of them, you'll never be taught."
"You foolish woman—using genjutsu against the Uchiha Clan."
"Die."
Whoosh—
The iron chain lashed out.
It struck Kurenai—
Or so it seemed.
Whoosh—
The chain passed through empty air.
Kurenai's body phased away, evading the attack and breaking free from the reflected illusion.
"Hm?" Obito let out a low sound of surprise.
Impossible.
How could Mangekyō Sharingan genjutsu be broken?
And by someone without a bloodline limit?
Kurenai reappeared at a distance.
Her hands formed seals once more—
This time, adopting the stance of the Mind Body Switch Technique.
But unlike normal usage, a faint pink barrier shimmered at its core.
"Genjutsu doesn't belong exclusively to the Uchiha Clan," Kurenai said calmly.
"Whoever you are… show me your true face."
Obito felt a sense of danger and instinctively activated Kamui, attempting to slip into his dimension.
But it was too late.
The moment Kurenai's technique enveloped him—
The genjutsu had already taken effect.
Beside Kurenai—
A figure identical to Obito appeared.
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