The image of Obito kneeling on the ground, screaming "No" to the heavens, was just a phantom in his mind. In reality, Obito stood frozen, watching Rin blush and steal a kiss from Kakashi. It wasn't a genjutsu. It was real. He stared, dumbfounded, his brain refusing to process what he was seeing.
The emotional shock sent his chakra surging, his eye power flaring out of control. His presence, previously hidden, was suddenly exposed.
Kakashi reacted instantly, pulling Rin behind him, his mask twisting with a complex storm of relief and pain. "I've been waiting for you," he said, his voice rising from a whisper to a sharp call. "Uchiha Obito!"
Hearing his name, Obito's body trembled. The chaotic emotions inside him twisted into something darker. He wanted to run, but he forced the impulse down, his eyes turning cold and hard.
"Obito?!" Rin cried out, peeking from behind Kakashi. Tears of joy welled in her eyes. "You're alive too! Thank goodness! Kakashi, why didn't you tell me?"
Kakashi didn't take his eyes off the masked man. "Come back, Rin," he ordered, pulling her back again as she tried to run forward. "He's not the Obito we knew. This man... he's the one who killed Minato Namikaze and Kushina. The masked leader of a terrorist organization who calls himself Madara!"
Rin froze. "What? No... there has to be a mistake. Obito would never—"
"Shut up," Obito cut in, his voice cold and low. He stared at Rin with contempt. "If you were resurrected, then you're just a blasphemy against the dead. Disgusting."
Whoosh!
Obito blurred forward. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Kakashi, his right hand reaching for the man's heart.
"Kakashi, watch out!" Rin screamed.
Kakashi didn't flinch, his Sharingan boring into Obito's. But the hand passed right through Kakashi's chest like a phantom.
Instead of panic, Kakashi's expression hardened. He reached out to grab Obito as they phased apart, but Obito was faster. He spun around, activating Kamui, and a massive iron nail materialized from his pocket dimension. It slammed into Kakashi's outstretched arm, the gravitational force sending him flying backward at breakneck speed.
Obito didn't stop. Without looking, he reached out and snagged Rin, lifting her off her feet in a bridal carry. With a few quick leaps, he landed perfectly in front of the Adamantine Sealing Chains binding Hashirama Senju.
Rin stared, completely stunned. She looked at the man holding her, then at Kakashi recovering in the distance. This power... he defeated Kakashi in a single move. Is this really the Obito I knew?
Kakashi sprang to his feet, brushing dust from his clothes. "You didn't kill me," he noted, his voice flat. "Instead, you're holding Rin gently. Got something to say for yourself?"
Obito roughly set Rin down, though his grip was careful. He reached for the seal on Hashirama, pale blue chakra flaring. "Everyone knows Kakashi Hatake never hesitates. Seeing her offer no resistance, I assumed it was a trap. My target was never you. It's the First Hokage sealed inside."
He placed a hand on Rin's throat, though his fingers didn't squeeze. "I just want you to stay away. If she dies again after such a difficult resurrection, there won't be another chance."
Rin, seeing Kakashi hesitate, shouted, "Kakashi! Don't worry about me! Complete Lord Menma's mission!"
Kakashi nodded, a pale red chakra cloak forming around him—the Nine-Tails Chakra Cloak. "You haven't changed at all," he muttered. "Still so stubborn."
He clenched his right hand, lightning gathering in his palm with a crackle. "Then let me see the face you're hiding under that mask!"
BOOM!
The ground shattered as Kakashi launched himself forward, a streak of blue lightning.
Obito's eyes turned to ice. He threw Rin far to the side, murderous intent flooding the air.
"You've chosen to ignore Rin again," Obito murmured to himself, watching the massive Lightning Blade approach. "Just as I thought. You're a fake. You don't deserve her."
The lightning was inches from his chest. Obito's voice was firm.
"I'll kill you with my own hands, Kakashi."
---