To prevent Kakashi Hatake's eye from being stolen, Uchiha Fugaku had long stationed a spore clone to secretly watch over him.
When Kakashi was ambushed, the First Spore Clone received the news instantly and rushed over. It didn't reveal itself immediately, choosing instead to wait in hiding—then struck at the decisive moment.
"Mmhh—"
Black flames erupted across Obito Uchiha's body, and he let out a muffled groan of pain.To attack, he had been forced to release his Kamui intangibility—and in that split second, he was struck.
The jet-black flames clung to him like a parasite, gnawing into his flesh as though countless ants were biting him alive.
"Raikiri—!"
Kakashi, who had nearly lost his eye, regained his composure. Seizing the opportunity, he drove his lightning-charged right hand into Obito's chest, tearing a gaping hole straight through his body.
"Izanagi—"
The Sharingan in Obito's left eye flared, activating the forbidden technique. His form vanished and reappeared a short distance away. The hole in his body vanished, and the black flames dissipated.
Behind his mask, his gaze turned icy as he locked onto the figure who had struck him with Amaterasu.The man bore Shisui Uchiha's face and eyes—but Obito instantly realized the truth. This was no Shisui. This was the impostor White Zetsu had spoken of.
The technique was different; the aura was unmistakably wrong.
"Be careful! His space-time jutsu makes him untouchable. He only becomes solid in the instant he attacks! "
Relieved to see "Shisui" appear, Kakashi called out a warning.Even with his Kage-level strength, battling the Wood-Style ninja had pushed him to his limits. Now, at least, he had an ally.
Of course, Kakashi knew this was no true Shisui. He had fought alongside the real one many times in the Anbu—the difference in style was obvious. But impostor or not, this one was no enemy.
"I know."
The First Spore Clone nodded. In truth, he understood Obito far better than Kakashi ever could.
Whoosh—
Obito surged toward him.
"Susanoo!"
The Spore Clone's Mangekyō Sharingan erupted, summoning a blazing orange Susanoo. One hand gripped the legendary Yata Mirror, the other wielded the Totsuka Blade.
"Pointless."
Obito sneered. To him, Susanoo's power was meaningless. While intangible, no attack could touch him; no defense could stop him.
He charged straight at the glowing mirror—
Boom—!
Instead of phasing through, his body slammed hard against it. Bones cracked as he was hurled backward in shock.
"My Kamui… failed? No… it was forcibly canceled! "
Thanks to Izanagi, his injuries disappeared, but he stared wide-eyed at the Susanoo.His unstoppable intangibility had been broken.
"Just as I thought…"
Inside Susanoo, the Spore Clone exhaled in relief. His theory was correct.The Yata Mirror could shift its nature to nullify any attack—including spatial ones. When Obito's Kamui form touched it, the mirror adapted and canceled his intangibility.
"That mirror… it's dangerous."
Cautious now, Obito phased again—not toward the clone, but toward Kakashi. Compared to the impostor with the mirror, Kakashi was far easier prey.If he could take Kakashi's eye first, he would return for the clone later.
Whoosh—
Kakashi had no true defense against Obito's near-absolute space-time jutsu. All he could do was evade. But Obito's speed and reach left little room to run. The sharpened branch in his hand was already descending toward Kakashi's body.
"Totsuka Blade—! "
From Susanoo's gourd-shaped hilt, a sword of flame burst forth, lunging toward Obito.
Forced to abandon his strike, Obito phased once more, slipping through the blade.
The Spore Clone pressed the attack, the Yata Mirror slamming forward—but Obito dodged nimbly.
In truth, the clone's physical prowess was no more than an elite jōnin's. His strength lay in the Mangekyō techniques. His movements were not quick enough to match Obito's.
Whish, whish, whish—
The battle raged on. Kakashi and the clone fought side by side against Obito. Despite facing two Kage-level foes, Obito held his ground. The only time he faltered had been when the mirror's secret first caught him off guard.
Still, the pair fought evenly. Kakashi's mastery, combined with the mirror's restraining effect, had blunted Kamui's dominance.
At last, after a long stalemate, Obito's Izanagi time drew near its end.
"That eye will remain with you… for now."
With a cold glance at Kakashi, Obito summoned a vortex and vanished into it.
Neither Kakashi nor the clone could match his instant space-time escape. They could only watch him disappear.
"…He's after the eye Obito gave me."
Kakashi's expression darkened. The Wood-Style ninja had clearly targeted his left eye.
"A simple three-tomoe Sharingan would never interest him… He must know this eye is a Mangekyō."
But how? Kakashi had never revealed its true form.
The Spore Clone silently knew the answer. On the day Rin died, Obito's right eye had awakened the Mangekyō—and at that same moment, his left eye inside Kakashi had evolved as well. That was why Obito knew.But without Fugaku's permission, he could not reveal this truth.
"Thank you—for saving me today."
Kakashi bowed slightly.
"No need. As comrades of the Leaf, this is only right. The threat has passed. I'll be going."
The Spore Clone shook his head and departed.
"Good. I'll come find you properly to thank you another day."
Kakashi looked around at his ruined home. After such a fierce battle, there was no place to host a guest anyway.