Jiraiya and Tobi's Brief Confrontation

"Sage Art: Massive Rasengan!"

"Blaze release: Black Dragon's Roar!"

In the sky, a huge Rasengan collided with a massive black dragon.

A scorching white glare instantly engulfed everything around.

When the intense light dissipated, the expected roar of the explosion followed.

A terrifying shockwave obliterated everything within a kilometer.

After a while…

Two figures landed in the forest, which had been razed to the ground.

"Naruto, let's stop here." Sasuke said.

Then, he reached out to his Mangekyō Sharingan.

Naruto, standing opposite, also nodded and exited Sage Mode.

In truth, both of them still had some unused trump cards.

For instance, Naruto's Nine Tails Chakra Mode.

And Sasuke hadn't even activated the Susanoo.

After all, they were just sparring.

It wasn't a life-or-death battle, so there was no need to go all out.

"Sasuke, have you awakened the Mangekyō?!"

Naruto stepped forward, surprised.

Sasuke nodded and said, "Yeah, I actually awakened it not long ago."

"Naruto, your Sage Mode is really strong. The way you use Rasengan variations is impressive."

Naruto chuckled. He truly loved Rasengan-based ninjutsu.

It was versatile, and he could mold it into different types.

Of course!

The biggest advantage was that it required no hand seals.

After all, his hand-seal speed was too slow.

After the spar, seeing each other's progress, the two found a spot to sit and chat.

They shared their experiences from the past year.

Sasuke told Naruto about the various missions he had completed in the Akatsuki.

He also briefly mentioned some of its members, though he avoided talking about Itachi.

After all, he still couldn't defeat that guy.

Even though Sasuke had awakened the Mangekyō, Itachi had awakened his much earlier.

So, whether in raw strength or Mangekyō mastery, Itachi was superior.

But Sasuke wasn't worried.

At just 14 years old, he was already at Kage level.

In another year or two, he would only grow stronger.

When that time comes, Itachi would no longer be his match.

Naruto also shared his experiences traveling with Jiraiya over the past year.

They had been to the Land of Snow, the Land of Water across the sea, and a place called Roran.

But strangely, Naruto had very few memories of Roran.

All he could recall was that it was a pretty desolate place.

However, for the carefree Naruto, it didn't matter. He wasn't the type to dwell on such things.

The two sat on the ground, chatting, oblivious to the passage of time.

Meanwhile, on the other side…

A kilometer away

On a cliff

Jiraiya stood, eyes locked warily on the masked figure beside him.

"A member of the Akatsuki." Jiraiya muttered.

He had been investigating this group for years.

The person's cloak was unmistakably that of the Akatsuki.

So, their identity was obvious.

"Ahhh~! What a scary look. Is this the legendary Toad Sage, Jiraiya?" Tobi spoke playfully, grinning.

Obito actually took Jiraiya very seriously. After all, Jiraiya was a powerful figure.

And his teacher's teacher.

Logically, Obito should be calling him sensei.

But…

He had killed his own teacher and his teacher's wife.

There was no reason to respect Jiraiya.

He had barely interacted with Jiraiya before. His impression of him came only from written reports.

Obito knew Jiraiya was a pervert who had written a novel called Intimate Paradise, which was wildly popular in the world.

To be honest, among ninjas, Jiraiya was quite the anomaly.

From shinobi to best-selling author.

There was no one else like him in the world.

At this moment…

Staring at Jiraiya, Obito felt a hint of unease.

He knew that no matter how strong Jiraiya was, he couldn't actually harm him.

But after his past encounter with Minato, now facing Minato's teacher…

Obito couldn't shake a lingering sense of dread.

"Akatsuki member, what's your secret?"

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes, studying the man before him.

Although the masked guy acted like a fool, Jiraiya's instincts told him it was just an act. The mask itself was suspicious.

Clearly, he didn't want to be recognized.

Jiraiya suspected this guy was someone famous in the world.

Otherwise, why would he hide his face?

Look at Menma—he also wore a mask at first. But later, he took it off.

Menma initially hid his identity, but as he grew stronger, he realized that there was no need.

But this so-called Tobi…

Something was off!

"Have I seen you before?" Jiraiya asked.

"Ah~? Tobi is just a small fry. How could I know a great ninja like Toad Sage?"

"Whooooooo—"

As he spoke, Tobi began to cry.

It's just that no tears could be seen streaming out—perhaps they were covered by the mask.

Looking at the crying Tobi, Jiraiya wondered if he was being oversensitive.

Could this guy, who seemed completely out of tune, really be a threat to the world?

Had he been a little too nervous recently?

Was he just being delusional?

Just as Jiraiya was lost in thought, Obito in front of him was contemplating whether to kill Jiraiya now.

After all, Jiraiya's existence was a threat to his future plans.

If he could kill him now, there would be no need to worry about him in the future.

But after thinking it over, Obito dismissed the idea.

There was only one reason. Jiraiya was simply not easy to kill.

After all, Obito's abilities were primarily suited for survival.

In terms of attack, Obito wasn't particularly skilled.

His Wood release was mediocre.

It was fine against some Jōnin. But when facing Kage-level opponents, it was somewhat lacking.

And against a powerhouse like Jiraiya, it simply wouldn't work.

Unless it was a surprise attack—striking Jiraiya with a fatal blow before he could understand his abilities.

But Jiraiya was Minato's teacher, and Minato had already left a deep psychological scar on Obito, so he didn't dare to take the risk.

He feared that if he failed to take Jiraiya down in one hit, he might notice some flaws in his abilities.

That would be disastrous!

Even if Jiraiya couldn't immediately analyze his weaknesses, it would still expose his ability.

And once Jiraiya returns to Konoha, wouldn't his secrets be revealed to the world?

Speaking of abilities, a sudden wave of frustration surged through Obito under his mask.

About four months ago, he had been wandering around the Kamui dimension.

At the time, he was in a complicated mood because he had recently visited Konoha Cemetery to pay respects to Rin, leaving him depressed and uneasy.

So, he had wandered aimlessly in the Kamui dimension.

Unexpectedly, he came across some writing on a pillar inside the Kamui dimension.

It read: "Hatake Kakashi was here."

Obito was stunned for a moment.

His first reaction was to leave the Kamui dimension immediately.

After all, his phasing ability only worked in the real world—inside the Kamui dimension, it was useless.

But soon, Obito suppressed that impulse and carefully examined the words on the pillar.

After confirming he wasn't hallucinating, he gritted his teeth and cursed Kakashi.

It was obvious. Kakashi must have used the Sharingan he had given him to enter the Kamui dimension.

After all, Mangekyō abilities are often linked.

Like Sasuke's Amaterasu and Kagutsuchi.

And Shisui's Kotoamatsukami in both eyes.

Of course, there were exceptions like Itachi's Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi, which weren't connected.

But Obito knew that his own Mangekyō abilities were most likely related.

And that connection was through the Kamui dimension.

Therefore, if Kakashi discovered that his Sharingan was a Mangekyō and he could access the Kamui dimension, he'd definitely be curious and try entering.

But based on Obito's understanding of Kakashi, he shouldn't have left such words in Kamui dimension.

If it had been Naruto, it wouldn't be surprising.

To be honest, Obito found it childish.

But—

Obito also noticed that Kakashi had changed a lot recently.

In fact, the last time he had gone to Konoha, he had discovered that Kakashi had a girlfriend.

That had infuriated Obito.

He felt Kakashi had betrayed Rin's love for him.

Even though Obito never wanted Rin to like Kakashi in the first place, he couldn't change Rin's feelings.

From Obito's perspective, Rin had always liked Kakashi.

And now, Kakashi had actually found a girlfriend?

Obito had been so enraged that he had almost killed that woman on the spot.

Fortunately, he had restrained himself.

Otherwise, he would have caused a major incident.

Obito didn't realize that every time he entered Konoha, a pair of eyes were always watching him.

If he dared to make a move, he would be in serious trouble!

Luckily, Obito didn't act recklessly. That was the only reason he was still alive.

After all, the Kamui he relied on was useless against Ryosuke, who possessed the [God of Space] talent entry.

Not to mention, Ryosuke could also enter the Kamui dimension.

In that case, Obito would have no chance of escape.

With countless thoughts flashing through his mind, Obito ultimately gave up on attacking Jiraiya.

And Jiraiya, after testing this "clown" found that the guy seemed more like an idiot than a hidden mastermind.

He didn't seem like a deep, calculating conspirator.

After all, if he truly were that kind of schemer, he wouldn't act like such a fool, right?

If he was, then Jiraiya could only admit that his acting skills were god-tier.

Far beyond anything that old man could pull off!

What Jiraiya didn't know was that Tobi and Obito were actually two different individuals.

Therefore? the goofy, idiotic Tobi was actually the real Tobi.

Except that Obito was simply wearing the "mask" of Tobi.

In truth, they were two separate beings.

If White Zetsu could even be considered a person.

That's why Obito didn't need to put much effort into acting.

Because the real Tobi was already a fool.

His speech, behavior—everything about him was ridiculous.

And that was exactly what Obito wanted.

A goofy, idiotic Tobi.

Who would ever suspect that such a clown was secretly impersonating Madara?

"Hey~! Sasuke is leaving! No, no, Tobi must catch up with Sasuke. If Sasuke runs back alone, Menma-senpai will definitely scold Tobi again."

Tobi muttered to himself before swiftly sliding down the cliff.

Jiraiya saw this but didn't stop him.

For one, he didn't know the true strength of this so-called "Tobi" from Akatsuki.

And for another—if this guy wasn't a hidden boss, then at best, he was just a small fry in the Akatsuki.

Not worth the effort.

'Still, it's time to investigate the Akatsuki.' Jiraiya thought.

Then he looked toward the open space in the distance—

Where Naruto, having just said goodbye to Sasuke, was heading back towards the Land of Fire.

So, Jiraiya followed.

For now, his top priority was getting Naruto back to Konoha.

As for Akatsuki?

He would deal with them after returning.