Chapter 50: Nine-Tails Substitution

The Shadow Clone Jutsu requires hand seals, which means Minato would need to temporarily halt his Water Style techniques. Additionally, under Sage Mode, creating a Shadow Clone requires far more chakra than usual, which would force Minato to cut his attack short and abandon the strategy he had planned.

But Minato didn't hesitate. As soon as the Nine-Tails' voice faded, he summoned a Shadow Clone.

The moment another Naruto appeared beside him, Minato was shocked to feel the chakra in the clone fluctuate slightly, and then, to his astonishment, the clone slipped out of his control.

"Tch, this feels so weird," the Shadow Clone Naruto muttered, popping his mouth. Even in this dire situation, he had the time to stretch his legs and pinch his face, almost as if warming up for something.

Then, the Shadow Clone Naruto turned to Minato, who was currently inhabiting the original Naruto's body. He waved his hand impatiently. "Leave the rest to me. You go do whatever you need, but hurry up. I'm not used to this human body, and who knows how long this clone will last."

Minato hadn't expected the Nine-Tails to be able to control the Shadow Clone like this. It was something he'd never heard of before.

If anyone else were there to witness the truth, they'd surely find it absurd and strange.

The two "Narutos" talking to each other weren't actually Naruto at all.

The real Naruto's consciousness was trapped in the mental space, confused, staring at the gray mist surrounding him. There was nothing but fog that obscured all sight.

Naruto groped around for a while and finally stumbled upon what appeared to be a railing. He stared at it, puzzled, glancing curiously at the mist-covered interior, which was impossible to see through.

"This seems familiar… where am I?"

"Water Style stopped?" Though still in his ethereal state, Tobi noticed the changes in the surrounding water flow. His cold eyes narrowed. "Has he left?"

If someone had escaped, it would be troublesome for him. After all, he had made a promise to Itachi Uchiha, and this matter could not be exposed.

But who exactly was this person? The Uchiha clan still had such powerful figures?

"Hey, what are you thinking?"

A loud, mocking voice suddenly came from above, causing Tobi to jump in surprise. He looked up.

To his shock, he saw a face he never expected to appear here.

"Kakashi?"

Tobi froze, then quickly realized he had spoken out of turn. He shouldn't have reacted so strongly. Anyone who was paying attention could easily deduce his identity from that slip.

But he never expected the person to be Kakashi, and even more shocking was that this Kakashi looked exactly like the one from the Kannabi Bridge, even down to his body...

No, wait! Tobi suddenly realized, and anger flared in his Sharingan. "Such a cheap transformation jutsu—did you think you could fool me?"

His form twisted, and in the blink of an eye, he was behind "Kakashi." His attack was lightning fast, but "Kakashi" seemed to have already anticipated this. As Tobi used his Kamui to switch positions, the clone had already darted off in the other direction, moving with such speed it was like a streak of red lightning.

The strike missed. Tobi couldn't even detect the chakra used by the clone. It was as though it was pure taijutsu, an instantaneous movement. How could this be?

Tobi looked up, his expression darkening beneath his mask.

He hesitated. The clone's movements were clearly meant to draw his attention.

Unlike before, where ninjutsu was used to trap him, the clone was now directly using a transformation jutsu to become the Kakashi he once knew. The clone wasn't even hiding its intention to stall for time. And what about that Uchiha girl from earlier? Tobi still hadn't found her.

Something had changed. Tobi realized that something was wrong. This Uchiha extermination plan, masterminded by Konoha's high-ranking officials, shouldn't have allowed someone like this to infiltrate. Who were they working for?

Just as Tobi was about to meet with Itachi to confirm the clone's identity, the Nine-Tails-controlled Kakashi clone suddenly stopped in its tracks. It turned, sneering as it uttered a name.

"Tobi Uchiha, aren't you going to continue?"