"Zzzzt — crackle!"
The Chidori in Kakashi's hand blazed with blinding, crackling light.
"Truly worthy of the Sharingan — your speed is impressive," Tobi commented, though he was really just praising his own eye in a roundabout way.
Shameless as ever.
"You won't get what you want so easily, Uchiha Madara!" Kakashi and Yamato moved to shield Naruto completely from every angle.
Hearing the name, Tobi chuckled and shook his head. "I'm a man who always follows a plan. Today, I've come only to talk."
"..."
Talk, my foot — you're just here to tell your grand story, Aoi thought to himself, too tired to comment. Tobi really lives up to his title as the greatest storyteller in the ninja world…
And so, Tobi went on to reveal the truth behind Itachi's obsessive devotion to his younger brother, as well as the full weight of hatred Sasuke now carried.
Naruto and the others listened, completely captivated.
Poor Naruto — the only way he could learn anything at all about Sasuke was by hearing it from someone else.
Once his tale was finished, Tobi turned back to reinforcing his false identity as Madara. "After my battle with Hashirama at the Valley of the End all those years ago…"
But before he could continue, Naruto suddenly shouted out: "You say you're Uchiha Madara, so you are? You claim you fought at the Valley of the End, so we're just supposed to believe it? What proof do you have?"
"..."
Tobi was taken aback. Hadn't he laid enough groundwork already? Who else would dare question that he was Madara?
But he quickly recovered — after all, he was the greatest actor in the ninja world. He let out a dismissive snort. "Believe it or not — that is your choice. I cannot prove it to you."
At that moment, Kakashi and Naruto suddenly burst into laughter. "Actually — we can prove it!"
"WHAT?!"
Tobi froze in place. He had only intended to show off a little and tell his story today — he never expected such a turn of events.
Still, he kept his composure, smiling calmly. "After all these years, I never thought anyone would still be alive who could recognize me."
Truly impressive, Aoi thought. His performance is so smooth and natural, not a single crack in the mask.
He doesn't even blush while pretending to be Madara. I have to admit, I could never pull it off half as well.
"But enough of this act," Aoi said, stepping forward with a grin.
"The Uchiha Madara I faced at the Valley of the End was nothing like this coward hiding behind a mask."
If there was one clear difference between the real Madara and the role Tobi was playing…
It was presence.
That overwhelming, domineering aura — the kind that declared, "Except for Senju Hashirama, everyone else in this world is beneath me."
"At the very least," Aoi smirked with undisguised disdain, "the Madara I knew was no little boy hiding his face behind a mask."
"..."
There was a long, heavy silence — but even then, Tobi, the undisputed champion of acting, refused to drop his performance.
"Little boy? Do you have any idea who you are speaking to?!" he growled, forcing his voice to match Madara's deep, menacing tone, and adopting a posture as if ready to strike Aoi down at any second.
Aoi couldn't help but laugh aloud. You may have fooled everyone else in this world, but not me — I'm the man who even owns a pair of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's stockings in my collection…
"Uchiha Obito — former student of Minato Namikaze, just like Kakashi and Rin Nohara. Left for dead, you were secretly rescued by Uchiha Madara himself when you were on the brink of death!"
Aoi's smile turned cold and sharp. "Shall I spell it out even more clearly for you?"
"Obito?"
It wasn't Tobi who reacted most strongly — it was Kakashi standing beside him.
As someone who also possessed the Sharingan, Kakashi caught the slightest, involuntary twitch the moment Aoi spoke Rin's name.
It was a tremor coming from deep within his soul — something he could not suppress, no matter how well he acted.
Do not doubt the skill of this "Academy Award winner" of the ninja world.
After all — this was a man who would willingly turn against the entire world, just to bring back the girl he loved.
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