Sasuke felt a sliver of fear spread through his heart the moment he saw the masked man, but a sigh of relief escaped him upon seeing the Sharingan in the latter's eye sockets.
The other party was from the Uchiha clan; the Sharingan couldn't be faked!
"Who are you?"
Three Cloud ninja immediately surrounded him, their kunai pointed at the masked man, their faces etched with shock.
How did this person find them? And how did they avoid their senses and infiltrate so close?
Naruto was understandable; he hadn't refined chakra yet, and his presence here was entirely due to the Uzu-
"Obviously, I'm the helper this brat called for." The spiral-masked man was none other than Obito.
"Heh heh!"
Naruto hugged the back of his head, a smug expression on his face, showing no concern for whether his summoned helper could fight three opponents.
"Then you die!"
"Just in time to get another pair of Sharingan!"
Obito's gaze sharpened as he looked at the Cloud ninja charging at him, "You want my eyes? You think you're worthy?!"
*Bzzzt…*
Naruto and Sasuke only saw a flash of red light in the darkness, followed by three thuds.
No flashy ninjutsu, no eye-catching taijutsu; the three Cloud ninja were instantly killed by Obito.
"Wow! So cool!"
Naruto's eyes sparkled, and Obito's figure loomed large in his mind – a mysterious and incredibly powerful ninja!
"Tch! While not bad, he's still a bit lacking compared to my brother!"
Sasuke muttered under his breath, deliberately trying to provoke resentment towards his brother Itachi.
"Uchiha Itachi? Indeed, he is a very talented Uchiha."
Obito's voice was hoarse, but it carried admiration for Uchiha Itachi. He had also heard of two prodigies emerging from the Uchiha clan: Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi.
As for Uchiha Shisui, Obito knew his strength very well, having watched him grow up.
He had also learned a lot about Uchiha Itachi's profile from Kakashi.
Fighting on the battlefield at four, entering the academy at six, graduating at seven; the now eight-year-old Uchiha Itachi's Sharingan had already evolved to three tomoe, making him an undeniable genius.
"You've heard of my brother too?"
Seeing that the powerful masked man also held his brother in high regard, Sasuke felt a sense of pride, his small face full of smugness.
Obito didn't respond. He lifted Naruto, who was clinging to his leg, and said softly, "Alright, I've found the people for you. Can you two go back by yourselves now?"
Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other and said in unison, "We need protection!"
"..."
Naruto was secretly thinking that if this masked big brother was so strong, it would be great if he could teach him ninjutsu!
Sasuke, on the other hand, was thinking of introducing Obito to his brother back home, and if possible, he wanted to see them spar!
His brother would definitely be the strongest!
It had to be said, Sasuke was quite adept at "setting up" his brother at this age.
...
"This way, follow Kuro-maru!"
Inuzuka Tsume rode her partner, Kuro-maru, leading the way, while Shisui and Itachi followed her with grim expressions.
Itachi had learned about the situation at home, but the marks Sasuke left had disappeared near the Uchiha ancestral shrine, forcing them to rely on Inuzuka Tsume's Kuro-maru to continue the pursuit.
Itachi suppressed his anger; how dare the Cloud ninja infiltrate the Uchiha compound and kidnap his brother Sasuke? He would definitely settle this score at the Cloud Hidden Village!
Shisui, with a grave expression, looked ahead. He suddenly felt an inexplicable pressure, as if a formidable enemy was waiting for him ahead.
"Can we go any faster!"
Inuzuka Tsume looked back and said, "This is already Kuro-maru's fastest speed. We should catch up to them soon."
Although Shisui and Itachi were anxious, they were helpless. Should they carry one person and one dog forward?
Putting aside who would carry the dog, just the woman, Inuzuka Tsume, made Shisui and Itachi a bit awkward.
It would be more appropriate if it were "carrying brother Itachi (brother Shisui)"!
"Stop! Someone's coming!"
Shisui, the strongest among them, stopped his teammates, silently drew a kunai from his ninja pouch, and signaled to Itachi.
Soon, a black-robed figure wearing a spiral mask flew out of the shadows ahead, holding the collars of two small brats.
"Brother! You finally came to save me!" Sasuke's eyes welled up with tears upon seeing Itachi not far away, but upon noticing the unfamiliar person next to him, he sniffed and held back his tears.
Naruto was contemplating how to get Obito to teach him ninjutsu after they returned to the village. Perhaps he could invite him for a bowl of Ichiraku Ramen?
"Sasuke!"
Itachi's heart was relieved to see Sasuke jumping around unharmed. It was good that Sasuke was alright; otherwise, he would never forgive himself.
Obito put down Naruto and Sasuke. He hadn't intended to show himself, but he sensed Shisui's presence. Considering he hadn't seen Shisui in many years, it would be good to meet.
Of course, this was unilateral; he hadn't asked Teacher Lin Yu if he could reveal his identity to Shisui, but it was likely that with Shisui's talent, Teacher Lin Yu would enlist him sooner or later.
He and Shisui would likely become comrades soon!
But just as Obito was thinking this, Shisui on the opposite side suddenly became agitated.
"Spiral Mask! Red cloud, black robe!"
Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan instantly activated, his expression contorted as he roared, "You killed Brother Obito!"
"???"
I killed myself? Obito was stunned. What was going on? Was this an act? But Shisui's expression didn't seem like it!
Before Obito could say anything, Shisui instantly appeared before him.
"I will avenge Brother Obito!"
This speed...!
Even with Obito's experience, he was somewhat surprised. He had never seen such a fast Shunshin.
As expected of Flying Raijin Shisui! But… still too inexperienced!
Shisui's right hand, holding a kunai, passed through Obito's body and struck a nearby tree. Shisui didn't have time to be surprised; he quickly retreated and formed hand seals.
"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
A fierce fire dragon spewed from Shisui's mouth, wreathed in scorching flames, and surged towards Obito.
*Boom!*
A large area of trees was destroyed by the fire. Itachi, with Sasuke, and Inuzuka Tsume, with Naruto, rapidly retreated.
Although they didn't understand why the two started fighting the moment they met, this was clearly not the time to consider such things.
"Brother, quickly make them stop fighting! That masked person saved me."
Itachi's eyes flickered, but he still chose not to intervene. He had heard Shisui's words earlier and had no reason to stop Shisui from seeking revenge, even if the other party had saved his brother.
However, Itachi felt a sense of exasperation from the masked man, believing that things might take a turn for the better.
As the smoke cleared, Obito emerged from the mist unscathed and said hoarsely to Shisui, "Is this all the strength you have to seek revenge?"