Shisui stood with his blade held across his body—then moved.
In the blink of an eye, he split into motion like a living clone technique.
Ten… then more than ten Shisuis appeared, surrounding Obito from every side.
Obito formed seals sharply. "Release!"
All the Shisuis spoke at once, voices overlapping like an echo.
"It's useless. My Body Flicker isn't just a simple illusion. With Mangekyō power reinforcing it, a basic 'Release' won't do anything…"
Obito's face twisted. He felt the strike coming—
A long blade cut in from behind.
He reacted instantly, catching the attacker by the wrist.
Kamui!
The space-time vortex opened again, trying to swallow Shisui into the spiral.
But Obito's expression only grew worse.
Not a real body.
No—
that wrist felt real. Solid.
"Clang!"
A chain snapped up, blocking the blade.
"Smack!"
A sprinting kick was met by a forearm guard.
…
Attacks came from all directions—each hit had the weight of a real body behind it.
Yet the forest born from Deep Forest Emergence kept spearing through "Shisui" again and again, passing straight through their chests as if they weren't there.
It was almost identical to Obito's own intangibility.
If he couldn't locate the true body, defeat was only a matter of time.
Shisui, still keeping Obito boxed in, narrowed his eyes.
"I'll admit it," he said evenly. "Even with this much intel against you, you've managed to push it this far."
"You've earned the right to be arrogant."
The dead-last Uchiha of the past—
that naïve boy who thought eye drops and an eye mask would help him awaken the Sharingan faster—
His growth was terrifying.
Obito's voice turned vicious.
"You think you've won?"
"If it weren't for Kakashi—if it weren't for Kakashi, that bastard!"
"Kamui!"
Vortex after vortex erupted.
Six Shisuis who were mid-strike were dragged out of the Kamui dimension and dumped back into reality.
At the same time, a thin line of blood slipped from behind Obito's mask.
Even with Hashirama's cells, the replenishment couldn't keep up with the consumption anymore.
"This is just a dying struggle."
Shisui's voice stayed calm.
Flames crawled up his blade.
A solid "real" Shisui stepped forward again.
"Shhk—!"
The flaming edge drove in.
Under Body Flicker, every strike landed from the most hateful, most efficient angle.
"Ka—mui!!"
Obito's scream was raw, hysterical.
Space-time vortices kept blooming—defending, probing, searching for the true Shisui.
"It's useless," Shisui said, voice cold.
"Every one of my copies is real when it hits—and unreal when you try to pin it down."
"With Mangekyō reinforcement, this genjutsu is unsolvable for you."
…
THUD.
"Haa… haa…"
The flames on the blade faded.
The space-time vortices stopped appearing.
Even the writhing trees around them stilled.
Obito dropped to one knee, breathing hard—harder and harder.
Shisui, standing over him, was drained too. His stamina was heavily spent.
But compared to Obito—who'd been burning Mangekyō dōjutsu nonstop—Shisui still had more in the tank.
Hashirama's cells could only carry you so far.
"…Why didn't you kill me?" Obito asked from beneath the mask, confused.
Shisui shook his head. "Your life isn't mine to decide."
"The Uchiha's situation is getting worse by the day, and after tonight…"
He exhaled, and for the first time there was real relief in his voice.
"…thank goodness."
Shisui had never been so grateful.
Grateful they stopped the intruder.
Grateful it was him—an Uchiha—who stopped him.
Because reputation mattered.
Because Shisui, by standing here, represented part of the clan's will.
And outside, Captain Fugaku's presence would show the same.
It was a statement:
the Uchiha supported the Fourth.
Obito laughed softly. "Heh… heh… heh…"
"Did you figure something out?"
"You'll regret it."
Shisui didn't react. He only said, "To prevent you from escaping…"
"I'm taking your ability—temporarily."
"Shhk!"
A Body Flicker.
Shisui's hand was already in motion.
He reached under the mask—
and ripped out Obito's right eye.
"AAAGH—!"
Obito's scream tore through the dimension.
Kakashi—who'd just recovered enough to move—walked closer, breathing hard. "I can fire it once now."
"We're going out?"
Shisui glanced at Kakashi.
He couldn't imagine what kind of shock the White Fang's successor would suffer once that mask came off.
"Let's go," Shisui said. "The Fourth is waiting."
Kakashi lifted his forehead protector. Mangekyō flared.
The vortex opened again, swallowing all three—
and ejecting them back into the cave's real world.
…
On Hokage Rock, Kū held binoculars, watching the group emerge from the mountain cave in the distance.
At the true delivery site, the Nine-Tails' chakra began to spread—cold, malicious, thick in the air.
Minato looked tense, urgency sharpening his movements.
Obito, now restrained, stared toward the location.
"So the Nine-Tails is over there… I see."
He sounded hollow.
"As expected, you were prepared. But who told you about me?"
Even facing Minato and Shisui, Obito didn't believe he should've lost.
That "unsolvable" genjutsu could be broken by shifting into the Kamui dimension and cutting the chakra link.
But—
Kakashi's original left eye…
the long-range Kamui…
was a natural hard-counter to him.
Ka…ka…shi.
Kakashi's scalp went cold.
Under the mask, the empty, bleeding socket stared at him like a curse.
Why are you looking at me?
Shisui beat you. Sensei cornered you.
Why are you glaring at me?
Minato spoke quickly to Fugaku.
"Fugaku—please have your people escort him to the Military Police first. Set barriers and seals. He may not be acting alone."
As Minato turned to leave, Shisui stepped forward. "Lord Hokage—this is his Mangekyō."
In a glass tube sat the eyeball, motionless.
Inside the connected tomoe pattern was a force that made the heart feel unsteady just looking at it.
Minato glanced at Fugaku, who looked visibly tense, then smiled.
"The Sharingan is the Uchiha clan's bloodline."
"That Mangekyō naturally belongs to the Uchiha."
Fugaku's shoulders loosened immediately.
It wasn't greed for Kamui's power.
It was fear.
If Konoha suddenly possessed another Uchiha eye outside the clan—especially a Mangekyō—
then the hawks inside the Uchiha…
Minato's words prevented that spark from catching.
"Alright," Minato said. "Thank you, everyone. And I'm asking you—please keep tonight's events confidential."
The three men—and the two medic-nin—nodded.
Minato activated the formula.
Flying Thunder God!
In a golden flash, the Fourth Hokage vanished.
Shisui stared for a second, still holding the glass tube.
Then he carefully put it away.
The group began escorting Obito toward the Uchiha district.
Kakashi looked half-dead from exhaustion, but still asked, "Shisui… aren't you curious which Uchiha he is? Why not take off the mask?"
Shisui exhaled and gave Kakashi a flat look. "The Fourth told me we don't remove the mask until he returns."
"So I don't know either."
Obito didn't say a word.
A beaten dog didn't want to face Kakashi.
…
On Hokage Rock, Kū counted softly.
"Three… two… one."
He vanished.
And in the escorting group below, a figure appeared out of nowhere.
"Shhk—!"
"PFF!"
Blood sprayed.
Obito's right arm—shoulder and all—was severed in a single slash.